There’s 19k people interested in FF rubber? That’s kind of amazing! Great content. I just never imagined that people were still interested in this. RC is all BARFs now. Nobody builds. So this is a revelation.
Thx for the awareness & comments. FF rubber hasn't changed all that much since my dad did it in the 1930s. So if u want to challenge urself, go old-school and give it a shot. The buzz that comes from the simplicity of it all is real.
@@maxfliart this brings me back to my childhood when I did free flying models as a kid, and the feeling of awe and simultaneous horror when my plane caught a thermal and we jumped on bikes to chase it... With all flight sims and FPV planes and drones these days, there is something so raw and simple in this, it's like all the technology and fancy gear, while great too, feels like it is trying to catch the same thing, but with a lot less efficiency :-)
Absolutely wonderful information, I may be 65 but I’m just getting started in FF Rubber and this was exactly what I needed to see. Thank you again for the hard work and effort put into creating this video. I’m so looking forward to the next one. Happy New Year 😊
My thoughts are echoed in the comments here. I'm 63 now and I wish I'd had this comprehensive tutorial to draw on when I was flying my Kiel Kraft efforts way back in the 1970s. Proper guidance on downthrust (I well remember the excellent tutorial on thrust plates) and adjusting wash in/out especially would've helped a lot! This is one to study, and I'm definitely going to get building ASAP now. A lovely plane this Tom, but I can see how these principles can be applied to other airframes. A real inspiration! Happy New Year to you and all your family and associates at Flying Aces, and all supporters of your wonderful channel. ⭐👍
Thanks brother. I am a brand new 58 yr old free flight rubber power want to be. Love your videos, very helpful and no smugness in your voice or actions. Love the music and your soul. I’ll probably be buying this model as my first kit. P.S. Heard you on a podcast the other that i stumbled upon. Thats what lead me here. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I noticed several folks here quoting their age so ill state I'm 63 also. I was starved for models and resources in the 70s but I was able to get a few flying back then. I have several flying right now and I'm learning a lot from your videos, especially this one. I always launched with the wind, and I wanted to know if you do the same or launched into the wind.
It's always best to launch into the wind or whatever breeze is happening, so that the model gains lift immediately. Launching with the wind makes it far more difficult for a model to achieve lift. Notice on a few flights here, as she comes around back into the mild breeze, she slows a bit, almost holding her position in the air. It's the same effect when you launch.
Great instructions. I can't wait to take my planes to this level. 1)Adjustable thrust plate. 2) braided motor 3) cg without prop & motor. Great channel!
Hi Tom, many many thanks for passing on your expert knowledge and experience in this video. It will help me in my fledgling endeavours to meet the challenges of rubber powered free flight and to learn more. Best Wishes, Cheers, Marc
Thankyou for these videos. They're terrific and inspiring. I made some ff rubber models when younger, but didn't understand the flight trimming, so results not so good. Starting again to build some simple models to learn. A Keilkraft 'Competitor'. Could you do a vid on right and down thrust?
information for you and subs 6:30 in general, the optimal location of the cg of an aircraft is at Thirty percent of chord (or mac). or, a bit forward-of thirty percent if there is tail-heaviness in the model's distribution of mass (dom). the elongated mass of a rubber motor unavoidably contributes to wonkiness in the dom of a very light model. after cg is located consistent with these rules, trim the horiz-stab for a good glide; with no stalling/galloping. this amount of nose-up trim will tend to cause a model to climb, when it is flying under power. it can be useful to understand that only aircraft have a cg. and, cg is --- the optimal span-wise line of balance, when the mass of the aircraft is being supported by the main wing; eg., when flying. d
I get a kick out of the full size aircraft noise in the background. I have not built stick and tissue models since the 70's..Hot and heavy into Peanut Scale.
Tom, once again, many thanks for these videos. I've rewatched many of them - so much great information. One question though: After the wing warp was fixed, the plane glided perfectly straight, and as well on the field test glides with the motor installed. How then does the glide phase of the flight retain that gentle right turn when the motor runs out - wouldn't it be expected that the plane would then just glide straight all the way down?
The short length of the test glides don't always reflect the true nature of a model's glide path. But also, once the model transitions to the glide phase, the free-wheeling prop (which has a bit of right thrust dialed in via the prop shaft) contributes to the right pattern in the glide.
Thank you for this video and talking us through your thoughts. It's one thing to read tips on trimming, but actually watching the progress REALLY helps! I've just got my Moth kit and hoping the winds die down soon so I can get some others trimmed finally. Looking forward to my first OOS! Then, I'll be ready for a DT. In your next video on the DT, if you would please tell us how you determine max winds. Thank you for all the "Basics" videos. They have all helped me improve. 😊
I've updated the Rubber Turns Calculator for any newcomers to FF rubber. With the way rubber can change throughout the years, this chart will give you a good place to start. Use it only as a general guide. hallmanstudio.com/rubber_turns_calculator.pdf
I’m a bit confused. In this video you use braiding to get the unwound motor to hang at just the right length between the nose block and the rear peg. So the nose block is just held in by the braid tension. However, in previous videos, images of the unwound braided motor seem to show braided motors that are much longer that the length of the fuselage. Have I missed something? David
Thx for the comment. The braided motor, prior to winding, is still quite a bit longer than the prop hook to the rear peg length, and could easily hang a foot outside of the nose. It's only after you wind the motor, then allow it to fully unwind inside the fuselage, that it rests slightly suspended between to the two ends. This is the true impact of braiding. The nose plug is not held in by this tension, but is a snug fit that allows it to stay in place regardless of tension.
That is the first and only time I've witnessed a DT save! Granted none of the Comet models I poorly assembled back in the 70s survived long enough to outlive the rubber that came in the kit- trees, ponds and crashes saw to that.
Hi Tom, thanks for the video, I learn many with all of them... About the motor, the length it will depend on the fuselage length? I remember with my peanut indoor models I always made the motors two times the length of the fuselage, is important this or not? how long do you use? ...thanks and happy new year!!
Thx. Yes, the motor length is generally determined by the fuselage length. I shoot for 3 times the hook to peg length, sometimes less, sometimes more. The FA Moth is 14", but I only went with 38". Felt like it would be plenty. Since this model needed tail weight, I could probably push it to 40". But it also feels a bit underpowered, so I might just go with more cross section. Anyway, it's always fun trying these different approaches to the motor. Happy New Year.
Wow, Tom, you really have a relationship with those canals! Many close calls! Excellent info and a great review to those of us who aren’t as “active” as we should be. The standard ideal photography as well. Thank you.
Since I started watching your videos I have built a few FF models. I have not flown them yet and this video is exactly what I needed! I really appreciate you taking the time to share all your knowledge! I will be anxiously waiting to see your DT video.
That was one risky landing that last one 😅 Just as your video had helped getting my anxiety, from the not so great beginning of the year, thinking of Japan, down - it skipped a beat or two. 😊 This is a very good tutorial. Thorough, beautiful and calming. Thank you for this! 😊
Hi Tom! What a wonderful video! TONS of great information! I really liked the motor braiding demonstration! ALWAYS liked the FA Moth, but have not yet built one. Bought the original Flying Aces magazine, so I could scan the original plans for the plane! Might have a couple of prop blanks lying around for the Moth also. SUPER Stuff in this video!!
A superb film which explains the trimming process in a logical, precise sequence, teaching me a great deal. I love your tutorials /films. They are works of art, beautifully shot and the music adds a perfect accompaniment, particularly with the final " Golden Hour " flight. Thank you so much from a fan in Suffolk, England.
Great info and beautiful flights, as always, Tom. Now, if you could just find a way to send everyone the Wawayanda flying field as an e-mail attachment, along with one for dead calm flying conditions, the world would be full of happy free flighters! Happy New Year!
The calm response to destruction - Clearly explains the patience and resilience necessary to enjoy this activity! Given the historical prototypes may have had marginal stability and a narrow flight envelope - making them docile as a scale model must be a razor thin balancing act?? Seeing the effort to create washout in a wing structure... Back to point one!
I've found that models that appear to be on the edge of stability will benefit from increased decalage and moving the CG forward. Sometimes that awareness lightbulb comes too late, as with my Caudron C-714, that folded in half in the film. A closer look showed that she needed more positive incidence in the tail. That cleaned her up quickly.
Model designs in the period before plastic props had long noses because they used lighter balsa props. They also used larger fins because the prop has the effect of a forward fin. Changing to a plastic prop will likely require tail ballast or a shorter nose and maybe a smaller fin. Glide testing is a good way to get in a stable CG range for glide. For glide duration, you want the CG that gives minimum sink. Glide test trim is different from power trim. Under power, the thrust introduces a pitching moment that must be balanced by a change in pitch, so you are not flying at the same attack angle. In addition, the prop slipstream over the center of the wing increases the velocity and thus the lift. I found that the lift coefficient in glide was significantly different from the lift coefficient under power. The criteria for trim under power is torque to fly level. Trim CG so the torque to make a level circuit is minimum. Level flight is the condition at apogee. This also allows a thinner motor for more turns per inch. The optimum duration motor is the one that starts with a quarter turn less than breaking and lands just as the last turn comes out of the motor. There should be no glide; the motor must turn all the way to the ground. This condition is equivalent to the motor with average torque equal to level flight torque. If the motor runs out in the air, it means too much power was used in the climb. Power is the rate of use of energy. You have a given quantity of energy stored in the motor. Duration requires that energy to be used as slowly as possible, in other words, at the least power to keep the airplane in the air. The torque of our rubber motors is not uniform, so we must find the best balance between climb and descent. That occurs when the motor's average torque is equal to level flight torque.
Thx. I've only just begun carving props, so there are other tutorials out there that show the methods quite well. If I find them, I'll add to my description above. But yes, I've really enjoyed carving them, so everyone should give it a try.
Thx. That's the Babcock. Here's a film showing the building of the model, with a flight at the end. Plans are available in the film description. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7BqcahvNviM.html
ok, worked with another browser :) what a beautiful plane, and you are an artist. it looks soo good, and watching it flying is like meditation :) Thank you
@@chris2f4u Thx. It's one of my favorites. If you search my channel, there are many films of it, including the Anatomy of a Trim Session, which shows the first flights with the model.
@@maxfliartalready watched the first flights ;) Then i will see the other ones. Maybe i build one in RC version with electric motor. Very nice size for that i think. Best regards from germany :)
Thanks for posting the video. I watch all of them as often as I can. I have a question. How do you know the plane needs wash-out or wash-in? And I am really looking forward to the dethermalizer video.🥸
There's a lot of debate about the use of wash-out vs wash-in...but in the Moth's case, it was severe, with unintended opposing warps from the start. I was hoping to have flat wing surfaces...but I used a stronger shrinking tissue (than my usual tissue) so the warps surfaces. Bottomline, I think of wash-in or wash-out as one would imagine the impact of ailerons. Lift up one wingtip TE, and the model will tilt in that direction. Drop the TE, and it will tilt toward the opposite side. It doesn't take much to have an effect, so I shoot for identical wingtips, then adjust with either minor bits of wingtip weight (clay beads) or very thin balsa Gurney flaps....which I expect to demo the use of in future episodes.
