New ParkZone Spitfire is set up- a few questions

I got the ParkZone Spitfire put together. All went well except I didn't get the aileron wire plugged in right the first time, and had to take it back apart to correct it. I cycled the controls for 5 minutes, and had to adjust the ailerons and center trim after this "break in". I think it is ready.

Initial impressions are the thing is prety frail, and won't take much to break it. It seems my tail has a little twist to it, I'll have to see how it flies. They glued the canopy on crooked. The colors are pretty good, but the decals look a tad dorky. If the plane survives its maiden flight I will make my own decals..

Questions;

On the Transmitter there is a black push button on the top LH. What does this button do? Of course I pressed it, and it didn't do anything.

The instructions say to remove the 8 AA batteries between flights- is this really necessary if the switch is off?

Does the low battery warning work, and how much time do I have when this beeps?

Should I toss the AA's that came with it and get Duracells?

Should the servos make clicking type noises when the stick is held at the stops?

Thanks,

Larry

Reply to
Larry
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On Tue, 10 Jul 2007 20:15:58 -0700, Larry wrote in :

Our eyes are incredibly sensitive.

We can see differences that make no difference in how a model flies.

You might think about how the twist you perceive might affect the model. At the very least, be ready to apply the necessary corrections all through the test/trim flight by keeping pressure on the sticks.

It might be for a buddy box.

I imagine they're talking about "between one day and the next."

If the cells leak, it could ruin the TX.

Yes, the warnings work.

I'd guestimate eight or ten flights, depending on how long your flights are.

As they say, "your mileage may vary."

I've gotten rechargeable AAs for my little helicopter TX.

It would be nicer if they were silent, but servos do chatter and buzz even when properly installed and everything is moving without binding.

Chances are that you won't be holding the sticks at maximum deflection for long. You should be able to fly with control movements that don't make the servos buzz.

Happy landings!

Marty

Reply to
Martin X. Moleski, SJ

Hi Larry, You must remove/disconnect the battery between flights because there is no switch on the aircraft. The only way you can remove power from the RX and controller/ESC is by disconnecting the battery pack. The black push button is there to activate the X-Port.

"X-Port technology allows pilots to use exciting plug-in accessories, such as the Sonic Combat ModuleT to dog fight with other X-Port equipped planes, the Aerial Drop ModuleT to drop bombs or a parachutist, or the Night Flight Module." The Spitfire is equipped with X-Port but there is no external port.

The bird isn't flimsy. it's made to have a very low wing loading so that it flies well and can use smaller, lighter motors and battery packs. As with most properly designed and constructed birds it's made to fly *not* crash ;-)

BTW, If you weren't so stubborn :-) you would have started with a Hobby Zone bird with ACT HobbyZone's Innovative Anti-Crash Technology.

The latest breakthrough in RC flight, Anti-Crash TechnologyT (ACT) makes teaching yourself to fly easier and safer than ever before. With ACT, anyone can fly.

"Here's how it works: Two sensors on the Super Cub.,one on the top and one on the bottom of the fuselage, monitor the position of the plane in relation to the ground. When the plane is flying level, the top sensor sees the sky, while the bottom sees the ground, and they tell the onboard computer that the plane is flying correctly. If the plane enters a dive and the sensors detect that the plane's orientation is incorrect, the system will automatically correct the control inputs and help prevent the plane from crashing, allowing you time to regain control. ACT lets you fly without worry. And once you've gained experience with your Super Cub, you can turn ACT off for more complete control and increased maneuverability." I've tried it and it works! Experienced pilots play with it for kicks but usually turn it off because it desensitizes the bird way too much.

BTW, Stubborn = "hard headed" My granny used to say (on her way to cutting a switch), "A hard head makes a soft behind." *WHACK!*

Good Luck - Ed

Reply to
Ed Forsythe

Oops, Forgot something. I don't know about the click when you hit the stops (never heard it on my HZ birds) but you can stop it by *not* hitting the stops. Are you trying to become a pilot or a stick knocker? HZ probably recommends removing the battery rather than just disconnect it because they are aware that most newbies are going to tool around at WOT until the motor shuts down or they crash. If the bird survives the flight, removing the batteries allows them to cool down more rapidly in preparation for the next flight..

Reply to
Ed Forsythe

It seems like when you posted the link to that plane I read it had triple rates. Do you see any way to put it on low rate? This would be good for starting out. Might take away that clicking. mk

Reply to
MJKolodziej

I was just cycling the stick to the stops to see if anything would fail or "break in".

I am more interested in flying the Spit " in scale" and only doing things a real one could do. First flights will be level as possible.

Thats one thing I dont like about RC cars, they go 600 scale MPH.

Reply to
Larry G.

True, they aren't terribly sturdy: They need to be lightweight for the power plant to do its job. But they are plenty sturdy to do the job. Most R/C planes are built that way, because less weight = less power needed to keep them in the air = more flight time. That is why landings are so important - a botched landing usually means you have to make repairs.

Definitely. You don't want leaking batteries to ruin the TX.

Rechargeables would be my suggestion. Top them up before each flight day, and possibly get a charger that can cycle them so you know they're good.

Theoretically, no. Basically these ones do not have endpoint protection. The clicking is probably gears slipping, which will result in stripped gears relatively quickly. Realistically though, you're not going to hit the extreme end of servo travel too often in normal flight, especially not when learning. Plus, if you switch the TX to low rates, the servo travel is restricted anyway and you'll not hit the endpoints at all.

While in neutral, servos can sometimes "flutter", which basically means they'll hum and the control surface might twitch a miniscule amount. That's somewhat normal, and won't matter much. During the pre-flight though, when checking that the servos work, you should not hear the servos clicking during normal operations (i.e. before they hit the endpoints). If you do hear them click, replace them, they're cheap anyway. I did crash one plane because of servo failure... sucks having $50 of repairs because of a $10 servo.

Jen

Reply to
Jennifer Smith

Hi Jen, I think Larry's referring to the eight TX batteries. I usually replace mine with Duracells and save the others as a backup. The RX pack is NiMH.

Reply to
Ed Forsythe

I think Jen knows that and answered accurately.

CM

Reply to
CM

Reply to
Ed Forsythe

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