Steve999 Posted October 12, 2023 Share Posted October 12, 2023 Hi all. I was gifted an RC plane from my elderly neighbour. He’s had it in his garage for over 20yrs (It hasn’t flown for over that . I’m currently working on the engine. Next job will be the flight controls. The plane didn’t come with transmitter, but has a receiver and four servos. What transmitter do I need, and battery pack do I need? Thank you very much for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Futura57 Posted October 12, 2023 Share Posted October 12, 2023 Personally I'd be inclined to bin the servos, receiver, etc and buy a complete new set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve999 Posted October 12, 2023 Author Share Posted October 12, 2023 I was considering that. What would you recommend? Please excuse my ignorance. I am very very new to this. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed stripping the engine down and giving it a good clean. (It’s an OS Max 40 sf) The carb was fully gummed up. I’m assuming that’s the old castor oil. It’s the electronics that I’m finding a bit daunting. Thanks for the reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 +1 for binning the electronics - no point in gambling on them (although they may be absolutely fine!). You say you're "new to this".... does that mean to the hobby or just certain elements of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel R Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 Judging by the rust around there I'd agree with getting rid of the existing servos and radio. I guess this has been kept in a damp garage or shed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve999 Posted October 13, 2023 Author Share Posted October 13, 2023 I’m a complete novice. I love all things aviation, and I’ve always fancied buying an RC plane and joining a club, but could never really justify the cost. However I now I have a plane now is the time. (I have an engineering background) the engine is running beautifully, I’m not phased with connecting/wiring the radio gear, it’s the type of radio gear I need. There’s so much out there. I don’t need anything too fancy for a plane I’ll probably crash.😀 Any pointers in a bundle etc will be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve999 Posted October 13, 2023 Author Share Posted October 13, 2023 2 hours ago, Nigel R said: Judging by the rust around there I'd agree with getting rid of the existing servos and radio. I guess this has been kept in a damp garage or shed? Hi Nigel. Yes, it was kept in his damp garage. On inspection the aircraft frame is fine. No evidence of rot. Just the rusty servo parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel R Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 6 minutes ago, Steve999 said: Any pointers in a bundle etc will be greatly appreciated Can you post a photo of the complete model? At this point I'm assuming it is a high wing trainer type... but pictures and 1000 words etc. It would help anyone on here to know what you have. 11 minutes ago, Steve999 said: Just the rusty servo parts. I think you'll want to change some or all of the pushrods / closed loop and clevises as well, sadly. Again, picture of the whole thing will help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J D 8 Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 Basic radio gear can be purchased for low cost today. If there is a club nearby you can visit and see what radio's they mainly use it is helpful when learning and there may even be a set available for you to use. Despite being a lifelong modeler I made the mistake of trying out a donated aircraft without a full check, the old plastic control links were brittle. Result below. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RottenRow Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 As you mention not needing anything too fancy, and also the possibility that you will join a club, if there is one local to you perhaps it would be a good idea to make contact with that club and visit their flying site. There may well be someone there who is changing their radio system and will have one for sale. R/C equipment generally has a fairly poor resale value so you might pick up a good basic set for not much money. You'll also probably pick up some good advice. Brian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RottenRow Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 Ha ha posted my reply at the same time as JD8. Brian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 So if the engine is running beautifully, you already have the support gear for the engine..... that saves some money! The best advice has already been given - visit the local club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Chaddock Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 Steve999 Basically humans do not know instinctively how to fly or have the approriate reactions built in from birth. You don't learn to fly a full size plane without alot of dual instruction as the chances of killing yourself are far too high. You can learn to fly a model by yourself but it involves a lot of 'trial and error' with many crashes and you are likely to require a replacement plane or two before you are through. There are also legal requirements that have to met before you fly anything but the smallest plane. The advice to join a club is by far the best course of action as they are likely to have instructors, approrprite trainer planes and dual control radio systems as well. After you have learned to fly well and have gained a good understanding of what is good and bad then "restoring" your gifted plane might be an interesting project but I suspect it would still be a wasted effort. Sorry to be so negative but flying an RC plane, even a bought 'ready to fly' one, is not as simple as it used to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 Sorry Simon, did you really mean to word that last sentence like that...... those little foam, SAFE-type equipped planes are much easier to fly than, say, a conventional, .40 powered trainer.............. I agree that finding somewhere suitable to fly legally can be more challenging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban8 Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 Scrap the radio gear - stored in damp conditions - old style 35 meg single conversion RX, so you'll need to find a suitable 35 meg tranny and match frequencies - a lot of bother with many pitfalls. I'm not saying 35 is totally redundant, it's not, as flyers still use well maintained gear that they've had for decades. If you really want to get into R/C flying, my advice is to start from scratch and pay a visit to a few nearby clubs (Google bmfa clubfinder) see what you think and if the hobby seems to be for you, then go on from there. It's not expensive to start in the hobby these days and the primary aim is to learn to fly and then move on and up to what interests you in particular. With the knowledge and experience gained you'll then stand a far better chance of refurbing your existing model and having success with it. Keep it simple, don't try to do too much at once, the overall learning curve is steep enough without giving yourself unnecessary work and expense. An electric trainer along the lines of a WOT4 Foam-E is ideal to start with - no building or fiddling with engines (that can come later) or depending on the club, simply using a model provided by them. Clubs do differ in their approach and character so check 'em out and see where you feel you'll fit in. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Skilbeck Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 Yep if it's all damp and rusty then replace them all, but had a new member recently who's resurrected a 20year old Flair Cub, we put in a new rx battry, 35 MHz Rx programmed into his MPX 3030 buddied to my old 3030, took a little while to get the PAW (49 I think) to spring into life and it then flew around just fine. But if you've never flown before then getting an experienced modeller to check it out and fly it is the way to go and if you can get a radio set compatible with his then he'll be able to buddy you up so you can have a go without turning it into matchsticks. Had a lucky escape with an old vintage model though, radio was all fine, but when the whole rudder came loose we were lucky to get it down in one piece. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Engine Doctor Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 On old models its generally the glue that degrades and anotherwise fine looking model could be just waiting to fall apart in the air. Check the integrity of wing mounts, wing joint , rear stabilisers and especially hinge fixing. Loads of good used radio sets about so bin old stuff as the damp storage could have caused issues. Good luck . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Fry Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 Model is 20+ years old. Picture would be nice, but looks home built, not ARTF (factory built airframe). If the covering is still good, I think I would wick a tiny bit of thin superglue into every joint, making pin holes in the covering, if needed. Reason, casting mind back, back then, we were starting to use superglue ( stable, waterproof) from PVA glues, ( not waterproof). Wicking a bit of superglue will stabilise unstable damp damaged glues joints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Griff Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 Hi steve999, did you get the message I sent please ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 2 hours ago, Rich Griff said: Hi steve999, did you get the message I sent please ? You need to add the @ like this @Steve999 and select from the drop down box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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