NEXT LEVEL P-40 Group Build

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
I'm hopefully going up this Weekend!! 😀
I even got a quarter sized cube Camera from China. Only $7.00, but it took 7 freaking weeks to get here! 😡😠
I'm going to try some "In Cockpit" Video!! 👍👍
I can't wait to see the video! Have you flown the mini speedster lately?
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
Any of you guys maiden your P-40s in the last week? I'm going to attempt to next week, just looking for great conditions (no wind). I'll post of the video victory or defeat.
Your P-40 will fly great, you have become very thorough in your checks and rechecks. You will have a lot of fun with it. It should be like going from your Scout to the Sportster all over again
 

Marty72

Elite member
Chucked the P 40 up today for it's maiden. I have video which I have not yet reviewed but I don't expect it's all that interesting.

IMG_2060.JPG


Things went well, no issues. Plane was well balanced and trimmed (visually), required almost nothing in the air. That's the way I like my maidens to go. Post more of my observations and plans later.
 

BS projects inc.

Elite member
Chucked the P 40 up today for it's maiden. I have video which I have not yet reviewed but I don't expect it's all that interesting.

View attachment 154712

Things went well, no issues. Plane was well balanced and trimmed (visually), required almost nothing in the air. That's the way I like my maidens to go. Post more of my observations and plans later.
beautiful plane, well done!
 

Marty72

Elite member
where did you get a spinner that size?
Yes, Poorman RC is correct, it's a Du Bro 2.5 spinner. You can get it at flitetest. It the perfect size, my only issue with it is the weight, 49 grams. That's a substantial flywheel on the prop. I have 2 of them, this one is pretty well balanced, the other isn't and I won't fly it as until I can balance it.

And thanks for the nice comment
 

Marty72

Elite member
So my post maiden review: The plane hand launched nicely, C pack motor appears to be adequate but the prop is holding it back (I believe). I've changed the prop out for a 9x6 and I think the P 40 will fly outstanding with it. The 10x4.5 has a ton of thrust but you don't need it. I'll test out my hypothesis tomorrow. I ran 2 batteries through the plane and was very careful as I badly damaged my Sportster yesterday in a crash and it has shaken my confidence (that I could save anything as long as I was high up, not true for me). The P 40 seems to deal with the wind better than my other planes (as it should) and carves really smooth turns. It flies slower than I expect but that's fine for the maiden. I am wondering if the spinner, all 49 grams of it, is affecting performance negatively. I'll do that experiment as well, to see if there is any noticeable performance degradation due to the extra rotating mass. I really love the way the spinner looks on the P 40, it really finishes the plane. Perhaps a larger motor is in order here too.

I find the plane difficult to see in the air compared to my other more colorful FT planes. I really love the way the yellow and black Sportster looks in the air, it's just amazing. My P 40 looks great on the ground or flying low but up in the air, it's rather blaaa. I really don't know how much I like it yet, I've got to get comfortable with it first. But I think I'm going to like it, especially with a faster prop.

On a side note, I've learned a few things today. The Sportster is slow to roll but that's not due to aileron authority but instead to a lack of speed. The plane is flying with the C pack motor and is a bit to slow to roll fast unless you are near wide open or flying into the wind. The Scout with the C pack motor, rolls so damn fast (at half throttle) you don't have to do any corrections. However, today I flew the Scout with the B pack motor and that's not the case. I switch the prop to a 9x6, that helped but still much slower . So based on this, the Sportster needs a bigger motor to unleash it's potential. At least that is what I believe right now. I flew the Sportster today with the 10x5 and the 9x6 props. The 10x5 is the best option for this plane (w/ C pack), as you need the thrust (due to it's size and weight) and the pitch gives it a tad more speed over the stock prop. The 9x6 didn't improve the speed and lacked thrust in my opinion.

Good day, no crashes, great maiden conditions too.
 

Zetoyoc

Elite member
Great maiden. good to see it in the air and flying well. Once I get past finals il be able to consider getting mine up in the air was well.
 

Marty72

Elite member
Great maiden. good to see it in the air and flying well. Once I get past finals il be able to consider getting mine up in the air was well.

Thanks! Just glad to get the maiden behind me, I find them nerve racking.

Shouldn't be an issue for you. No nasty characteristics at all.
 

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
@Marty72 you should get a 4s battery and then use it with a 9x6 prop. It made a huge difference in my spitfire! And that was on the old c pack - you have the radial so it should be even faster! 4s opens a whole new world imo.
 

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
@Marty72 you should get a 4s battery and then use it with a 9x6 prop. It made a huge difference in my spitfire! And that was on the old c pack - you have the radial so it should be even faster! 4s opens a whole new world imo.
@Marty72 here’s one of the 4s lipos I got. It was under $20 on Amazon and had good reviews so I got it. It’s served me really well! Specs are 1550 mah and 100C
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