Trying to buy a Durafly Tundra

[Gary Manuel]

2 hours ago, 911hillclimber said:

I have 'set' the flaps to level with the wing profile by simply gently moving them by hand, the servo allowing this and they sit firmly in place.

I would strongly advise you to mechanically fix these as suggested earlier. Relying on servo friction to hold them is not good enough. They will eventually move and cause a crash.

 

2 hours ago, 911hillclimber said:

After a few seconds, the plane is silent and the controls are:

Left stick throttle works up and down to off.

Left stick side to side the Ailerons respond correctly for turning.

 

Right stick, up down and the elevator is correct

Right stick left/right and the rudder is correct response.

This sounds like Mode 4. See here for the 4 modes.

https://www.rc-airplane-world.com/rc-transmitter-modes.html

Mode 4 is quite unusual as most people either fly Mode 1 or Mode 2.

I would suggest swapping the rudder and ailerons over to make it Mode 2 (assuming that your left stick up and down is not sprung to the centre like all the others). The problem is that how and where you need to swap rudder and aileron will depend on the configuration of the flight stabiliser. If you swap it in the wrong place, you could finish up with the stabiliser working the wrong surface (once you actually get the stabiliser operational).

 

2 hours ago, 911hillclimber said:

If I pick the plane up and move it around the surfaces are all motionless, so i presume the stabilizer is OFF/disconnected.

 

Not quite sure what to do now!

I would strongly advise you to get in touch with a club. They will advise you which mode to go for, and get everything working as it should. Your chances of success would be much improved with the help of established flyers to get the model flying and then teach you as required.

 

If you came to my club, I would recommend that you replace the 4 channel receiver with either a 6 or 7 channel one (adding stabiliser control and flap1 / flap 2). I would also recommend switching to Mode 2 as that is what I fly and the only way I'd be able to help you learn would be if I could actually take over control of your model. I would not be able to fly any of the other modes.

 

P.S. I have assumed that you are starting out in R/C from scratch. Apologies if I have made an incorrect assumption about your abilities.

 

 

Edited May 15, 2021 by Gary Manuel
P.S. added.

[911hillclimber]

Thank you all as ever.

I have recently joined a club locally and went there with my lockdown vintage Ben Buckle Buccaneer, all electric.

They experienced fliers said I really needed a trainer as the Buccaneer was too sensitive to the strong winds of the Field.

Hence this trainer.

I have no previous experience except control line when wearing short trousers.

Mode 2 is the fields norm, so I have it wrong!

I have now found the 6 channel Rx that came with the Spektrun dx6 so will bind this and start again.

This will allow flaps and hopefully the stabiliser.

Cant get to this until Monday due to other commitments tomorrow.

Please stay with me!

[Gary Manuel]

Still with you. Take your time and work methodically.

Flaps on channel 6 with a Y-lead to control both flap servos. I've never used a stabiliser, but someone on previous page said assign a three position switch to channel 5. This sounds good to me but personally, I'd be thinking about not using it at all for now and using channel 5 and 6 for flaps - your choice.

 

Now that you've established that you need to be on Mode 2, here's a bit more info.

 

LEFT STICK.

Up/ down is throttle. High throttle with lever up as you look at the sticks. This stick should stay where you move it to, not sprung to the centre.

Left/right is rudder. Moving stick left should move rudder left as viewed from rear of model.

 

RIGHT STICK

Up/down is elevator. Moving stick up (away from you) should move the elevator down.

Left/right is ailerons. Moving stick left should move left aileron up and right aileron down. 

 

Good luck.

[911hillclimber]

Thought I had cracked it, but not so sure!

Found the original 6 channel Rx that came with the Tx (AR610) The Tx/Rx are 6 years old.

Cleared the settings on this plane in the Tx and bound the Rx.

Put the functions of the plane to the channels on the Rx.

Mode 2

So have:

Left Stick

motor control OK, but elevator moves up slightly (2 deg at a guess) as engine speed rises...Disconnect the stab from AUX1 channel and engine speed does not move the elevator. Seems odd to nose up the plane as the engine speed is increased.

Rudder left/right OK

Right Stick

Alier left right but flaps move with them (!)

Elevator OK

Stabiliser works when you hold the model and pitch it and see the al/elev move to correct the attitude to level, motor running or stopped. This is using the AUX1 channel on the Rx.

 

Cannot yet find out how to assign the flaps to the Tx switch # 24

Instructions written by the design engineers, not a layman...

Feel about 1/2 way there, so will carry on.

Any help welcome!

[911hillclimber]

Right, much better!

I now have everything working except the stabilization.

The flaps are true to the wings until I move switch 24 and the flaps drop fully, about 60 degrees down instantly.

 

There is no linking of the elevator and throttle speed.

There is no linking of Al and flaps with the flaps up.

Rudder is good, elevator is good.

So, this plane can now fly, just that it has no stabilization. Irritating as it is there, just can't access it.

 

Not sure that is a big hindrance, but having it would be good for the novice i am.(?)

 

Opinions welcome.

[David Davis]

Most of us learned without stabilisation. There's no reason why you shouldn't learn without it either especially if you are going to learn on a buddy box.

[Denis Watkins]

Tx switches need to be Activated listed as ACT in your menu

When not in use they are Inhibited listed in your menu INH

Roll your thumb control to highlight INH or ACT, and press once to turn those switches to ACT or INH.

You need switches Activated

Try it

 

 

[911hillclimber]

Ok...

I'll have a go at that tomorrow afternoon!

 

I have actually flown with a good flier my Ben buckle Buccaneer with him getting it off the ground and me having a few circuits and the plane felt good, no stabilisation of course. That plane is really sensitive to the breeze that seems ever present at the field, but the gents there are really helpful and keen to see me competent.

The stabilization allows a hands-off recovery from a dire situation to level flight which will save a lot of damage, so i think it is worth getting it going. Strange it works on the model but not cleanly (yet).

Good exercise for my brain cell.

Really like this Kingfisher model.

[Kim Taylor]

Don't be thrown by the elevator movement when opening the throttle - this is pretty standard behaviour for this type of 'plane in fully stabilised mode.

Had a brief look at the stabiliser I think you have fitted (FMS Reflex?) and as I thought, you will need to assign a 3 position switch on your tx to channel 6 (assuming flaps are on 5). You do this in iirc 'analogue switch setup' in the tx menu system - just assign your chosen switch to the relevant channel and as detailed above set to ACT.

Then put an extension lead between the relevant channel on the rx to the mode switching input on the stabiliser. The switch should now change the mode of the stab between off, full stabilisation and what I assume is a normal gyro setting - the onboard LED's will let you know what's going on.

If you've got a gen2 or 3 DX6 (that's the all black one that's been about for 5 or 6 years) I think you can set up a voice warning of switch position - you certainly can on the DX8 g2 and they share firmware.

Wrt the flaps, I'm also pretty sure that you can set up the transit speed of the servos within the tx programming - again you certainly can on the '8. On my flaps I think I programmed in 1.5 seconds. So that means when you throw the switch on the tx, the flaps take 1.5 second to reach the pre-set deflection. Make sure you use servo slow, not servo delay - that's a different thing.

All of the above is to the best of my recollection, so please don't take as gospel, but rather an indication of how to start to set up your radio. I'm sure there are others much more conversant with Spektrum gear on here, I've been using open tx more recently so I'm a bit foggy on the detail.?

Kim

[911hillclimber]

To everyone on here, thank you so much for the info.

Slowly it is all sinking in and I'll have a good go this afternoon.

Clean forgot about the stabiliser flashing the mode it is in, so a good check.

I've read in parts the flap speed etc in the manual, so will soften the current instant flap deployment.

 

Getting there with everyone's help!

[911hillclimber]

So close...

All surfaces function ok.

Have flap on switch F and that works, just the deployment rate to set, do that later. Flaps are in channel AUX1.

Have Gear assigned to the stabilisation and the lead labeled SBUS from the orange stab controller plugged into the rx in the GEAR channel, and assigned to switch G, a 3 position switch.

HOWEVER, when everything is on in normal flight mode the switch G only gives 2 modes to the Stab unit, Optimised and Off. It will not switch to ON. The first 2 of the 3 switch position hold the stab unit to OF, the third switches to Optimised.

 

Thus I need the 1st switched posn to be ON, the second to OFF, the 3rd to Optimised., although Off, On Optimised would be nicer.

 

Cant see how to get the Stab unit to have it's 3 modes on the 3 way switch.

[Gary Manuel]

Check on your transmitter's monitor screen that the output is switching from 100% to 0% to -100% when you operate the 3 position switch. Once it is doing this, the 3 different levels should select the 3 different modes on the FMS Reflex Stabilizer.

[Kim Taylor]

Check that the switch in its 3 positions is sending values -100, 0, 100. I think you set this up in your switch assignment menu but can't remember exactly.

eta Gary beat me to it - sorry for duplication.

Edited May 18, 2021 by Kim Taylor
Too slow

[911hillclimber]

BINGO!

Got it all now.

The switch was on +0, 0, -100, now 100 0 -100 and the G 3 way switch is giving, on, off, Optimal

 

The stabilizer come on automatically as it should, so you need to switch it to the Op or Off.

Just the flap rate to resolve, but the plane is now ready for me tomorrow to terrorise the sky and fellow flyers laughing as my first trainer flights unfold.

As far as I can see there is no adjustment of the servo rate of change available on the Tx menus.

 

Please take my sincere thanks to you all for helping me through this maze (it is to me).

Edited May 18, 2021 by 911hillclimber

[Gary Manuel]

I'd encourage whoever maidens it to have stabilizer off. Get the model setup with someone experienced, then start setting stabilizer up.

[911hillclimber]

Yes, understand. I hope the retired vet will be there or Mark, both have adopted me to some degree though both are not trainers as such, just experienced.

I'll see if I can find someone to help me kick off.

[Kim Taylor]

36 minutes ago, 911hillclimber said:

BINGO!

 

As far as I can see there is no adjustment of the servo rate of change available on the Tx menus.

 

Please take my sincere thanks to you all for helping me through this maze (it is to me).

It's in the 'flap system' menu which iirc is only there if you've set up 'flaps' in the wing type.

See page 35 in your tx manual. 

I would also echo Gary's comment re: maiden with stabiliser off. Particularly if your buddies are not fully au fait with the way these stabilisers work - in stabilised mode, they can feel very foreign to fingers used to flying without it!!

Kim

[911hillclimber]

Yes, page 35 indeed. Missed that as ever.

The plane is not set as that wing type, hence not on the menu.

Another visit for tomorrow, but he flaps can wait, I might need some Foam Friendly Glue tomorrow first.

Excellent!

[Piers Bowlan]

14 hours ago, 911hillclimber said:

 I might need some Foam Friendly Glue tomorrow first.

Excellent!

Hillclimber, Your Kingfisher is made of EPO foam so you don't necessarily need 'foam friendly' cyano, any will do (but always good to test a small piece first, just in case).

Multiplex suggest their own brand 'specially formulated' Zacki for their Elapor models (EPO again). I also use 'kicker' with cyano on EPO foam as it makes the glueing process quicker and more controllable. Zacki does seem to work well.

Edited May 19, 2021 by Piers Bowlan

[MattyB]

On 17/05/2021 at 17:39, 911hillclimber said:

Right, much better!

I now have everything working except the stabilization.

The flaps are true to the wings until I move switch 24 and the flaps drop fully, about 60 degrees down instantly.

 

If you can I would assign the flaps to an analogue control (slider or dial), at least initially. On a model like this the extreme flap angles can be fun, but handling will change significantly and will probably be too much for a beginner to handle. If you can’t map it to a slider then at least reduce the flap travel to give only 20-30 degrees deflection maximum, as this will still add some slow speed float without affecting the trim and handling excessively. Deploy two mistakes high on your first experiments, and be ready for a trim change (but wait for the cruise to settle at the new slower speed before trying to trim).

Good luck on the maiden!

Edited May 19, 2021 by MattyB

[MattyB]

Addition to the above... Looking at the DX6 manual it doesn’t appear you have an analogue control to assign flaps to, but there is flap servo slowing - see this section on page 35 (Acro model type):

 

 

Edited May 19, 2021 by MattyB

[911hillclimber]

Thanks as ever, the flaps are the least of my probs!

Went to the field this morning, all alone. It is a quiet Day so that will be the reason.

Still, always ready to take the plunge, decided to have a go on my own, what can go wrong?

 

After a squnt at the sock the 9 mph breeze promised by the BBC weather ap seemed conservative, and the sock was moving to all points of the compass.

Should really have just gone home. This stiff varying breeze has been a feature at every visit I've made to the field.

 

After a deep breath took off. Nearly.

This pratt had only got the elevator movement in reverse, so fixed that...

Took off.

Came round and I got a bit panicky and tried to bring the plane round (rudder) which seemed ok but took too much throttle off and lost a lot of height and crash landed "in an abrupt manner" as Murray Walker might have said.

Smashed the undercarriage clean out of the fuselage.

 

That killed my enthusiasm, so packed up and went to Penn models for some glue, a job for this afternoon.

 

Lesson:

Take your time! There is more room up there than i think.

Still, got to start somewhere, practice makes perfect.

Will the Breeeze ever go away?

 

 

Edited May 19, 2021 by 911hillclimber

[MattyB]

Might seem harsh, but you are not ready to fly on your own yet. If there is no instructor available you need to wait until one is, especially given conditions were breezy for a lightweight model. Carry on "giving it a go" and you are likely to end up with a bin full of foam!

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Frustrating as it is, take your time and do it right, you will get there quicker that way.

[Gary Manuel]

1 hour ago, 911hillclimber said:

........

 

Lesson:

Take your time! There is more room up there than i think.

Still, got to start somewhere, practice makes perfect.

Will the Breeeze ever go away?

 

There will be very few people reading your previous post who are surprised that your "solo" flight didn't end well. We all understand that you are impatient to fly, but we all understand the importance of having an experienced person set up and fly the model, and then tutor you until you can do it yourself.

 

You have stated the lesson you have learnt. Please don't take this the wrong way, but there is another lesson you should have learnt.

 

Lesson 2:

Listen to the advice that you are offered.