Hobbyzone F4u Corsair S

[CrazyArcher]

Hi everyone,

I'm a beginner in this amazing hobby. So far, I have alot of simulator time under my belt( 100+ hours) I use Phoenix 5 which is great. I got myself a little quadcopters a couple of months ago. It's the Hubsan x4 wich I use everyday. It's a amazing little thing and i'm pretty good with it now.

Now I want to buy my first plane. As of now the apprentice is the model I'm thinking of getting. But the other day, a friend of mine told me about the F4u Corsair S from hobbyzone. Is it a good plane ? It's labelled as a beginner airplane and the price is similar to the apprentice. The idea of starting with a warbird sounds like fun but is really for beginners even with the safe sytem? I also noticed that The receiver in the corsair is the AR636 so I could use it on other planes after. Could I do the same with the receiver in the apprentice?

Thank you for helping a newbie.

NB: Please excuse my english my first language is french(I'm french canadian)

I also wanted to say that the FT Site is amazing. Keep up the good work guy's and As we say in french,
Lâcher pas les amis

Hope to see you in Canada one day

 

[earthsciteach]

The Safe technology makes it a viable, first rc airplane. That is the same technology in the Apprentice. If you like it, go for it!

 

[IFlyRCstuff]

If you like it, go for it!

Amen. The corsair is an amazing plane, but don't think that the safe system will make it entirely easy, (except for the "oh crap switch")

 

[Ron B]

I fly the Delta Ray with the safe system and if the corsair flies anything like the delta does it will make a good first plane.
The receiver can be put in another plane just make sure you put it in the new plane in the same positioning as the one it came out of.

 

[rcflyer729]

I think if you have a 100+ hours of sim time you should be fine going with the f4u. It has the safe thing so that will help. Sooner or later you are going to crash it so be prepared to crash and it will not look so nice after a few months.

 

[bstanley72]

You're not a complete newb with 100+ hours of sim time and some quad work. So, my vote is get the Corsair. I would suggest that you specifically practice landing in the sim, a lot.

 

[T-Richard]

Corsair is a real winner in my opinion I'd go for it.

 

[edfjockey]

Sure, get the corsair, but also grab a sheet of dtfb and build the ft delta or ft Flier. Sure they may look a bit goofy but first flites often end in first crashes, or find someone to buddy box you for the first couple of flights. I do that for several kids locally and most are competent fliers at the highschool football field now. Have fun and remember everyone crashes don't worry about that.

 

[T-Richard]

Safe technology is great, my uncle is learning to fly on the delta ray and it's a great way to learn to fly. It doesn't mean you won't one day break it but what's best about the corsair is that the powerplant would work well in the flitetest planes if you do crash it. I think if one were sso inclined that even the safe receiver and guts could be well transplanted in a ft storch/spitfire/mustang

 

[Kenbow]

IMO starting with a plane that you are not afraid to crash makes learning a lot less stressful and easier, being tense and nervous about crashing a $300 plane will only speed things up. Your best bet would be with a ft plane, cheap, repairable and easy to fly!

 

[Capt_Beavis]

What did you decide? I want to know how the Corsair flies.

 

[tyhas3Japan]

Hubsan x4

I really like the Hubsan x4 as well and have had a lot of fun with it! But the wires on the battery are weak and came of mine.

 

[jeffbuck]

I've owned both planes and both are probably a safe bet for a first plane. That being said the apprentice is a tank and take take the beating that you're going to put on a first plane. And when you do break it the repairs don't hurt the look of the plane too much. I watched my buddy hit a light pole last weekend. 5 minutes and a little ca and he was back in the air. The corsair looks way cooler than the apprentice does but feels cheaper and more fragile . So you've got pros and cons for either plane.

 

[Swimjim]

I really like the Hubsan x4 as well and have had a lot of fun with it! But the wires on the battery are weak and came of mine.

Same problem with my X4. I'm really good at soldering now! I've managed to keep mine flying through a body swap, a motor swap and fixing the power cord twice. Now my Storch...........LOL

 

[Don9Fly]

Horizon Hobby Corsair Safe - Trainer or not?

I bought one of these and had a great maiden flight with it. Came in a bit hard and loosened the landing gear so I had only the one flight as I had to take it home to hot glue the wheel mounts back in place. This happens a lot so reinforcing the landing gear mounts is a good idea.

On the second flight I was flying with my buddy who was also flying a Corsair S and something happened with my Corsair S. It just started to spiral down to the ground, panic did not work, crash.

The only damage was the cowling and I was surprised to see the prop was still intact.

Contacted Horizon. Not very satisfactory explanation from the first rep who told me I had stalled the plane.

He obviously was not familiar with the plane itself.

Talked to another rep, he admitted that as I was flying in beginner mode at the time that I could not have stalled the plane and also that the panic should have cut in as well if it was activated, which it was.

Bottom line, plane repaired, has flown a few more times without any incidents. The SAFE panic option works great.

Remember, there is just so much electronics now in the plane as well as your receiver. Things just happen.

My problem might have been a stuck servo, although all servos were tested afterwards and they were all fine. It may have been a brownout, also there are other sources of interference that may have momentarily affected the plane. Do not forget loose connections, just so man possibilities.

The Corsair S is a great plane for you to learn to fly, the foam construction makes it so easy to fix. A long way from the Balsa framed RC planes from years ago.

There is Pilot Error, but there are also electrical malfunctions.

 

[Capt_Beavis]

it sound like you lost signal. this is a plane I keep thinking of getting.

 

[ZoomNBoom]

It just started to spiral down to the ground, panic did not work, crash.

"Safe" doesnt get you out of a spin, which apparently is what happened. If anything, it will make it worse, as the flight controller will try to counter the roll and pitch attitude by doing exactly what you shouldnt ever do in a spin: counter roll and pull up. You should do the opposite, counter rudder and push forward on the elevator.

In fact, just flipping it to manual control and centering the sticks would likely have recovered it on a benign aircraft, chances are good without "safe", nothing would have happened. Auto stabilization panic switches are fine for if you lose orientation, it doesnt help if you lose aerodynamic control because you are stalled. Quite on the contrary.

Talked to another rep, he admitted that as I was flying in beginner mode at the time that I could not have stalled the plane

How so? I dont have a "safe" plane, but if you pull back on the elevator with too low throttle, why wouldnt it stall? It doesnt have an airspeed sensor does it? Nor can it defy the laws of physics.

What you probably meant is that the plane is designed so it wont easily tip stall and enter a spin, most trainers are designed so they stall at the wing roots first, and as a result drop the nose rather than a wing as they stall, but add a bit of unfortunate turbulence and/or control input, and you can spin just about any plane, especially a low wing warbird. Its also possible the cg wasnt where it should be, contributing to the problem. But for sure, tip stall + flight controller = big trouble. Im not aware of any flight controller that recognizes and gets you out of a spin. Not even the pixhawk.

Anyway, I think this illustrates nicely the problem of these autopilots; on one hand they are great, no question about it, but OTOH, they are no substitute for basic instruction. Spin entry and recovery will be taught to anyone learning at a club or from an experienced friend/coach with a good old fashioned trainer plane. Take off and landing with a tail dragger and cross winds is also something that requires a word or two and quite a bit of practice to get right. You can learn these things by yourself too, eventually, but thats not so fun if it involves crashing a $300 plane on a regular basis.

BTW, I assume this is you?
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2395294

Its disheartening this happened nearly half a year ago, you where told in that thread exactly what happened and why (same as I said above) by many experienced pilots, yet you disbelieved it then, and even now the penny still hasnt dropped. IMO these "safe" planes risk breeding a generation of unsafe pilots that arent even taught the basics of flight. Things like stalls and spins.