What about the F4U Corsair then

[IntruderWithin]

Wow guys no comments on the F4U Corsair as of time? how does it fly? is it better than the T-28 etc....:rolleyes:

[Anthony]

Well I got an F4U today, but it looks like being windy tomorrow (wednesday) and my next day off isnt until Sunday, If I get to fly it then I'll send word on its performance. It looks good though, just a shame it hasn't got retracts! :D

[Dizzee Rascal]

It looks good though, just a shame it hasn't got retracts! :D

I hear that they thought about retracts during the designing process and understand that adding retracts would be fairly easy to accomplish. Does it say anything about this in the manual?

[Anthony]

Nah I can't find anything in the manual about retracts, it would have been a nice addition though as the model would then have had everything. :)

[Radweld]

Im sure someone has fitted them, check the F4U corsair thread on RC Groups.

[ralphp]

they would have to be "swivel" retracts...unless you make them the same as the spit......ow sorry guys...better fall on my own sword!


GEEK!

But I know what you mean...it looks better with out wheels down when shes flying!

[bingethink]

Authentic retracts would be great. Tough to do I'd imagine...

[Simon737]

Well, i'm back from my first 2 maiden flights with the Corsair (I also have the PZ T28 and the Eflite T34 Mentor). I really like it:D, to start with the scale looks are great! I flew with the 3 blade prop on to start with it felt more draggy than the 2 blade prop and I personally think that its slightly slower than the T28, however with the 3 blade it'll climb and climb and climb...

I flew with 100% control travel as I'm already used to the T28, takeoffs are something i'll have to master as this is my first taildragger, on tarmac its very twitchy and the grass a little better, but it will get airborne at a slower speed than the T28. So i put it on about 50% power a little tweak of down elevator (working the rudder ALL the time) to get the tail up and then about 3 seconds later it'll lift off.

Once in the air, very stable, not quite as self righting as the T28 but I felt it was definately easier, rolls and loops are easy and look slightly more refined than the T28, it will roll quicker than the T28, outside loops straight forward and stall turns easy with the huge rudder!

Landing, well this is where the 2 differ, the corsair floats and floats....so much so I over shot my first one and crashed into a metal gate snapping one of the baldes off the 3 blader DOH!:( So i put the 2 blade on and flew my second battery, with the 2 blade it seems almost identical to the T28, sound wise and performance wise. So all in all very happy and definately a keeper, hope the wind stays down tomorrow and i'll fly all 3 of my batterys on it! :D

[Anthony]

Hey very nice to read your review, if it's not windy I shall be flying tomorrow. The only thing is I charged my battery last week and have not used it since... will it be still ready to go or should I charge it again? Ooo and another thing, the spinner is on so tight that I cant release it to switch to the 3 blade prop, does it still climb well with the 2 blade prop because I want to go vertical to do some stall turns? :)

[Simon737]

Your battery should be fine i'd have thought, i believe its the nicad's that can lose thier charge over time.

My prop was on really tight too but eventually it came loose just make sure you get a good grip around the spinner + prop area (where the plastic is strongest). If you've flow the T28 it'll pretty much perform like that with the 2blade going vertical, so you'll have no problems doing stall turns.:D

[Anthony]

Ohh thanks!! I may have another go at switching the props. I've never flown a T28 or even seen one so it's all new to me. I have flown the Spit and P51 a fair bit though, so I'm hoping for a bit more speed and power. :)

[Simon737]

your gonna love it :D

[Spectre13]

Ive also had some difficulty with the props. When first changing around the two blade for the three blade I found the three blade didn't want to come off again and was well and trully jammed on the shaft. I've found that something very thin and rigid (like the flat back edge of a stanley knife blade) can be gently inserted in the gap behind the prop and levered gently to pop the prop off again with no strain on the motor mounts. Has anyone come across the balance issues with the 3 blade prop that I've read about??

[ralphp]

737...rely good report! good to hear your back in the air after the over shot! sounds like all will like this one!

[Simon737]

Didn't have any balance issues with the 3 blade, it certainly sounds different much more realistic, i'll definately get another one once the spares become available.....who knows though when that'll be. Good job the 2 blade is the same size as the trojan!

[denali]

I enjoy mine but wish it was a bit louder.It's very quiet at anything but full throttle.I find that it won't roll aswell as my brushless spit but flies very stable.It will glide forever and is hard to slow down in comparison to my other planes.

[Simon737]

well having flown my Corsair back to back with my T28, the Corsair is definately slower, so i've got an APC Sport 9 x 8 prop that i'm going to fit for my next flights to see if there is any difference from the stock one. I'll report back ;)

[Anthony]

I flew my Corsair this afternoon!! Woo it's brilliant! I had to check when I was flying to make sure it was actually on the low rate setting; it reacts so well and is more controllable than the Spitfire and Mustang etc.

I think I'll have to purchase a second battery! :D

[Simon737]

Just got back from flying my Corsair with the new APC prop, I think its marginally better than the stock propeller, maybe a little more speed and it definately sounds better. Maybe I should have had a go with a 10 X 8 sport prop. In my opinion it doesn't fly as well as the trojan...but thats just me, still a cracking plane though! :cool:

[ralphp]

Keep the reports comming in guys sounds good to me!

[GSS]

Took my new corsair out for the first time this weekend. What can i say!!! This plane is truely awesome and in my opinion and even easier to fly than my Spit and Stryker. I managed two successful flights with graceful landings before I decided to call it a day. It flies so well - so to anyone considering buying one, just get it and you will see. ;)

[denali]

Flew the F4 in some windy conditions this weekend.Definitely not as wind resistant as my spit but still handles the wind quite well.

[TonyG23]

I got the Corsair in Florida 3 weeks ago and I love it to bits. Flew it a number of times at a friends RC club mostly in really strong winds and it soaked it up much to the amazement of seasoned flyers with big petrol planes. At one time the wind did get it on landing which resulted in a heavy landing that split the wing at the fuselage, damage to the fuse. broken nose cowl, broken 3 blade prop and stressed engine mount. My friend ordered the parts on a Tuesday and had them at his shop by Thursday. Wing and Fuse repaired with epoxy, new parts fitted and flying just as good as before. Great little plane :)

I then managed to carry it back through the airport on leaving Florida, through baggage check-in, through the x-ray machine and upto the aircraft to fly home. I gave the Corsair to the safe hands of a Vigin Atlantic `trolley dolly` who said she would store it safely !!!!!! Big mistake. When she handed me the Corsair back at Manchester they had only managed to snap the wing in half :mad::mad:
Needless to say I didnt report the damage and went home.

Corsair repaired again with some Foam to Foam CA and the wing is as strong as ever. Only had chance to get 2 flights with it since the repair and the wing is holding up fine. My local Hobby shop has a new wing on order.

This plane can certainly take some pain which is why I love it so much. Also looks great flying.

I have an upgrade motor mount on the way so I can fit the better E-Flite 480 motor to it which I believe really makes it move.
Will report back when the mod is done.

[denali]

Replaced the stock motor with a eflite 480 but way too windy for a test flight.Will still be using the 10x8 prop to start.Hopefully will be able to get out sometime in the next day or so.Will let you all know how it works.