Stuart Clarke 1 Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Hello all, As per the description i am returning to the hobby after a 17 year break. I started at 15 years of age with a fully hand built cessna which i built with my father. Sadly due to an illness which my father came down with i stopped a year later. I now have a family of my own and in trying to find something i could enjoy for me i turned back to model flying. I am currently building a Flair Cub with built up wing. I live in Norwich and am looking at flying locally. I do have one question would it be safe to use my original controller which was a Futaba sky sport 4 or would i be better purchasing a new 2.4 Ghz set? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 welcome back from me Stuart........your futaba 4 will still work ok etc....but if you intend staying the course---it may be wise to have a look around at what is currently in use .... find a club and ask a few questions.......anyone worth their salt will advise you...the way to go.... ken Anderson ne..1........ way to go dept..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Well the Skysport might work but the nicads will have deteriorated so will need replacing and this may cost a big proportion of the cost of a basic 2.4 set. Buy 2.4 after consulting the club instructor who will have a preference for a particular make to match his set for a buddy lead. The Skysport probably didn't have a scocket for a buddy lead anyway so as most clubs now wont favour instructing without a buddy lead the Skysport will not be liked. Servos should be OK though so just keep those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Hi Stuart and welcome back! I agree with Ken, the old Sky Sport will still work, but you're going to put a lot of effort into this model - and presumably others - a new 2.4 needn't break the bank and they do work very well with lots of features that will be new to you to play with. A good tranny is a worthwhile investment in your hobby. BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Clarke 1 Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 For the brief period i was learning electric flight was a bit of a dark art and electric models were few and far between, but now it seems electric is the norm. I will post pictures up of my build as i go although they will be few. I am currently looking at a Hitec 2.4 system which seems good for the price. What would be a good way to go once i am an established model flyer as having served in the RAF as an engineer on the hercules i would like to build a transport plane and am looking at an Airbus A400 kit by Tony N. The problem is looking around the forum the opinion seems to be against people with a lack of experience flying a 4 engine model. Would this be right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Well your technical background will stand you in good stead. And generally larger multis are a dodle to fly (assuming all engines keep running!). If your planning it electric I don't see any major issues for you to build it after your Cub. Maybe get an ARTF something to "warm up" on. BEB Hi-Tec Tx is a good choice - and I say that as a confirmed Futaba man! PS I would strongly endorse the "look for a good club" message from Ken though. Edited By Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 03/01/2014 19:02:56 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 skysport 4 does have a buddy socket, however its a very basic box, starting from scratch 2.4 is best choice if your joining a club, hold off on type though, not all are compatible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Clarke 1 Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 I am hoping to visit a few clubs in the next month or two so i will hold off getting a set until i see and speak to the people at the clubs and see what they are using. Thanks for the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 hello again stuart-the A400 is a really good flyer.......one of our club members has built and 'flown' one.......after the initial learning phase for you its a one to add to the list.......he may put some photo's etc of his on this thread for you....or even offer to sell you his.....you never know ...... ken Anderson ne...1 A400/you never know dept.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Grigg Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Hi Stuart the Flair Cub was my second build and is straight forward a good starter build and flies well.I built mine IC with an SC 52 4stroke and its a good combination.Good Luck with your return. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Skilbeck Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Stuart if you aim is to move onto 4 engined aircraft then a higher up radio might be a better investment, so you can put the throttles into different channels on the Rx, while it might seem OK to just Y lead all 4 ESCs (assuming you are going brushless) I have found that some ESCs don't work if the position signal is shared between more than 2 ESCs. Also having multiple channels and mixing will allow you to add some rudder throttle mixing which can be useful on take off and taxying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josip Vrandecic -Mes Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Hello Stuart ,welcome back ,greetings and support from the Adriatic Sea... Cheers Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Clarke 1 Posted January 19, 2014 Author Share Posted January 19, 2014 Nearing completion of my Flair cub. Will put up some pictures when i get a chance. I am debating cutting 5" of the ailerons and making a set of working flaps. The only thing that is stopping me at the moment is that A, Would flaps be to advanced for a trainer B, Should i change the design from 1 servo for ailerons to 2 servos and if i fit flaps should i use a servo for each flap or one servo using bell cranks? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucksboy Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Stuart, I've built and flown the TN Sunderland which will be similar to the Airbus. By using electric motors you can be sure that none of the engines will quit on you, once you've overcome that worry, the Sunderland is very easy to fly. Sedate but that is how the real one flew. All four of my ESC's are Y leaded together from one channel on the receiver. As with the radio gear I'm now a Hitec Aurora owner after using Futaba, it's excellent, very easy to program too. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Hi Stuart, The Flair Cub is more like the Supercub (PA-18) than the J3, so fitting flaps would be more scale, that's for sure. However, like my Carl Goldberg J3 Cub, the Flair has full-span strip ailerons and just cutting 5" off will reduce the aileron effectiveness. With my Cub, I doubled the chord of the ailerons and they work fine: If you're happy to go to the extra trouble, installing flaps will give you an extra dimension, certainly, and they don't have to be used until you're confident with the basics. Flying is like riding a bike, by the way - once learnt, you never really forget - it just takes a little time to reacquire the skills, as many returnees here have found I would certainly use individual servos for ailerons and flaps if you have enough channels on your Tx - the Skysport 4 won't be enough. Servos have tumbled in price in recent years and one for each surface seems to be accepted as the modern way now, rather than bellcranks. With 4 ch, you can link the ailerons with a 'Y' lead. With 6 or 7 channels, you can have dual aileron control which allows you to program some aileron differential, rather than having to set it up mechanically. The flaps can be connected on one channel with a 'Y' lead, although remember to fit both servos facing the same direction to avoid having to reverse one half. Look forward to seeing some pics...... Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob43 Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Hi stuartYou might want to consider the turnigy 9xr transmitter from the hobbyking website. Its a low cost 8 channel tx thats actually quite versatile and has the advantage of having buddy sockets for both futaba and jr/spektrum. You can also choose which rf module you wish to use eg spectrum dsm2 or futaba etc.I have one I have had for a year and its works very well.The tx, module and lipo battery will not cost you much more than ?60 pounds delivered quite incredibly. Here is a link to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob43 Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__31544__Turnigy_9XR_Transmitter_Mode_2_No_Module_.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Clarke 1 Posted January 19, 2014 Author Share Posted January 19, 2014 I am looking at a Spektrum DX7.so having enough channels certainly should'nt be a problem with the current model and ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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