Durafly Spitfire 1 and 24

[Trevor Crook]

Just thought I would briefly share my experiences of these fine little warbirds after an enjoyable flying session yesterday.

This is my new Mk1 after 6 flights now. It was a delight to assemble and flies very well on 4s. It's a few ounces heavier than the Mk24 I've had for a couple of years, so it flies faster but has about 500W available so has plenty to spare - takes off on half throttle.

Stall characteristics are quite good, it will only drop a wing with sharp application of elevator. It lands a bit faster than the 24, as expected, but is still well behaved. It is more prone to nosing over though. I've trimmed a bit off the gear doors, which were a bit oversized for scale anyway, which helps reduce grass drag. I've also put a washer under each rear u/c mount to increase forward rake. I may add another.

The Mk24, now discontinued, doesn't have such nice surface detail but being lighter is a better flier. 3s power is still adequate at 360W for 42oz.

It's a pity that Durafly models are ignored by the magazine reviews as they are quality products. Even the instruction manuals are good, in English only with clear illustrations and plenty of detail.

Finally, another pic of "The First and the Last"

[Cliff Bastow]

I have the mk 24 and can confirm that it is lovely, looks really good in the air and flies really smooth. Easy to land to for a Spitfire!

Only problem I have had is that I fly from grass and it is prone to nosing over on take off if the grass is not recently cut, and this nearly always breaks a prop blade because it is 4 bladed. I now hand launch unless the grass is very short.

[Trevor Crook]

Cliff, I forgot to mention that I also trimmed the bottom of the gear doors on the MK24 - removed about 10mm, you may be able to see if you zoom in on my pic. I've only broken one prop, ordered a couple of spares from the HK warehouse and they arrived fine. May be an idea to do that if they are still available as they have sadly discontinued this model.

[Cliff 1959]

Hi Trevor, I'll try the 'washer' trick on mine as it does nose over easily on grass. The prop broke on the first 'landing' so I'm running a two-blade now with no appreciable change in performance.

[Colin Leighfield]

I looked on the HK website a few days ago and the 24 was being advertised again, so I don't know if they've found a few or if they're making some more. Surprised they aren't showing them with the five blade prop option, along with the different lower Kv motor and esc, for 4S. I've fitted these to my second 24, although I haven't flown it yet. I bought a couple of these prop and motor sets. The individual blades are replaceable on the five blade prop, very handy.

[Trevor Crook]

Just looked on the HK website. The Mk 24 is not listed in the UK warehouse, but appears under "other warehouses". However, if you select it, it shows "out of stock" so sadly I think it has gone.

There are 5 blade conversion sets in the UK warehouse under "discontinued Durafly model spares" but the 550kv 4s motor isn't in the UK.

They do have spare 3-bladers in the UK for the Mk 1 for a reasonable £4.86, although postage doubles that - probably worth ordering a couple.

The Mk1 could be finished in an early scheme then a 2 bladed prop would be scale!

Cliff 1959, if you study scale drawings of the Mk 1 you will see the u/c doors are over long, so they can be trimmed to reduce grass drag.

[Peter Christy]

Trevor, that's a good write up with some interesting tips! I completely removed the gear doors on mine, which helped a bit with the nosing over problem. However, the combination of small wheels mounted close to the CofG does make it very prone to tripping up on landing, no matter how careful you are. I must try that tip with the washers!

I broke the prop on mine on the first landing! Not being too sure about the tip-stalling, I brought it in a bit fast, just to be safe. That was a mistake! I've only broken one more since, but ordered replacements in pairs to mitigate the postage costs. The props seem to have come down in price since I broke the first one!

PS: Love the car, Cliff!

--

Pete

[Trevor Crook]

Peter, a couple of M3 washers each side brought the axles forward about 5mm, without compromising the geometry when closed. I will try an additional set to see if there is a noticable further improvement.

The photos above were taken in our club's pit area. The flying strip is mown a bit shorter, so we are blessed with a pretty good surface, especially with this dry weather.