Cox Electric F-8 Bearcat day - Not wonderful

The old stock battery pack likely a NIMH does not put out enough juice.
The power / capacity has degraded over time. Is that a parallel 4.8v system?

On a lighter note Bob, I'd have more than a little
freaked out if someone answered that 800 number.
Twilight Zone material for sure.
Bob

rsv1cox wrote:

dckrsn wrote:On a lighter note Bob, I'd have more than a little
freaked out if someone answered that 800 number.
Twilight Zone material for sure.
Bob

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b5aW08ivHU
An old favorite of mine..................The Hitch hiker.  

Oooooh mommy! That was great. Inger Stevens, one of the
most beautiful women to walk the earth.
Thanks, Bob.
Bob

rsv1cox wrote:Seems like the motor has plenty of oomph Eric, It's those darn heavy lines that drag/catch on the asphalt that cause ground loops.  The thing is so light that to maintain line tension you have to hold back which doesn't help either.  

There is the option of fuel, replace the electric motor with a Babe Bee and lines with dacron/spider wire.  Not much sense in that, I have so many balsa models that fly better than plastic.  But, it's an interesting piece to have and represents a minor part of Cox's presence.

oo gawd.. shoot.. crap.. well; we knew this might be a crap-shoot.. Seriously though... Robert.. I think that there's excessive resistance in the system; more than the original design imposed. "Excessive resistance to fly".. just kidding Robert!

If you were to "jumper" a short harness with an in-line switch to the motor.. you might see marked improvement. If so; consider the quality of the OEM wire which is now 30+ years old.

The electrical-wire/control-lines weren't a good idea.. but they "did" work when new..

This particular Cox model airplane might as well be a slot-car.. and it's lines/wires need to be good.. or at least "new". A few drops of oil on the motor bushings (as Eric mentioned..) wouldn't hurt.. but I'll bet that new wire-lines would be in order.

The "switch" could also be questionable. Is it making full-contact.. Are all the connections soldered and connected in a way that would afford the least electrical resistance?

I'm not recommending buying a spool of hi-flex 22GA wire.. but if you "had any".. I'd replace the old wire. The old wire might work for launching model rockets.. but not for the continuous current-draw that we're looking at here.

Maybe "tie a streamer" to help launching. Don't give-up on this one yet..

Ken Cook wrote:                The reality is that these planes have no wing area and a very thin airfoil and are too heavy. Many Cox planes are the same way and the more scale they are, the worse the problem is. Cox planes and the competition were responsible for more people leaving the hobby then sticking with it. The glitter wears off real quick when the plane is in pieces all over the ground.

Yea.. good points Ken. There's also a good chance that the hobby would have died-off years earlier.. if it wasn't for a good deal of youth-exposure through the combination of Cox advertisements/marketing/parts-support over many years. Piloting any prospective airplane (model or full-scale..) has always had its challenges. I for instance; have absolutely no desire to pilot a full-scale aircraft... but the models fascinate me.

I too never gave it any thought roddie, but I am thinking that you just may be onto something with the lines holding resistance. Something I never thought of till I read your post.

Ken Cook wrote:                The reality is that these planes have no wing area and a very thin airfoil and are too heavy. Many Cox planes are the same way and the more scale they are, the worse the problem is. Cox planes and the competition were responsible for more people leaving the hobby then sticking with it. The glitter wears off real quick when the plane is in pieces all over the ground.

Adding to Ken's post, wing area is one reason the Stuka and PT-19 were popular. They were a lot more
forgiving if you didn't know what you were doing with the engine. A lot of the crashed planes probably
barely took off sputtering, surging or 4 stroking. Been there, about 60yrs ago.
If you wanted to get a "Cox Wings" plane, or "Testors Fly 'Em" off the ground,
you'd have to run them full tilt. Not an easy assignment with the pipe bomb's
needle valve or an unpredictable Estes engine. I don't think I've ever seen one
of those Star Wars planes listed as used, great condition either.
Am I preaching to the choir?
Bob

getback wrote:Is that the on the guy in a cafe guzzles a steaming hot coffee !!LOL O bob O Bob , Greenie for effort,  i see these guy were even fling with streamer!    

Yep Sir , ...
fling with streamer and made one cut , half of Richards streamer , @ 1:07 Mins. ,
we called it "Bearcat Combat" .

Congrats to both you and Mark for getting it airborne! Must have been nice to see it in the air where it is supposed to be!

getback wrote:Germanbuddy , were you the one fling in the event? Do you have any input on why the plane is not fling for Bob .

Yes Sir,
wearing a black sweater.
Look for flat ,free of sand , tiny stones etc. runway.
Whip the lines ,pull handle in front your chest ,
running corkscrew path to center of circle,
like Team-Racers do.

Peter

rsv1cox wrote:Well, thanks to GB and friend we know that these do indeed fly.  But we need more information.  When did you fly them?  ROG or some assist needed?  Disassemble and lube the motor prior to flight or fly right out of the box?  How much built in rudder?  Did you have to hold the lines off the floor to prevent drag?  

Thanks - Bob

We "COX Bearcat" took off 2015 @ RC Indoorflight meeting Mannheim.
ROG , NO assistance needed , just playing with Power/juice pushbutton and take off.
Sure "COX Bearcat" Pilot and Owner Richard did lube the motor .
Sure both lines need tension , if not step back.
Dont try taking off while lines laying on ground.
R E A D  COX Bearcat   I N S T R U C T I O N S

Greetings Peter