[hooter]

I am currently flying a UCD 60, Saito 100, with a 16x4w prop. I have been flying for about 3 years, and I am 49 years old! :x

I have been flying pattern stuff and pretty good at it!! But I love trying to do the 3D stuff. I have a CG 540 Edge that is in the rack..waiting to be repaired (broke the nose off behing the motor mount)..fell out of a hover at 6 foot!!

But my question is, I can go into a hover about 75% of the time OK..I gain about 2 ft. of vertical..then about 30% of the time I can find "The sweet spot" where it just hangs..needs very little input on the controls. It's amazing the plane will just hang there..but if I miss that spot seems like I am chasing the plane from there on.

I have a Futaba FP-T8UAF transmitter..and what I would like to do is expand that "Sweet Spot"..but without going into Heli mode I do not have access to throttle curve. Seems like one click up is too much and one click down is not enough!!

I know moving the CG back would help and I have done that..but I still like doing the pattern stuff and I lose alot with a aft CG.

 

[steener]

I know some guys remove the ratchet on the throttle.

 

[hooter]

OK.."Dumb question"..does removing the ratchet give you any more resolution on the throttle?

 

[ChuckAuger]

You can also use a little positive expo to mess with the throttle curve. I use a 8UHPS, so it has no ratchet....I have never tried to hover with a ratchet.

 

[446]

might experiment with prop size a little and find one with different thrust characteristics. I had a saito 100 g.k. on a g.p. giles and was using a 16-5 zinger. sold the plane and then sold the engine to a freind who put it on- a g.p. u-can-do! gave him the prop, too. he was using it last time I saw him, but he really can't hover yet and I haven't flown his.

anyway, what I am getting at is if you have plenty pullout on what you are using now, you might go a little less prop blade or a little richer to make the up/down hover range wider.

hope this helps!

 

[hooter]

But I am still wondering is there any resolution on the throttle pot between ratchet clicks?

By the way to all the Memphis and Nashville guy's there is a beautiful 800' x 180' 1/2" tall Bremuda grass field (Fairway quality) in Jackson, TN. The club heirarchy is coming around..they are putting up with 3D, helicopter, and 40% planes now. But it's been a struggle!!! Anybody is welcome to come down..we fly every Saturday and Sunday!!

Check us out www.wtrcf.org

 

[Stano]

I have gotten used to the rachet on the throtle but there has been times when one click was rising and one fallen mostly on foamys tho

 

[Jim D]

As Ron said, play with props. You can 'soften' things up a bit that way as well.

 

[hooter]

I too have gotton used to the ratchet..I have used this transmitter for three years and have not had any trouble with it. But I am still curious, whether you have a ratchet or not..do you guy's ever find that position on the throttle where the plane just seems to hang there and not need any input on the controls? It may just be I am getting lucky and getting the plane centered right with the right amount of throttle/propwash. But I hit three times today and the plane would just sit there with little or no input on the controls for at least 10 seconds!!

 

[RSands]

Typically you'll get close to the right throttle setting, but there's always some increase/decrease adjustments, either due to wind currents, motor running performance changes effects of inputs, etc. The ratchet stops can cause issues as because of them there's resulution your not using, but at the same token if it's that touchy do what the others have suggested, either try a different prop or put some expo on it. If you want to adjsut the ratchet, don't remove it, just give it a little less bite by stressing the spring, so the click stops just barely contact. Did this with my 8U and it eventually wore to the point where it was dangerous, as tipping the tranny down would cause the throttle to fall forward. Potentially a dangerous situation. I believe the heli radios have the spring still, but a smooth rather than detent contact piece. This is probably a better, solution, but I'm not positive. You might be able to change it over to the heli system by ordering the parts. Short of that, good old fashion wear will fix it to.

 

[tpstorey]

If you don't like the ratchet (I don't) the simplest thing to do is slide a piece of small fuel tubing over the little piece of metal that contacts the plastic ratcheted piece. Move the screw that holds the metal piece in or out to adjust the drag to your liking.

I have also taken the metal piece off and used my dremel to grind off the point on the metal piece so it just slides instead of popping in and out of the indentations.

Wish I could draw. Open the back of your transmitter and you will probably understand what I 'm saying.

 

[Gordo]

IMO the best advice you've seen here is the prop cange. I feel the biggest advantage of extremely over-powered plane is the ability to prop for throttle control rather than total thrust.

That motor on that plane isn't exactly "Over" power from my experience, so you may be limited. If you haven't tried a lot of props, suck it up and buys 4 or 5 different ones.

This may be just me, but I've gone to higher pitch Master Airscrews on my Saitos. I was useing 4" pitch APC on everything I had, ran out and grabbed what I had. I put a 14x6 MA Simitar (not the wood one) on my saito .91 and fell in love. Finally broke it and found a 14x6 Classic, and it's good too, but not quite as good. Then I tried a 13x6 on my .72 and it was good too.

Another good thing about those props is they are $5, compared to $13+ for APC. But I would not change based on price alone.

 

[3littlefonzies]

Yes, positively, there IS resolution between the clicks with the ratchet.

I was not sure if that got answered but if one click is too much the even without the ratchet it will be hard to get it perrrrrfect.

to get rid of the ratchet i tried fuel tubing but found that it got sticky and would cause my throttle to bounce off of idle. try a piece of heat shrink. it makes it real slick though. I like it like that though

 

[Fly-guy]

Well, if you have the ratchet you can put it up to the position where you said it is to high, and then on your trim level bring it down to where it is right, you will hav a lower idle but it still should be right.

Fly-guy

 

[hooter]

I am going to try the 14x6 prop first, then remove the ratchet if I have to.

Thanks for the help.

 

[446]

good call!

 

[dhooks]

One thing I do with radios with with rachets is pulsate the throttle up an down to hold altitude but more then like your going to start TRing if you do that so probably not a good idea unless your comfortable with that.

 

[latch66]

I am getting away from ratchets on the throttle.

The 8U is easy to change. Just flip the ratchet over. That will give you some "resistance" for feel, but it won't have the "click" that the ratchet does.

I did this some months ago on my 8U and I really like it.

 

[coveredup]

You can also use a little positive expo to mess with the throttle curve. I use a 8UHPS, so it has no ratchet....I have never tried to hover with a ratchet.

I was wondering what you had done to the throttle on your TX. BTW, that taco really flew great, thanks for letting me have some stick time.

later

 

[ChuckAuger]

Just to clarify.. I didn't have any Expo on that one, but it is a 8UH (Heli) version.