Oldest ARF Model

[Dan McEntee]

 
      I have recovered my SIG Primary Force with MonoKote in the same colors as the original. Did it in stages with the fuselage first because all the Chinacote covering was coming apart and falling off the tail and nose of the fuselage and the tail feathers. After recovering, the model was a couple of ounces heavier, and tail heavy. And it didn't fly worth a crap! I added necessary nose weight, and went through several trimming sessions, but the model still flew like crap. The best way to describe it is it looked like it was really banging a wing on inside corners, and yawing terribly. Didn't look that way to me on the outside corners. Part of the process was removing the 3/4 ounce tip weight and taping it to the inboard wing!! And the outboard wing was still heavy!!! I made some progress, but then suddenly the covering on the outboard wing started to come apart like the fuselage did, so I relented and recovered the outboard wing. Suddenly the airplane was more in balance laterally. I recovered the inboard wing, added all the trim and new kit decals. Before I started this whole process, the airplane weighed 45 ounces, and I had a tape label on the inboard wing with that written on it. After the fuse recover job, and adding 1 1/2 ounces of nose weight it weight 47 ounces. I checked this several times using the same scale. Now, after a recover of the wings, the weight is back at 45 ounces, with the additional nose weight!!!???  BUT the model flies just like id did before and I even put the 3/4 ounce tip weight back in.  Might take 1/4 ounce back out, and open up the line spacing, but the bottom line is I got my good old P-Force back!
    This little story lead me to wonder, what is the average life of an ARF? Not any one design or brand in particular, but ARFs in general flown by you guys out there. I don't want to get into a discussion about what to change on what airplane and such, just mainly the longevity related to use. I think the P-Force came on the market in January of 2006 and I got one of the first ones that I know of through the hobby shop I work at and built it right away, and flew it in our February "Ice-O-Lated" contest and took second with it after only three or four trim flights. I have flown mine QUITE a bit and have been through three sets of lines, and three engines, ending up with the OS .32F Randy Smith rework that is in it now. While I had it stripped down, I checked over the structure carefully to fix any hidden cracks or breaks, and really didn't find anything out of the ordinary. Control system from the bell crank on back is still the original stock components. So if I counted my fingers correctly. I have been flying this particular model for 7 years.
   Has anybody else had an ARF in continuous service that long, or longer? Again, just curious about the age of the airplanes and not a "which is best" discussion. I already have my opinion on that.
   Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Larry Fruits]

Dan,
 I have a Tutor II that I have been flying since early 2007. It has almost 700 flights on it, and it is still going strong. ST 51.

 Larry

[James Mills]

Dan,

Ben's Flite Streak is surprisingly still going (of course with a new tail, most of the nose,  ).  It's been tougher than I expected.

James

[Phil Spillman]

Hi Dan, I put an ARF Nobler together in the spring and early summer of 2005. I moderately improved the controls from stock, mounted a Sullivan univented tank in it and have been flying it off and on ever since! The original power was and remains a Brodak .40. I pay attention to the Monocoat and its tightness and wash the entire plane after each flying session. Still straight and still flying satisfactorily in that it gives me fun!

Phil Spillman

[Martin Quartim]

I bought the Pathfinder ARF to learn C/L early 2006 and still having fun with it, probably over 1000 flights.

Martin

[Dan McEntee]

  Thanks for the replies guys, keep 'em coming. ARFs were introduced to make getting in the air faster in this busy day and age, and with the affordability of them, maybe even intended to be disposable!!??? I never throw anything away until it is truly trash. i'm on my fourth season ,  I think, of flying my Top Flight Score, even though I was a victim of the dreaded "Nose-comeous-apartous-syndrome" that has been common to them. Haven't flown it as much as my P-Force, bu the flights are adding up now.
   Type at you later,
    Dan McEntee

[Kim Mortimore]

Dan,
Hope you don't mind a post that is off-topic from your specific original question.  Are you getting a decent square corner out of your 45 oz PF?  Any tendency to stall in a hard corner (such as in triangles)?  What line length and lap time are you using?  I had a PF that was limp in the corners at 40 ozs, even after much CG, elevator deflection, and handle spacing experimentation.  Thanks.

[Dan McEntee]

Dan,
Hope you don't mind a post that is off-topic from your specific original question.  Are you getting a decent square corner out of your 45 oz PF?  Any tendency to stall in a hard corner (such as in triangles)?  What line length and lap time are you using?  I had a PF that was limp in the corners at 40 ozs, even after much CG, elevator deflection, and handle spacing experimentation.  Thanks.

   Hi Kim;
      I have only had the one flying session, in somewhat rough air, but it looked and felt good to me and I had three flights in succession that were the same and I felt confident in results. The model flew well before the recover process. After I recovered the fuse and tail, if flew like you are experiencing, dropping the tail, yawing, and banging the outboard wing really bad. Triangles were impossible, even the clover was difficult to keep momentum up. I tried all sorts of cures, removing tip weight, moving lead outs back and forth and such. It was worse on the insides, and far as I could see, and that is what really stumped me.The last big change I made before finally recovering the wings was to take out all of the engine off set. That helped some at the time. I recovered the wings, and even though I had a small wave show up in the outboard wing trailing edge, I seem to have it back in the groove again. One thing I did notice through the whole process was how much weight the outboard wheel pant had picked up from oil soaking , since it is right in line with the exhaust in flight. I heated the pant with a heat gun and boiled out the oil, and took the weight from 45 grams down to 27 grams. The other pant weighs 19 grams. I took them off early in the process and haven't put them back on yet. I am balanced about 1/4" back from what the instructions say,  I think I am 62 feet from handle to fuse center line, and lap time generally around 5.1 to 5.2. I really don't know just what in the heck happened through the whole process and wish I could figure it out. I'm guessing that the original covering some how absorbed oil, but couldn't see anything when I took it off. Wish I had some magic advice for you, but I would suggest playing with the balance a bit, maybe moving the balance pint aft a little at a time, and checking the position of your lead outs, and make sure the slider secures like it should.  Let me know what you figure out.
   Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Joe Yau]

Well, I put together an ARF Flite Streak with flaps in 07. and learned the pattern with it..  between that and a .60 size Magnum Plus stunter. and I still have it..  I actually flew it last weekend just to check it out.