NITRO Flying Session with a Maiden Flight - NORVEL .061 Engine!

Mike and Richie head out to May's Field to maiden a couple of new R/C gassies...Richie has to scrub the mission for his Cleveland Cloudster when his aileron servo decides to call it quits, but Mike manages a good shakedown flight on his brand-new 25 year old Baby Birdie aerobatic ship. This plane is equipped with full house 4 channel R/C unlike the original, which was a 2 channel aileron and elevator plane. The small size of modern gear makes this possible.
That little Norvel .061 engine is a real sweetheart....Runs great on regular 10% nitro R/C fuel....easy to start, reliable low speed, and good fuel economy. It turns a Cox black plastic 6x3 with authority and pulls the Birdie very nicely. Fuel tank is a 2 oz. round tank with a clunk pickup, and after this 5 minute flight we landed with just under half of that remaining.
The Banggood servos and receiver used in the Baby Birdie work amazingly well for such inexpensive units. Check them out here if you're looking for some cheap gear that works good:
Metal Gear Servos (on 3 flight control channels):
www.banggood.c...
Plastic Gear Servo (throttle channel):
www.banggood.c...
3 Amp 5V BEC to power flight pack:
www.banggood.c...
Redcon 6 Channel full range DSM2 Receiver:
www.banggood.c...
I use a Futaba FP-T8UHP Transmitter with a Spektrum 2.4 GHz DSM2 conversion module.

[@spurgear4]

Ahh A little sanity in a world that's falling apart. Thank you

[@sonex413]

Thanks, we appreciate that..

[@tornadoalley4495]

Yo Mike and Richie, you keep flying and posting, and I’ll keep vaping and watching. Thanks for entertaining those of us without a damn thing to do. Your number-one fan, Ron.

[@sonex413]

Thanks for checking in Ron! Richie was just asking about you when I saw him Sunday. More videos on the way I promise, including Richie's postponed maiden! Get out there and do some flying, it's ok to take the vape pen with you!

[@Winter_Sportster]

Rock’n that Airtronics on 72mhz…you’re the Dude!!!👌👌👌👍👍👍

[@wyattsutton9264]

Thanks guys. Loved it..

[@andresgarcia7757]

I used to have a 2 channel airplane like the one you shoed first, it was a blast and it was very strong, I also had a little norvel .49 it was such a great engine, I wish I had it.

[@sonex413]

We both love the Norvel engines! They always seem to run until the last drop of fuel...very reliable and durable. Thanks for leaving a comment and watching! -Mike and Richie

[@jcd13able]

That's my 8U heli radio :) It's now flying frsky 2.4ghz. Got it in mid 90's and never outgrew it. The most advanced I've got was using mixing functions to simulate 90deg swashplate setup because it was missing one common heli control mode. The only problem I've had was with the 72mhz module in the back. It was moving little and the pins broke off the pcb in the radio so I used wire to go from the pins to the points on the pcb thus bypassing circuit traces because the pads lifted off the pins. I've had couple of crashed due to intermitten transmissions because of this. One day I touched the module and my plane glitched and I knew what was up. Fixed it and it was good after that. I also used tape to tape the module to the back of the radio so it wouldn't shift. I stopped flying helis and went back to flying planes, my passion. Long time ago, friend gave me a Fox rc .19 with a movable baffle instead of a muffler. Never put it in the airframe. My Fox .25 hobbico sturdy birdy ended up in the trees and I could never recover it. Before that happened, I flew it so far out (that was when I was still learning) that I couldn't tell if it was coming or going so I took a gamble and what I thought was the nose I pointed it towards me. Minutes went by and finally the plane was getting bigger and bigger and I've saved it. Lucky me. The other weird engine I've had was K&B super sportster .45 aluminium engine with a very long muffler and baffle. Put that on my carl goldberg cub and it became a floater with that engine. It just wouldn't come down. One time I was coming into a landing and the plane stopped in mid air and then proceeded to fly again. I hit some kind of power lines because there was a big black streak across the top of the wing where the wire hit. No other damage.

[@sonex413]

A buddy gave me my Futaba heli transmitter, not working...did a little digging, found the exact same issue you found, broken power trace going to the module....fixed it with a jumper too, just as you did. I installed a Spektrum DSM2-DSMX module and it's a great setup. (I also taped the module in as you did to prevent a recurrence of the issue.) Thanks for the comment!

[@shedbythetracks]

You guys know how to have fun.. I like that.. :)

[@sonex413]

Thanks!! Everything is more fun when you can smell burning castor oil!

[@chevy362000]

Totally awesome! Thank you guys for posting! I´m working on a Baby Senior with a Cox Golden Bee 049.

[@sonex413]

Good luck! Richie and I are long time fans of the little Cox motors, the Golden Bee is a favorite!

[@kh40yr]

Thanks for the flights!, , 5 years on. I run a Norvel .074 R/C on 35% and 1 shim, ex-hot plug, with a hand balanced 6x3, and it runs like it should. Otherwise, they all have pretty lazy port timing as per my timing wheel. Norvel's are a great little engine, and I have a bunch of them in different ships. They just need to be "Hot Rodded" a bit for dependability, and responsiveness, and sealed up well. Lots of air leaks on those motors NIB, so they don't like a high methanol mix right off the bat, per say. You'll boil the cylinder rag loose before you put a quart thru it.

[@MauricioB71]

Hello dear friends! Good to see you again. I'm finishing installing a model with Norvel .061, so I'll let you know when I'm already in flight. I really like watching your videos, thanks for sharing here, a big hug !!! ... good health to you!

[@sonex413]

Thank you! Good luck with your Norvel powered model! Besure to let us know how it turns out! Mike and Richie

[@stevenhugh1785]

Good video, nice landing. bad luck Richie , pre flight checks at home!

[@sonex413]

Yup! Problem is, it wasn;t doing that at home! Don't worry though, we'll get it working right and try again. Thanks for the compliment but that landing was largely luck! _mike

[@3DMOFO2020]

A very awesome job on the maiden flight I always enjoy watching people still flying those type old school nitro engines from back in the day. Also I noticed that both of you guys are flying with the same exact Futaba radios I use to fly with both the Conquest FM 4 channel and the Futaba 8UAF(I couldn't tell in the video if you have that one or the Futaba 8UAP?)

[@stephencrowther524]

Great flight

[@sonex413]

Thanks for the kind comment! Sorry for the long delay responding, I only just noticed this comment now!

[@MouseSquadron]

Great session guys. Pity the Cloudster didn't fly. Lovely model that reminds me of a SportsWagon. Love the Birdy as well. A friend of mine had a Baby Birdy many years ago. Your sounds and flys just like it. You really nailed that landing! Hope I am as successfully with my free flight capacitor powered model which I hope to maiden this evening. If the wind drops!

[@sonex413]

We'll put that Cloudster up next nice day and post the video. Yeah, that Baby Birdie really rips around on full throttle, it looks like it'll be a real fun machine! Thanks for the compliment on my landing, but with that breeze blowing I have to admit to luck having had a part in it! Hope your supercap maiden turns out well! Thanks for dropping a comment! =Mike

[@tonytek1]

Great video. Richie could have plugged the y connector into the rudder channel to help isolate the aileron issue. Could be a bad tx pot. Happened to me. I’ve enjoyed all your adventures. Thank you for sharing.

[@sonex413]

Thanks for watching! We'll get that aileron problem straightened out, don't worry! I'm going to give Richie a brand new aileron cable I have, pretty sure that's his problem...I think it's intermittent where it plugs into the Rx. More videos coming soon, stay tuned!

[@Colin399]

Great models

[@sonex413]

Thanks, Colin!!

[@davemirra145]

Beautiful plane! I’m currently building a super cub, got elevator and rudder control and I’m putting a cox 0.49 babe bee engine on it.

[@sonex413]

Should be fun! Let us know how she goes! Thanks for the comment!

[@daveday5507]

There was an exhaust sleeve throttle for the Cox 049/051 which worked well. Cleaning the model after each flight was a nightmare.

[@sonex413]

I had one of those a long time ago and it worked great! I also soldered one together for a Cox .020 out of scraps of thin sheet brass from the hobby store...it worked great too! Cleaning up was a small price to pay for that glorious sound and smell! I still have a soft spot in my heart for the gassies!

[@JamesRCPlaneTech]

Very, very nice

[@paulhelman2376]

You might enjoy Flying Aces events.

[@DarcyWhyte]

when you start the nitro planes, I can feel my nose burning

[@sonex413]

Love the smell of nitro in the morning! Sorry about the long-delayed reply! Will catch you at the Pilot's Lounge....

[@buddybopper561]

Lol , you guys aren't that far from me , one of these days we'll have to meet up ! Loving this you guys, I build planes , what's funny is they call building them a dying art form ! Sad same with flying ROCKETS .

[@sonex413]

The building hobby ain't dead yet!

[@nolenwright3147]

Nice planes ,keep the flights coming, does Buddy Bopper build RAF Spitfire for .061,.065 engines? Thanks for the setup on parts,,

[@michaeldashnaw3118]

Hi Mike & Ritchie! Been watching you guys for a while now. I think you're in Palmer? Where is this field your in today? I'm in Belchertown! So I guess we're neighbors! Lots of fun watching ya! An old geezer here. Hope to get my modified Seniorita going this summer. Keep up the great fun! Mike D.

[@sonex413]

Hi Neighbor! Actually we're in Monson...close enough tho'... The field in this video is in Palmer between Rt67 and Rt20, near the Quaboag River. It's a mile or less from the intersection of 20 and 67. Not sure about the name of the actual road but it's off rt20 before it turns into the dual lanes up there. We don't fly much gas powered stuff but when we do we sometimes go there to avoid noise issues. We have a couple of spots right in Monson for the quieter planes we fly more often. Is that Seniorita gas or electric? We have a good field with a mowed grass runway right near town but it's electric only due to proximity of neighbors. I hope we get a chance to fly together sometime! Thanks for dropping a comment, good to meet a local builder/ flyer! -Mike and Richie

[@michaeldashnaw3118]

@@sonex413 Hi guys! yes it is electric. Something came up this summer so haven't been able to do much, hence the long time to reply. talk later. Enjoy! Life is short!

[@MrAaa9271]

nice

[@sonex413]

Thanks very much!

[@BadChizzle]

Was glad when it was finally in the air. Ha Ha 🙉 Loud! Really nice flying, though!! I can’t help but Dig the older designs... which in my opinion are awesome works of Art. Sorry your ailerons were sluggish, Richie... but if you had seen me maiden my Star Train the other day, you’d be happy to stay on the ground with it. Sheesh! I did not get three mistakes high!! Oooooops. Mike... it’s good to see you actually in a video, instead of just hearing your voice. I will say this though... you have a great voice for this video format. Ok, guys... I’m sure that’s enough blabbing from my end. Please make these videos when you can, I always have fun watching! 👍🏼🧐👍🏼

[@sonex413]

Thanks!! More videos coming soon...including some drone footage a buddy shot, air-to-air of my electric motorglider in which you will get an aerial view of our usual flying field and see what makes it such a crappy free-flight field! (miles of trees). Sorry to hear about you test flight woes- hope it wasn't totalled and you can put it back together! My Baby Birdie maiden wouldn't have turned out well at all if Richie hadn't been there to crank in some trim! I was glad to take it home in one piece! It's going to be a blast putting some flight time on that one! Richie says Hi! -Mike

[@BadChizzle]

sonex413 Hi Richie!

[@spottyjack614]

Mike & Ritchie!!!!!! U guys are alive??? I was wondering what was going on with u fellers?? Thought u 2 guys froze up in ur flying field this past winter??? 😂😂😂.. Glad to see u guys back in action... U guys got 2 nice planes there Boy's!!!! I used my BangGood stuff in some ultralight planes and absolutely love them!!! Well anyway good to see u guys ..keep the vid's comin... See yaa...Ray from Colorado✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈🚁🚁🚁🚁🚁🚁🚁🚁🚁🚁🚁

[@sonex413]

Yup we're still kickin'....Looks like we made it through snow season....now if the wind would only take a break for a few days we could fly some of the cool new stuff we've built! Glad you liked the two new ones in this video!! Thanks for dropping in Ray, good to hear from you buddy! -Mike and Richie

[@aircolumbia4571]

Greetings from Colombia good video. One question: Could you give me the exact plans of the Cleveland Cloudster that appears in your video? 🙄🙄 Thank you.

[@sonex413]

Hello! We're glad you liked the Cloudster! Plans are available from Cleveland Model plans, HERE: clevelandairline.com/tertiary.aspx Look in the section listing the gas powered free flights, it is plan number GPF-5004. Current price is 15 USD and it includes patterns for all parts. Richie has built two Cloudster models from his set of plans...so far! Thanks for watching our videos! Mike and Richie in Massachusetts USA

[@aircolumbia4571]

@@sonex413 thanks 👍

[@MichaelAndrewspHdEE]

what is the starting needle valve setting?

[@michaelsousa7702]

Even my Uncle knows about banggood! Whoever disliked this video is going to have to meet me out back.

[@sonex413]

Yeah, there's one in every crowd.....

[@blueridgedairyandcustomharvest]

What’s a good starter plane?

[@paulhelman2376]

I appreciate your free flight but have generally found RC Dull!!!

[@jeffpittel6926]

Mike and Richie, time to replace that Russian made Norvel with a Cox engine.

[@sonex413]

We're not big fans of the Russians these days but that Norvel sure does run nice! It's no secret we are rooting for the Ukrainians.