ParkZone T-28D Trojan BNF REVIEW

[WJCJR1]

Parkzone
T-28D Trojan BNF
http://www.horizonrcflyers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=14&pictureid=158

Unpacking the T-28D I was impressed by the compact tight no moving parts nature of the shipping box. Then I was confronted with a medley of flaws that had me instantly unhappy. My first visual of the T-28D in it’s packaging was the ESC during transit broke loose from it’s mount and was dangling by one of it’s antennas;


http://www.horizonrcflyers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=14&pictureid=152

http://www.horizonrcflyers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=14&pictureid=153
As I further dug out the T-28D, from it’s very snugly packed protective box I found a dinged wing, wheels that now had square edges as the tight packaging caused the wheels to crush squares into each other;

http://www.horizonrcflyers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=14&pictureid=155

http://www.horizonrcflyers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=14&pictureid=154
Factory paint Touched Ups that look less than finished such as this area of overspray onto a now discolored fuselage, couple areas where parts' mating lines could be cleaner.


http://www.horizonrcflyers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=14&pictureid=157

http://www.horizonrcflyers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=14&pictureid=156

In addition to these photo examples the nose gear and tail rudder were reamarkably out of alignment and a few other minor scrapes, scratches were in the foam. I replaced the crushed wheels with some extras I had floating around, remounted the ESC, played with the control rods/servo horn to get the nose gear in line with the rudder and began the assembly process.

ASSEMBLY
The negative first impression I felt hung around for a few moments but soon abated and turned to a sense of satisfaction as the assembly process went without deviation to the instruction manual and took no longer than 25 minutes. The fit of the parts was purposeful and except for a couple parts’ mating lines, like the cowling to the fuselage, all looks good for this T-28D replica.

Only other note about assembly when attaching the nose gear the manual offers two ways to attach the nose gear to the fuselage, just take off the cowling rather than fighting with trying to tighten the retaining screw through the cowling. Due to the cowling’s artistic replica design it is difficult to get a screwdriver at an appropriate angle to tighten the nose gear retaining screw, better to take 2 minutes and remove the spinner, prop and cowling and reassemble then to strip the head of this screw.

Following the instructions the binding process was a snap to my DX5e transmitter. I noted one dissimilarity with the AR500 receiver as compared to an older version of the AR500 receiver. The transmitter must be powered down during unplugs of the ESC to prevent a false alarm from being noted to a power loss. It appears this newer version of AR500 receiver ’remembers’ the latest two frequency codes used by the transmitter and if the transmitter is left on while the receiver is powered down and then the ESC reenergized the receiver believes it has had a loss of power incident and the receiver blinks. All functions still work fine but the blinking receiver is NOT something you want to fly with, it is meant to highlight trouble. So with this newer AR500 receiver’s programming when changing batteries it is necessary to power down and restart your transmitter so it chooses two open frequencies again and to get the solid red light signal from the receiver. This remembering feature of the ESC is a good feature just a little time to acclimate yourself to it's workings.


PRE-FLIGHT
First Pre-Flight I always like to make a baseline measurement of the new power-system. The Upgraded E-Flite 30A ESC is more than capable to power this 480 sized Outrunner. There have been repeated issues of the original T-28 version’s 25A ESC going south as a primary cause the BEC was questionable in it’s ability to run the servos and many T-28’s were lost. I performed a full test to assess the plane’s static power draw and found the motor pulling WAY below the 30A continous capacity. With the stock 2 blade prop full throttle yielded 20.42Amps, 11.65Volts and 244.30 Watts of power. The ESC's BEC is designed to deliver a constant 700mAH to power the 4 servos however all servos moving to their extremess at the same time measured a draw of 860mAH. Given the minimal amount of time all 4 servos will be actuated fully and held there I think we are safe.

Aside from the adjustment needed early on with the nose gear and rudder alignment all surfaces worked as commanded.

Maiden Flight
For the Maiden flight all controls were left at factory throw settings. I used the 1800mAH battery supplied and a 2200Tenergy throughout the review. The only one glitch of the day was a fried Elevator Servo, given the plane's other issues noted above I was once more a bit bummed out. I swapped the servo out for a brand new HS-81 I had in my box. The very first flight is where this servo went south and stuck in a full elevator position I was able to roll out of the unintended continual loop and using throttle control bring the plane down for a landing. Parkzone is known for good customer service and I expect a replacement part will be expedited upon my call to them.

A general performance overview, great stable flyer. Fairly snappy even at the slower factory safety settings of the control surface throws.

Winds were 12mph with gusts to 18 mph so a bit of wind for a 30 ounce airplane. The take off was simply point into the wind and slowly increase throttle to full and the T-28D lifted on it's own accord with no imput from me. Nice scale-like takeoffs.

Color scheme of the T-28D makes the replica a bit difficult to orient so keep your eyes up and focused on the plane.

Good speed on a flat and very crisp turns, even in the wind. Banking the T-28D holds a course VERY nicely and offers no surprising jumps as long as you are on the power stick.

Rolls are nice even at slow speed. The T-28D will roll right after takeoff little slow but can do it. The rolls at top speed are very crisp with one roll per second, a decent rate. Once more this rate is the stock factory settings of the ailerons and a crisper faster roll is a given with proper simple adjustments to the throws.

Inverted flight is SIMPLE with this plane. With the T-28D you can make laps around your airfield inverted, no problem. A small amount of down elevator is needed to maintain a nice controlled STABLE, very stable, inverted flight very small hardly noitceable amount of rocking was observed and just small imputs of the ailerons were needed to keep the plane on course and level.

Loops are nice however large loops are a bit of a challenge today for the 480 sized motor, this could have been in part to the windy conditions. The T-28D would pull loop after loop no problem but with a large loop the bird ran out of steam going vertical and loops were held back to a ~50' circumfrence. Vertical flight is acceptable for a 240 watt machine but everyone wants more including me...

Landings were a bit tough to negotiate today, the wind was quite variable in direction and w/gusts to 18 made this 30 ounce plane a bit bouncy. I made several approaches and landings with minimal trouble but you had to be awake at the stick. I look forward to a calmer day to see if she lands a bit more on her own, I suspect this may be more the real case.

Summary
The T-28D is a great plane to be utilized as an introduction to low-wing wardbirds. The plane is highly stable yet QUICKLY maneuverable. If there are any incidents the Z-Foam Fuselage, Canopy and Wing is very repair friendly. Given a handicap for today's windier than ideal conditions I would rank this plane's performance 9.0 out of 10.

It is highly unfortunate this random first pick of the litter had some problems, these problems were mostly aesthetic and hopefully an anomaly with the failure of the factory installed elevator servo.

REPORT CARD

ROG: Easy non-event takeoffs.
Glide: Good Stable glide, with a decent that can lull you to sleep and get you into a stall. Keep the speed up a bit.
Rolls: Good T-28D can rolls 360* in about 2 seconds at top speed.
Loops: Nice Stable on rails appearance in loops. However stock set-up reduces the amout of vertical flight so loops limited in size.
Speed: Respectable Seat of pants 60mph flat flights stock.
Landing: Good Although today was a bit windy the landings weren't pretty perfect but the T-28D handles responsively and nicely as she approaches for landings.
Beginner: NO A good understanding of orientation and flight surface controls is necessary before trying this plane. Very good first low wing plane.

Video and more pictures to come.

[WJCJR1]

This was the second flight with the T-28D after replacing faulty servo. Camera man was our Airfield owner, did a good job with a merdiocre camera of mine.

Wayne

http://vimeo.com/5918481

[ATIS]

PAVED RUNWAY!!!! Ok, you just went to the top of my "none friend" list... JK... lucky dog.

[WJCJR1]

Late night at the Airfield tonight, got a much better video. Today was A LOT calmer with winds around 4 mph...

After trimming her out nicely to fly on her own WOW what a nice flying plane. Goes 100% where you point her and even more stable than I thought before. Inverted flight is almost hands free now, NICE. I will post the video tomorrow. Much more predictable of a plane now that the wind isn't blowing like nuts.

ATIS you can fly here any day. Is a nice runway, 360' long, 30' wide. Has a few big dips in it and will catch you off guard every now and again but it is very nice.

Wayne

[Punisher]

nice landing!!!!! LOL

Great write up. and close up pictures. I guess I need to get off my rump and get into some stores... I had no idea these, or some of them, were made out of styrofoam.... I would have been pretty PO'd after droping that kind of coin on it.....

[WJCJR1]

The foam is well not styrofoam but a Z-Foam. There are a few different foams used but Z-Foam is the latest that is ultra-durable and very fixable.

A Foamy is the way to go if you are just learning and even after that the foam, albeit not as shiny/sexy, is just as fun and WAY easier to repair if you ahve any ooopses.

That landing was a bit rough, we had a decent wind and I ended up stalling the plane at the end. My fault, also one of my first flights so didn't have the feel for her yet. I have a new video loading and will post, very very nice handling plane.

Mr. Punisher get a Super Cub and come meet me at the field, we'll go flying. This weekend you could borrow my son's Super Cub and I'll buddy up with you. Then if you like that we can try the Apprentice on for fit. Let's fly man and see where you end up. No Fear the foam it is your friend.

Wayne

[ATIS]

Dont let "foam" turn you away from a plane. There are foam planes going 150 mph!! Foam offers some advantages to a beginner... light weight so light wing loading means slower landings... easier to fix, just need foam safe CA, can be painted with water based paints.

[Punisher]

The foam is well not styrofoam but a Z-Foam. There are a few different foams used but Z-Foam is the latest that is ultra-durable and very fixable.

A Foamy is the way to go if you are just learning and even after that the foam, albeit not as shiny/sexy, is just as fun and WAY easier to repair if you ahve any ooopses.

That landing was a bit rough, we had a decent wind and I ended up stalling the plane at the end. My fault, also one of my first flights so didn't have the feel for her yet. I have a new video loading and will post, very very nice handling plane.

Mr. Punisher get a Super Cub and come meet me at the field, we'll go flying. This weekend you could borrow my son's Super Cub and I'll buddy up with you. Then if you like that we can try the Apprentice on for fit. Let's fly man and see where you end up. No Fear the foam it is your friend.

Wayne

Wayne, we (my family) arent doing anything Sunday so pm me your addy and time so we can do some flyin'

[WJCJR1]

PM sent looking forward to having you out...

Wayne

[WJCJR1]

We'll try zooming in some nect time but here's another video...

Wayne

http://vimeo.com/5984971

[WJCJR1]

We will try zooming in some more next time but here's another video of the T-28D. Calm winds yielded a VERY fun nice to fly airplane.

Wayne

http://vimeo.com/5984971

[kirch]

I just assembled my T-28D BNF and I am pleased to say I had none of the problems Wayne reported. No signs of compression dings on my wings. The wheels were not compressed. There was an extra prop in the box.

I also removed the prop and cowl in order to install the front wheel. I did ensure that the prop size markings were facing forward again when I reinstalled the prop.

It only required about 40 minutes to charge the 1800 mAh 3S LiPo that came with the plane using the balancing charger that it came with.

Binding was easy. Of course given that there is a 50-50 chance of hooking the ailerons the right way around I naturally put them in reversed. That seems to be my lot in life. It was easier to just reverse the servo throws on my DX6i than to try to pry the connectors apart and swap them around. The rudder throws also needed to be reversed.

Overall the assembly was straight forward and easy. Now I just need to figure out how to program the dual rates into my DX6i and get them to match the throws suggested in the manual.

There is no velcro strap or anything to hold down the battery Is the friction fit really enough? We will see how well the 2200 mAh LiPos I ordered from Hobby City fit.

I will probably replace the puny 1-3/4" wheels with 2-1/2" wheels the same as I did with my Apprentice. Smaller wheels just don't work well on the longer grass we have on our field. This time I will go for fat wheels rather than thin ones like I used on the Apprentice.

There was a piece of tape over one of the hold down magnets for the cockpit. I removed that but I find the magnets do not feel like they are really clicking. So I am thinking of perhaps adding some kind of additional velcro hold down. We shall see.

Now I need to check my CG as per the manual. Can I just use fingertips to test the CG? I just flip the plane upside down and hold it on fingertips on the wings near the fuse?

I am hanging the plane in the basement using a cord looped around the tail. It seems to be a viable, relatively space efficient way to store it. Anybody else try storing planes this way or is it possibly bad for the plane? I will try to post a picture to get your opinions.

I am working on convincing my wife to let me take the plane out for its maiden before my actual birthday in 9 days. I am trying to decide if I just give her the puppy dog eyes or use the annoying broken record technique and wear her down. My wife is suggesting I try bribery. We shall see.

Richard

[ATIS]

Richard, check in the general section for the pick of my hanger...

Happy to hear you didnt have the issues that wayne had. Fat wheels will create more drag on the ground so you will need a little extra punch to get going...watch for nose overs on the initial roll.

[WJCJR1]

Glad to see you had no dings, scratches, dents, hanging receivers etc. and hopefully you will not fry a servo as happened on my first flight...

I must say it was a bit of a laundry list of issues and hopefully it was just a one-off ooops, a true random booger, that will repeat itself only once in a blue-moon.

You will love the T-28D, very agile and fun to fly. At 240 watts the power-train is more than adequate although 350W and he T-28D woudl be a regualr screamer. You will find a go where you point it plane and I am astonished how nicely the plane flies inverted. Actually I think the T-28D will fly slower inverted than upright and just as stable, very nice and crisp. In my second video I flew a large figure 8 around the in-field inverted and there were a couple background comments in the video from the others at the field how stable the plane was inverted. All I was doing was keeping a bit of down elevator and while barely monitoring the ailerons she flew great.

Only note-worthy suggestion of caution, stay alert, the scheme of the T-28D makes it blend very nicely with the background clouds. The profile can be lost easily at a distance so keep her a bit close until you are used to her. On the other hand, the blending in the T-28D does with the surrounding makes it different than a lot of the other planes at the field and the first comments from the Airfield were that looks awesome. The original T-28 was getting boring to some, not from it's ability but the looks, and just this scheme change has once more awakened their excitement to this great airframe. A couple guys said at the field they might just buy the T-28D for the change in appearance. So the new scheme is a double edged sword.

Good luck with the maiden, IN 9 DAYS, and I look forward to your comments.

Wayne

[WJCJR1]

Turned up the Aileron today by moving to the inner-most hole of the aileron control horn. I am further impressed with the more axial, no drop rolls that can be achieved.

I would say the roll rate increased by 40% to around a second.

Wayne

[WJCJR1]

Kirch by my calculations you are about half way there to your B-day and your maiden. Did you sneak the plane out?

What did you do with the non-mating magnets? My magnets audibly click together and holds the canopy in place very well.

Yes for CG finger tips has always worked for me. I used to use the eraser end of a couple pencils but found it a chore my fingers did just fine. If you are REALLY trying to dial a plane in the smaller the point of contact the better but for my flight purposes fingertips are good enough.

The battery will fit and hold fine. However after sticking in my physically larger Tenergy 2200mAH batteries the Parkzone 1800mAH doesn't fit quite as snugly as it originally did but it still works.

On the discussion of batteries I am considering a 4S battery... On the 3S battery the most amps I can get her to pull is 20.4x amps so I am thinking the extra capacity in the Speed Controller's 30A budget may cover this task.

Wayne

[ATIS]

finger tips always worked for me as well...just make sure the nose tilts down a little and you do it with the plane inverted...all low wing planes need to be CG checked while inverted. The slight nose down helps to compensate for the finger tips since they cover a larger area then the CG marks so you end up either on your marks ro slightly infront of the desired CG, which is better then behind the desired CG.

[WJCJR1]

finger tips always worked for me as well...just make sure the nose tilts down a little and you do it with the plane inverted...all low wing planes need to be CG checked while inverted.

Learning new stuff all the time! I never knew.

Thanks, Wayne

[kirch]

Yep ... my birthday is next Monday .. but the weather today was too good to pass up. Very little wind, at least down at ground level. So as you surmised Wayne, I cheated and took her out early ::cheerful::

I had the chief instructor take it up first. It only needed a little rudder trim. Then I got to take it up. I was pleased that I had no real difficulty flying the plane. It was everything everybody has said. The extra power got the plane up through the thick grass but I think I will upgrade to 2-1/2" wheels real soon, just like I did with my Apprentice. All the time spent on the Apprentice and the flight sim made it very easy to fly the Trojan.

It was around 7:30 pm when I took it up and I did find that the plane was quite silhouetted so I needed to concentrate to keep track of the orientation and to keep it closer in. But it did track very well. And the landing was smooth as silk. I just needed to keep a little throttle on approach. But this was what I noticed practicing on a flight simulator as well. With the Apprentice I often cut the throttle on base and I can just glide in and still keep up my speed and a relatively flat approach. The T28D wants more speed.

I feel like a kid who finally got to take the training wheels off of his bike.

The magnets on the cover did click .. once I realized I need to put the battery pack in flat. The way the slot is notched it is possible to put the battery in on its edge. And the instructions did not say how to install it. When the battery is in on its edge the top closes ... but not quite securely. Once I figured out I had installed it the wrong way the lid closed much better.

I read a trick about marking the wing for the CG. I put a small strip of masking tape on each side of the wing and I marked the CG spot on the tape. So I can remove it once I know how my batteries are. I flipped it upside down and balanced it and it was quite level.

I purchased 4 Turnigy 2200 mAh batteries from Hobby City, but I need to put the EC3 connectors on them first. Time to dig out my old soldering iron and find that rosin core solder. They will have to wait a little bit. They are only a tad bigger than the Parkzone 1800 mAh battery. I will have to see how they fit.

Once I get more comfortable with it and on a sunny day where I can see it better I can try doing loops and rolls. I am in no rush.

Afterwards I took my Apprentice up. It used to feel like a rocket when I first started flying. Now it just seems so slow. But that nice slow float is relaxing.

Onward and upwards!

Richard

[WJCJR1]

Great maiden voyage report!

Yes after the T-28D you do feel the Apprentice is a lumbering slow heavy flier, even knowing it really is not. I think part of the feeling is the larger nature of the Apprentice makes it easier on the eye so appears WAY slower.

Wayne

[ATIS]

another trick for marking the CG on the wing is to use a Sharpie and make a small dot or a circle (make the cirlce look like a fuel cap)

[tkrahlin]

another trick for marking the CG on the wing is to use a Sharpie and make a small dot or a circle (make the cirlce look like a fuel cap)

Wow! Great minds do think alike - I use the black Sharpie dot / fuel cap too.

The link below goes to my homemade CG Machine using 3/8" dowels and a block of scrap wood (I think it's a piece from an old patio chair). In the field, I simply use my fingers and follow the aforementioned good advice to 'cheat' to nose heavy.

Clicky-Click-Click Here (http://s196.photobucket.com/albums/aa62/tkrahlin/RC_Plane/Sea%20Fury%20ARF/?action=view&current=DSC04813.jpg)
.
.

[WJCJR1]

Happy to report the the latest T-28D I received had no smushed wheels or dented wings. Everything neatly done on the plane as well.

The packaging looks to be exactly the same.

Wayne

[Voodoo101]

Good morning WJCJR1,
I know this is a way back old thread, but I'm hoping you have an answer for my rather simple question. I'm not sure what size the foamy square wheel/tires are that come stock on the T-28, but as we all know that they are prone to being out of round, would it also be a good idea to go up one size from stock?

Thanks, and I hope you've got better weather for flying than we do here in SW MI.

[WJCJR1]

Good morning WJCJR1,
I know this is a way back old thread, but I'm hoping you have an answer for my rather simple question. I'm not sure what size the foamy square wheel/tires are that come stock on the T-28, but as we all know that they are prone to being out of round, would it also be a good idea to go up one size from stock?

Thanks, and I hope you've got better weather for flying than we do here in SW MI.

The weather has indeed finally turned here for the better, will be a short window though..... :(

Onto the more important question, wheels. I would not upgrade the size of the wheels, the stock size is nicely matched for the plane's weight design and purpose. If you are flying off of a longer grass field then this may be an option you might want to consider, shorter grass of hard surface no go for larger wheels they add too much drag.

Current setup I have an E-Flite Park480 bolted in swinging either a 10X7 or 11 X5.5 depending on if I want a little extra speed or little less speed and a bit more vertical authority. With the stock wheels I have no issue on shorter grass or hard surface with the 11" prop.

Wayne

[Voodoo101]

I've been thinking of installing that same motor, even though I haven't purchased the T-28 yet. Did you have to purchase an after market motor mount?

I like the combo of Park 480 and 10x7 prop. I have that combo in my P-51 BL. Seems an almost perfect power set up for that plane. I had also considered using a Power 10 in the T-28, but I'd rather have flight time over power.

Have you heard from the guys at SEFF. My brother in law lost the roof off of their house in Raleigh NC. Hope all is well with those folks down there.

Our weather is eather raining or too windy to fly. Can't seem to get a break.

[WJCJR1]

Unless you want huge power upgrades stay with the stock motor would be my advice. Otherwise if you are in the need for performance, after you've flown her a while, going with a Power 10 3S 10X10 OR Power 15 4S 10X7.

The upgrade in power from the 480 'sized' stock motor to the E-Flite Park 480 1020 Kv is not significant.

Have not heard from Bryan lately. Hope his family faired ok in North Carolina, his area looked like it got hit too.

Wayne

[WJCJR1]

Sorry, forgot, I did purchase the aftermarket aluminum mount for the Park 480. Didn't fit all that perfect, had a rub on the cowl.

For the Power 15 install all you need to do is bolt to stock mount and bore out the cowl. Power 10 not sure but may be a good fit AS IS, it is considerably shorter in length than the Power15.

Wayne

[THE AUTO PICASSO]

I hope all the North Carolina boys here are doing well after yesterday's storms. My gosh, we haven't had weather like that since 1984. My area was spared, one reported tornado 20 minutes north of me, and the tornado that demolished Sanford was only 20 minutes south. If you look at the map of the storm damage, it was like it just skipped over me. Counting my blessings today and praying for those who lost someone or their belongings.

[WJCJR1]

I hope all the North Carolina boys here are doing well after yesterday's storms. My gosh, we haven't had weather like that since 1984. My area was spared, one reported tornado 20 minutes north of me, and the tornado that demolished Sanford was only 20 minutes south. If you look at the map of the storm damage, it was like it just skipped over me. Counting my blessings today and praying for those who lost someone or their belongings.

I briefly lived in Wilmington NC in 1984 when a series of tornados ocurred. To this day I remember our lean to porch awning that WAS attached to the back of house flapping in the wind and was subsequently, after we took shelter in the hallway, tore off the house. Remember the walls of the house in the hallway creaking, scared the (you know what) out of me.

Next day the damage to the local houses was sparse but the damage to the trees locally was incredible in a few spots, literally a path carved through the trees. I remember a lot of pines in the area, big ones snapped clean off.

I was only 6 YOA at the time but it left an impression for sure.

Wayne

[RotoDoc]

i survived here in new bern, but folks to the west of us didn't do so well. our thoughts and prayers go out for all affected. my wife and i stood outside last night watching the wildest sky we've seen in a while. it wasn't raining (we only got 1/2 inch) but we got 6 inches of wind. the lightning in the clouds was spectacular to see. nothing was hitting the ground for miles around us, but the frequency was constant almost like inside a disco. at one point we could see the stars while clouds blew by and the thunder and lightning raged. we were sure tornados were going to pop up any minute. it was one tense night for sure.

[Voodoo101]

Sorry, forgot, I did purchase the aftermarket aluminum mount for the Park 480. Didn't fit all that perfect, had a rub on the cowl.

For the Power 15 install all you need to do is bolt to stock mount and bore out the cowl. Power 10 not sure but may be a good fit AS IS, it is considerably shorter in length than the Power15.

Wayne

When you still had the stock 480 motor, did you ever use a APC 10x7E prop?

MY brother in law now has a tarp over his house in Raleigh NC. Not sure how much stuff they lost but it sounds like they have things under control now. He said their Siamese (SP) cat was rater tramatized but now doing OK. They were away visiting friends out of town. Got a call from a neighbor telling them they needed to come home.

[WJCJR1]

I am not so certain if I did try a any different props with the stock motor.

Sorry.

Wayne

[Voodoo101]

I am not so certain if I did try a any different props with the stock motor.

Sorry.

Wayne

Well, we, (my grandson and I) had a great evening. Just before dinner I went out and picked up a PKZ T-28 Trojan. After dinner, my grandson and I tried to fly some of the micro stuff behind a neighborhood church. There was just too much wind for any flight training. I could fly but I had to hold the nose into the wind or make tight circles with the Ember 2 and my grandson didn't want to chance flying his Areonca Champ in the wind.

So we called it a bust and came back to my house. Down in the basement we assembled the T-28 while I was giving lessons on how to use dial calipers and stuff. We did things like make sure the wheels would turn smoothly on the axels and added spacers between the wheels and the gear legs so there was no interference. We went through the binding process, after reattaching the receiver which was not attached to the inner fuselage.

We attached the wing, took off the prop and cowl to access the set screw for the nose wheel stearing. Installed the main and nose landing gear. We finished up by attaching the horizontal stabilizer and connected the push rod to the elevator control horn. Checked and found the ailerons and rudder servos needed to be reversed. The Trojan isn't quite ready to fly but it's close. Tomorrow we'll make the final adjustments to the control surfaces and check the CG.

In general we had a blast. While he still says he want's to fly the P-51 BL most of all, he is willing to admit that the T-28 will probably be almost as much fun. When we cranked up the throttle for static thrust test, I saw a real big grin. It was a great evening.

[ATIS]

Make sure you glue the horizontal stab in place, I dont trust the tape. Hot sunny days will cause it to release.

[WJCJR1]

VoooDooo you guys are going to love the T-28!

Did you get the T-28D Air Force model or the original Navy white model? For a newer pilot the Air Force grey model will be a bit tricky with the sky and orientation. I personally like the looks of the grey one better, doesn't look the same in the air at all.

Wayne

[Voodoo101]

I had been having some trouble logging in here the last day or so. I want to thank CLSSY56 for getting things fixed up for me.

I put the maiden flight on two planes today. The P-47 and the T-28 Trojan. Both flew well but the T-28 really impressed me. But it wasn't just the flying that made today an interesting day. I had sent this note to CLSSY56 in an email earlier. He thinks it's a pretty good story....strange though it may be it's true. Here goes....

I had a heck of a day at the flying field. Just came home to have a snack and pick up my grandson after school, and then back to the flying field.

Flew the T-28 and the P-47. Both flew great but the Thunderbolt doesn't really handle the grass all that well. Our field is pretty good but little tufts here and there cause a problem with low speed taxi. The T-28 is of course a wonderful plane. I'm really glad I bought it. It'll be a blast having my grandson fly that one.

As I got ready to leave things got more than just a little weird.

The weather had been fine. Low winds of less than 10 mph and just slightly crosswind. I had just put the T-28 and the P-47 in the back of my truck and closed it up. I walked back to the table under the shelter and picked up my two transmitters, and headed for the truck.

I had left a Micro T-28 in it's shipping box setting on the picnic table inside the flying field fence. As I'm about half way to my truck I notice the wind pick up. I thought "no problem I'm done flying for now." Next thing I know the box with the micro T-28 in it, is flying off the table. The box goes airborne to about 10 feet and the front of the box came open. I'm thinking "OH CRAP, there goes my Micro Trojan."

The wind was swirling like a mini tornado (Dust Devil). The T-28 came out of the box and fell nose first to the ground. I put both transmitters on the ground and ran over and picked up the Trojan. By now the box and the Styrofoam have separated. The Styrofoam flys over the fence and bounces off my truck and is then sucked up against the chain link fence. The box itself continues to fly around up to 15/20 feet in the air. It reminded me of the house flying around in the Wizard of Oz.

I tried to get close to the box, but the wind was carrying it down the runway and circling faster than I could run. I had to be careful because the T-28 was nearly being torn out of my hand. It was really spooky.

All of a sudden the box dropped to the ground. I actually said "are you done now?" and walked over to pick it up. Just as I'm reaching for it the wind picks it up again and it goes at least 12 feet in the air and it's inverted with the top wide open.

By now the box is pretty beat up and I not going to chase anymore. Now I notice that it's started making a big circle and it's looking like it will come back near me. OH YEAH, it swings around an heads right for me.I've got the T-28 in my right hand and the box is coming right at my chest. I turn to avoid the collision, and the box just grazes the horizontal stab. on the T-28.

I thought "Oh to hell with this." I just walked back to the truck and put the T-28 in the passengers seat and closed the door. I stood there for another 20 or 30 seconds watching the box fly around it a circle of about 20 to 30 feet in diameter.

Finally the box fell to the ground and the wind just seemed to die out. I walked out to the end of the runway and picked it up. It was torn on 3 of the 4 corners and one of the front flaps was nearly torn off. Unbelievable as it may sound it all happened in about 3 minutes.

I picked up the Styrofoam and even found the two small support pieces that hold the plane in place.

Put the whole thing back together as best I could and put it in the back seat of the truck. Put the two transmitters in there and just shook my head.

I know it's hard to believe, and I would have doubts myself, if it hadn't happened to me. I came home, showed the box to my wife and spent about 10 minutes taping up the box and a couple of more minutes putting some tape on the horizontal stab and a little piece on the vertical stab as well.

Looks like everything will fly just fine...well I'm hopping that the box has made it's last flight. Sure wish I could have had a video of that...spooky to say the least.

[WJCJR1]

Hahaha that is a funny one. I too would've packed up and left town, as you did, if that had happened to me.

Wayne

[Voodoo101]

Seems funny now, but I gotta tell ya, I was getting a little pissed at the time. Beating up the box wasn't so bad but when the box took a whack at my UM T-28, that was a bit much.

Not that there was a dang thing I could do about it. It did seem like someone or something had a good laugh. I was all pumped up after successfully putting maiden flights on both my T-28 and my P-47....I think someone was saying..."So you think that was flying...who needs a plane....watch this!"

[JohnH]

With all of my busy schedule and travel, it took me 2 weeks to get my T-28 PNP together, and it's still not done. The first weekend, I got the battery charged, hooked up the electrical parts, bound the DX8, and made *all* of the servos move without assembling anything. I was curious about the AR8000 and TM1000 that came with the DX8! Everything seemed good. Another week passes, more family activities, and again Sunday night I start the assembly process. I got all the parts assembled and was ready to tape down the electronics after installing the stabilizer, but thought I would do one more test. No elevator servo motion. Replug the cables. Nothing. Swap rudder and elevator. No go. So, it seems I have a similar failure to the review article. Also, the rudder servo has a high-pitched whine that sort of goes away near the mid-stick position, but not really.

Called HH this morning and they are sending me two new servos. Have others seen this issue? Both servos are the DVS130M (not sure I got the letters right) and will they be (have they been) an in-flight problem?

I *have not* practiced servo failures in my sim yet! Seems more advanced than a beginner wants to take on!

John

[Voodoo101]

John, this may or may not have anything to do with your problem and I'm sure someone will straighten me out if I'm wrong. I think it is possible to plug the servo lead in backwards. It may also be that the servo will not function if it's plugged in backwards.

The dark colored wire on the servo lead should always be oriented toward the outside edge of the receiver.

I'm just a rookie at this myself as far as Spectrum and electric aircraft go. But I can tell you that I have the USAF version of the T-28 and I have the same servos. No problems with any of mine. And I've talked to a lot of guys who fly both Navy and USAF versions and I have not heard much about servo problems with this aircraft.

I have had a bad servo on my P-47 but it was a different servo and after I got the replacement from HH, no more problems.

[WJCJR1]

No elevator servo motion. Replug the cables. Nothing. Swap rudder and elevator. No go. So, it seems I have a similar failure to the review article. John
Bummer deal. As the old saying goes: Fruit doesn't fall far from the tree. I have had a few others at the airfield say they have had a PZ Airplane that has had a bad servo right from the box. Good thing about it I guess, you found yours up front. It seems to be consistent if a PZ Servo is going to fail it does so relatively early on. Replace your Elevator servo and I bet you'll have hundreds of servo trouble-free flights.


Also, the rudder servo has a high-pitched whine that sort of goes away near the mid-stick position, but not really.John
Disconnect the rudder and nose-gear pushrods and verify there is no binding happening. Move with your fingertips the push rods, thus control surfaces, like your fingers are the servo horn. If the rudder or nose gear moves hard try to locate the area of resistance and address. These PZ preinstalled servos being an entry level servo, in my opinion and observation, are not exactly the smoothest and quitest on the market. They either work or they don't, if they work they'll last forever.


Called HH this morning and they are sending me two new servos. Have others seen this issue? Both servos are the DVS130M (not sure I got the letters right) and will they be (have they been) an in-flight problem?
John
HH will take care of you, this is not an entirely new issue with these servos. After you replace the non-responding elevator servo it is VERY likely you will have zero servo related issues for hundreds of flights. Fly confidentally and pat yourself on the back for performing a thorough pre-flight analysis of the equipment, safety is #1. After you get passed this bit of turbulence you will enjoy your PZ T-28.

Wayne

PS - BTW don't feel like you have missed much lately with the T-28 being down; I was at my airfield in Waverly today heat index was 107*F. Closer to the city, like where you are at, it was 116*F heat index! Although the wind and sky conditions were superb it was terribly miserable to stand out in the sun with no beeze and 78* Dew point.