Jesse Open

Went to a Club event yesterday. Mainly went to pick up an engine that needs work from a fellow club member.
As luck would have it, ran into a good friend from a former club who was looking to thin his herd. Came home with a never been flown Great Planes Fokker DR—1 and a new in box Top Flite F4U still in its sealed box. The Fokker is 90% finished (nicely done too) and has all new digital servos and an Electrodynamics OBG.

The nice part was a brand new in box Saito FA90R3 was included!
He tossed in a new Saito FA-91 for the Corsair along with a set of Century Jet retracts.

modeltronics

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Beautifull!!

Glowgeek

Sweet find, Gary!

Jesse Open

Just a couple more things to do

FlyerInOKC

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Fantastic Gary!

the Wasp

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Dave, don't feel too bad. cause, with that post I posted, I have to say, I found something Thursday that I forgot I had. and today I can't remember what it was LOL

Jim

1200SportsterRider

Yes sir that looks great or more accurately, beautiful.

the Wasp

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hey Guys, where do you buy your Rx batterer packs?
if you are wondering, I still using Ni-Cads and NIMH. I know them pretty well and never had one fail, so I use them.
the last time I bought, I nought NIMH and both packs came-up short on their Amp ratings. when I called and question the dealer he got rude about it. so I am looking to buy sone where else.

Jim

Jesse Open

I will use NiMh on the ground but not in the air.
Just bought some name brand, highly touted NiMh from a reputable dealer and two out two came up near 1/2 capacity. Same deal here. The dealer is about 20 miles away so I called. The kid at the other end started to give me the third degree combined with his version of Battery Theory 101.
I just placed a large order with “Batteries America” a company I have bought from many times, both mail order and in person at the Toledo Show.
All NiCd and every single cell was first-rate, as always. NiCds are far better suited (thanNiMh) for the high peak loads of servo commands.
Transmitter power demands are fairly steady state loads that NiMh can tolerate.

Anyhow, I am partial to the quality delivered by Batteries America.

1200SportsterRider

Jim, I've been using these and they really work well. All of my latest builds have them. They stay charged between uses.

Jesse Open

LiFe batteries are very popular nowdays. Pretty light too I use them often in transmitters.
Still sticking with the NiCd flight packs for their long life and predictability .

easystar123

Me learning to fly in May 1986. My first plane was a Yamamoto and my first transmitter was a Futaba Challenger.
I was 22 years of age.

Jesse Open

Great pic!
Sure brings back some memories
Seems like yesterday in a lot of ways.
Yet, much of the gear from back then is still working and getting regular use around here.
We may have changed but the gear has held up pretty well.



Conquest by Futaba TX. On 50 mHz, fairly a rare radio today. Works like a champ.

Here is the wet NiCd starting cell that I picked up in 1983 for use around the test stand. Still going strong at over forty years old. It replaced a similar wet NiCd that was made in 1946. I bought that one in 1965 as Military Surplus at the Surplus store. It too was going strong when I forgot and left it at the field in 1983. The Kavan also goes back to around 1980 but I built a holder and added the LiPo in 2010.

BTW

The ham radio transmitter in the background dates back to 1961. It too gets used regularly and is in perfect working order. Yep, all vacuum tubes, no transistors.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

So the owner isn't the only antique?

easystar123

Ah that's brilliant to see Jesse especially tye Futaba Conquest transmitter. The old stuff sure stood the test of time . It was built to last and your transmitter and electric starter is proof of that. Yes, it all just seems like yesterday.

easystar123

Good one 😂

Jesse Open

Darn right, most of us are relics in this hobby.Aren’t we
Many of my radios are twenty years older than I am My first car was built twenty year before I was born.

1931 Ford, taken in 1966.

easystar123

Brilliant Jesse. Beautiful old car. Reminds me on the film with Warren Beatie. Bonnie and Clyde. They used similar cars as the get-away. Those old vehicles were certainly built to last. As strong as iron. Nice to see it in a colour other than black. Very unique. Thanks for sharing it.

the Wasp

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so you are older than what Flyer-In thought?
LOL

Jim

Jesse Open

Didn’t look like much but it got me around.
I learned a lot on that car, milled the warped head flat by hand with a 14 inch Vixen file. Took about four hours of hand filing but it never leaked afterwards. Pulled out both flattened fenders with a come-along and metal finished with hammer and dolly work.


Try out your math. I was 16 in 1966, my first car was made in 1931. At that time, it had spent the last 15 years in a barn and the guy gave me $5 to haul it away

Pulled the four out and installed a 1953 Merc engine. A good project car for a kid working part time at less than $1/Hour.

Not responsible for any math errors on your part, nor whatever your friend may have thought.

But I am quite a bit younger than Dave


All rolls back and pays off with our associated hobbies.

the Wasp

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Gary, I'm not an acrobatic pilot, I just do the basics. and Zip around smooth. so I don't use thirsty servos.

had the 94732 Airtonics 68oz in my ShoeString. with the 1100 Ni-Cad 4.8 pack. at the end of the day, when discharging at home I found I use 665 ma in 3 flights, if I flew more I would charge at the field.

I have the Hitec HS 645 in my ShoeString now.

after the 1100 pack I used a 1900 Ni-Cads pack but I can't find them any more. so I use the 2700 NIMH A pack. but it has not been used in a few years, so it's wont hold it's rating.
so this old NIMH 2700 I cycild last night would hold 4.8v right up to 1900ma and it would only hold 2552 MHA. so I want to buy new.

so I see today, that "NoBS Battery" shop now has 1200 A size Ni-Cad packs, maybe I will buy them.

Dave, I would like to use a LiFe pack, but I would have to rearrange the placing in the plane. plus, as of now I have NO lead in my plane.

Jim
here is a pic of my cycler/charger.

Jesse Open

Same here Jim.

I do however often get better than or three hours flight time in a typical flying day. I also field charge frequently. Typically I charge in the car. Load the car the night before and start the charge. Always arrive at the field with a full, fresh charge. Not too concerned over self discharge as I would never fly on an old charge. Load voltage is also a fairly good indicator of NiCd state of charge but not so with LiFe. With Lipo of course the best bet is removing the battery for charging.

NiCds are pretty stout batteries. That Futaba transmitter has a pack dated 2012 that still works well and cycles near 90%.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

So you too heard those rumors about Dave's first girlfriend being Methuselah's older sister!

Jesse Open

Earlier this year the current regime mandated that we install location transponders on our planes. Being a freedom loving type person, I chose to comply rather than risk being held for years in the Gulag.

Plugged the hundred dollar wonder in to my flight pack and took a current reading. That bugger draws 100 to 125 mA full time. I hope everybody makes allowance for the rather substantial added drain.

I decided to use a three cell AAA NiMh pack to power the little tattle-tale rather than have the flight power absorb that load .
The transponder only requires 3.3v minimum and actually draws a lot less current at the lower voltage.
The nice feature is that you can easily locate a downed plane with your Smart Phone if the transponder is onboard and functioning.

FlyerInOKC

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Where did you get the transponder?