Flightline Spitfire MK.IXc 1600mm Build, Setup, Maiden and Crash

[@easystar123]

Brilliant video and very well presented. You flew the Spitfire very well and its such a nice looking plane. I wish you the best of luck with your Spitfire and many many happy landings. Thanks for sharing this great video.

[@SteffenRC]

Thanks for the kind words.. Really appreciate it.. Means a lot when folks comment on the videos.. Thanks, Will

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Will I think many times the factories don't prepare the bare foam surface before gluing. It's funny, they seem to clean the lapping compound that makes it separate from the mold from the areas they will paint, but nowhere else. That is why so many guys have issues gluing stuff inside a EPO plane...or Velcro coming loose they put in. I clean any foam surface I'm gluing something to with alcohol, and then lightly sand it...then you get a great glue joint. Glad you're getting the Spit where you want it set up wise. Great flying airplanes, different than other warbirds, but I like that. Great vid buddy!

[@SteffenRC]

Thanks for the tip Adam. You've mentioned that tip before and I remembered to do that while glueing the tail section... Forgot about it when repairing the LG. So, hope my E6000 will burn through that release agent.. I'm still tweaking the plane, moving the CG around a hair and need to fiddle with the flaps, but she's a keeper and capable of all I could hope for.. Thanks for all your help and support. Will

[@chrisdavis3642]

Bloody good ole chap! Ive had the mk14 for a couple years now 4cell 3200 took me a couple flights to get the cg where I wanted it. What a rocket ship it is!! Gotta love a spitfire there's just nothing like it for some reason...

[@SteffenRC]

There is nothing like a Spitfire for sure.. Love mine.

[@Grossman2868]

Ahh, it brings back memories. Had my gear pop out a few times as well. Mine was one that for some reason came from the factory tail heavy. I use a Crewzinn airplane stand /cg machine, it has foam tips approx. 3/8" in diameter. I had to add 21 g to the forward end of the battery hatch (Documented on Hobby squawk) to get her to fly decently. Recently bought a second one and, using the same battery measured the CG on both. 7mm from the edge of the foam tip for both, one with the extra weight and the other without.

[@SteffenRC]

My 5000mah battery in her is a PIG.. Lots of weight...

[@tonydeaton1967]

Mine needed almost no trimming on the maiden. Needed quite a bit of weight to balance properly but probably the best behaved rc Spitfire I've ever flown. Keep your speed down on the go-around, almost no throttle dropping in and just a touch of power before touchdown. These models are actually very stable even when slow. Good luck.

[@SteffenRC]

Thanks Tony.. Appreciate the comments. I got her to slow way down on landings now. My first couple flights I was battling with TOO nose heavy.. Now, she'll slow down like you said. I'm trying to work on my scale 3 point landing skills on asphalt for this plane, it just looks so awesome.. A little different that my P51 and Corsair as I land on the mains and roll out for a bit.. But she's sure a wonderful flyer.. Thanks again, Will

[@loudimarco4446]

Nice flight review Will, great tips as usual

[@SteffenRC]

Thanks Lou.. Always appreciate the support. That Spitfire is an amazing plane.. The only thing difficult is the landings (Like most Spits). You really gotta perform the landings with precision. There is no shortcut on that.. Once its figured out, no problem. She's one of the best flyers out there.. Maybe its that wonderful Spitfire wing silhouette, I dunno.. Thanks again.

[@peterdellas3138]

Nice job after CG problem.

[@SteffenRC]

She's a great plane for sure.. You need one.

[@peterdellas3138]

Nice plane

[@SteffenRC]

I think so too!

[@The725Trap]

I’d like to know where you obtained the wye’s you have on the plane stand. Thanks!

[@SteffenRC]

I got a mess of different 1/2" PVC connectors on Amazon..

[@Grossman2868]

btw, you do have the flap elevator mix programmed, right? Two of us (DaveGee and Grossman56) both have these Spitties and our down flap is set at 80 degrees, like the real Spitfire. I have my radio set so that the battery timer will chirp at 25% throttle which I find the optimum approach speed. As you may have noticed, any head wind will negate the use of flaps. Her in Wyoming, there's almost always a breeze.

[@SteffenRC]

At first I was going to go with a full flap like that, but found the half flap worked well for me.. Might look at that option as it looks cool as heck.. Yes, I have some elevator mix with the flaps... Thanks for watching and commenting...

[@earlpoe7570]

Well done.

[@SteffenRC]

Thanks Earl.. Amazing how 10mm of CG on this plane made such a difference.. Still gotta hone the landing technique, but I'll figure it out soon... Always appreciate your support, and providing comical KZbin content..

[@JMTerry1984]

Great content ! Might you be able to comment on how this stacks against other war birds like the Eflite p51d 1.5m?

[@SteffenRC]

I haven't flow the P51, but I do have the FMS 1700 Corsair and did have the 1.5M FW 190. This Spitfire is a wonderful flyer and will perform all the big scale aerobatic maneuvers with ease.. Lots of power and just looks amazing. If you are looking for a 100mph warbird, she isn't it. But for me, she's perfect. The FW190 is another wonderful flyer and has enough power for anything you want to throw at it. The flight times on both are pretty good with 5000mah battery, but the FW190 will be a bit longer for sure (Spitfire - 6+min, FW190 - 8min). The Corsair has the awesome presence in the air, but doesn't have the same type of power/speed as the Spitfire. That said, the Spitfire can be a challenge to land perfect. (Narrow landing gear) You gotta have the speed, decent and flare near perfect to get that 3-point or almost 3-point landing to stick the tailwheel. Or you might have a ground loop and scrape up the wingtips (if on hard surface). Nice thing is Flightline knew this and made the wingtips out of plastic. not foam. This spitfire is one of my favorite planes for sure... I'd like to fly an Eflite P-51.. I'm know they are well designed planes too.... Hope my answers helped you - Will

[@JMTerry1984]

Sincere thanks for the considered response there Will, really appreciate it. Regarding the flight times, one thing that attracted me to the P51 1.5m was that video reviews talk of having plenty of time in the air , 10+ minutes ! Is 6 minutes useful throttle time or full flight ? Recently got into the hobby and enjoy flying a Habu SS on 4s and 6s but flight times feel a bit short at around 5-6 minutes. Do you think you could extend the duration with a higher MaH pack like a 7000? Separately how do you rate the lights ? Evenings are starting to draw in here and so low light flying definitely going to require good nav lights, hard to tell on video what they’re like in real life. Much appreciated and thanks again from Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿! JT

[@SteffenRC]

@@JMTerry1984 As for flight times on the Spitfire, I'm sure I can do more than 6min on the 5000, but I'm usually ready to land around that time (to keep my mind fresh). If I was just cruising around at 1/2 throttle, I'm sure it could go 8min (maybe....). Not sure a 7000 would fit, but would assume a 6000 would. Most EDFs out there are shorter flight times and usually 3:30 - 4:30 are normal. The lights are pretty nice, the top strobe is very handy for those low light conditions and assists in knowing orientation of the plane for sure.

[@JMTerry1984]

@@SteffenRC Really helpful, thank you! Look forward to seeing more flights with this bird, and others!

[@christsitos8641]

With narrow based warbirds....I land on the grass. Saves you a lot of wingtip damage.

[@SteffenRC]

I hear you. I wish our grass was groomed for a runway. It would make things so much easier.

[@Teozazza]

Hi, I maiden mine few days ago. I found a pitch down tendency with gear down. Did you misure your cg 92mm with gear up or down? Thank you

[@SteffenRC]

I did not measure with the gear down. The gear creates a fair bit of drag which I found to cause the plane to pitch down as you noticed.

[@Teozazza]

@@SteffenRC thank you!

[@qnoorani]

really enjoyed watching this video. great looking war-bird and one of my favorites. congrats on the successful maidens and great landings with the correct CG towards the end. Could you please point me in the right direction of where the battery placement should be for the best CG? Assuming you are using 6S 5000s? Thanks and cheers.

[@SteffenRC]

Really appreciate the comments.. The Spitfire is a wonderful plane for sure.. The CG on mine is moving a bit forward to nail down a balance for landings and aerobatics, at about 86mm now... My 6S 5000 weighs 897g is lined up with the front of the plywood. Keep in mind that all 5000s will weigh a bit different, so unless you're using the same as mine, your placement will vary.. Good luck my friend.. Hope my reply is helpful. - Will

[@qnoorani]

@@SteffenRC Thanks for the reply Steffen and yes very helpful! May I ask which brand 5000mah battery you used on the maiden?

[@SteffenRC]

@@qnoorani I’m using a Liperior 6s 5000 60c(I think it’s 60c or 65). It’s a big brick of a battery too.

[@matthewjames4268]

How do you zero the servos. After finally getting my gear actuated on a switch I find my flaps sitting at 20% ..not flat against the wings.

[@SteffenRC]

Do the flap move correctly on your switch? If so, I’d manually adjust the connection. Remove the ball link and turn until the flaps lay flat.

[@matthewjames4268]

Yes they move fine and where set flat when I connected the linkage. I want to see if I can modify them on the radio setting@@SteffenRC

[@SteffenRC]

@@matthewjames4268 gotcha. To answer your first question about centering my servos, I use a servo tester. They cost a couple bucks and so worth it. To move the servos through the radio, you can use the Subtrim under Servo Setup. It’s easy to adjust them from that menu.

[@matthewjames4268]

@@SteffenRC Much thanks.. Just ordered one.

[@jirikrejsa6352]

Nice video. I got maiden last Sunday, behaves very well in the air. I have a question: do you use recommended mixes when deploying flaps?

[@SteffenRC]

Thanks for watching.. Yes, right now I'm using the book mix with a little up on flaps... I've slowed my flaps to 3 seconds to deploy too... These Spitfires fly wonderful, don't they..... I've struggled a bit with landing on our Asphalt runway without a little ground loop. I gotta get my 3 point landing down perfect and keep a little throttle on to stabilize the plane during rollout.... I'm getting there, but not an expert yet.. Good luck with yours... - Will

[@aragorn318]

Could hot glue have worked instead of E-6000?

[@SteffenRC]

Hey Peter, I'm sure Hot glue would work, but I tend to use a flexible cement due to the longer cure times to ensure I get everything is lined up properly. Hot glue sets a bit too fast for this application.. As least for me... Thanks for the comment.. - Will

[@lynncollinsworth6108]

Nice

[@SteffenRC]

Thanks. It’s a wonderful plane.

[@looneytunes47]

On electrics when you nose over all you gotta do is blip the throttle a touch and it will pin the tail back down instantly...i do that all the time and have never damaged out geo tech runway...Or you could just do the walk of shame users choice... :)

[@SteffenRC]

Yep. Ours runway is asphalt. It’s tough on props and wing tips. So, the walk of shame. 😀

[@Strangerthingsvehicles]

I can't tell if there's any flaps.

[@SteffenRC]

Yes they are split flaps. Very effective

[@Grossman2868]

BTW, you can pug one landing gear strut to the gear door channel and it will stagger the retract and deploy which looks very scale. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpOsfoF7pKaeosk

[@SteffenRC]

Cool.. I'll look into that..

[@richardwilson8271]

More rudder on landing.

[@SteffenRC]

After having her for a while, I've sorted out the landing very nicely.. You're right, rudder is a key to keeping that final part of the landing in check... Thanks Will

[@jsean13]

Land with no flaps, this Spitfire is so floaty

[@SteffenRC]

I’ve been landing her very nice now. Figured out I was landing too slow. No flats or half flaps worked well. Thanks for comments.

[@jsean13]

@@SteffenRC had the same issue with mine… that wing gets so much lift that without speed it becomes hard to control.

[@looneytunes47]

Motion Rc Planes freewing and flightline are Horrible at Not Glueing Landing Gear in Properly Every plane ive ever got from them the gear popped out of the pocket...at the price you pay youd think they could get their act together there? Watch out on that E-6000 glue ive had it soften and melt some of my foam planes

[@SteffenRC]

It’s such a bummer. I’m sure my skidding sideways didn’t help either, but what can we do but reglue. Thanks