But what about your old Firebird?  If it's still in flyable condition, it will still be a lot of fun as a second plane.  First of all, since it will probably be easier to fly than your next plane, it offers you a chance to relax at the field in between flights of a more challenging aircraft.  But also, if you have any problems with your new plane, it's nice to have a backup so you can continue flying rather than go home.

However, perhaps your old plane has been damaged beyond repair.  Maybe it could be fixed with a new wing or tail, but you just don't want to fool with it anymore.  Or maybe the motor mount has given way, or the fuselage has bent.  In either case, chances are that the motor and radio system are intact.  

Here's what I did with my "retired" Firebird XL equipment:

One of Hobby Works' regular customers had purchased a Multiplex "Teddy" but decided he didn't want it.  He had given the cute decals to a neighbor's little girl, so he couldn't return the kit, and offered it to me.  While it is designed as a 3-channel plane (rudder, elevator and motor control), the description on the box said it could also be used as a two-channel plane with rudder and motor control.  Sound familiar?

After removing the screws that hold the motor and radio in the Firebird, it is easy to get them out of the fuselage.  Now it was time to assemble the Teddy (a matter of minutes if you don't count glue-drying time) and install the Firebird equipment.  Below is a picture of the Firebird's guts.  The first step was to cut the wires from the radio to the engine and install a Tamiya connector to make installation easier.  (Mvc002s)

Next, I installed the radio into the Teddy.  I glued the bottom (actually, the top) of the radio's PC board into a groove cut into a 3" section of leading edge stock, and then glued that into the top of the fuselage (which was upside down).  

Above:  The Guts and Mount.  Below:  The New Servo Arrangement.

Please note that the Z-bend in the pushrod goes into the "12 o'clock" position on the servo wheel, where the Firebird used two monofilament lines attached in a "pull-pull" arrangement at 3 and 9 o'clock.

The next step was installing the motor, using the following the Teddy's instruction manual, followed by hinging the rudder and connecting it to the pushrod using a standard linkage.  That's it!  The Teddy was ready.

Left:  The Author - Ready to Fly!

Now it was time for the acid test.  How does it fly?  I'd like to report that it climbed rapidly, thermaled easily, and glided to a graceful landing.  But that would be a lie.  In a way, this plane proved the validity of the Firebird concept in that - compared to the Firebird - it had tricky flight characteristics and was extremely vulnerable to damage.  Crashes that would have not scratched a Firebird required field repairs; crashes that would have been field repairable in a Firebird sent me home, and the kind of crash that would have me repairing the Firebird at home destroyed the radio!  This is the only flight shot, as it only made four flights, all crashes!  

  Below Right:  Oh No!  Teddy Going Down!

My conclusion? The operation was a success but the patient died.  The idea was a good one; the choice of plane for this project was not.  I still think that recycling Firebird equipment is a "do-able" project.  Who will be the first to install the smaller receiver and motor from a Firebird II into one of the many Guillows free-flight planes we sell at Hobby Works?  If you decide to do this, please send us your pictures and comments, and we will put them on our website.

Copyright (c)2002 Hobby Works.