NEXT LEVEL P-40 Group Build

[Marty72]

What direction would you go if you were to build another? Something faster then the P-40, biplane, try a prop n slot or a wing?

Well given that I now have a site that is much better than I'd imagined. I'm going away from small, slow planes to more planes similar to the P40. So my next plane is going to be a companion plane to the P 40, the Spitfire (not the masters). It's going to be fun to paint it up and also compare it head to head with the P 40. The P 40 flies so well, not sure why I didn't like it at first. Perhaps I just wasn't ready yet.

I've got to step out into the apocalypse and get some FB and PB. This will be a fun build. The area I'm flying is being develop, so this isn't going to be a forever site. Get while the getting is good. It's an awesome quarantine site too, I share it with no one. I can't believe how lucky I got with this. Yes, the soccer field has landing and take off covered but this site is just plain better for flying in every way. I'm now buddies with the field manager, he rode over in his utility quad and watched me fly. He told me the history of the area, the developer, ect. I love the true South, these folks are just great. He told me if I need anything just ask. Damn, I'm using your property to fly, I'm the one who should be making those offers. You throw on a blinker in this area, they slow down and give you room. In Florida, a blinker is a sign of weakness, you put on a blinker there and they will close the gap on you immediately. I'm not trying to make a North/South argument here, it's really more about big cities vs rural areas. That's how I see it............ok back to flying.

Zetoyoc: Funny thing is that's pretty much what happened to me. I crashed the P 40, didn't know what happened but assumed I just lost orientation (close to the ground), panicked and did the wrong thing. After I repaired the plane (and was doing check outs), I noticed the elevator was stuck up the way up. The Servo had failed, and would not work. So perhaps the crash broke it but it wasn't that hard of a crash so I think the servo failed with elevator up and that's why I could not recover. Sorry you've had such poor experience with the plane, I myself wasn't a fan until now. Now it's my favorite plane. Let's see how the ever popular Spit goes.

 

[Marty72]

I risked it all, went out for FB and there was none. The shelves were empty. I'll be in SC tomorrow, perhaps they will have some precious FB.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

I noticed that too, No FB! I could travel further to find some but none at the closest place

 

[BATTLEAXE]

The original Spitfire is a sweet plane, I loved mine and I hope I like the new one. I got paint for it now so that will happen soon. Even though I totally encourage you to build the Spit, you might find it to be a little more docile then the P-40. Depends on the motor you use in it maybe, but it does have large under chambered tips. Causes more drag so it might not be as fast, if that's what you are going for that is. Still a fun plane. The Mig 3 might be a good one to try if you want to go faster and you are thinking warbird. Faster yet would be the Racer

 

[Marty72]

I noticed that too, No FB! I could travel further to find some but none at the closest place

I was down in SC today, stopped at 2 DTs, the first was out, the second had some. What is it with all the wavy FB? Am I the only picky guy who looks through a dozen or two just to find 3 boards that are ok?

I'm not expecting anything all that different out of the Spit, I just thrilled to now have the skills to fly the WWII planes and a place large enough to do so. It's more about collecting the set of WW II planes. I'm going to get another Rimfire soon, it's just a great motor. I prefer the RF with a 3S over the C pack w/ 4s. I've already have 7 3S, 2200 mah, so it make sense to go the better motor (bigger prop) route vs the bigger battery to me at least.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

I was down in SC today, stopped at 2 DTs, the first was out, the second had some. What is it with all the wavy FB? Am I the only picky guy who looks through a dozen or two just to find 3 boards that are ok?

I'm not expecting anything all that different out of the Spit, I just thrilled to now have the skills to fly the WWII planes and a place large enough to do so. It's more about collecting the set of WW II planes. I'm going to get another Rimfire soon, it's just a great motor. I prefer the RF with a 3S over the C pack w/ 4s. I've already have 7 3S, 2200 mah, so it make sense to go the better motor (bigger prop) route vs the bigger battery to me at least.

That's the smart thing to do and I have been looking at larger motors with lower Kv, they draw less amps, lighter ESC's, bigger props more voltage, etc.

 

[Rhaps]

Finns captured Russian P-40 that had made forced landing on frozen lake. It was panted in finnish colors and used as training plane.
I tought this was kind of interesting paint theme (that I'm also Finnish is just a coincidence, I swear)

I did a small nosejob.


Finnished product:


I was bit torn on swastika but FAF had used it since 1918 - long before Hitler ruined it for everyone (including Latvian airforce, hindus and vikings)

 

[Rhaps]

Maidened it!

It flew great!
It flew straight!
It flew fast!
It flew into ground!

Pilot lost orientation and plane buried it's nose on the mud.
So, continuing with the nosejob theme:


Luckily the damage is surprisingly little, the wing broke out cleany and even nos is straiht, oly intake sides were deformed.
This is great as I actually want to make removable wing (well it obviously alreadykind-of was already)
also I was not really happy with the air intake and I think there is a plastic bottle somewhere with p40 intake written on it.

 

[Marty72]

So I flew the P40 today, along with the Spitfire Maiden. Here's how the two compare. The P40 is easier to fly, more stable in every way. It flies slower and has more durable construction. The Spitfire is a fragile plane by comparison. I tried different props with the P40 in the past and settled on the 10x5 with the C pack motor. Today, I installed a 9x6 prop on the P40 (which is what is on the Spit). No noticeable improvement of air speed. I think the issue is drag, the P40 is heavy and has a lot of drag compared to the Spitfire. You need a 10 inch prop, but you need a motor that can drive a prop with more pitch. So I think the Rimfire is the answer. I've also run the P40 with a 4S ( Cpack/10x5), slight speed increase and a lot of extra noise. Definitely more thrust, but not much in the way of extra speed.

The Spit is faster, smoother and more maneuverable than the P40 with the same motor and prop. Again, compared them today, head to head, same time, same conditions. I would definitely recommend the P40 before the Spit if you are still learning. I can see why the Spit is so popular, it seems very slippery in the air, keeps up it's speed even with less throttle. It's just a very efficient flier.

 

[Marty72]

BTW, I just order another Rimfire 35-36 and a larger ESC for the P 40. Using the Sportster as a guide, the P 40 is going to be a beast!

Rimfire 35-36, worth every penny! I'm doing my part to keep the economy alive! (or maybe just amazon and ebay)

 

[Marty72]

The Rimfire 35-36 is installed into the P 40 and as expected, it's a rocket ship. I only got one flight out of it this morning because I came in too fast and had a hard landing that separated the firewall from the powerpod. Minor repair but not one that I can perform properly in the cold, on the tailgate of my truck.

 

[Marty72]

Second day of flying the Rimfire 35-36 in the P 40, but I flew in overcast, grey skies, flying fast, low and lost orientation........crash. I thought I was past this but flying this plane on a sunny day makes keeping orientation easier.

Made repairs, will try again tomorrow. I think I'm going to start a new P 40 build to replace this body when this one is done. 34 flights on this one, 2 crashes. The wings are in great shape, the fuse is looking pretty rough.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

There is still lots of life left in this one buddy, 34 down another 34 to go. I have seen your Scout in worse shape

 

[The Hangar]

Rimfire 35-36, worth every penny! I'm doing my part to keep the economy alive! (or maybe just amazon and ebay)

I totally agree! I need to put mine in another plane - my kitfox cut out mid flight and crashed...

 

[Marty72]

There is still lots of life left in this one buddy, 34 down another 34 to go. I have seen your Scout in worse shape

Ha! Yeah, "I can fix it, my dad is a TV repair man and he's got the ultimate set of tools......I can fix it".

 

[Marty72]

I ran 3 batteries through the P 40 this morning, uneventfully. Still flies good, as it should. I'm always a bit on edge after I gut a plane from a crash, rebuild and basically re-maiden. The plane only need a tad of trim, which is a very good sign.

 

[Cow the Flyer]

I was down in SC today, stopped at 2 DTs, the first was out, the second had some. What is it with all the wavy FB? Am I the only picky guy who looks through a dozen or two just to find 3 boards that are ok?

I'm not expecting anything all that different out of the Spit, I just thrilled to now have the skills to fly the WWII planes and a place large enough to do so. It's more about collecting the set of WW II planes. I'm going to get another Rimfire soon, it's just a great motor. I prefer the RF with a 3S over the C pack w/ 4s. I've already have 7 3S, 2200 mah, so it make sense to go the better motor (bigger prop) route vs the bigger battery to me at least.

I have noticed that lots of the foamboard is wavy to and I do look through for the best ones too.

 

[Marty72]

Yeah, I wonder how the fb flite test is that is bought online. That wavy stuff sets me off and there is a lot of it at DT. ha. Anyway, I've got the body mostly done for a new P 40 when the time comes to replace. I can't finished the wings (not glued together, just folded and insert in the body) until I get servos. I'm down to one servo, and amazon can't supply me until May 1st....... So I order 2 from FT so I can finish the wings, minwax and paint. The rest of the parts will come from the scrapped P 40 (when that day comes). I'm out of FB, so won't be doing any building for a week.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Yeah, I wonder how the fb flite test is that is bought online. That wavy stuff sets me off and there is a lot of it at DT. ha. Anyway, I've got the body mostly done for a new P 40 when the time comes to replace. I can't finished the wings (not glued together, just folded and insert in the body) until I get servos. I'm down to one servo, and amazon can't supply me until May 1st....... So I order 2 from FT so I can finish the wings, minwax and paint. The rest of the parts will come from the scrapped P 40 (when that day comes). I'm out of FB, so won't be doing any building for a week. View attachment 165516

Nice, will it have a different livery

 

[Marty72]

Nice, will it have a different livery

Probably pretty similar, I like the Iconic Livery. Currently, it's my favorite plane. I put 5 batteries through it this morning in cold conditions, 1 4s in the Sportster and 1 battery in the Spitfire. I'm working my way towards the Spit/P51 planes. I had blue bird skies this morning, the red spinner and the red mouth of the P40 make orientation better than the Spit. The camo spit is by far my most difficult plane to keep oriented. I'm going to sit that plane for awhile and fly the Mustang, the yellow and silver is much easier to see.