[flytwice]

Hello RC Canada: I have the Eflite Stearman PT17 to my hanger, maiden was last Tues. It has been far too windy to fly it since.
Flies very scale at 1/3+ throttle, takes off at 1/2, climbs out very steeply at full. Lands slow, perfect 3 point first time round! Yes!!
This is the first plane, Arf or otherwise, for me that required absolutely no trim adjustments of any kind.
Rc Groups has a 126 page thread describing all there is to know, watch the CG!! 3 1/4 to 3 3/8" max. Don't be afraid to add weight for balance! 4-7 oz is normal depending on motor/esc/ battery combo. The scale, stubby radial nose makes this necessary, Eflite says 2-4 oz, but has the CG too far back. Elevator set at 1/8" down on a neutral stick for maiden is normal also for level flight at 1/2 throttle. If you leave the elevator level on takeoff, the plane will go practically straight up after leaving the ground, you know, up, stall, down!!
Looks incredible in the air, nice size at 44", fits most cars assembled, the wings come off easily, Eflite provides carrying struts for this -neat touch!
flytwice

[williame3590]

Very nice, if your not careful you can easily get a hanger full of these scale little electrics. I said I would never have one in the shop 2yrs ago or lipos for that matter but guess what.........at 5 and looking at others.
They sure fly great and the conveniance of it all keeps you in the air almost every day. Happy flying!!

Bill

[flytwice]

Hi william; I have thinned out my fleet pretty good now, sold some, crashed others, used to have 15 of this Arf stuff, 4 now. I lost two planes in one week, so got the Stearman to replace one!
It kind of funny now, I was waiting for this plane to arrive from GH's, when I found a thread on RC Groups, 112 pages long that was filled with all kinds of problems. When the plane did arrive, I had sorted the wheat from the chaff, so to speak, and it flies extremely well. The thread had me wishing I'd chosen something else!! Finding out what worked required a lot of reading, the result was my first ever plane that required NO trim changes on anything who-hoo!
I'm glad I pushed thru to complete it now, it sure looks the part in the air!!

And yes, I am fighting an addiction -hehe! Must get more airplanes, must get more airplanes -NO -YES - must get more airplanes! flytwice

[flytwice]

Stearman update: This little biplane is a pleasure to fly! Have a dozen flights now, one nose over, almost stopped in too long grass, no damage!
The plane does not like to be forced into the air, 1/2 throttle, the tail lifts, apply a little up elevator, wheels leave the ground in a scale manner. like all the biplanes I've flown, it is quite responsive to aileron input, so 40% expo tamed it down. 60% expo on rudder!! Sudden use of rudder can produce violent snaps, a little goes a long way here! Oh yes, I have no ail/rud mix.
Best flown on days with little or no wind, will climb steadily against the wind, a by product of the biplane era.
Great plane, well worth considering for your fleet, set up properly it flies with the best! flytwice

[flytwice]

Took this little Stearman to the Kawartha Scale Classics, entered in the Novice class, flew this to a Second place! Woohoo!
First attempt at any competition, totally lost, but with help (thanks to all the local members, and others), some advice, a volunteer spotter (thanks Jason), I managed to get thru the proceedures. Even did the best landing ever!!
This was an amazing experience, learned more about scale flying in one day than I could have learned in months trying by myself. Flying the format forces you to fly, first, SCALE speeds, doing what the real plane only is capable of, and quickly shows where your flying skills are lacking. Best learning tool out there.
And this Stearman took it all in stride, doing what i asked it to do, I like this plane!! Its no parkflyer, but don't let it get too far out, it gets small very fast. Set up properly, it is very well behaved, goes where you send it, and can be flown very precisely! A win is a win!! flytwice