How to make landings more realistic on PT-40

R

rstille

New member
All,

I've been practicing landings on the PT-40 - I have an avistar and this is the closest I can find to that model. I'm using the transmitter interface to my JR631 radio and have the wind settings, etc to as low as possible in Realflight G2.

I find that landing the PT40 is no where close to the Avistar in real life, even though they are both trainers. I can land the PT40 in Realflight with little or no elevator, and throttle at idle from the downwind turn to the runway. My real life experience with the Avistar is that you need to maintain some throttle until you get to the runway; quarter or half through the downwind turn, and at least two or three "clicks" until you get to the runway to avoid stalling.

How can you make landing more realistic? Or can't you?

Thanks,
Randy
 
For a quick fix you might add in a little weight to the fuse. don't change cg though. Add an ounce or two at a time.

I used to fly a pt40 and it was a floater. I had to scrape the trees at the end of the runway to touch down mid-runway.

You might try trimming off the wings an inch at a time.

But... better still would be to do a complete Avistar version of the stock pt40 using your plane's dims and weight for the guide and eventhough the picture will not change the flight char's. will model your plane more closely. The more variable you match the closely it will copy your avistar

Don't bother me now, I'm flying RFG2...
Or am I flying the real thing? I can never tell till the landing..
 
Avistar wing airfoil to use?

OK, so I gave this a try. The Avistar has a semi-symetrical wing profile. Except for the "flat bottom" trainer wing, every wing airfoil I try seems to want to make the plane nose dive into the ground. I think I've entered all the changes to the dimensions, etc correctly, as measured from my plane.

Any ideas? What airfoil should be used?

Thanks,
Randy
 
Changing the airfoil should not make the plane nosedive into the ground unless the angle of attack is wrong.

I cant run RF and netscape or I would check it out now. I will after I get of the net.

Don't bother me now, I'm flying RFG2...
Or am I flying the real thing? I can never tell till the landing...
 
Actually I have had that problem on a couple planes, change teh airfoil and it it dives or climb bad.

I have had several people ask about modifying the PT40 to a Avistar, I have just posted a Avistar plane file I have modified for those who are interested.

Please post any feedback to what it flies like compared to the real one.

Eric Kler
Visit My unofficial G2 swap page
 
I take that back. changing the airfoil does make the plane nosedive, just as it should. The flat bottom foil is a high lift wing, and symetrical and semi-symetrical wings much less so.

Find an airfoil that is close to the one on the avistar, and change the aoa of the wing a little at a time until maybe you find a zone that works.

Look at the stock piper cub if you have it. The wing is set at 2.5 deg. and the horiz. tail is set at 2.5 deg.

Most of the other planes Cap232, giles, extra etc. most have it set at 0 deg. and you know how the land.

Remember that it's all a simulation and may not fit 100 % but even 50% practice is better than trying to fly with no practice and getting 100% of your learning from flying your model. One of our club members has wrecked 6 or 7 trainers trying to learn to fly. And that's with a great trainer.

Keepfiddlinwithit..

Don't bother me now, I'm flying RFG2...
Or am I flying the real thing? I can never tell till the landing...
 
semi----

rstille said:
Thanks everyone! Very helpful, especially the Avistar plane files!
Click to expand...
i have found no good answer to any of the problems with these wings. everyone has a suggestion....none work. my advice.....is fly a flat bottom wing....i been flying a hobbico electrastar ep select for 7 years....its a work horse of an airplane....hauls my digital camera around.....tows banners....very forgiving....yet can be very aerobatic. for some stupid reason....hobbica stopped making it....my guess is that is lasted too long. they want to sell airplanes. i have 13 airplanes ranging from a 80 inch cub to to a cmp 330L...(dont buy cmp planes...too heavy)...if i could.....i would order 5 of these hobbico electrastar ep selects...just to have them.....mine has many hours on it.....no damage....covering is coming off from use. im gonna recover it this winter.....i treasure this airplane.....best in my fleet....my choice of flying.
 
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