gunsmoke1971

I am thinking of buying a parkzone p51 mustang I began learning on 4 channel petrol trainers and got on ok. My last flight was last year and due to work constraints and cider never got the chance to fly it again so I have decided to start with electric and in particular I have a fascination for war birds, a few people have said that the parkzone p51 was a good plane for intermeadiates. I want something I can take down the sports field with minimum fuss and have some fun with. So guys please throw some hints and tips my way.

Thank Mark

Matt Kirsch

If you can get an experienced pilot to take it up for its first flight, and trim it out for you, it might be okay. That depends on how far you got with your glow trainer. Could you take off and land? Were you flying solo?

Unless you could confidently solo your glow trainer, I wouldn't recommend the P-51 for shaking the rust off.

Solid Hit

There are some high wing war birds too. I agree with Matt. The P-51 is not the easiest plane to fly. Why not brush up on a high wing plane first until you are so confident that you become bored with it?

planekiller

i would say get an inexspensive crashable trainer like a flying wing and brush up your skills.

gunsmoke1971

Hi thanks for replying could you give us the name of some of these high wing war birds then i can go and look where to find them, hopefully we do them in the uk

kybrowns

I would not recomend the P-51. I had one, did not like it. It has many problems; under powered, slow response, very fragile frame, battery compartment is of bad design, nose heavy. I spent a lot of time and money correcting some of those problems. With that said its a very good looking plane.

But if your looking for something to fly quickly and for fun the areobird swift looks like fun. Seems like a plane you could just keep in the trunk of your car and really have some fun with. The Stryker f-27c is one of the best planes I have ever flown.

offtom

I second this opinion.......Stock way underpowered, very fragile.

Stryker really is a blast to fly

Tinman

The videos I've sen of the p-51 look awesome, I've seen one fly at the ball field befroe too. But from what I've heard you get what you pay for

They looks sweet though, especially the Spitfire!

PerlAddict

I love our PZ P-51 ... it's a bit underpowered after the first couple of minutes when the voltage wears down, but that's why we're just gonna stick a Lipo in it instead of NiMH's from now on.

Dad did have a problem with the battery compartment door coming off after he smacked it in and cracked the fuse. It still flies fine, but he had to put a rubber band around the fuse to hold the battery door on. He's got a new fuse ordered up, so that should take care of that provided he doesn't smack it on the ground again.

I have the PZ FW-190, which flies very similarly, and I love it. The battery compartment is better placed on it, but I still like the way the P-51 looks coming down for a strafing run more.

Everybody has their own likes and dislikes, though ... I like scale warbirds, which is a big reason why I prefer the P-51 over something fictional like the Stryker.

Solid Hit

If you need a plane that has a radio system attached you might want to look at the Super Cub by the same company as the P-51. You can replaint it to look like a Birddog if you want the military look. Good trainer and nice looking plane.

Glacier Girl

Unless your heart is set on a Mustang, I'd suggest the Eflite P47.
The Jug is a much easier bird to fly, and it comes with landing gear.
Takes abuse a lot better then the PZ, and it's a heck of a lot easier to fix.

Tinman

Thats a good idea Bill, I got the Super Cub ordered, what kind of paint can you use to pain the super CUB? I think I'll try to paint mine. Thanks

Grasshopper

I agree with Glacier Girl. If it must be a warbird and you have the experience to fly it, the E-Flite P-47 is a much better plane than the P-51. I still fly mine almost everytime I go out. I also used to have the PZ P-51 and although it was fun to fly, it was no where near as good of a plane as the P-47.

If you don't have a lot of experience with warbirds or low wing aileron planes, then I would also suggest the Super Cub. Just my 1/2 cent worth.

PerlAddict

I'm sure once I get my P-47 built, I'll jump on the bandwagon with Brad and Tom.

Slowjohn

Another thing to consider is if you can switch the gear over to another plane if you want to or need to or have to.

Solid Hit

Krylon makes a foam safe paint and I've gotten some at Michaels (the craft store). I did an Ultrafly P-51 with a silver metalic paint that came out well. Testor makes an enamel that I did a GWS Stearman with. Just be sure to try it on a scrap piece before you try it on your model.

If you are going to paint the SC, you may want to upgrade the battery as well. If the plane is somewhat marginal out of the box, the extra weight of the paint may be a problem. Be sure to check the cg after the paint job and post some pictures!

Tinman

Thanks Bill! Good idea about upgrading the bat to save weight.

I think ill fly it as is first and then when it gets a little cracked up ill paint it and give it an overhaul

Ill post some pics if I do! thanks again

gunsmoke1971

Well I so nearly got the super cub, but looking at me from the other end of the shop was a Parkzone Spitfire. So I threw caution to the wind and bought the spit, ahh reminds me of my days in the Royal Air Force except we had Tornado's and EF2000 Typhoon(enough of days gone by). I took the Spitfire down my local field with a bag of nerves thinking should of got the Super Cub, put the battery in and got myself ready. Another guy flying a self built told me I was brave flying a Spit after a long absence from flying ( that didn't help ).I Lifted the Spit above my head put it on max chat launched and wow can that thing fly. I was doing circuits and all sorts, I got my confidence right back. I was amazed at how stable she was, Douglas Bardow would have had a tear in his eyes. When bringing the Spit in I flared just as the Spit was landing and came in for a perfect landing. Just thought I should let you know how I got on after being out of the saddle for such a long time and I wanted to say thank you for all your replies. So here goes thanks.

And in the best Royal Air Force way, Chocks away and tally ho Ginger

Tinman

Conrats Gunsmoke!! Glad it al worked out well for you! Like ridding a bike hu?

I got to admit the spitfire is one of the icest looking planes I've ever seen.

Let us know how flights 2 and on go!!

PerlAddict

Glad you took a leap of faith and got something that felt great to fly. At the end of the day, the only person who will ever know what you'll be able to fly is you, and the only way to really know is to give it a try.

We don't have that Spit yet in the U.S. .... I'm jealous!

LannyG

Hey Gunsmoke! That was great! I'm glad it worked so well for you!!
Tally Ho!!!
LannyG