T52 Pilots Speak out!

Hi,

    I just wanted to tell you how happy I am with my modified T-52! I am a rank beginner at flying R/C models. The first model I bought was one that is often suggested as a "good trainer." Although it might be a good "first plane" for those who have an instructor available, I found it to be far too fragile, as I am learning to fly on my own. Since I got tired of spending more time gluing the model back together than I did trying to fly, I posted a question on the E Zone forum and the T-52 got the best reviews. At the same time, I did some research and found what looked like a good Flight Manual and companion video from the 1st US R/C Flight School. It is based upon a trainer that has ailerons, coupled with the rudder. Now, this school is for "Infernal Combustion Engine" models, but I noticed that their school trainer is about the same size as the T-52. All I'd have to do to be able to follow their teaching and flying method would be to convert the plane to an aileron model. This turned out to be quite easy! I did reduce the dihedral to half of the original design, and cut a 3/4 inch strip from the trailing edge to make the ailerons. Now, I have a T-52A!

Although I'm certain I could have just as easily learned to fly the T-52 "as is," I liked the idea of ailerons, and their use of coupling them to the rudder. This should make it easy for me to eventually convert to "full, 3-axis control" models, later on.

What I really like about the T-52 is that it is a great combination of "easy fly-ability" and "crash survivability." This was the only trainer I found that had *both* qualities, while still retaining the looks of a "real" airplane. That means I will have no problem recommending the T-52, anytime anyone ask, "What would be the best trainer for me?"

Although I'm still learning the basics, I'm already thinking of my "next" model! I *really* like the looks of your P-51. . .

  Thank you VERY much!

  Mike Singleton  (aka: mad mike)

Spring Hill, FL

  PS:

Feel free to use this, and the attached photo, in any way you like! You may notice the broken prop in the picture. I need a new flying field, one that has more grass and less brush!

The T52 has taught about 3000 folks how to fly over the last 6 years - that's a pretty good track record - Thanks for the kind words Mike

Specs:

span: 48"

length: 31"

wing: T52

3 or 4 deg. dihedral

weight: 19oz with landing gear

The plane is covered with Ultracote. Wing saddle is supported with corrugated plastic from parking sign. 4 mil coro for the tail sections with holes for lightening. The nose is just tape, it holds up in a nose dive - tested that yesterday. Always remember to check your servo reversing when using a receiver that plays double duty in two planes. The plane looked like a lawn dart sticking in a freshly plowed field - no damage - took 20 minutes to clean out the engine, install a new prop and I was back in business.

Keep up the outstanding work

Thanks, 

Ross

Thanks Ross for the comments and pictures. This looks like a very simple plane and the Slickmount makes it even simpler. Study the pictures and I think you could do the same thing.

I am about to slide over to your order page and get ANOTHER T52.  But before I do I have to tell you that I am impressed enough with this airplane and your product support that for the first time...I have been in the RC hobby for a number of years and have several IC planes...I am going to order a second copy of a product.

Mine flew for the first time tonight and, to make a long story short, It is what is keeping me in the E-Flight environment.  I started with a WINGO and, long before I smashed it to pieces, I decided that it was TOO much like a bird.  Then I moved to an FMA RAZOR and parked that until I have another urge to frustrate the hell out of myself.  I then bought the T52 and the video and some of your support equipment and just cannot say enough good things about the whole experience.

AND...I feel very good about dealing with you guys.  I’m sure that you are aware of other vendors who deliver hose jobs to their customers but I have to tell you that the prompt response to e-mails, the quality and price of your products and the straight forward instructions, tips, suggestions, the WEB SITE content, the testimonials from a guy like BUZZMAN...it all motivates me to make sure that the bulk of my business goes to you guys.  If you ever have a potential customer who needs a little nudging on your products or company..send them my way.  I’ll be more than happy to oblige.

Thanks again

Hank Villerot

hvillerot@aol.com

Editors note: use the link on Buzzman to get to an interesting web site for more tips on the T52

Comment : I just wanted to tell you that per the T52 that it does not perform well, or even good but that it is simply Great !!!. Your claims that this was a good training plane are vastly understated in that - well, let me give you a rundown of who I am.

   I am a 50-year-old widower with 3 kids that has wanted to fly R/C for the last 37 years. My Dad was a McDonnell Douglas engineer that encouraged this stuff (I built and flew lots of free flights and control-line scale and other planes.) and I remember him telling me to get into R/C. Well, Mom died in '93, Dad in '95 and my wife a month later in '95. Since that time I've done lots of work and managing a house and kids and needed some fun stuff. I have gotten lots of planes and built them in the last year and a half. I have also spent a lot of time rebuilding them and hoping to find a plane that I and cousin Marsha (also 50 - another enthusiast since she was a kid) could fly and not spend lots of time rebuilding (or having crashed, with no flight,  pitching the plane away...Frustration...).

   I found that plane in your T52 and cannot thank you enough. Although I am slow of joystick ( I am serious when I say that I have crashed your plane perhaps more than 50 times ! (Jim - I did some real crashes. Last Saturday I (unintentionally) brought the plane from about 35 feet straight into asphalt and all that happened was that I got grit in the screw slot of the propeller screw and broke a prop !)) I have finally flown !

   Last Saturday (and after the 35-feet-to-asphalt) I got your plane to about 600 feet (A little math with the law of cosines is required here). What an absolute Joy ! My first real flight !!  I used a Norvel .061 (The Cox .049 did not have the 'ooompfh'...) and just like you said it performs like a champion. It glides like a lady and it is simple to bring this one in for a belly landing. What was even more fun was the next Sunday getting it up to 800 feet and gently bringing it back (into the wind no less) from 1000 feet downwind (wind at about 8 to 10 mph gusting...). The pain was that after this flight I did another hard crash.  Not a big problem, though, because all that I had done was mush up the front (a little spare foam needed - got that at work) and break the firewall.

   The T52 (dubbed KAY 52 - as in Kathleen Ann Youngberg - my  deceased wife...Still "Dear-to-my-Heart" as her name implies in Gaelic) is ready to fly again ! I have a new Norvel .061 and this time Marsha is going to get to fly some. (In fact I ordered - last Sunday - 2 more T52's : one for my 12 year-old son Tom and one for Marsha...)...

   Thanks, Buddy !!!! ... Bill Youngberg...

  P.S. Next Sunday (after I go to the 10:15 Mass at St. Mary's) don't even try to call here. I will be at Glazebrook Park (in Godfrey, Illinois) with the plane. I need another one of those "800-feeters" (perhaps Pop or Mom or Kathy will give it a pat...). Heck, I might just make 1,000 feet !!!

        And, yes, if you want to use any part of this in your advertising that's OK by me...This plane is super...Danke am herzlichsten !!!  (Thanks from the heart - I also speak German...)

Jim,

I'm not trying to toot my own horn by forwarding you this e-mail, but I think this is such a typical comment from someone using the T-52, I just had to share it with you.  It's not that I built the plane that great, it's the fact that it's such a great plane!!!

I received this e-mail after selling my last pre-built T-52. This guy bought the plane for his friend who is having trouble learning how to fly.  I love his last comment - HA!

You guys are doing a great job!!!  I hope you guys have gotten more business because of my efforts via the E-Zone & et cetera - though my main interest is not to provide you guys with more income, I am happy that's (hopefully) a benefit from my efforts.  I want as many folks as possible to get into this hobby, as successfully, as inexpensively & as easily as possible.  The T-52 is the absolute perfect plane for this and the only one which is easily modified later, when flying skills are more developed (I know you know this already).

I'm still a firm believer the T-52 should be purchased with the intent of using the Kyosho Magnetic Mayhem reverse motor & Master Airscrew 3:1 reduction drive system "later down the road".  T-52 fliers only have to make sure they have an ESC that can handle the added amps (like the Castle Creations Pegasus 35 - which is light enough and works perfect with Speed 400 motors also) and that's it - super-easy & cheap way to "convert" to the MM/MA setup - and best of all - the plane flies even better using this setup.

Also, I am really hooked on the 1420 mAh NiMH battery packs - I can easily get 10 minute flights with these things - even when using the MM/MA setup (the only way I fly my T-52's anymore, BTW) - and they cost & weigh about the same as NiCd's.

If there's anything I can do to help JK Aerotech, please let me know - I'm working on a T-52 biplane - my goal is to be able to easily accept a 1 pound payload while still having an easy-to-fly aircraft (read, he wants to carry a digital video camera).  If you want results (read video) from these efforts, either let me know or visit my web site.

BTW - my 11 year old son nose-dived my first T-52 last Tuesday - it went in from about 30' up.  Are you kidding?  Pushed the motor towards the front a wee bit (we always attach motors using the tie-wrap method), checked it out thoroughly, looked at each other, laughed again, tossed-n-flied for 7 more minutes.  AWESOME!!!  Do THAT with a stick plane - yeah, right!

Thanks again very much & best of luck & sorry to ramble,

Buzzman
http://www.angelfire.com/al2/buzzman/rcstuff.html
rc_buzz_man@angelfire.com
 

-------- Original Message --------

I have to congratulate you on an excellent job. I left work early (new plane flu) and I flew the T-52 earlier today (before my friend could get his crash prone hands on it). It flew like a dream. Excellent slow speed handling, and very easy to recover from stalls. I was getting flight times of 6-7 minutes with it, staying mostly about 1/2 throttle. I got a little daring and did a few loops and (after increasing the control surface throws) was able to do some VERY sloppy rolls. They weren't pretty, but they sure were alot of fun. The plane handles so well, it should allow us to fly in fields much smaller that we previously used. With a Zagi, Razor and Twinstar I needed fields at least the size of a football field...with the T-52, and baseball field or parking lot would do. Now, if he can't learn to fly on this...HE JUST CAN'T FLY! Thanks... Steve

From: Sal Carcerano 
Sent: Saturday, September 16, 2000 12:36 PM
Subject: Post on Ezone

Hey guys, I wrote this thread on Ezone and thought I’d pass it on to you about my “experience”. You guys make great products.

Sal Carcerano Woodridge, IL.

  POST ON EZONE

  Ok, I know I've been raving about the T-52 lately. I'm not trying to muscle Buzzman out of a sales position with JKA either. But...

It's been very windy in the Chicago area over the past week and it's kept me from flying the T-52. If there's one downside, this plane can't handle the wind too well.

Yesterday I couldn't wait any longer and took it out in the field behind my house. I launched it & wanted to keep it below the tree line to keep it away from the wind. After a few passes I gave it too much power and it snuck above the trees right into a wind gust. It stalled and turned around, I froze and didn't even cut the throttle. It took a vertical dive from about 35-40 feet in the air, I looked away because I didn't want to witness the "disintegration". Plunged straight into the ground at pretty much full speed! I couldn't beleive it, the wing popped off but absolutely no damage whatsoever! Acually there was damage, a rubber band holding the wing on snapped - estimated damage cost - $0.01. I pulled the motor forward and cleaned the grass & dirt out of the Robbe 6x3 folding prop, afixed the wing back on and launched it again to finish off the battery power.

Sal C