Prop Extra 260 Mini

[Tony]

You guys wanted to see the new planes, and here is the first one. I'm putting this one together first because it's the only true ARF that I purchased. The other two are in seperate boxes for the tail feathers, fuse and wings. No hardware on them either. This one however, has all of the hardware that I need. So, it's getting built first.

I am still on the lookout for a motor and ESC, and I think I'm just going to order them from Hobbypartz. I want to go with a better motor, but with other plans in the works, I have to cheap out lol. And I'm sure that I will pay for it.

I'm using the SG90 servos since I doubt that I will do anything too stupid with this one, but you never know. If they strip, I'm not out that much. The motor is going to be a 1300kv motor that can run a 4s battery if I wish, but I'm going to start it out with an 1800mah 20c 3s. This is the suggested battery for this plane. The kv on the motor is a little higher than suggested, but should work fine with an 11x5.5 prop.

The plane is made out of balsa and ply, and has 7 different colors on it. I don't think I will have a problem seeing it. The wheel pants may not stay on the plane. I don't like the way they attach to the landing gears. It's a single screw that screws into teh fiberglass. I may put a backing nut in there and glue it in, then use a 4-40 screw or something to hold it. I think it will look better. Afterall, I'm know for landing in the grass even though there is a runway lol.

So, here it is. I will post more pics when I get more stuff done to it. At this time, it has 4 servos, 2 control rods, and the motor cage is not even glued together yet lmao.

 

[breeze400]

looks nice tony

 

[coolgabsi]

Good one!

 

[Tony]

wow, two posts, and only 5 words...

 

[Jolly-Swagman]

That going to look mighty awesome in the Air Tony, looking forward to seeing more!

 

[breeze400]

Want you want me to say lol. Barley had time to post that between going to the dentist having a broke tooth pulled. Not fun. Now on way to work cause they can't spare me tonight to recuperate. Of well.

 

[Tony]

yeah, I would take a crapload of narcotics and say, "I CAN'T WORK" lmao.

 

[breeze400]

I told them if I started hurting I was going to stop! Lol my dentist said he would give me a slip but in said na!

 

[Tony]

Okay, I have ordered the motor (1300KV) ESC (40a) and the spinner (1.5"). Just to get above $50 for free shipping, I purchased 4 cheap servos as well. It was about $39 for the power setup on this plane. I will either be running an 1800mah 3s, or a 2200mah 3s battery on this plane. It will depend on how it balances out. If I need nose weight, then I will go with the bigger battery. And I'm thinking I will need it.

I have epoxied the tail onto the plane and it's drying now. When I get back from picking up the kids, I will CA the elevator and rudder into place then install the servo horns and linkages. I still need to glue the motor box together, but that just takes a little CA.

I'm actually excited to get this one in the air. I'm looking for a way to screw the wings on like they are on my Edge 540T, and not the little screw that is on there now. It's a pain to use a screwdriver to do this. But, that is how it's going to be on the maiden flight.

Let me know your thoughts on this.

 

[RandyDSok]

Here are some of the recommended specs on this airframe...

Kit Name: Fliton mini Extra 260
Price: $99.95 retail price
Wingspan: 42.25 "
Wing Area: 335 sq. in.
Advertised Weight: 22 - 24 oz
Suggested Motors: Hacker A20:20L, E-flite Park 450, AXI 2212/26
Suggested Battery: 3s 1500-2100mAh
Suggested ESC: 25-30A Brushless


For what it's worth... TJ ( CORC's member ) has a brand new E-Flight 450 that he may consider selling but... the Omega 72g I mentioned to you ealier on another thread, is the about the same weight as the Eflight and much more power for around the same money.

Randy

 

[Tony]

if I hadn't ordered the motor already, i would think about this. but, done is done and it's on the way. Should be more than enough power for this plane and the "lack" of 3D that I do lol. Because of the slightly higher kv of the motor, I'm going to run it with a 10x4.5 prop and see what it does. If I don't notice any excessive heat in the motor after a full run, I will go up to the 11x5.5 prop. that should be about the max on this plane just for ground clearance when taking off and landing.

I have just gotten done gluing the tail feathers onto this plane as well. Everything looks good, just need to install the horns and linkages. Then, it will be a stopping point until I get the ESC and motor. Then I can fit the cowl, center the servos and set the travel on the control surfaces.

I do still need to head up to the hobby shop and get a tail wheel for this thing. I took the tail wire that it come with, and bent it in a way to accept a wheel. i will be using epoxy to hold it directly to the rudder (not the fuse where they want you to put it) near the fuse. This thing won't turn worth a crap on the ground, but it should do. Ugh, I should have selected overnight shipping on that motor and everything lmao.

 

[RandyDSok]

Lack of 3D... that describes my flying style...

Louis is an obvious one to mention that does 3D... and a few of the other guys but not a lot.


I don't select the motors based on if they help with 3D or not... I try to select one that best fits the model flight characteristics that it is suppose to have. Since I also like sport flying, I will usually also try to get a motor that can provide as much speed as I can without overweighing the model in the process...

If you ordered the motor that I believe you did... I think it will be fine as long as you can use a prop with the pitch that will give you the speed you like to see in a model.

I can't wait to see how it performs for you.

Randy

 

[Tony]

The motor that I purchased was the only one that I could find without spending an arm and a leg that was the correct length to fit the cowl. It pulls 300w, so it's at the lower end of what you were saying. If this will not provide enough power to sustain a hover (yes, I plan on trying that with this plane hehe), then I will move up to something that will. Just have to play around with props and find out what one will work best to reach that goal without over stressing the motor.

I'm hoping this plane will be as stable as my Edge 540T, but I doubt it because of it's size. Only one way to find out though. The maiden will be at the field, so if you are there, you can see it for yourself.

 

[RandyDSok]

I've got a watt meter so you can test without guessing at it...

If you end up in the 24oz range ( the highest listed ) you'd have 150w per pound which is ok for 3D... The motor I think you ordered is 60g... so in the proper weight range there. So when you reach the skill level needed for 3D... I think you'll be alright as long as the motor matches the specs given for it. BTW... I'm guessing it is the Exceed 2215-1300KV

This plane has a shorter wingspan... this will make it more sensitive to control inputs. Bigger planes fly easier than smaller planes of the same quality and type.

Randy

 

[Tony]

You are correct, it's the 2215-1300 motor. I'm going to try and make this plane as light as i can, I just hope that I can use the smaller battery rather than the bigger one to save weight. I'm already running plastic gear servos, so that is a little less weight in the tail, hope it helps. The spinner that I ordered didn't have a weight on it, so I'm not sure what it will affect. But, if it's too much, then no spinner for this plane lol. But, I doubt a 1.5" plastic spinner can weigh over a few grams.

Once I get all of the stuff here, I will drill all of the holes for the cowl and get it setup where it's supposed to be. The, I will be able to setup everything else as stated above. I did put some Rc-help decals on the side of it a little bit ago lol. Have to advertise the site everywhere I can lmao.

 

[Tony]

Hobbypartz is getting slower. I ordered the parts yesterday, yet I just now got the email stating that they received my order. Who knows when it will actually be shipped. Good thing I didn't want to fly this plane this weekend lmao.

 

[RandyDSok]

Knowing that you already had servo's and you were just going to use those for now at least... I won't bust your chops too much on that decision... even though that could be entertaining...


Nylon geared servo's certainly do have their advantages... mainly they have less slop in the gear train since they can be made to tighter tolerances simply because they are made of softer material. Another advantage is their weight is the least of all types currently available. On foamies and other models that won't have much force placed on their control surfaces... they are probably the best choice. Their main weakness is that they can be stripped easier than the other types which is why it is commonly suggested to not use them on the more critical surfaces such as rudder and elevator.

Carbonite ( or Karbonite depending on what the manufacturer calls them ) is a carbon reinforced composite that is much tougher than just nylon gears. These are great on slightly larger models that don't require the strength of metal. They don't have as much slop as a metal gear but a little more than the nylon gears have. These are heavier than nylon gears but lighter than metal ones. They don't strip out as easily as the nylon gears but easier than metal. Often they are a good compromise between nylon and metal gears.

Metal gears are much stronger than either of the above two... they do have more slop in them but the are also much less likely to be stripped out. These are commonly used in large, 3D and racing models. Many will use nothing less in the critical control surfaces such as elevators and rudders on any size/type of model.

Bearing is an often overlooked feature found in the better servos. A servo using bearings will last much longer than those without... If the servo has no bearing, then it is simply using the plastic case as a bushing and can quickly wear out causing slop and inaccurate positioning of the control surfaces.

There are many other features found in servo's that can make them better... analog/digital... core/coreless.... and even the quality of the potentiometer can make differences in the performance and centering of a servo. In fact, these are some of the reasons that a quality servo is often selected over a cheaper one.


When I select a servo... or any other electrical component... I don't mind paying for better known quality components... I know that I can use them much longer and then later in other models. So when I purchase something... I'm buying them not just for the airframe I'm gathering parts for but also for all future ones that I hope to have at some point in time.

Randy

 

[Tony]

You are correct. this could end it tragedy if a servo fails. I do know this, there are not going to be any hard snap rolls, or high speed bank and yanking with these either. There would just be too much force on the gears to handle that.

There is a very good reason I put metal gear servos on the Edge 540T, and that is because of the size of the control surface, speed of the plane, and what I know I will want to do with it. For that reason, I bit the bullet and purchased some good servos. Same ones that Pete is running on his Edge 540T as a matter of fact.

For the Extra 260, This is just a practice plane. If I want to try something new, I will do it with the $100 plane, and not the $500 plane. Once I learn it, then I will do it on the larger, more stable aircraft. Hovering is one stunt that I really want to learn, and I'm thinking the plastic servos are going to hurt me more than helping me. They are slower than my other servos, so when I go to the larger plane, I may be over correcting because of being used to the slower servos (.17 vs .10, or is it .23...). either way, The Extra is just to have fun. Louis gave me such a deal on these, I don't really have anything to lose.

I'm sure though, I will be much more careful with the Bipe. That plane just looks too cool to crash lol.

 

[Tony]

Oh and I would like to add that if I go with more expensive servos on this plane, they will be the EXI D213F servos from HobbyPartz. I have used then on the tail of my helicopters with great success. They are only $7.70 each, and they are digital. Plenty fast enough to handle this plane.

 

[RandyDSok]

Tony, hate to say it... but that post wasn't really for you... I assumed you already knew it and we had already discussed it in a PM previously.

I posted it for others that may read through the thread... sort of an FYI post for those that didn't already know it.

Randy