What low wing plane should i get

[shoyn]

Hi all, i would like to ask suggestion from all of you on what low wing plane should i get? Thought of getting either the cessna 400 or the P40.

[shoyn]

I was also wondering, after flying my plane for a period of time, do i have to let my esc cool down before i start flying again? Then also what determines the speed of a plane?

[Blackite207]

If your ESC is not hot then there is no need to let it cool. If your battery is hot then you need to let it cool before you charge it again.

What determines the speed of an aircraft.....drag coefficient and trust.

[airfield]

If you are considering a warbird, I recommend AT-6 Texan.

[shoyn]

Thank you for the comments. Cos my motor recently died on me after using it continuously, it keeps on jerking whenever i power it up. You know anyone selling the AT-6 Texan?

[chessgame]

My suggestion is to try a mid wing foam plane like supersonic or formosa II before going to low wing or warbirds.

Most of these planes should be able to use most of your existing equipment as well.

Low wing and warbirds are unforgiving.Even experienced pilots get bad crashes like high speed tail spin during turns and tip stall landings. Landings are especially tricky because some need to land with speed.

[jsec1992]

+1 for the AT6 Texan (although chessgame makes a valid point too)
Get the GWS EPO 1m wingspan version from that RC supermart store located around the lavender area. But it comes unpainted so you may need to spend some time doing it up.
It's not as agile as other low-wings - like the Corsair - but that and the larger size somehow makes it more visible in the air and less unforgiving as a low wing.
RCG has a long thread on it (under GWS) , including flaps/retracts mods if you are into these things.

[shoyn]

Thanks for the advice. Was thinking of getting the p-47 kit from JH. Btw can normal servos be used on retracts?

[jsec1992]

I've not done any retracts myself. But from what I've seen/read: for smaller servo, you will need metal gear. You may be able to get away from using metal gear if you use a large servo.
Perhaps others with better knowledge can chime in ....

[joe yap]

Unless you are flying over nicely paved runways and have perfected your landings for every flight, forget about retracts. Any less than ideal landings can strip your whatever servo gear in no time and if the impact itself doesn't, a jammed gear during retraction, due to the distorted gear struts can stall and burn the servo as well.

Just go through the forum and see look at the conditions of our folks' first warbirds.

[trailblazer]

Happy flying

[airfield]

Agree with Joe Yap....since you are picking up...focus on flying itself...adopt either fixed gear or no gear with hand launched. For hand launched, have a buddy to help you.

Just to add-on....my thoughts....master flying orientation is most basic, with that, flying warbird should be ok if you have flown a high-wing (eg cessna, e-starter)...just take note the following:

- get the CG right...a slightly nose heavy is ok...tail heavy will be challenging.

- get the thrust angle right....usually the GWS stick-mount is pretty good.

- for a 800-1000mm wingspan, a dia 28mm, 200+W power rating, 1000-1100kv is good enough

- use low-rate for roll & pitch control to begin...any way is supposed to be scaled like. Try playing with the rudder control as you progress.

- Generally warbirds carry high wing loading, so they can't 'float' like high wing plane....

- just for comparison, a GWS Spitfire or Mustang would be more challenging as compared to GWS AT-6 or FW-190.

Have fun, try...

[joe yap]

Just for your information, my friend is one of the first to own a GWS Zero fighter equipped with a pair of mechanical retracts. However, due to the fact that he has only access to fly it from grass fields, the retracts are only useful as a plane stand after each flight, since he has to land it with the gear up to prevent them from being stripped off.

Needless to say, we always made fun of him everytime we see him extend the retracts, just before putting down his model at the pits.

[edmond22]

Helpful info:

Retracts of good quality ones are usually air actuated type. Those when you look around in the market will set you back in terms of cost as they usually cost more than the plane itself. The plane I am talking about are not even foam keke, the retracts are more expensive than the fiberglass/ composite kit they are meant for.

Retracts actuated by servos get very low marks in my eyes. I have seen so many over the years and they never improve much. They dun even support the plane well earning "lamebek" reputation (esp those that comes with foamie). Flyers I saw are observed spending more time repairing and meddling with them with more often than not not retracting them at all. Almost 99% of the landings do some kind of damage each time without fail.

[shoyn]

Thank you all for the advice. Decided not to get retracts. Now considering whether i should get the AT-6 (epo) or the F15 from aerosmith cos today they have 15% off.