Forza 2.5

[MartinH]

Hi all,

@Jonty - i thought that maybe you’d be out on the hills, thrashing around with your new toy. Sounds like she’s a real winner.

@DOC - the Toccata is definitely on my list, but after the Aria. So many planes and so little time (and cash)

@Myles - sounds like good progress on your build. I think this one could be my new favourite plane…

Martin

 

[Yotaman1985]

Took the Forza to The Slot yesterday and it did great. Was blowing around 35 mph so I threw some ballast in it. It flies on rails and is a blast. Couldnt be happier

 

[Doc James Hammond]

Looks like perfect conditions - Forza loves ballast.

Doc.

 

[MartinH]

Nice one Yotaman looks awesome in the air.

Martin

 

[MartinH]

Hi Forza fans I have a question about CG trimming for you, cos I’m scratching my head a bit.

I’ve been flying my Forza a fair bit and have gradually moved the CG back to around 100mm. I think it needs to go back a little bit more, as she still pulls up a bit when travelling fast.

My slight concern is that with the model trimmed for fast-ish straight and level flight, I’ve got about 1mm down trimmed in (see photo)

Is this normal?

Cheers, Martin

 

[Wayne]

Mine sits flush. I do not recall where my CG is, but as I recall the published number is pretty darn nose heavy. One of my local pilots has been dialing his in and said he has kept moving the CG back further and further.. Getting closer each time.

 

[MartinH]

One of my local pilots has been dialing his in and said he has kept moving the CG back further and further.. Getting closer each time.

Thanks Wayne, yeah I think that’s the stage I’m at now. I’ve removed all the loose lead that I had in the nose and am adding slips of lead to the tail end now.

martin

 

[Wayne]

Yep, I sometimes tape coins to the fuselage until I find the right spot.

 

[Outlander51]

Well, As my build drawers to a close I thought I’d just upload some photos which I think are cool - they represent building techniques I’ve never used before like casting lead nose waits, gluing multiplex connectors into wings and fitting dual servos into impossibly tight spaces like the tail…. Was all very time consuming but kept me entranced all the way through…. Lots of great advice here from all you guys…

 

[Doc James Hammond]

Well, As my build drawers to a close I thought I’d just upload some photos which I think are cool - they represent building techniques I’ve never used before like casting lead nose waits, gluing multiplex connectors into wings and fitting dual servos into impossibly tight spaces like the tail…. Was all very time consuming but kept me entranced all the way through…. Lots of great advice here from all you guys…

Great stuff!

Doc.

 

[MartinH]

Great photo roundup Outlander,

I have the same colour scheme and it looks really great in the air.

Martin

 

[MartinH]

Hi Forza fans,

So she’s definitely a great all-rounder and after quite a few flying sessions, here’s my assessment:

On the ground:

- a very nice looking plane that attracts admiring looks from fellow fliers, particularly the swept wing planform is a bit different and looks cool and fast.
- easy to put together and practical as everything fits nicely with no fettling needed. I’d prefer an AMT personally but mainly because I travel with mine and it would be easier.
- most people at the slope thought she felt heavy, however they were surprised that it flew so well even in marginal conditions.

In the air:

- Very predictable with no vices found at all. it feels like she could take any amount of wind thrown at her
- Feels very solid in the air, compared to my other, smaller models - maybe too safe-feeling if you like seat of the pants flying or breakneck speed?
- Predictable landing with no wing drops etc feels ike she can take some rough ish landings too.
- CG at around the 100mm mark is great.I started at 95 and moved back gradually.
- 2.5m is a good size for me, offering good visibility, easy launching if alone and easy transportation in my Hyperflight model bags.
- Energy retention is very good - no problem with aeros at very modest airspeeds.
- Thermal mode is great for gaining height as long as you keep the speed up a bit.
- Speed is good but not exceptional IMHO - she was completely annihilated by all the modern F3F type models (VRace, Shinto etc.) at the slope, but that’s to be expected. i found that i was flying in ‘speed’ mode most of the time. Note that i do like to fly fast.
- Doesn’t need ballasting until the wind/lift is quite strong - I’ve only had to add the wing ballast so far and she liked it a a lot

My conclusion:

- Very happy with my Forza so far, with the kit quality, looks, practicality etc and the flying performance. I need to fly her more to explore the aerobatic capabilities and with more ballast configurations.

We’ve got some no-fly days now, so I’ll give her a thorough checking over to make sure the model is still good for the next sessions…

Martin

P.s. thanks to everyone who helped me with the build and setup

 

[Doc James Hammond]

Hi Forza fans,

So she’s definitely a great all-rounder and after quite a few flying sessions, here’s my assessment:

On the ground:

- a very nice looking plane that attracts admiring looks from fellow fliers, particularly the swept wing planform is a bit different and looks cool and fast.
- easy to put together and practical as everything fits nicely with no fettling needed. I’d prefer an AMT personally but mainly because I travel with mine and it would be easier.
- most people at the slope thought she felt heavy, however they were surprised that it flew so well even in marginal conditions.

In the air:

- Very predictable with no vices found at all. it feels like she could take any amount of wind thrown at her
- Feels very solid in the air, compared to my other, smaller models - maybe too safe-feeling if you like seat of the pants flying or breakneck speed?
- Predictable landing with no wing drops etc feels ike she can take some rough ish landings too.
- CG at around the 100mm mark is great.I started at 95 and moved back gradually.
- 2.5m is a good size for me, offering good visibility, easy launching if alone and easy transportation in my Hyperflight model bags.
- Energy retention is very good - no problem with aeros at very modest airspeeds.
- Thermal mode is great for gaining height as long as you keep the speed up a bit.
- Speed is good but not exceptional IMHO - she was completely annihilated by all the modern F3F type models (VRace, Shinto etc.) at the slope, but that’s to be expected. i found that i was flying in ‘speed’ mode most of the time. Note that i do like to fly fast.
- Doesn’t need ballasting until the wind/lift is quite strong - I’ve only had to add the wing ballast so far and she liked it a a lot

My conclusion:

- Very happy with my Forza so far, with the kit quality, looks, practicality etc and the flying performance. I need to fly her more to explore the aerobatic capabilities and with more ballast configurations.

We’ve got some no-fly days now, so I’ll give her a thorough checking over to make sure the model is still good for the next sessions…

Martin

P.s. thanks to everyone who helped me with the build and setup

You need the smaller Toccata to go at a real pace, Martin.

It's as fast as a racing snake and has the roll rate of a DeWalt drill.

Doc.

 

[MartinH]

Haha, nooooo more planes for me…

Yeah, Jonty keeps telling me to go for a Toccata - he reckons its a missile.

There was one up for sale on the BMFA classifieds for a good price but I resisted the temptation

Martin

 

[Doc James Hammond]

Haha, nooooo more planes for me…

Yeah, Jonty keeps telling me to go for a Toccata - he reckons its a missile.

There was one up for sale on the BMFA classifieds for a good price but I resisted the temptation

Martin

Actually, your report on the Forza was as good as I have ever seen for a new model, Martin - Bravo!

Doc.

 

[MartinH]

Thanks Doc, very kind of you to say so

Jonty reckons that i should try adding some snap flap to spice things up a bit, so I’ll try that in a couple of days when the wind reappears.

martin

 

[Wayne]

She likes a little snap flap. Makes the turns feel even better.

Yeah, she is not going to beat out a 3 meter current F3F design, but think she is probably more fun to fly.

 

[Hill Hobbit]

I really am pretty sure that there isn’t another model on the market that fills the role of an ‘all rounder’ like the Forza does. 2.5m is just the right size, it copes very well with a wide range of conditions, has great manners especially when landing, and is a great looker on top of all this.

What more could the average sport flier want?

F3f slopers don’t ‘do it’ for me. Yes, they’re super efficient etc, but I’m not really a fan of V tails (I only have one model with a V tail, a Toy), and they IMHO literally all look exactly the same whether on the ground or in the air. In other words BORING…

One of my FB’s got his Forza going just before last Christmas, and since then has rarely flown his very nice F3f models.

The fact that he prefers flying his Chinese made mid price Forza rather than his European made 3m models is quite telling really…

Cheers all
Jonty

 

[MartinH]

She’s on the bench AKA Mother in Law’s dining table for a quick once over and to add the snap flap programming. I put the snap on a switch and added about 3mm travel in cruise and speed modes. Should be some wind tomorrow and Thursday to check it out

The other thing i need to work on is the aileron differential, as the i want more nose down in the turns - am i correct to add more differential to achieve this? Or less ?

Martin

 

[Wayne]

Sorry - Ethos time..

In Ethos you can set the differential to one of the unused trims. This allows you to adjust it in flight, do some rolls, and adjust again. Much better way to dial it in. To do this, turn on the differential. Then in the weight of the differential, push and hold the enter button, a little menu pops up, and I think you want "analogs" or something like that, and then find the trim you would like to use. You have to find it in the menu, can't just click the trim like you can in other places. Once set, you can click up and down to confirm what direction things are going, and that you like it. If you want to reverse it, you need to push and hold the enter button on the weight again, but a slightly different menu will pop up and you can flip the orientation (reverse it). Sorry, don't have my radio in front of me to give you the correct names, but it is pretty easy.

Basically the same method you use to let the throttle trim set the elevator compensation amount when in butterfly.

Back to our normal non-programming conversation.