rfw1953

My Feedback: (2)

Well I finally finished my Pitts Special. I followed many of the post suggestions and so far so good. The Fugi 50 started for the first time today. The Megatron starter is on back order so I hand cranked her. It took a little while, but I got her going. The engine ran very well requiring no adjustments right out of the box. Sure glad I followed the suggestions to pin and fiberglass the firewall. The engine does vibrate a good bit. Much more than an OS 160

I bet I have more than 100 hours in this ARF kit, and feel as proud of it as though I built it from plans. It's a beautiful model.....
I had several things I had to work out. Like getting the upper wing cant angle set properly. I drilled the holes for the mid wing struts two times, but got the left to tight and right to left alignment to the lower wing centered. The prop hub for the 50 was too long. Fortunately the prop hub for the 64 fits perfectly. Lastly, I contacted Gerry Yarrish with MAN for help on the slave rods. He used brass tear drop tubing over threaded rods and then solder them in place. I messed one up and will get it right this week, but thats all that remains. The balance came out right on the mark and she weighs in at right at 17 lbs. dry. I have tried to down load a picture of the finished product. We'll see if it downloads

Hope to do the maiden flight next weekend, weather permitting. man it's been wet this winter.

By the way, thanks to all those who were so helpful in responding to my many questions.

awesome

My Feedback: (1)

Looks good Roger ! Please let us know how it flies and any quirks you find with her. I am about three weeks away from mine being ready to fly and am keen to get your impressions. Are you fitting the flying wires? Thanks , Leon.

CaptHal

My Feedback: (10)

Roger, that looks great. I love mine. It was a major time consumer so I had help... my Buddy Warren did it for me. I am using a G45 by Zenoah.
I was anxious on first takeoff but it tracked beautifully. keep it power on through the landing... all that surface acts like speedbrakes.
I saw an article in MAN or RCM that talked about a special decal package from Denny at Model-Graphics for this plane. It helped a lot and he custom made them (names) especially for me.
Enjoy it.
Hal

doctorgo

My Feedback: (5)

Yes, it's time to take a Pitts into the air. Unfortunately, the weather service is predicting 3" of snow tomorrow and 7" more later in the week here in Mich. I too completed my GP Pitts last week after working on it for 2 months. This is ARF #36 and I must say I'm impressed. All parts were uniform, wing-half contours match, everything fit together without a hitch except for elongating the wing dowel holes in the fuse. The covering is very well done and the hardware is superior compared to other ARFS I built. The engine cowl is a work of art. Stand aside, World Models...there's a new leader in town.

Powered by a Moki 2.10 with a 20 x8 APC prop and a Bisson muff, the Pitts weighs in at 15.3 pounds. All 7 external Hitec servos are 61oz, the throttle servo, mounted in the fuse is 43oz. No mods were required to complete the construction, tho I made some minor personal changes.

I followed the Forum posts with great interest to get a feel for what I may encounter assembling this model. I noticed some experienced many disappointments which at first caused me some concern. Now that I'm finished, I feel confident this model will perform to my expectations. I hope others out there experience the same.

regards,
DGO

hooleyMnM

Just completed my GP Pitts last week and flew its maiden flight on Friday 2/28/03. I was scared bad. With everything that I read, I just didn't know what to expect. I took my time putting her together (2 months). Mine was the updated version, but I checked and beefed up the wings. I put a ZDZ 60 up front. With that, I had to add a lot of strength to the engine box and pegged it 20 times. Its rock solid. The first flight was beautiful. I had a friend with me to hand off to in case my knees got to knockin to bad. Only had to give 2 clicks right aileron for straight level flight. What a joy to fly. I put 4 flights on it with no problems.
Hope your first flight is as enjoyable.

bgi

My Feedback: (7)

I finally played around with the Pitts on G2 last night. OHMYGAWD that has got to be one sweet plane to fly! It's like a little tumbly bumble bee on a caffeine buzz!

I just gotta have one...

Any chance you guys have videos of the models doing some crazy maneouvers like heading straight up and going into a tumble?

Gives me a whole new appreciation for Jim LeRoy.

Hey, that reminds me. My wife wants me to get a bi-plane next!!!

rfw1953

My Feedback: (2)

Gee, glad to hear many of you found the same things I did. This model just won't let you go, even with all the negative post. The balance of the bad is made in the positive as well. From the bad experiences and from the good, we all learn which is the point of this site. Thanks for both. Thanks also to RCU for making this site available.

Responses to some of the questions. No wires for me. From what I could tell, the directions state that the wires are really for appearance only and serve no support function. A good friend and experienced RC builder/pilot suggested to avoid the hassle - no wires. I agreed. I have a trailer to transport, but can't fit the Pitts fully assembled in the trailer. Sure wish I could, but not worth going with a larger trailer. If I had, well, then the trailer wouldn't fit in the garage.

I decided to use vinyl decals vs the ones that come with the kit. This allowed me to make the decals larger and add a few extras. Had fun personalizing the model by using decals calling it "Pitts Extreme" rather than Pitts S. I will add pictures of the decals when I return from a business trip later in the week. Really added a nice touch. At least I think it did.

Thanks for the comments regarding flight characteristics. I hear ya Capt. Hal. I too have read the post and the MAN review about flight characteristics. Power on landings to keep it intact.

I did pin and fiberglass the firewall. I used 10, 1/8" dowel pins and then added the fiberglass and tri stock on the inside and outside of the mounting box. Then added fiberglass. All this was highly recommended by other thread post on the Pitts.... I also had the newer production models with the beefed up mounting box and added hard wood. I used socket head 440 screws on all wood holes for the Cabane and 440 socket head machines screws for the mid wing strut connections. I learned this after breaking a screw head off and nearly destroying the mounting hole for the Cabane. Thanks to a good friend and excellent builder, I had some help in getting this repaired and back on track. Thanks, Chuck!!!

Sounds like many of you found that to do it right, this model required many more hours than expected to get it ready for a gas engine and to complete. Like I said, I have roughly 100 hours in mine. I just took my time and kept focused. It's amazing how the little things can take so long. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems . :stupid: One master builder in our club has 1800 hours in a plans built beautiful B-25. So, I guess I have no complaints. See the model on our website under war-birds. http://www.rocketcityrc.com/

I will add extra pictures with an update on the maiden flight hopefully this weekend. Wish me luck. And for good weather too.

hooleyMnM

Fly by, first flight.

bgi

My Feedback: (7)

That's beautiful.

Now that I'm hooked, what are my Pitts modelling options besides:

Kyosho ARF (May be OK)
GP ARF (Don't want to spend that much on the 1st one)
Herr Kit (Too small)
Scratch (maybe?)

???

G2 has taught me how to fly and land this thing. You guys are so right about power-on landing.

pardon the earlier silly exuberance...

pitss127

i also have a pitts.and hooley and i fly togather. we both have 1/3 scale pitts. we hope to do some team flying with team.and he was not kiding on his first flight his knees were shaking. i didnt want him to know but mine was shaking too. but they both fly great. see you friday hooley.

rfw1953

My Feedback: (2)

Hooley, loved the fly-by picture. Very Nice looking model. Great job! Can't wait to get mine in the air.....Peeded my pants several times just thinking about the maiden flight. I am going to cheat and have my good friend Chuck do the maiden flight. Of course no conditions attached... Heck, if Chuck can't keep her in one piece, well, I sure can't.......

Several post had me worried about the Fuji 50. As mentioned, I started it for the first time and ran it on 12 oz. gas at 25/1 gas to oil ration for break-in. Yes, it was challenging to crank, but not because it's a Fuji. As several post have mentioned, any fly-wheel spark generated gas engine will be difficult to start simply due to the lack of RPM's in hand cranking. Have megatron starter on back order.... But, after roughly 30 flips of the prop the Fuji 50 came to life. Note - have the prop set so the beginning of the compression run is at 4:00)

No hesitation right out of the box and required no adjustments. I was shocked with how well it ran after reading about all the concerns. As mentioned in the threads, it does start much better with a very wet carb. I had gas running out of the Zenoha velocity stack pipe. Much easier for choking the engine to get fuel to it. Simply place a finger over the stack to choke. ( Gerry Yarrish - MAN review suggestion) No hesitation with each single click up and down the throttle range. I never went above half throttle due to direction recommendations for break-in during the first hour. Also, didn't want to put so much stress on the airplane while sitting stationary strapped to a pole by the elevators. Will throttle up in flight.....

Answer to my own question about Quick Start spray to help in the starting process. It doesn't help at all.... The reason being is not due to a lack of high octane fuel, but the lack of spark in hand cranking. I do very much want the high torque starter now that I have tried the hand crank option. Arm was sore the next day. :stupid:

rfw1953

My Feedback: (2)

Well, it's official. It's airborne. Today marked the completion of this winters project and hopefully many more fun flights ahead for the summer. It was a picture perfect day, though a bit windy. I got to the field about 10:00 just in time for the wind to pick up. After assembling everything we fired up the engine and my friend Chuck took the controls. I manned the video camera. After a few test runs down the runway this Pitts took to the air and I was thrilled to death. She flew great! I should add that all the thread comments about flight characteristics were right on.

Chuck said the Fuji 50 had plenty of power and she was gentle on the controls in flight. Landing, well, that was another story. On the first attempt Chuck came in high and cut the throttle and let the nose drop. She dropped like a rock. I mean a real rock. Chuck went to WOT and without any hesitation he recovered after a solid bounce on the runway. Landing gear remained intact. On the next attempt Chuck brought her in with power and then cut the throttle right over the threshold. She bounced heavy again but all was intact for a successful maiden flight.

The wind picked up after that so I waited until the end of the day before I decided to take the controls. After getting up the courage to give it a try I decided to go for it. I manned the prop for the start and flipped, flipped and flipped until I gave out. Where is the Megatron starter that has been on back order for three weeks? After several attempts she just wouldn't fire for a second run. Well, maybe I just wasn't supposed to get a crack at her this day. At least she went home intact ready for another day.

When I got home I rigged up my 3/8ths drill with a spinner cup (Another thread idea), and tomorrow I will let the drill to the darn prop flipping until the Megatron comes in. I have to say that a flywheel generated spark is not for hand flipping, period. Once again RCU threads prove to be true. Go figure....

hooleyMnM

rfw1953,
What hinges did you use on your surfaces? I screwed up and used the hinges that came with the kit. Me and the fellow I fly with got real lucky yesterday. After our third flight we were sitting there talking and he looked over at his plane and said "that don't look right!" His left aileron on the top wing was just hanging there. The hinges came apart. He found several more that were not as they should be. I decided to check mine and found that many of them had worked loose. I can't speak for him, but I know I use adequate glue and then some on all my surfaces. I am going to take all control surfaces off and do them like I should have in the begining. I'll put the Robart Hinge Points in and be done with it. I was lucky.
You are right about the landings. I have 10 flights on mine now and you have to fly it to the ground. Me and the guy I fly with started flying tandom with them this weekend. The sure look good in the air together.
Hope everything is alright with yours.

knpjdad

My Feedback: (2)

Ohio is supposed to be in the 50's this weekend!! Mine is all done also! Hope to get video of it!! Speaking of Video... Anyone have any video of one with a G-62 up front? I'd love to see it! and hear it!!

Thanks!

bgi

My Feedback: (7)

Ok guys, help me out here... Ideas?

Flyfalcons

I've had good experience with the quality of Kyosho planes. Can't speak for the Pitts, but I'm impressed with the other ARF's I've worked with/on.

rfw1953

My Feedback: (2)

Knjdad , I know you can't wait to get in the air. Nice picture and good luck with the maiden flight. Hope for good weather. Note: Power on landings. It will drop like a rock. I didn't fly my maiden flight, but watched with camera and concern as she dropped on the first attempt, bounced hard, but was successful on the second attempt. My friend said to fly with power to the ground and land with power.... cut just as you prepare to flare.

Hooley , thanks for the update on your hinge concerns. I used the stock kit hinges and drilled holes in the hinge slots and added much more than six drops CA. Mine are tight, but only one flight to go by. Will keep a close eye on the hinges. Thanks for the alert.

BGI , I have to say that the GP is really a great model. There are many thread about this one with good and bad reviews. From what I have read, the early production models had some problems with the cabane struts and firewall strength. I only have one flight on mine, but followed the thread suggestions about pinning the firewall and using fiberglass for added strength. I also used upgraded hardware, socket head screws for wood connections etc. As for time, well, this is my first Biplane and I probably took extra time to really try and do it right. So far I have to just say that I really like this model. It just looks so good. By the way, I too have G-2 simulator and from what I can see, the simulator and the real thing appear to be very different with this model. Meaning, again, I didn't fly it on the maiden flight. That said, I have flown the Pitts on simulator many times. When landing on the sim it will float right on down even with the gas engine edit changes. It does not appear to do this is real life. Many thread comments verify this.....As for me flying my plane, well, we will hopefully see this weekend after I get the engine kinks worked out. There are good threads suggestions on oil mixture, carb settings under 'Giant engines' on RCU.http://www.rcuniverse.com/showthread...182&forumid=37
I am having starting problems. Engine runs great once you can get it started. I am going to have to tune the engine and am also looking into using Amsoil synthetic oil as an alternative. Will update you on what I learn from this as I learn myself. D

bgi

My Feedback: (7)

Ryan, Roger, thanks much for the input.

I didn't think the G2 simulation landed well with no power, but it is possible. Perhaps I could tweak it and increase the frontal area to simulate more drag.

As far as the GP model being nice, I totally agree. I am also aware of the problems and solutions for the early release. It's just too large and expensive to add to my hangar now.

It appears that the Kyosho is the only reasonable alternative unless I want to get a short kit from blackflight.com, build a poor quality Lanier kit, or build from plans. There doesn't seem to be a good kit on the market right now. I enjoy building, but the Kyosho may be the choice.

Thanks folks. I'll keep my eyes open for tips to make the G2 sim more realistic. It certainly is a lot of fun to toss around the sky.

cheers

CrashingDutchman

My Feedback: (4)

How about this Pitts S1:

Comes as ARF, covered wings and fuselage (balsa), motor housing, tank, wheels and some small parts.

Wingspan: 53" / 1350mm
Length: 45.4" / 1155mm
Wingarea: 112 square inch / 72,9 dm2
Weight: 84.7 oz / 2400 gram
RC: 5 Channels, 5 Servos, H/S/Q/MD

Needed:
- 2 Stroke motor XL-91S/4 Stroke motor XL-91ARFS
- Prop 13x6/13x6
- 5 standard servos

Lean540

Ok, Im in.
My buddy Ed want's one so bad he can taste it but was concerned about some of the negative reports that have been made.
I don't care anymore if the top wing falls off I will have one.........oh yes...........I will have one!!!!
Be even better if I can get one before Ed does!
(sorry Ed)
Lean540

bgi

My Feedback: (7)

jandirks,
Who makes it?
Is it available in the US?

thanks

CrashingDutchman

My Feedback: (4)

Hi,

The distributor of this plane is Jamara in Germany, I don't know who makes it. I saw it at the Neuremburg toyfair last february, it looks real good.

I don't know if it's available in the US, but I could provide you with it. Customer price is Euro 199 (= ~US 222.00)

If you are interested, I can calculate shipping for you.

Kind regards,

Jan-Dirk Schuitemaker
The Netherlands

rfw1953

My Feedback: (2)

Cross wind out of the east and it had the wind sock level and full of air. To fly or not to fly is the question? Maybe I can work out my engine problems and get this baby purring. Or, maybe I can solve the mystery of operator errors :stupid:

The good news is that the Megatron starter came in Friday afternoon. Oh boy! This should do it. I rigged up two12 volt battery's Friday night and tested out the starter. There are starters and then there are starters. The Sullivan Megatron starter will turn over anything in it's path......

Saturday came, so I hooked up the trailer and went to the field ready to get this done. After assembling the Pitts did a range check, without power. No problem. Filled the gas can with Amoco white high octane gas and mixed Sthil 2 cycle oil at 40-1 ratio. Did this after having roughly one hour run time on the engine with a 25-1 mix ratio.

Put the Megatron starter on the spinner and no joy. *#@^ Now whats wrong? Engine would not start. Pulled the new plug and and it was wet. tried quick start spray. No joy! Ok, pull the cowling and try to find a spark. Bypassed the kill switch, had spark. Ok, let's start her up with the cowling off to adjust the carb after starting. Bam. started ! Put the cowling back on and connected the kill switch. No joy. &*%^ what is going on ???? Enter Chuck, my trusted and true knowledgeable friend.

We tried again only this time Chuck stated the obvious. No spark! Are you sure the kill switch is on. Sure it is, I said, in the back position. Chuck said try moving to the off position. Bam ! Started. You have to be kidding me. How could this be? Red wire on the Automatic timing device and black on the ground. Maybe the switch is inverted? But how could the engine have started previously, only on an intermittent basis? Maybe I had it in the on postion by accident when the engine would start, and I just didn't realize it> *7^% Yep! there you have it. The engine starts perfectly in the off position because I had the switch inverted and didn't realize it. Boy do I feel stupid :stupid:

Ok, now that we have that behind us let's fine tune the carb. Was set rich form the manufacturer on high and low end for engine brake-in. No problem, 1/8turn, leaned her out high and low and bam, three hand flips and she started without the starter. Now that I have bashed this easy to start magneto spark generated engine, let's try the hand flip again. bam! started. Engine ran great..... Fuji, I am a believer and hope I have restored faith in the engine after my ranking of 4 out of 10 My engine problems were pure operator related and had nothing to do with the engine.

Down to business and I can't wait to fly the Pitts the first time myself. Practiced taxiing and the crosswind was just to much for comfort on my first flight attempt. The Pitts would weather-vane hard with the nose into the wind, but well short of take-off speed. Try and try again, but even with full rudder, opposite the wind the nose would turn hard into the wind. Sorry folks, not today. My pals at the field were disappointed and so was I, but after cleaning the Pitts up and heading for the house I was glad I hadn't pushed it due to peer pressure. Tomorrow is another day, and my Pitts is still in one beautiful piece.

Engine problems behind me after investing over 200.00 in a great starter that will always be there for back-up, but I am confident I won't need it now that I have the carb set right, and know the difference in the on and off position for the kill switch. Man, do I feel silly. Oh well, as I said, I'm still learning.

CaptHal

My Feedback: (10)

Roger,
We have all been there. I have but only when I go to fly, go to work on these guys or even think about any of the above. Basically almost always. Murphys' Laws.

I have Zenoahs, 3W's, ZDZ's and even a Quadra. Keep the starter. When the best engine won't start a hundred guys will come knocking "can I borrow it ?" My Sullivan is worth its' weght in gold.

I have 3 new planes including the GP Pitts and all of the carbs were either loose or installed wrong. Check those bolts/nuts and tighten with loctite. First flight by my friend Frank in N Las Vegas was almost it's last because I didn't check those. Frank did a bee-utifal job bringing it back to the runway. Phew No harm No foul.

I have seen guys ram the throttle forward and run a plane into the "weeds" or fence or worse. Air over the Rudder is life saver for these guys. Don't ask me how I know. But 2 guys run whe they see me. I don't know why.

I loved reading what you said and how you said it. Write more. You have a gift.

Thanks and Good Winds

Hal Miller
Safety First!!!!!

rfw1953

My Feedback: (2)

Sunday was first flight day. After fixing all the operator errors on my first gas project I can finally call for victory. I had an ample supply of help from the plentiful thread comments on engines, starters, batteries, oil types to gas mixtures, kill switches, early and late production models of the G.P. Pitts and yes, my friends at RCRC.

Hal, thanks for your encouraging words. 'Murphy's law' said it all. You were so right.

For me, this project was a learning experience that I will always remember. All the thread comments on RCU honestly prepared me for the assembly to make sure it was built strong and safe. The flight characteristics suggestions helped me avoid disaster. I had to sort through the details to find the reality, but my first flight says it all.

Flying the Pitts was everything I had hoped it would be. Hope this post on the topic maybe helped someone along the way find the same. Check out my first flight to verify the end results of this project. Had two great flights. The Fuji 50 is all the engine I want. It will fly scale with plenty of power for the fun stuff.