Hobby King Disappointment

Love Hobby King, their quality products and awesome prices. But like McDonalds, even when service fails, I will still keep coming back because there is no competition.

Spent 20 min with Customer Service Chat online and left no better than when I called. About 9 days ago I ordered 2 receiver packs, a mini-tach, and some plastic hinges, all in stock, from the USA West Warehouse.  I received the order confirmation, but never received a notice of shipping, so I contacted them through a CS request on their website. They have no idea why it hasn't left the warehouse, but told me 2 days ago they were looking into it. I heard nothing, so today I contacted CS on chat. She essentially told me the same thing, so really, nothing has happened in these past 2 days. She told me to wait two more days. I asked if HK would send them by Express Mail to compensate me for the delay, and she said that they can't change the shipping method. It seems like no one is pushing this through, they are just waiting for someone else to do something. What am I going to do about it? On one hand of the thousands of dollars and dozens of orders over the past 7 or so years, this really is the first time I have had a problem getting my parts, so really, that's pretty damn good. Its just not getting the sense that anyone is calling to get anyone physically on this that bugs me.

2 more days, then 5-7 says in transit if this gets solved. The Sukhoi awaits.

UPDATE 10/19/15: On line chat with HK since I had some time to kill. After being told again they were looking into it and to check back in 2 more days I lamented why couldn't someone in CS just call the warehouse, or let me call. She noted thats not how they communicate with the warehouses, they do it my email and chat. After a few minutes she came back and had gotten it shipped and a tracking number. It's on its way.

Why couldn't they do that the first time? Well  either way, she did a good job helping me!

Sukhoi SU-26 10cc Gasser

I've been busy.

I crashed the electric Honda SU-26, (pic here) after only a handful of flights. I got another SU-26 Sukhoi 70 size. I don't know why, I like the Honda design, but for some reason I got the Aeroshell one. I really wanted this one to be a gasser, and I wanted a smaller gas. Pricing was right to go  RCFG 10cc.  I chose this motor over the Evolution 10cc as it was a ringed piston (break in is easy) and it uses the same fuel mix my DLE-30 uses, 30:1. The Evo would have required an extensive break in and a 40:1 mix.

I started building her last week, and would be near done but for an odd delay getting the reciever and ignition packs, and the in-line tachometer. It's been a week and they haven't even shipped. Hobby King says they are checking in to it, but its still not shipped. Can't touch the price they offer on these packs and the tach... Oddly, my Quikfire gas filter also was missed in shipping, and that's late too.

Here are pics of where she stands today.

Introducing my PT-19 Cornell!

Maidened my new PT-19 Cornell from Eflite today. She is my second one, and I was pretty green when I flew the first one, which I eventually crashed one too many times. This ARF is no longer available.

She has a 450 sized motor, a Hobby King Orange 3-axis stabilization reciever. This is the first time I have used a 3 axis gyro in a plane before. She is small and prone to being beaten up by winds, so I thought it would be a good place to try it on. I had increased the gain on all axes, and in flight in dives this set up oscillations so I took them all back to the stock 50% and it smoothed right out.

She has about 1.5/oz in the nose. Other than that she is unmodified and flew wonderfully!

At least I can breath now...

Beautiful day in Bedford, NH. I took the Pulse XT and the MXS-R 30cc out to the Joppa Hill Sports Field, where the grass is waaaay too tall and thick.

I flew a couple of packs in the Pulse, and when she landed the second time I heard a metallic jingling when the prop stopped. I shook her and she jingled in the front. I had to superglue on of the motor magnets in place a couple of months ago and figure it had come loose, but she shouldn't run then.  Later when I got home I found that the prop screw and washer had somehow come loose. Curious: all the forces tighten it, not loosen it. Prop stayed in place because of the spinner...

I took the 30cc up next. She started easily, still a bit of a high idle. In warm up she stalled in idle. Restarted, let her warm up and took her up, great flight! She seems a bit slow... 19x8 at 7300rpm full throttle. She goes vertical without any lag. This time though she sputtered, and I brought her back down, 4-cycling a lot. Landed, revved her, idled. Everything seemed fine. Refueled and took off. No 4-cycling, no sputtering! Did some vertical, Cubans, loops, ran sweet. I think she just likes a bit more warm up. Flew two half tanks, about 20min total, and put her away. I wanted to take another run, but it went so well and my hands were shaking, the stress beating in me, so I packed her up. At least I could breathe this time!

I do worry about flying my 30cc here. There are only a couple of houses, none adjacent to the field, and a teaching farm up the road. I keep waiting for someone to complain... So I try to space the flights out, keep the around 10 min and high.

The replacement Sukhoi SU-26 arrived today. Jumping to get her started!

30cc Rocks!

While today saw the death spiral of yet another 70 sized electric (what the hell is up with me and this class of aircraft that I keep drilling holes in the ground with them?), I did have one helluva much needed success with the 30cc gas Breitling MXS-R.

I ran her on the ground for half a tank. She continues to run pretty damn well. She idles a bit high, around 2100-2200 RPM, but she doesn't produce much thrust at idle and the engine doesn't quit, certainly not rolling at all in the grass, and she lands fine. Max out at 7600 RPM with full vertical climb at speed.  Running bamboo wood 19-8.

After a bit of taxiing about and running full and idle throttle, I finally nailed my courage to the sticking place and took off. Perfect, level, controlled, outstanding climb out. I set her through the usual maiden routine, and she handled perfectly. I landed her twice without incident. She flew just fine. Just fine! Flew two half tanks. Would have kept going, but...

I am a little worried about noise. I fly from a public sports field, near an educational farm, and some houses are nearby. It doesn't make much, less than a lawnmower, but its bound to annoy someone at some point...I do love me the sound of a gasser though. I am thinking of replacing the crashed electric Suhkoi SU-26 (goddammit...) with a 10cc 70 sized Sukhoi SU-26.

Right after this photo I drilled the Sukhoi into the ground. In the sun, entered a spin, could not get out, in the end over controlled, bam. I knew I was losing orientation and was too close to the ground. Stupid, stupid mistake. It is the first time I threw things (hat, transmitter, but gently) and cursed a crash like an angry whore. I remain so very pissed. So much time, money and effort and I wasted it.

This is why my wife shouldn't let me have nice things.

Gas Rot

In my last post I mentioned how the 30cc MXS-R was acting fuel starved before it finally died. I emptied the tank at the field and brought her home. Today I removed the canopy to get the cowl off and was surprised by gas in the tank. I proceeded to empty it again and nothing moved. Ahhh... It's the clunk line I bet. The Du-Bro hand pump was leaking gas, so I couldn't empty the half tank of gas in the plane. This morning I went out to Nashua to visit RC Buyers Warehouse and picked up a NJ Modelers tank and pump because the tank doesn't leak like my McGyvered one I have had for 2 years, and it wasn't a Du-Bro pump.

NJ on the left, my McGyver on the right.

The clunk line hsd failed. Turns out the Tygon had rotted right off. It's not supposed to, but there it is. Fixed. I went ahead and overhauled the motor and carband put it back together. Took her outside, filled her with my new tank pump, and after a few cranks to prime and she fired up clean and smooth on the default needle settings. Made some tuning adjustments and now she runs sweet again! Put the cowl back on, and then dropped my DX8 transmitter on the asphalt (fell about a foot) breaking the already marginal flaps switch. Somehow in opening it, which I have done a dozen times before, this time I made it not turn back on. I somehow fixed that, but the switch is still boffo.

Thats just great. Took it apart and found I wasn't going to be able to fix the switch. Found out the usually awesome Horizon Hobby/Spektrum customer service form doesn't exist any more (it creates and email), and phone in support wait was an hour. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Online found out I can solder in a new switch. Ordered one for $5, and will find out if in fact I can. No real time down and cheap. While working that out I went through the emotional wammy of my DX8 files not working on a DX7. I didn't want to rebind and reprogram everything...

While at RC Buyers I picked up some softer rubber Du-Bro wheels, about 1/4" bigger and a bit wider than the stock ones on the Sukhoi, and that became an evolution that took longer than it should. But they should make the landings sweeter.

So, a long day... Tired and cranky. But fruitful.