RC Sport Flyer June 2012 (Vol 17-04)

World's Most In-Depth RC Aircraft Magazine RC Sport Flyer Magazine

Raptor G4 Test pg 70

E-flite Hyper Taxi

Beast AS3X

EXCLUSIVE Gee Bee AS3X

mig 15 AS3X

Thunder Tiger Raptor G4

TP1430C Charger

Hyper

AeroWorks Extra

rc-sf.com

USA & Canada $6.49

june 2012 VOLUME 17 ISSUE 04

June 2012

Flight Report pg 102

Taxi

Plus Thunder Power TP1430C Charger aeroworks extra260

Beast AS3X

We Fly Gee Bee AS3X

MiG 15 AS3X

’s

Pro. Class.

The NEW Spektrum DX18 Loyal Spektrum users. Expert pilots longing for a sophisticated transmitter that’s easy to program.

FM owners still waiting for the perfect 2.4GHz system. This is the one you’ve all been waiting for.

Powerful Spektrum™ AirWare™ for Sailplanes

In addition to extensive airplane and heli programming, the DX18 has every sailplane function an expert pilot could want. Five wing types, three tail types, two motor types, ten available flight modes, flap delay with elevator compensation—it has it all

Sequencer

Users can program a sequence of switch-activated events, with time delays between each event, using multiple channels. For instance, with a flip of the gear switch they could have an auxiliary channel open landing gear doors, then have the retract channel lower the landing gear, followed by the auxiliary channel closing the gear doors after the gear is extended.

Servo-Balancer

The output of CCPM swash servos or multiple servos on a single control surface can be precisely balanced using a 7-point curve mix.

X-Plus™ Channel Expansion

The system can be expanded to 18 channels with an X-Plus 8 receiver module (sold separately); perfect for complex scale models and high-performance sailplanes.

Built-In Telemetry with Data Log

The DX18 not only displays telemetry data in real time, but will log the data to the SD card so it can be reviewed after the flight.

Dual Diversity Antenna

Essentially two antennas in one, the Dual Diversity antenna consists of vertical and horizontal arrays mounted perpendicular to each other for superior protection from signal fades. The horizontal array is housed in the durable carrying grip on the back.

Perhaps most impressive is the fact you get all these capabilities PLUS a 9-channel receiver, 2S Li-Po transmitter battery, SD card, neck strap and a global charging system for just $799.99.

The wait is over! Get to spektrumrc.com right now for complete details on the new standard in pro-class excellence and to find the Spektrum retailer near you.

©2012 Horizon Hobby, Inc. AirWare, X-Plus and the Horizon Hobby logo are trademarks of Horizon Hobby, Inc. DSMX is a trademark of Horizon Hobby, Inc., registered in the US. The Spektrum trademark is used with permission of Bachmann Industries, Inc. US 7,391,320. 29115

Screen images subject to change.

Key Features

• 50-Model Memory • Extensive Airplane, Helicopter and Sailplane Programming • Built-In Telemetry with Vibe Alerts • Built-In Servo Sequencer and Balancer • 16 Programmable Mixes • Flap Delay and Elevator Compensation • 10 Airplane Wing Types/6 Tail Types • 4 Airplane and Heli Flight Modes • Dual Rates and Expo • Active Gyro Trim • 7-Point Heli Throttle, Pitch and Tail Curves • 6 Swash Plate Types • Swash Plate Timing • 5 Sailplane Wing Types/3 Tail Types • 10 Sailplane Flight Modes • Global Charging System

VITAL MODEL INFO IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND Airspeed, Altitude, Voltage, Temp and More—in One Easy-to-Read Display

The NEW Spektrum™ STi™— Telemetry App for Apple Mobile Devices

®

Monitor telemetry in real-time on your iPhone®, iPad® or iPod touch® with the NEW Spektrum STi.* Just plug it in, download the free app and bind it.

Telemetry info will appear in an easy-to-read display that even non-modelers can comprehend. You can also set alarms for when specific values exceed limits you define. Best of all, you don’t have to have a telemetrycapable transmitter to use it.

The Spektrum STi can bring the advantages of real-time telemetry to any DSM2™ or DSMX® user, including pilots who fly with JR® transmitters or transmitters equipped with Spektrum DSM2™ modules. Even if you have a telemetry-capable Spektrum transmitter, this is a great way to let a friend keep an eye on model functions while you focus on flying.

Now available to the market:

Download the app at the Apple® app store.

Go to spektrumrc.com right now and check it out or head to your favorite Spektrum retailer for a closer look. *Compatible with iPad®, iPod touch® (4th gen), iPhone 4®, iPhone 3GS®, iPhone 3G® and iPhone®.

“Made for iPod,” “Made for iPhone,” and “Made for iPad” mean that an electronic accessory has been designed to connect specifically to iPod, iPhone, or iPad, respectively, and has been certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards. Apple is not responsible for the operation of this device or its compliance with safety and regulatory standards. Please note that the use of this accessory with iPod, iPhone, or iPad may affect wireless performance. Apple®, iPad®, iPhone®, iPod® and iPod touch® are trademarks of Apple, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Made for iPad logo™, Made for iPhone logo™ and Made for iPod logo™ are trademarks of Apple, Inc.

©2011 Horizon Hobby, Inc. STi, DSM2, DSMX, JR and the Horizon Hobby logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Horizon Hobby, Inc. The Spektrum trademark is used with permission of Bachmann Industries, Inc. 33226.1

• Developed for serious aerobatics competition and just won the world championships.

• Crankcase supercharging system • Conventional fuel pump adjustment • High horsepower output with long sevice life Displacement 28.87cc Bore 34mm Stroke 31.8mm $788.29 Weight 960g

New regulator design for ease of operation Proven fuel injection system for a more consistent run.

Ring sealed crankshaft to increase crankcase boost for more power Same mounting pattern as YS110FZ-S Displacement 18.73cc Bore 30.4mm Stroke 25.8mm $397.35 Weight 730g

TeTTrA Wheels TET1131 TET1141 TET1151 TET1172 TET11720 TET11830 TET11840 TET11850 TET11860 TET11870 TET1188

Each Wheel is packaged & priced individually

White NyLON OR DuRaLumiNum

WHITE NYLON WHEEL 55MM 0.52oz WHITE NYLON WHEEL 60MM 0.58oz WHITE NYLON WHEEL 65MM 0.64oz TAIL WHEEL 25MM 0.1oz SPARE TIRE TAIL WHEEL SPONGE SPARE TIRE 45MM 0.05oz SPARE TIRE 50MM 0.05oz SPARE TIRE 55 MM 0.3oz SPARE TIRE 60MMM 0.4oz SPARE TIRE 65MM 0.4oz SPARE TIRE 70MM 0.5oz

$9.95 $10.95 $11.95 $5.95 $2.89 $3.97 $4.36 $6.97 $5.79 $5.99 $8.39

TeTrA Air FilTer

elecTric Fuel PumP

TET1988

MKD0664

For RC plane engines with composite tie-on. Tettra 14mm air filter with tie-on

For Glow Fuel

$39.99

$12.47 Fuel Tubing guide MKD 0631

Aluminum Fuel doT Plug MKD0632

$4.35

$4.35

TeTTrA color Fuel line connecTors TET 4225

$11.89

45 degree Fuel ouTleTs CHS004F

$6.59/Pr

Aluminum bAll link CHS026R BALL LINK ALUM 2MM (PR) $4.29 CHS027R BALL LINK ALUM 3MM (PR) $4.89

This engine is very easy to operate with smooth running characteristics and the ability to run well on fuel in a variety of nitro percentages. But we still recommend YS 20/20 fuel for best results. Fits the same area as the 1.20.

Displacement 23cc Bore 32.0mm Stroke 29.0mm Weight 890g

$459.97

Carbon Fiber pushrods 2 roDS & 4 enDS CHMROD24 CF 24” x 5/32” (2) $6.95 CHMROD35 CF 35” x 1/8” (2) $7.25 CHMROD36 CF 36” x 3/16” (2) $8.97 CHMROD38 CF 38” x 1/4” (2) $9.35

pushrod sets

Carbon Fiber & titanium

CHMPRS24M2 P/R SET CARB/TIT 24” 2MM CHMPS24M25 P/R SET CARB/TIT 24X2.5MM CHMPRS24M3 P/R SET CARB/TIT 24” 3MM CHMPRS24T2 P/R SET CARB/TIT 24” 2-56 CHMPRS24T4 P/R SET CARB/TIT 24” 4-40 CHMPRS35M2 P/R SET CARB/TIT 35” 2MM CHMPS35M25 P/R SET CARB/TIT 35 2.5MM CHMPRS35T2 P/R SET CARB/TIT 35” 2-56 CHMPS36M25 P/R SET CARB/TIT 36X2.5MM CHMPRS36M3 P/R SET CARB/TIT 36”X3MM CHMPRS36T4 P/R SET CARB/TIT 36” 4-40 CHMPRS36T6 P/R SET CARB/TIT 36” 6-32 CHMPRS36T8 P/R SET CARB/TIT 36” 8-32 CHMPRS38M3 P/R SET CARB TIT 38 X 3MM CHMPRS38T4 P/R SET CARB/TIT 38” 4-40 CHMPRS38T6 P/R SET CARB/TIT 38” 6-32

$15.95 $15.95 $15.95 $15.95 $15.95 $14.95 $14.95 $14.95 $16.95 $16.95 $16.95 $16.95 $16.95 $16.95 $18.85 $18.85

the FLiGht-tested best

titanium pushrod ends

CHMPRE24M2 P/R ENDS TIT 5/32 X 2MM CHMPE24M25 P/R ENDS TIT 5/32”X2.5MM CHMPRE24M3 P/R ENDS TIT 5/32 X 3MM CHMPRE24T2 P/R ENDS TIT 5/32 X 2-56 CHMPRE24T4 P/R ENDS TIT 5/32 X 4-40 CHMPRE35M2 P/R ENDS TIT 1/8” X 2MM CHMPE35M25 P/R ENDS TIT 1/8 X 2.5MM CHMPRE35T2 P/R ENDS TIT 1/8 X 2-56 CHMPE36M25 P/R END TIT 3/16” X 2.5MM CHMPRE36M3 P/R ENDS TIT 3/16” X 3MM CHMPRE36T4 P/R ENDS TIT 3/16 X 4-40 CHMPRE36T6 P/R ENDS TIT 3/16 X 6-32 CHMPRE36T8 P/R ENDS TIT 3/16 X 8-32 CHMPRE38M3 P/R ENDS TIT .210 X 3MM CHMPRE38T4 P/R ENDS TIT .210 X 4-40 CHMPRE38T6 P/R ENDS TIT .210 X 6-32 CHMPRE48T4 P/R ENDS TIT DEPS 4-40

$8.97 $8.97 $8.97 $8.97 $8.97 $8.75 $8.75 $8.75 $8.97 $8.97 $8.97 $8.97 $8.97 $9.25 $9.25 $9.25 $4.87

PHOENIX ICE2 HV SERIES

Available in 40, 60, 80, 120 and 160 amp capacities.

Up to 12S max.

Great for extreme plane and heli performance.

We rip into the new O.S. Engines GT33 gas-powered engine to give you the inside story. Pg 36

Get our complete test report on how the new Thunder Power TP 1430C charger really works. Pg 84

Thunder TigerÂŽ Raptor G4 Flight Report pg 70

See what you can expect in performance from the new and improved Thunder Tiger Raptor G4 3D glow-powered RC helicopter.

pg 94 E-flite UMX Gee Bee R2 AS3X

6

RC SPORT FLYER — june 2012

DEPARTMENTS 12

leading edge

14

Hot Products

112

advertiser index

113

Mystery airplane

O.S. Engines Gt33 See how this new, well-mannered two-stroke gas-powered engine performs in our tests.

By Mike Hoffmeister

46

wings part III This month Jeff shows you how to complete a set of wings in your next model airplane kit!

By Jeff Troy

62

pg 90 E-flite UMX Beast 3D AS3X

test

36

Build

feature

RES Gliders Learn how much fun you can have with a new rudder, elevator and spoiler glider.

By Jim Tolpin

June 2012

column

56

Taking spoilers apart We explain step by step just how easy it is to take apart the spoilers built into your model’s wings.

By Wil Byers

70

TT RaptoR G4 Marcus gives you a 3D pilot’s perspective on how the new Thunder Tiger Raptor G4 flies.

By Marcus Hubbard

76

Aeroworks 260 Read this in-depth report to see how the new Freestyle Extra 260 QB really performs.

By Richard Kuns

84

TP 1430C Charger Here is a compact and portable charger that is feature filled. See what we found in our tests.

By Daniel Holman

90

Beast, Gee Bee, Sbach Read all the details on how these exciting UMX airplanes fly both indoors and out.

By Daniel Holman

102

E-flite hyper taxi When you take a ride in this taxi you’ll want more. Learn why this model makes for tons of fun.

By Daniel Holman

reviews

pg 102 E-flite Hyper Taxi AS3X RC-SF.COM

7

RC SPORT FLYER’S 2012

WASHINGTON WARBIRDS

Goldendale, WA Airport

August 31 – September 1 & 2 Friday & Saturday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., with open night flying Sunday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

DON’T MISS THIS 1st ANNUAL WARBIRD MEGA EVENT!

3-Day Entry Fee Only $60 Saturday Night Barbecue $30 Shirt $20

Fly Warbird: Airplanes, Helicopters, Jets For More Information and Pre-Registration go to: rc-warbirdflyer.com, Phone: 509-967-0832

Editor in Chief: Assistant Editor:

Wil Byers

wil@rc-sf.com

Tara Swanson

assted@rc-sf.com

Rene’ Groom, Don Porten

Art Director:

subscribe @ RC-SF.com for only $24.95

Photography:

Wil Byers Bess Byers

Graphic Designers:

Zhe Meng Bess Byers Shi Yuang Julia Matylinski

graphics@rc-sf.com

Webmaster Contact: Office Manager/Circulation:

Elizabeth Belleau

bookkeeper@kionapublishing.com

Janice Banda, Tara Swanson

Circulation:

Mike Werner / Julia Matylinski

Marketing:

Wil Byers, Yin Zi wil@rc-sf.com ads@rc-sf.com

Contributing Editors: Don Bailey, Rob Caso, Gene Cope, Daniel Holman, Mike Hoffmeister, Marcus Hubbard, Richard Kuns, Bob McGowan, Joe Nave, Steve Rojecki, Gary Ritchie, Richard Tacklind, Jeff Troy, James VanWinkle RC Sport Flyer (ISSN: 1941-3467) is published monthly for $24.95 per year by Kiona Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 4250, W. Richland, WA 99353-4004. Periodicals postage paid at Richland, WA and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to RC Sport Flyer, P.O. Box 4250, W. Richland, WA 99353-4004.

Office: (509) 967-0831 Hours: M-Th 8-5, Fri 7:30-4 Closed Sat. & Sun. Subscriptions: kionasubscribe.com Toll Free (Orders Only) (866) 967-0831 Editor/Ads/Design: (509) 967-0832 E-mail: subscriptions@kionapublishing.com Fax Number: (509) 967-2400 Ask for RC Sport Flyer at your local hobby shop!

Hobby Shop Orders (800) 558-1544 ext. 818 www.retailers.kalmbach.com

Hobby Shop distribution by: Kalmbach Publishing Co. (800) 558-1544 ext. 818 Subscriptions: USA and possessions and Canada: $24.95 per year, $54.95 overseas.

Washington residents add 8.3% sales tax. Single copies $7.49 plus $3.50 S&H U.S. All payments must be in U.S. funds.

Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and Discover accepted. Send to: RC Sport Flyer – Circulation, P.O. Box 4250, W. Richland, WA 99353-4004.

Please allow eight weeks for change of address.

Contributions: Articles and photographs are welcome, but cannot be considered unless guaranteed exclusive. When requested we will endeavor to return all materials in good condition if accompanied by return postage. RC Sport Flyer assumes no responsibility for loss of or damage to editorial contributions received. Any material accepted is subject to possible revision at the discretion of the publisher. Publisher assumes no responsibility for accuracy of content. Opinions of contributing authors do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

RC Sport Flyer will retain author’s rights, title to and interest in the editorial contributions as described above in both print and electronic media unless prior arrangement has been made in writing. Payment for editorial materials will be made at our current rate. Submission of editorial material to RC Sport Flyer expresses a warranty by the author that such material is in no way an infringement upon the rights of others. The contents of this magazine may not be reprinted traditionally or electronically without permission of the publisher.

All rights reserved.

Printed in the USA

RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

Julia Matylinski

support@kionapublishing.com

Office Assistant:

Copyright ©2011

10

Zhe Meng

graphics@rc-sf.com

WIL BYERS

T

his month we publish the annual Toledo Special Edition issue. It is brought to you compliments of the great people of Horizon Hobby®. They make the gatefold cover and tipped-on cover possible. Moreover, they let us give you something you won’t get with any other RC model airplane magazine—a gatefold cover and a calendar you can put in your shop to enjoy all year long. So, we hope you enjoy this issue and that you will share it with all your RC pilot buddies.

Besides getting a big gatefold cover and a calendar, of course you also have very good content. We kick the issue off with a boatload of press releases and 16 extra pages. We do this so you can see what the industry has to offer in terms of new hobby products, and because this is April after all, and the RC flying season is just around the corner. So, peruse these products and stock up on a few before summer starts baking your RC airfield’s runway.

The articles start with Mike Hoffmeister giving you a superb report on the new O.S. Engines GT33 two-stroke 33-cc gas-powered engine. This is a test report you will not want to miss because Mike tells you the ins and outs of how this engine performed under his battery of tests. Let me tell you right now, just point your browser at Tower Hobbies and order one. You will not be disappointed if you do!

Don’t miss Jeff Troy’s build article number eight either. Jeff is hitting his stride with this month’s article on wings. In it, he explains how you should glue parts in place, as well as how you must sand balsa wings to get that professional finish. Don’t miss this column.

One of our past columnists, Jim Tolpin, returns to our pages with a simply superb article on rudder, elevator and spoiler (RES) gliders. If you are looking for an affordable glider that you can also compete with, Jim’s article is not to be missed. He’ll give you the honest answers as to what types of models you should buy as well as how you should consider setting them up. I gotta tell you that his article had me browsing the soaring sources for a good RES glider, although I have a Gentle Lady in the garage—go figure, right?

If you like to fly 3D airplanes or International Miniature Aircraft Club (IMAC) models, you must read Richard Kuns’ review of the AeroWorks Freestyle Extra 260. Richard is a longtime pattern and aerobatic pilot, so he reveals how this new electric-powered, 52-in.-wingspan AeroWorks Extra 260 really performs. Moreover, he tests the power system to get the real story on how this new model will perform for you.

All you 3D helicopter pilots should flip the pages to Marcus Hubbard’s flight report on the new Thunder Tiger Raptor G4 machine. I photographed this huge helicopter as Marcus “tossed” it around the sky, and I can tell you this is one hot heli! You should enjoy both the photos we got of the Raptor G4 as well as Marcus’ analysis of how this new high-quality helicopter flies. As Marcus tells it, this is the 3D helicopter that all the competition pilots will be flying in this 2012 contest season.

The electron pump of any RC system is the battery pack. Without batteries there is no remote control flying. And, without a good battery charger your model’s battery packs are not delivering optimal performance. So, don’t miss what Daniel Holman has to tell you about the new Thunder Power TP1430C charger. Thunder Power has just raised the bar on pumping electrons into Lithium Polymer battery packs, as well as every other kind of battery you will ever use in your models.

If you are a scale soaring enthusiast, please check out my soaring column. In it, I tell you how to take scale spoilers apart and how to put them back together. This will be especially important to you if your new glider is factory built and the linkages have not been installed for the spoilers, as was the case with mine.

Our cover story is about the new E-flite Hyper Taxi with the AS3X system. Additionally, we share the details of three other UMX-AS3X-equipped airplanes—the Beast 3D, the Gee Bee R2 and the MiG 15. We also give you the inside story on a fantastic little UMX airplane, the E-flite Sbach.

So, enjoy this issue, and please share it with your buddies. If I don’t see you at Toledo, drop me an e-mail or letter once in a while to let me know what you’re working on and what facets of the hobby you enjoy most.

APC Competition propellers for the intermediate and

advanced sport flyer as well as the competition community.

Over 400 pitch/diameters available ranging from slow-flyer electric to High performance Giant Scale Racers.

Visit the APC Prop Website for product selection and detailed information on product design and features.

LANDING PRODUCTS All propellers are in stock and overnight delivery is available.

Proudly made in the USA

12

RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

1222 Harter Ave., Woodland, CA 95776 (530) 661-0399 est. 1989 by Mr. Fred Burgdorf

FAll iN lovE WiTh

FlyiNg All ovER AgAiN NEW Tiger Moth 20cc ARF The gentle taper of the rudder and elevator, the subtle sweep of the wings, a cockpit open to wind and sky; few planes embody the romance of flight quite like the DeHavilland Tiger Moth. Experience the mystique of this pre-war trainer on a grand scale with the Hangar 9 Tiger Moth 20cc. ®

Its near-perfect outline and stunning level of detail are enough to make the heart flutter just sitting on the ramp.

But the Tiger Moth’s magic truly takes hold when you’re at the controls. Because it uses the same undercambered airfoil that gave the full-scale version its easy-going flight characteristics, you’ll find it one of the most relaxing flying experiences of any size. Even pilots who’ve flown nothing bigger than .60-size sport planes will feel right at home their first time at the sticks.

SPECIFICATIONS | HAN4615

Wing Transport Frames Included

Detailed Instrument Panels

*Pilot figure not included.

Wingspan Length Wing Area Weight Engine Transmitter Servos

88.0 in (2.2 m) 72.0 in (1.8 m) 2290 sq in (148 sq dm) 15.0–15.5 lb (6.80–7.10 kg) .26 cc 2-stroke gas 4+ channel 6 servos

Rekindle your romance with flight.

Get to Hangar-9.com or find the Hangar 9 retailer nearest you. horizonhobby.com

© 2012 Horizon Hobby, Inc. Hangar 9 and the Horizon Hobby logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Horizon Hobby, Inc. All other trademarks, service marks and logos are the property of their respective owners. 35961

300XF BNF

E Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

quipped for aggressive 3D, the nimble Blade® 300 X BNF packs big 3D performance into a compact 300-size frame that’s small enough to fly in many indoor spaces. At the heart of its amazing performance is the Spektrum™ AR7200BX Flybarless Control System with integrated BeastX™ technology. This control system

Specifications Swashplate

120oCCPM

Rotor diameter

21.7 in. (550 mm)

Length

20.1 in. (510 mm)

Height

7.7 in. (195 mm)

Weight

17.3 oz (491 g)

Price

$399.99

makes amazing precision and agility possible, and perfectly complements the impressive power of the E-flite® 320H, 4500-Kv brushless motor and high-output 3S 30C LiPo battery.

The Blade 300 X BNF has even been flight tested and had its rotors balanced at the factory. You simply charge the battery, bind the receiver to your DSM2®- or DSMX®transmitter and fly.

Blade 500 3D RTF and BNF Basic

Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

T

he Blade® 500 3D is designed to give intermediate-to-experienced RC pilots the most powerful, ready-to-fly Blade experience available. The helicopter comes equipped for aggressive 3D, right out of the box with an E-flite® 520H 1320-Kv brushless motor and a high-output 6S 30C LiPo battery. This

Specifications Rotor diameter

38.2 in. (893 mm)

Length

33.5 in. (850 mm)

Height

11.8 in. (300 mm)

Weight

3.88 lb (1.76 g)

Price

RTF: $849.99, BNF Basic: $599.99

awesome power is complemented by the kind of state-of-the-art electronics and engineering you would expect to find in more expensive kits that take hours to build. It’s even been flight tested and had its rotors balanced at the factory. The Bind-N-Fly® Basic version is ideal for pilots who already have a compatible DSM2®/DSMX® transmitter and the necessary support equipment.

Ex-Wife T-Shirts

Tarvin Model Products 44854 Cumberland Avenue Chilliwack, BC V2R 3H7 Canada 604-858-9867 tarvinmodelproducts.com

I

n celebration of the new Tarvin Model Product (TMP), formerly Reid’s Model Products, a collection of one-liner T-Shirts has been added to the company offerings.

• TMP Logo on the Front • Why She’s the Ex on the Back • Brand-Name Shirts

14

RC SPORT FLYER — june 2012

These shirts are sure to get raise an eyebrow at the flying field, fly-ins, air shows and other ex-appropriate events.

If you like, TMP can easily replace the word “Airplanes” with anything else that your ex-wives hate: Cars, Golf, Boats, Sports, you name it— at no extra charge. Shirts are good quality brand name only, and prices are:

Price $14 (S, M, L, XL)

$18.50 (XXL, XXXL) $5 postage for the first shirt $2.50 for each additional shirt PayPal to tarvin@shaw.ca

HOT PRODUCTS

Heli 600 Brushless Outrunner Motor, 1130 Kv

Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

I

deal for sport and 3D flying, the Heli 600 Brushless Outrunner Motor is one of the new E-flite® motors specially designed for

maximum efficiency and high performance.

Available in sizes to suit 450-, 550-, 600- and 700-class helicopters, each of these motors is constructed with high-quality sealed bearings, a hardened main shaft and an integrated airflow cooling system to promote long life.

Specifications

• Maximum-efficiency motor for 550- to 600-class helicopters • Dual mounting dystem • Internal cooling design

Voltage

22.2 V

RPM/V

1130 Kv

Resistance

0.0102 Ohms

Idle current

3.2 A at 10 V

Continuous current

95 A

Maximum burst current

120 A

Cells

6S LiPo

Recommended ESC

120 A

Price

$159.99

• Quiet and lightweight • Slotted, 8-pole design • 4-mm Gold Bullet connectors These extremely quiet and lightweight motors feature two hardware mount locations to fit a wide selection of helicopters and make installation easy.

Atlanta Hobby’s New Rock N Roll Series

Atlanta Hobby 6150 Parkway North Drive Cumming, GA 30040 Phone: 678-513-4450 atlantahobby.com

• • • • • •

45-in. wingspans CNC-cut 9-mm Depron Carbon spars Plywood motor mounts Optional landing gear Price $79.99 each

Each of these four easy-to-assemble kits requires a motor and speed controller, servos, transmitter, receiver and a LiPo battery.

A

tlanta Hobby has released a new line of Made-In-the-USA aircraft. These models are the first to feature limited-edition artwork

by Frank Ruopoli, renowned Charleston, South Carolina artist and musician.

The Atlanta Hobby Rock N Roll series consists of four new aircraft, Full Metal Yakket (Yak), Running With The Devil (Edge 540), Stairway To Heaven (Edge 540) and the RCRN Sbach 342 named after the RC Radio Network.

• Ultimate performance

RC-SF.COM

15

Albatros D.Va 25e

Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

T

he E-flite Albatros D.Va 25e is an accurate, electric-powered reproduction of the famed German fighter used during WWI with the Jasta 18 squadron. Constructed of lasercut balsa, this red-nose hunter includes the finer-point detail only available in a Platinum Series model, and just like its full-scale counterpart, it’s sure to stand the test of time.

• Factory-painted pilot figure • Realistic, varnished-wooden tailskid • Optional cockpit kit available Even the most discerning modeler will appreciate the exceptional level of included detail. From the Lozenge camouflage covering on the underside of the wings, to the exposed cylinders of the Mercedes engine and the vented barrels of its Spandau machine gun, this frontline battle-bird has an authentic look from any angle.

Specifications Wingspan

53 in. (1350 mm)

Length

44 in. (1120 mm)

Weight

6–6.4 lb (2.70–2.90 kg)

Motor size

Power 25–32

Radio

6-channel with 2 mini and 2 micro servos

Price

$329.99

• • • • •

Undercamber airfoil Genuine UltraCote covering Shock-absorbing landing gear Carbon-fiber wing tubes Molded Mercedes motor and Spandau machine gun detail • Factory-painted aluminum spinner

Futaba 8J 2.4GHz S-FHSS with R2008SB

Futaba 3002 N Apollo Drive, Suite #1 Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-398-0007 futaba-rc.com

T

ake advantage of the technology that makes Futaba flight systems special: S/FHSS 2.4-GHz signal security, S.Bus compatibility—all at an affordable cost. For the same price as some seven-channel systems, Futaba’s full-range 8J systems include the R2008SB receiver and a perfectly balanced, ergonomic transmitter with an easy-to-read, backlit LCD screen, and a five-direction jog dial for fast menu navigation. In addition to software for airplanes and helicopters, the radio offers six digital trims and 20-model memory, servo reversing, fail-safe, dual rate and exponential, end-point adjustment and sub-trim for all eight channels. Additional helicopter functions include swash mixing and eight swash types. With its sophistication and programming ease, the 8J is the ideal system for RC pilots at virtually all skill levels.

8J Transmitter • S-FHSS 2.4-GHz security

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RC SPORT FLYER — june 2012

• Wireless model data transfer between 8J transmitters • 6 programmable mixes (2 with curves) • 5 helicopter flight conditions • 3-axis gyro support • 5-point pitch/throttle curves • Full-range internal antenna • Easy access and programming with a jog dial and 3 buttons • Backlit LCD screen • On-screen terms are spelled out for easier programming R2008SB 2.4-GHz S-FHSS Receiver • Dual Antenna Diversity • 8 PWM channels • S.Bus-compatible • Can handle high voltage applications Price • 8JA 2.4GHz S-FHSS w/R2008SB $279.99 • 8JH 2.4GHz S-FHSS w/R2008SB $279.99 • R2008SB 2.4GHz S-FHSS Receiver $59.99

HOT PRODUCTS

160-cc 7-cylinder Gas Radial Engine

Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

• Electronic ignition • Heavy-duty, double-bearing crankshaft • Hard-chrome and lapped cylinder bores

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stunning engine with solid performance and reliability, the magnificent Evolution® 7-Cylinder, 160cc 4-stroke radial engine is designed for larger models, specifically scale applications where the use of a radial engine in a round cowl will provide the ultimate scale look for the airplane.

TrakPower P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 trakpowerusa.com

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esigned with the serious racer in mind, TrakPower Premium Screw Sets are just that—Premium.

• Super durable: screws in these assortments are made of highest-quality, rust-resistant steel • All screws are metric sizes with a hex head design

Pilatus B4 Glider ARF

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Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

eagull has introduced the company’s new Pilatus B4 Glider ARF, a scale 3-m sailplane designed with the sport enthusiast in mind.

Built by expert craftsmen, this top-quality balsa-and-plywood glider is covered in genuine Hangar 9® UltraCote® for durability, easy repair and minimum maintenance.

Cylinders

7 radial

Cylinder type

Ringed

Displacement

9.80 in.3 (160.0 cc)

RPM range

1110–6000

Horsepower

10.6

Weight

10.6 lb (4.8 kg)

Propeller range

2-blade 27 x 10–28 x 12, 3-blade 26 x 12

Price

$2,899.99

• Hardened-steel cams • Aircraft-grade alloy heads and cases This incredible engine provides great looks and unique sound—and delivers the dependability and performance that Evolution is known for.

• Stunning looks and unparalleled realism • Exhaust collector ring

TrakPower Screw Sets

Specifications

• Durable, clear-plastic boxes with removable dividers that let you customize the interior spaces • Available in 130-piece assortments of flat-head or button-head screws, as well as a 70-piece setscrew assortment Price Premium Flat Head Screw Set (130 pc) $24.99 Premium Button Head Screw Set (130 pc)

• • • • •

Detailed cockpit and pilot Efficient spoilers Releasable towhook point Fixed undercarriage Genuine UltraCote covering

In addition to great scale features like a detailed scale cockpit and pilot figure, the Pilatus B4 Glider can be flown on the slope— or towed using its releasable tow hook.

$24.99 Premium Set Screw Set (70 pc) $15.49

Specifications Wingspan

118.1 in. (3000 mm)

Length

51.6 in. (1310 mm)

Weight

5.3–6.7 lb (2.2–2.6 kg)

Price

$269.99

RC-SF.COM

17

MiG 15 EDF ARF with Retracts and Struts

Global Hobby Distributors 18480 Bandilier Circle Fountain Valley, CA 92708 Phone: 714-963-0133 globalhobby.com

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f flying an icon of jet aviation history interests you, this beautifully detailed fighter from N-Tech Jets is right up your (MiG) alley. The

MiG 15 EDF ARF includes all-metal air retracts with an air-control system and oleo struts.

Expertly finished, the aircraft is made up of wood with a carbon frame. The wings are sheeted and covered, and the fuselage is sheeted with molded ABS, and factory painted to match.

Specifications

• Plug-in wings • Heavy-duty aluminum joiner tubes • Removable

Wingspan

72 in. (1828 mm)

Length

72 in. (1828 mm)

RTF weight

18–22 lb

Fan size

120 mm

Battery

12S LiPo

Functions

A/E/T/R/F/G

Price

$1,499.99

tail assembly • Easy to transport • Simplified cockpit and instrument panel The Jet Hangar E-Turbax 120-mm fan system is recommended for great speed, thrust and climb at a lower price than most high-performance fans in this size and performance specification class.

The N-Tech Jets MiG 15 EDF ARF is a greatlooking scale jet. It’s big, great flying and a real attention-getter at the field.

The Guardian 2D/3D Stabilizer TM

Eagle Tree Systems, LLC 4957 Lakemont Blvd SE, Suite C-4 PMB 235 Bellevue, WA 98006 Phone: 425-614-0450 eagletreesystems.com

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ased on Eagle Tree’s proven inertial stabilization technology, the Guardian 2D/3D Stabilizer helps both novice and expert pilots fly with confidence. At only $74.99 (USD, MSRP), the Guardian 2D/3D Stabilizer provides great protection for your investment, making

RealFlight 6 Free Second Update

RealFlight P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 realflight.com

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he second free update for RealFlight 6 is ready and available for download on the RealFlight website. This latest update offers owners a chance to fly the Gaui 330X-S Quad Flyer—one of the most popular quad-rotor aircraft available—as well as new ways to personalize RealFlight to their own “specs.”

Changes to NavGuide include the ability to upsize the screen for easier reference, as

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RC SPORT FLYER — june 2012

it more fun to fly in 2D mode and easier to perform advanced maneuvers in 3D mode.

To Stabilize Your Model • Mount the Guardian in a level orientation • Connect the Guardian to your servos and receiver, cable included • Tune the Guardian to your airplane with a small screwdriver • Set optional features with your transmitter sticks • No additional equipment is required for stabilization

leveling stabilization and precise “fly-by-wire” control. In 3D mode, the Guardian becomes your acrobatic assistant. It can lock onto your present orientation, making it much easier to perform stunts.

The Guardian has built-in USB for advanced configuration with Eagle Tree software and firmware updates.

In 2D mode, the guardian provides wing

well as create and display customized alerts.

Owners have also gained significant power to edit the NavGuide menu by deleting unused features, adding from a long list of new data items or doing both.

Owners can download the updates manually, but can also leave on the RealFlight auto-update feature to make sure they’ll never miss an update.

Visit realflight.com to download the free

updates and to see everything else that’s new and exciting with RealFlight.

HOT PRODUCTS

E-Flite A6M5 Zero 300

ReceiverReady FunCub and DogFighter

E Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

Multiplex Modelsport USA 12115 Paine Street Poway, CA 92064 Phone: 858-748-6948 multiplexusa.com

DogFighter RR Servos

Three Nano-S servos

Motor

BL-40 ESC, brushless outrunner

Scheme

Includes two decal schemes

Price

$249.99

#M264250

-flite has captured the true character of the infamous Japanese A6M5 Zero in a fun-tofly micro BNF Basic recreation. Molded using durable smooth-foam construction, the A6M5 Zero 300 comes out of the kit box painted and loaded with scale details. The fit and finish of this electric-powered, four-channel warbird has been painstakingly engineered while taking very few design liberties to achieve excellent flight performance. Just connect the recommended 2S 7.4-V LiPo battery, bind to your favorite DSM2®/DSMX® compatible transmitter and fly.

Specifications Wingspan

25.5 in. (650 mm)

Length

21.6 in. (550 mm)

Wing area

117 in.2 (7.55 dm2)

Weight

8.20–8.70 oz (232–246 g) w/ battery

Motor

300-size brushless outrunner (installed)

Radio

4-channel+ (required)

Servos

35 g digital (installed)

Propeller

7x6 (installed)

Spinner

29 mm

ESC

10-A brushless (installed)

Battery

2S 430- to 450-mAh

Scale

Micro (5% scale)

Price

$149.99

Part

#EFL6175

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ultiplex USA introduces receiver-ready versions of our popular FunCub and thrilling DogFighter. These airframes made of our exclusive Elapor foam are now available with high performance motors, high quality servos and speed controls from Multiplex, all preinstalled and ready for your favorite receiver. Designed with durability, resilience and high flying fun in mind, these exciting models are ready for takeoff. Choose your favorite and you are ready, set, multiplex.

FunCub RR Servos

Two Tiny-S, four Nano-S servos

Motor

BL-40 ESC, brushless outrunner

Price

$339.99

#M264243

RC-SF.COM

19

AeroWorks 30-cc Bravata ARF-QB

AeroWorks 4903 Nome Street Denver, CO 80239 Phone: 303-371-4222 aero-works.net

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and low flying weight, the Bravata is the perfect Sunday flyer.

The 30-cc Bravata is designed around many popular 28- to 35-cc gas-powered engines.

Combined with the DLE 30, the Aeroworks Bravata is an incredible performer. A hot air exhaust hatch has been engineered into the bottom of the airplane to complete its scale appearance, and the cowling has been

designed to fully enclose the DLE 30 engine.

and amazing performance with a 50-cc gas engine. AeroWorks has been given exclusive rights to produce the 50-cc CheckMate, and

the AeroWorks crew is extremely excited about bringing this amazing airplane to the aeromodeling community.

• • • • • • •

Strong, lightweight construction Two-piece wing Flaps Hidden aileron and flap servos Rugged 7075 aluminum main gear Fiberglass cowl and wheel pants Factory covered in genuine UltraCote®

pend your weekends reliving the Golden Age of flight with the all new Aeroworks 30cc Bravata ARF-QB. The classic, two-tone UltraCote™ covering schemes make the Bravata an impressive addition at any flying field. This airplane’s flight characteristics are what you have come to expect from any Aeroworks model—stable flight for the novice pilot and spirited aerobatic flight for the experienced pilot. With its 112-inch wingspan

Specifications Wingspan

112 in.

Wing area

1725 in.2

Length

82 in. (rudder to spinner)

Weight

14–16 lb

Power

25- to 35-cc gaspowered engine

Radio

5-channel min.

CheckMate Aerobat

AeroWorks 4903 Nome Street Denver, CO 80239 Phone: 303-371-4222 aero-works.net

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endal Simpson has been dazzling air show crowds for years with his fullscale Check Mate aerobatic biplane. Now, you too can own this amazing aerobatic performer! AeroWorks has captured the impressive scale lines and beautiful color scheme with the 50-cc CheckMate ARF-QB. Featuring a 70-in. wingspan, the CheckMate is large enough to provide great visibility

Specifications Wingspan

70 in.

Engine

50-cc gas

Weight

16–17 lb

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RC SPORT FLYER — june 2012

HOT PRODUCTS

100-cc Yak 55M ARF- QB Quick Build

AeroWorks 4903 Nome Street Denver, CO 80239 Phone: 303-371-4222 aero-works.net

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he new Yak 55M has been designed for maximum performance, and its AeroWorks’ cleanest looking and best performing Yak 55 to date. With minimal mixing and aileron differential required to achieve perfect flight, AeroWorks creates the company’s truest-flying Yak—ever! The 100-cc Yak 55M is a true QB offering high quality, lightweight construction and the fastest possible build time.

performance, setting new standards for the ARF aircraft market. The Yak 55M offers unparalleled flight characteristics, certain to please beginners as well as advanced competitors.

With its new Style Pocket Hinging, the Yak 55M has true-to-scale hinging with no hinge gaps, providing the cleanest appearance and the best performance possible.

The Yak 55M handles both 3D and precision flying styles. It was created to be a top-

performing aircraft with generous control surfaces and an awesome power-to-weight ratio.

It’s the airplane you’ll want to fly better with every visit to the airfield.

• • • • •

QB–Quick Build series Pocket-style hinging Stability and precision 3D and precision aerobatics Designed from the ground up

Bar-Raising Features The QB Series is top quality in design and

Specifications Wingspan

108 in.

Wing area

2015 in.2

Length

96.5 in. (rudder to spinner)

Weight

27–28 lb.

Engine

100–120 cc

Radio

4-channel min

Price

$1,195.95

Flyzone Select Scale™ Cessna 350 Corvalis RTF

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 flyzoneplanes.com

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he Flyzone Select Scale Cessna® 350 Corvalis® RTF looks good. In fact, it looks so good that some modelers might think it takes a lot of time and effort to get it flight-ready— but just the opposite is true. The Cessna Corvalis is 100-percent complete and ready to fly. All that’s required for fast final assembly is a Phillips screwdriver and pliers; even the batteries and charger are included.

That’s the beauty of Select Scale. With its blend of sleek looks and advanced technology, the Cessna 350 Corvalis RTF, just like its full-size inspiration, has phenomenal pilot appeal.

• Brushless motor, ESC and 4 micro servos • 1800-mAh 11.1-V LiPo battery and balancing charger • Tricycle landing gear with a shockabsorbing, steerable nosewheel • Authentic trim and a detailed interior are among the many scale touches • Bright LED navigation and landing lights add realism by day and visibility at dusk • Flaps are included for scalelike flight performance and the capacity to slow for landings

Specifications Wingspan

57 in. (1450 mm)

Length

38 in. (965 mm)

RTF weight

2.25 lb (1020 g)

Price

$279.99

• Tactic™ 2.4-GHz 6-channel radio RC-SF.COM

21

P-40 B Warhawk 50

Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

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efend Pearl Harbor with this unique recreation of the mighty P-40B, modeled after the two Warhawks flown by lieutenants Ken Taylor and George Welch during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Along with its authentic trim scheme and decals, the 55.5inch model comes with an impressive list of scale details usually only available on more expensive kits. The P-40B has been designed with a low parts count, so assembly is simple.

• Balsa and plywood construction • One-piece, bolt-on wing • Authentic U.S. Army Air Corp color scheme

Freestyle Extra 260 QB-L

AeroWorks 4903 Nome Street Denver, CO 80239 Phone: 303-371-4222 aero-works.net

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eroworks announces the new Freestyle Extra 260 QB-L (Quick Build-Light Series).

Designed with the 3D pilot in mind, this airplane features revolutionary concepts that are sure to make it the hit of your hangar. Its lightweight build quality, airframe strength and longevity will impress you. It can be assembled in as little as six hours.

Specifications Wingspan

52 in.

Wing area

560 in.2

Length

45.5 in.

Total length

47 in.

Cowl width

5.75 in.

Weight

52–53 oz (w/o battery)

Motor

Hacker A30-12XL or Torque 2814T/820

Radio

Four channels minimum

Price

$249.95

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RC SPORT FLYER — june 2012

Specifications Wingspan

55.5 in. (151 cm)

Length

47.8 in. (121 cm)

Weight

6.75–8.0 lb (3.10–3.60 kg)

Engine size

2-stroke .46–.55, 4-stroke .72–.82, Gas 14-cc 4-stroke

Motor size

Power 52

Price

$229.99

An extensive hardware package includes carbon main landing gear and wing tube and the new, non-flex carbon control horns.

All accessories are designed to be rigid and strong and lightweight. Ball links allow smooth control surface movement with 50+ degrees of surface deflection on the ailerons and rudder and 60+ degrees of deflection on the elevator. Motor mounting hardware aids in mounting most motors, and the firewall has been predrilled for many engines.

• Graphics included for two Pearl Harbor Warhawks • Spinner cutouts for two- or three-bladed propellers • Simulated wing guns and cooling shroud detail • Top-mounted access hatch You even have the choice of equipping it with glow or electric power; hardware for either option is included. In the air, the P-40B Warhawk 50 possesses all the best characteristics of a spirited sport plane.

The large wingspan provides a low wing loading, perfect for 3D flying. The new wing design features outboard and inboard Side Force Generators (SFGs). These SFGs are premounted but can be removed in seconds.

Air-foiled tail surfaces allow great control authority even at low airspeeds. Other features include premounted cowling, wheel pants and quick release canopy, and a large battery tray that accommodates three- to five-cell batteries.

HOT PRODUCTS

HS-5086 Digital, Waterproof Micro Servo

Hitec RCD 12115 Paine Street Poway, CA 92064 Phone: 858-748-6948 hitecrcd.com

• • • •

Metal gear with MP First Gear Top ball bearings Three-pole, cored ferrite motor IP67-rated waterproof case (IP =

J

oining the HS-646WP and HS-5646WP in the Hitec lineup of dependable, waterproof servos, the HS-5086WP adds a crowning touch to the trilogy. With high-voltage capacity, heavy-duty metal gears and a ball-bearingsupported output shaft, the HS-5086WP is among the most durable and reliable micro servos available for wet conditions. Boasting the industry’s first IP67 rating, this spunky mini will keep RC vehicles, boats, aircraft and robots watertight, regardless of weather or surroundings.

Moswey 4 Kit

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Icare/Icarus 890 d’Anjou Boucherville, QC J4B-5E4 Canada Phone: 405-449-9094

Care RC announces the Moswey 4 kit, a reinvention of the 1950s vintage glider from Switzerland. Originally designed as a high performance glider with aerobatic certification, the Moswey 4 was an all-wood construction, covered and doped.

This kit is a 1:3.75 scale reduction of the original. Although the model is all molded, the plugs have been finessed to reproduce the

Specifications Speed

0.18 at 6 V 0.15 at 7 V

Torque

42 oz/in. (3.0 kg/cm) at 6 V 50 oz/in. (3.6 kg/cm) at 7 V

Size

1.22 x 0.60 x 1.22 in.

(31.0 x 15.2 x 31.0 mm)

Weight

1 oz (28.5 g)

Price

$49.99

International Protection Code, 6 = dust tight, 7 = immersion up to 1 M) • Two-cell LiPo capability • Programmable circuit

surface finish of the original. A cloth texture in the skin and the thousands of stitches that hold the cloth to the ribs give the illusion of an all-wood construction. The rail surfaces are partly hollow molded but reflect the structural construction of the original. The fuselage is designed with a honeycomb in the tail boom for increased stiffness. All decals are preapplied.

The kit includes yellow-painted epoxy fuselage, hollow-molded wings, finished and hinged ailerons, installed airbrakes and building instructions.

Radio requirements are two micro servos for the ailerons, two micro servos for the airbrakes, two regular servos for the elevator and rudder and one servo for the aerotow.

Specifications Scale

1 : 3.75

Wingspan

3.9 m (151 in.)

Wing area

102 dm2

Wing airfoil

HQ 3/13

Wing loading

49 g/dm2

Fuselage length

1693 mm

RTF weight

5.0 kg (176 oz)

Radio

Standard radio

Servos

Mini servos for the wings

Price

$1599.00

RC-SF.COM

23

HTS-iView Telemetry Interface

Hitec RCD 12115 Paine Street Poway, CA 92064 Phone: 858-748-6948 hitecrcd.com

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he new HTS-iView from Hitec seamlessly integrates advancements in portable computing with the world of remote control, bringing real-time telemetry data to Apple® devices like the iTouch, iPhone and iPad. With the applicable onboard sensors and airborne sensor station, the iView can display your model’s GPS-based altitude, location, distance and speed data, four temperature and two RPM readings, as well as remaining fuel level, current draw, voltage, wattage and receiver battery levels.

• General and detailed telemetry data display

OCA Brushless ESCs and OCP1 Programmer

O.S. Engines P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 osengines.com

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.S. recently brought its expertise to a popular series of powerful brushless electric motors, and now O.S. has expanded its lineup of brushless electric components even further—with high-performance electronic speed controls!

• GPS-based information: Speed/ Altitude/Distance/Longitude/ Latitude • Four temperature data • Two RPM readings • Fuel gauge information • Battery current draw • Battery voltage level • Data save and replay function • Programmable audible warning settings • Google Maps GPS link HTS-Voice synchronization available (sold separately)

Whether you are an enthusiastic pilot demanding comprehensive feedback during flight or an everyday sport flyer looking for that added information, the HTS-iView puts

• Equipped with the latest generation FET for cooler running • ESCs automatically recognize the number of cells in the battery being connected • Safety features include overheating and accidental start protection, as well as lowvoltage and no-signal cutoffs • Opto-isolation on OCA-170HV and OCA1100HV prevents motor feedback from reaching the receiver • Quick and easy setup without the need for a PC Prices OCA-150 50A 25V Brushless ESC $82.99 OCA-170HV 70A 50V Brushless ESC $139.99 OCA-1100HV 100A Brushless ESC $179.99 OCP-1 ESC Programmer $29.99

the world of telemetry at your fingertips.

Price $49.99

Futaba PS-01RS 1 Amp Voltage Regulator

Futaba 3002 N Apollo Drive, Suite #1 Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-398-0007 futaba-rc.com

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he Futaba PS-01RS 1 Amp Voltage Regulator is ideal for helicopter tail-rotor servos using LiFe or LiPo packs. Lightweight and compact, this easy-to-install regulator allows the use of a 4.8-V servo with a highvoltage 2.4-GHz radio system. It regulates the battery voltage to 5 V.

Specifications

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RC SPORT FLYER — june 2012

Dimensions

0.95 x 0.31 x 0.33 in.

(24.2 x 7.8 x 8.3 mm)

Weight

0.18 oz (5.2 g)

Price

$24.99

HOT PRODUCTS

HS-5565MH HS-5565MH and HS5585MH Servos

Hitec RCD 12115 Paine Street Poway, CA 92064 Phone: 858-748-6948 hitecrcd.com

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ncrease your performance, not your budget, with the new HS-5565MH and HS-5585MH digital, high-voltage servos. These premium sport servos feature coreless motors, heavyduty metal gears and dual ball bearings. Rated at 7.4 V for 2S LiPo operation, they provide the durability and power that the RC hobby demands. The HS-5565MH brings lightning speed and acceleration to 1/10-scale land vehicles, helicopters up to .90-size and sport to high-performance aircraft up to 25-percent scale. Its torqued-out brother, the HS-5585MH, handles 1/10- to 1/8-scale vehicles and highperformance airplanes up to 35 percent—all with outstanding strength and precision.

High-Voltage S.Bus Servos

Futaba 3002 N Apollo Drive, Suite #1 Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-398-0007 futaba-rc.com

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nnovative Futaba S.Bus components use digital serial data communication technology to streamline the electronics in model airplanes.

They are: • Fully programmable • High-voltage—run on 2S LiPo voltage • Dual bearings and water resistant • BLS172HV and BLS175HV are ideal for largescale airplanes • BLS272HV is excellent for helicopter cyclic control

Speed

0.11 at 6 V 0.09 at 7.4 V

Torque

153 oz/in. (11 kg/cm) at 6 V 194 oz/in. (14 kg/cm) at 7.4 V

Size

1.57 x 0.78 x 1.49 in.

(39.9 x 19.8 x 37.8 mm)

Weight

2.10 oz (60.0 g)

Price

$69.99

HS-5585MH Speed

0.17 at 6 V 0.14 at 7.4 V

Torque

194 oz/in. (13 kg/cm) at 6 V 236 oz/in. (17 kg/cm) at 7.4 V

Size

1.57 x 0.78 x 1.49 in.

(39.9 x 19.8 x 37.8 mm)

Weight

2.10 oz (60.0 g)

Price

$69.99

• 292 oz-in. @ 7.4 V BLS272HV S. Bus Programmable High-Speed Heli Servo: • Offers high speed (.08 @ 7.4 V) operation • Metal gear train • 167 oz-in. @ 7.4 V FUTM0732 BLS172HV Street $219.99 FUTM0735 BLS175HV Street $159.99 FUTM0742 BLS272HV Street $159.99

BLS172HV S.Bus Programmable Ultra-Torque Aircraft Servo: • Delivers 514 oz-in. @ 7.4 V • Includes a metal middle casing and an aluminum/stainless steel hybrid gear set that’s lighter and stronger than titanium BLS175HV S. Bus Programmable HighTorque Aircraft Servo: • Includes a metal middle casing and metal gears RC-SF.COM

25

F4U Corsair .61 ARF

Top Flite P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 top-flite.com

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egarded by many as the most formidable of all WWII American fighters, the F4U Corsair has had a rich history. It was a versatile, carrier-capable aircraft that provided excellent

air and ground support. Recognizing the distinctive engine sound caused by wing-root inlets, Japanese ground troops nicknamed the fighter “Whistling Death.”

For every Corsair lost in Pacific theatre battle, this agile warbird took down eleven enemy planes. Now, R/C pilots can rule the skies at their flying field with the new Top Flite .60-size F4U Corsair ARF—a model that combines Gold Edition™ engineering with easy ARF assembly. Completing the model requires a radio with a minimum of five

Specifications Wingspan

62.5 in. (1590 mm)

Wing area

699 in.2 (45.1 dm²)

Weight

8.5–9.5 lb (3.85–4.3 kg)

Wing loading

28.31 ft.² (85–95 g/dm²)

Length

50.5 in. (1285 mm)

Price

$399.99

channels, seven standard-size servos (eight with optional retracts) and a .61 two-stroke or .91–.95 four-stroke engine • • • • • • • •

F-86 Sabre Brushless EDF Micro

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com

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reat Planes introduces the F-86 Sabre, a 15-in.-wingspan, electric-powered micro that offers genuine ducted fan performance and impressive scale appearance in an exciting new form.

Performance equipment includes a factoryinstalled brushless motor and ESC, a LiPo battery and charger. A 30-mm HyperFlow™ ducted fan unit and duct give the F-86 the power and thrust for everything from fast, fullthrottle passes to sport aerobatics.

The F-86 Sabre’s appearance is a solid match for its performance realism. The factoryfinished fuselage and wings feature molded-in details and lightweight

Built-up, wheeted wood construction Operational, multi-section flaps Distinctive gull wing Recessed instrument panel gauges for scale realism Factory-hinged ailerons and flaps Hidden rudder and elevator linkage Flat-finish MonoKote® covering Factory-painted fiberglass cowl, tail access panel and belly pan

Micro F-86 Sabre Jet Tx-R Wingspan

15 in. (381 mm)

Wing area

53.1 in.² (3.4 dm²)

Weight

2.35 oz (67 g)

Wing loading

6.4 oz/ft.² (20 g/dm²)

Length

14.4 in. (366 mm)

Requires

AnyLink and compatible 4-channel Tx

Price

$139.99

#GPMA1771

decals to provide authentic markings and insignia. The magnetic battery hatch is hidden under a realistic canopy, complete with pilot figure. The included landing gear can be attached for ROG takeoffs but can also be removed for easy hand launching.

The F-86 Sabre also offers the unique advantages of new Transmitter-Ready™ (Tx-R) aircraft. Like all Tx-R planes, the F-86 comes with a 2.4-GHz Tactic™ SLT™ receiver.

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RC SPORT FLYER — june 2012

HOT PRODUCTS

Panther F9F EDF ARF with Air Retracts and Struts

Global Hobby Distributors 18480 Bandilier Circle Fountain Valley, CA 92708 Phone: 714-963-0133 globalhobby.com

approach and is not pitch sensitive with the flaps extended. At speeds greater than 120 mph, the Panther is fast and fun with a performance envelope that almost any experienced RC pilot will enjoy. Good looking and great performing, the N-Tech Panther is a stunning aircraft and a pure joy to fly.

The Panther is a high-performance RC model, designed and intended for experienced pilots and builders. It may be an ARF, but it does require setup and assembly knowledge. You don’t have to be a jet pilot to fly the Panther, but you do need to be an experienced RC pilot.

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capabilities. The high torque ratings make these servos ideal for airplane applications, and the BLS174HV works particularly well with ailerons. High voltage engineering allows these servos to handle up to 7.4 V for more holding power and precision. Both servos are water protected with dual bearings.

Brushless benefits include 30 percent faster response times, smoother operation, greater resistance to jolts and vibrations and exceptionally durable gear trains.

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tep up from foam and micro jets to experience high-performance electric jet flight with a model that is big, forgiving and fast. The N-Tech Jets F9F Panther has exceptional qualities in flight, is stable on

Specifications Wingspan

72 in. (1829 mm)

Length

70.85 in. (1800 mm)

RTF weight

18–22 lb

Fan size

120 mm

Power system

12S LiPo

Functions

A/E/T/R/F/G

Optional brakes

Yes

Price

$1,399.99

Futaba BLS171HV & BLS174 HV Brushless S.Bus Programmable Servos

Futaba 3002 N Apollo Drive, Suite #1 Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-398-0007 futaba-rc.com

Specifications BLS171HV Servo Torque at 7.4 V

164 oz-in.

Speed at 7.4 V

0.10 sec/60 deg

Dimensions

1.56 x 0.81 x 1.375 in.

(40 x 20 x 35 mm)

Weight

1.66 oz (47 g)

utaba announces its newest top-of-theline brushless servos, the BLS171HV and BLS174HV. Both are S.Bus programmable and include high torque and voltage

#FUTM0731 Price

$149.99 BLS174HV Servo

Torque at 7.4 V

33 oz–in.

Speed at 7.4 V

0.09 sec/60 deg

Dimensions

0.875 x 1.06 x 1 in. (48 x 27 x 26 mm)

Weight

1.66 oz (47 g)

#FUTM0734 Price

$149.99 RC-SF.COM

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lead acid packs.

X2400 Two-Port Multicharger

Hitec RCD 12115 Paine Street Poway, CA 92064 Phone: 858-748-6948 hitecrcd.com

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he X2-400 Multicharger is the newest member in the Hitec RCD family of battery chargers. Microprocessor controlled, this two-port battery charger is a high-power unit that is capable of charging all types of high-amperage batteries. The X2400 features two identical, yet independent 400-W power output ports that combine for a total of 800 W of pure charging power. Each port charges at up to 20 A and discharges at 0.1–5 A, offering an ideal solution for batteries of all common chemistries, including 1S–6S Lithium (LiPo, LiFe, Li-Ion), 1–15 cell NiCd/NiMH and 2–20-V

Ultra Micro Spitfire MK IX BNF

Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

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he irresistibly cool, ultra-micro version of the ParkZone Spitfire Mk IX is the first Ultra Micro Series warbird to come equipped with the advanced AS3X™ System. The AS3X System gives this tiny Spitfire a big-airplane feel by smoothing out the effects of light wind or turbulence when flying outside. This, along with its precise four-channel control and incredible level of scale detail, makes it one of the most rewarding flying experiences, regardless of size.

• Internal cell balancers • High-contrast LCD screens • Important warning and safety functions • Stylish aluminum case for rapid heat dissipation The X2-400 offers professional-level pilots and drivers extremely powerful dual-port charging capacity, and all Hitec chargers carry a one-year warranty against manufacturing defects from date of purchase.

Price X2-400 2-Port Multicharger $189.99 Flight Power/ThunderPower Adapter $7.99 PolyQuest/HP Battery Adapter $7.99

E-Flite UMX ASK-21

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Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

first of its kind, the E-flite UMX ASK-21 BNF is an elegant, fully functional fourchannel aircraft that, at altitude, is capable of loops and rolls, as well as thermal or slope soaring. Lightweight and sleek, it features an

EH Balancing Adapter $7.99 XH Balancing Adapter $7.99 X4 Cable with Temperature Sensor $6.99

onboard AS3X™ System custom tuned to offer the silky-smooth experience of flying a giantscale sailplane, even in breezy conditions.

Like a giant-scale sailplane, the UMX ASK-21 is equipped with remote tow hook release control, making it aerotow capable when paired with the E-flite UMX Carbon Cub SS (#EFLU1180). Its onboard AS3X System is excellent at stabilizing the various flight

conditions an unpowered model can encounter, especially at high speeds during launch on the HiStart or while on tow.

Specifications Wingspan

15.9 in. (403 mm)

Length

13.5 in. (343 mm)

Weight

1.65 oz (46.8 g)

Price

$99.99

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RC SPORT FLYER — june 2012

Specifications Wingspan

33.9 in. (860 mm)

Length

17.0 in. (432 mm)

Wing area

80.4 in.2 (520 cm2)

Weight

2.56 oz (72.5 g)

Battery

3.7-V 1S 150-mAh 25C LiPo

Environment

Outdoor

Price

$119.99

Stock #

#EFLU1280

HOT PRODUCTS

HS-7115TH Slim Wing Servo

scale models. The extremely thin, 8-mm case with included mounting bracket allows it to fit into the tightest wings and most compact spaces. Constructed with dual ball bearings, the high voltage HS-7115TH provides an impressive 50 oz-in. of torque at 7.4 V. Skinny never flew so well.

Hitec RCD 12115 Paine Street Poway, CA 92064 Phone: 858-748-6948 hitecrcd.com

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iTec is proud to introduce its new high voltage, titanium gear, slim wing and ultra premium servo, the HS-7115TH. You can never be too rich or too thin. That’s our philosophy with the HS-7115TH slim wing servo—rich engineering in a thin design. The HS-7115TH fulfills every pilot’s dream when it comes to flying slim-wing aircraft. With its efficient, powerful three pole, metal-brushed motor and mighty titanium gear train, this servo brings the ultimate in high performance to your sailplanes, pylon racers and smaller

DX18 THE NEW SPEKTRUM SUPER RADIO IN A CLASS BY ITSELF

Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

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he Spektrum™ DX18 combines the unparalleled speed and precision of DSMX® technology with superior ergonomics and the most impressive suite of pro-class features ever made available in a handheld transmitter.

With 18 channels and virtually unlimited programming capacity, the DX18 is ideal for extreme scale aircraft, high performance sailplanes and exotic watercraft.

#37115S Price $84.99

Specifications 6.0 Volts Measurement

7.4 Volts

Speed

Torque

Speed

Torque

Dimensions

Weight

Standard

0.12

44 oz-in.

0.10

50 oz-in.

1.02 x 0.31 x 1.50 in.

0.71 oz

Metric

0.12

3.2 kg-cm

0.10

3.6 kg-cm

26.0 x 8.0 x 38.0 mm

20.0 g

advanced models has never been easier.

Five wing types, three tail types, two motor types, 10 available flight modes, flap delay with elevator compensation, 50-model memory and more.

• X-Plus™ Channel Expansion: Expand to up to 18 channels with an X-Plus 8 receiver module (sold separately); perfect for complex scale models and highperformance sailplanes.

• Built-In Telemetry with Data Log: The radio displays telemetry data in real time, and logs the data to the SD card for pilots or crews to review it after the flight.

• Built-In Sequencer and Balancer: Say goodbye to that complicated network of little boxes littering your fuselage to sequence or balance servos. With the DX18, you can do all that using a single receiver with a sufficient number of channels.

SPM18000 w/ AR9020 Tx/Rx Telemetry System $799.99

• AirWare™ technology: Programming

Futaba R6202SB 2.4GHz FASST™ HV S.Bus™ Micro Receiver

Specifications Futaba 3002 N Apollo Drive, Suite #1 Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-398-0007 futaba-rc.com

A

new concept in micro receivers, the sixchannel R6202SBW from Futaba offers a unique way to connect servos in your aircraft • Dual S.Bus ports and dual standard

Size

0.89 x 1.47 x 0.37 in.

(22.5 x 37.4 x 9.3 mm)

Weight

0.25 oz (7.2 g)

Power requirement

3.7 V–7.4 V

Price

$79.99

conventional ports • Dual S.Bus ports split the control surfaces in half or share servos • Connect up to 18 servos total

• Auto-detects signal modes from transmitters • Selectable high speed or normal mode • High-voltage, full-range receiver that can be used in any flight application RC-SF.COM

29

E-Flite UMX Carbon Cub SS

Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

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he E-flite UMX Carbon Cub SS is a featurerich BNF model equipped with an AS3X System that offers performance that is an escape from the ordinary. This immortal classic made versatile is the first 5-channel ultra micro and first ultra micro floatplane and tow plane to be available from E-flite. It includes navigation wing and landing lights.

Go for a total bush-flying adventure and swap the stock landing gear for the optional E-flite custom float set (#EFLUA1190), or expand your RC horizons with a friend and employ the topmounted UMX sailplane tow hook.

3.7-V 1S 500mAh LiPo battery and an E-flite Celectra one-cell, variable DC LiPo charger.

Blade mQX

#BLH7500 Blade mQX RTF: $169.99 #BLH7580 Blade mQX BNF: $139.99 Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

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NF or RTF, the 100-percent factory-assembled Blade® mQX is the pilot’s quad-copter. It’s nimble, remarkably responsive and fun to fly.

The four-motor machine’s advanced AS3X™ (Artificial Stabilization3 aXis) System gives the mQX a sense of precision control that rivals larger and more expensive quad-copter counterparts. Indoors or out, breezy conditions or calm, you’ll be able to fly the mQX with complete confidence just about anywhere, anytime. The RTF version comes with a fourchannel MLP4DSM transmitter and AA batteries, and the BNF version requires your own DSM2- or DSMX-compatible transmitter. Both models include a

30

RC SPORT FLYER — june 2012

Specifications Wingspan

24.0 in. (610 mm)

Length

15.7 in. (398 mm)

Wing area

83.5 in.2 (540 cm2)

Weight

3.17 oz (90 g)

Motor

180-size, 2500 Kv brushless outrunner

Battery

7.4-volt 2S 180-mAh 20C LiPo

Charger

2S DC Li-Po balancing charger

Environment

Indoor/Outdoor

Is assembly required

No

Price

$169.99

Stock #

#EFLU1180

Specifications Rotor diameter

5.5 in.

Weight

2.65 oz. (75.0 g)

Length

11.5 in. (292 mm)

HOT PRODUCTS

BH Sputnik EP ARF

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Hobby People 18480 Bandilier Circle Fountain Valley, CA 92708 Phone: 714-963-9881 hobbypeople.net

or those who want a sport aerobatic aircraft for small places, BH Models has made the Sputnik EP ARF. It’s an all-wood, 52-in. ARF coated with Oracover that can be powered glow or electric.

The all-up weight is under 4 lb with a 25size engine, making it a spectacular performer when used with our 25-size Magnum XLS two stroke. If you want to fly electric-

Specifications Wingspan

1320 mm (51.97 in.)

Length

1240 mm (48.82 in.)

Weight

1.9 kg (4.18 lb)

Engine

25 in.3 02 stroke

Servo

4–5 servos. Airtronics 94722 digital servo

Radio

4 channels

Battery

14.8-V 3200-mAh 25C Li-Po

Electric motor

HP Motors 2826/05 brushless motor

Speed control

Castle Phoenix Ice 50 ESC

Price

$199.99

powered airplanes, the HP-Motors 2826 drops right in with our matching HP-Models four-cell 3200-mAh LiPo battery pack. #159607

Thunder Tiger Raptor 30 V2 Pro ReceiverReady ARF Heli

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com

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he new Thunder Tiger Raptor 30 V2 Pro ARF Heli brings even more convenience to the world-renowned Shigetada Taya design. All of the performance features that have made the Raptor one of the most popular machines in RC are still here, and being receiver-ready means the servos and gyro are already in place. Just install a receiver and go.

Specifications

• •

The Raptor 30 V2 Pro’s performance upgrades include: • Heavy-duty collective pitch arm • Enlarged radial and thrust bearings for more precise blade pitch control • Tail rotor grips (the same size as the Raptor

• • •

60) that allow for a larger diameter tail rotor and more solid control A swashplate redesigned for more durability and less free play A larger (340 cc) fuel tank positioned to reduce CG shift Enlarged engine starting shaft Strengthened side frames for better crash resistance and less engine vibration Larger diameter metal alloy spring steel clutch

Main rotor diameter

49 in. (1245 mm)

Tail rotor diameter

9.3 in. (236 mm)

Fuselage length

45.25 in. (1150 mm)

Fuselage width

5.5 in. (140 mm)

Fuselage height

15.75 in. (400 mm)

Weight

6.5 lb (3000 g)

Price

$599.99

Stock #

#TTRE0047

RC-SF.COM

31

Eclipse 7 Pro 7-Channel 2.4-GHz Digital Radio

Hitec RCD 12115 Paine Street Poway, CA 92064 Phone: 858-748-6948 hitecrcd.com

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itec’s fan-favorite Eclipse 7 has received a dramatic facelift and numerous upgraded features to create the highly anticipated Eclipse 7 Pro. Offering a high-intensity, white backlit LCD screen, ergonomically positioned, back mounted slider knob and ultra-smooth quad ball bearing gimbals, this advanced AFHSS 2.4-GHz system could be your next feature-packed radio, with its 16-model maximum storage, intuitive control switches and an array of telemetric functions that include sensor monitoring, and onboard receiver low-battery warning. Need more? The Eclipse 7 Pro provides specific programming for fixed wing, glow, gas or electric-powered airplanes, helicopters and sailplanes.

Next month we give you an in-depth report on the Eclipse 7 Pro, so stay tuned!

Features • 7-Channel 2.4-GHz Telemetric System • 3-Model Type (ACRO/GLID/HELI) Programming • 16-Model Memory • Ultra Smooth and Precise Quad Ball-Bearing Gimbals • Easy-to-Read, Backlit LCD Screen • Back-Mounted Sliders for Easy Access • Range Check Mode • Auto-Assignable Control Switch • Telemetry Monitoring (HTS-SS Nitro or HTS-SS Blue) • Built-in Battery Telemetry, User Adjustable • Low-Battery Warning • Selectable Stick Mode • Digital Trims • 7-Character Model Naming • Three Flight Conditions • Model Copy • Sub-Trims • Two Flight Timers with Throttle Activation

Building Squares

Precision Aero 1561 River Highlands Dr. Oconomowoc, WI 53066 Phone: 262-352-6670 precision-aero.com

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recision Aero offers convenient and sturdy building squares. These squares work great for fin alignment and fuselage construction.

32

RC SPORT FLYER — june 2012

• • • • • • • • •

on Primary End Point Adjustment 5 Programmable Mixes All-Channel Servo Reversing Dual Rates on Channels 1, 2, and 4 Exponential Rates on Channels 1, 2, and 4 Data Reset to Defaults Throttle-Cut Switch Throttle Lock Trainer

Advanced ACRO Programming • Landing Mix • Flap Trim Adjust • Aileron-to-Rudder Mix • Elevator-to-Flap Mix • Flap-to-Elevator Mix • Elevon Mix • V-Tail Mix • Ailevator Mix • Flaperon Mix • Aileron Differential • Snap-Roll Advanced HELI Programming • Throttle Cut • Rudder-to-Throttle Mix • 2 Idle-Up, 1 Throttle Hold • 5-Point Throttle Curve • 5-Point Pitch Curve • Gyro Gain Adjust • Revolution Mix • Hovering Pitch Knob • Hovering Throttle Knob • Engine Lock Switch • 4 Swash Types (90°, 120°, 140°,180°) Advanced GLIDER Programming • 2 Servo Wing Mode • Camber Mix • Aileron Differential • V-Tail Mix • Elevator-to-Flap Mix • Aileron-to-Rudder Mix • Flap-to-Aileron Coupling • Flap-to-Elevator Coupling • Flap-to-Aileron Trim • 4 Servo Wing Mode – Same as Above, but adds Crow Mix, Aileron-to-Dual Flap Trim,

Use them on your scratch build, kit build or ARF. With the included stand, which should be CA’d to the square, they can be made free standing and be pinned to a building board, stab or even fuselage side.

Made from heavy, 1/4-in.-thick PVC, the squares are available in a pack of two or four.

They are just the thing to include in your set of

Aileron-to-Dual Coupling, Dual Flap-toAileron Trim and Aileron-to-Flap Coupling Standard Version (full system) Eclipse 7 Pro Transmitter Optima 7 Receiver 4 HS-5485HB Digital Servos Rechargeable Transmitter and Receiver Batteries AC Charger Price $362.99 Transmitter with One 7-Channel Receiver Eclipse 7 Pro Transmitter Optima 7 Receiver Rechargeable Transmitter Battery AC Charger Price $269.99 Transmitter with Two 7-Channel Receivers Eclipse 7 Pro Transmitter Two Optima 7 Receivers Rechargeable Transmitter Battery AC Charger Price $329.99

tools for your next building project.

A quality product made in the USA.

HOT PRODUCTS

UMX MiG 15 DF BNF

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Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

he new E-flite UMX MiG 15 DF is a fourchannel breakthrough in ultra-micro electric-powered ducted fan technology.

Based on the swept-wing jet fighter that launched aerospace into a new performance realm, E-flite® brings an RC ducted fan with true jet performance you can fly almost anywhere. Its AS3X™ system gives you the feel that you are at the controls of a giant-scale model, so you have that rock-solid control feel from the MiG 15. If you are a warbird fan, this model will let you fly sorties both indoors and out. And, being an electricpowered ducted fan model means you get exciting performance in a clean machine. This is just one cool airplane you need to fly to appreciate!

Features: • AS3X system for ultra-smooth control • High-output E-flite 28-mm Delta-V 180-m EDF System • Excellent outline, detail, and graphics • Four-channel control including scale working rudder and nose wheel • Optimized intake and exhaust ducting for maximum thrust • 11750-Kv brushless inrunner ducted-fan motor • Near perfect scale outline, authentic detail, and graphics • Removable landing gear includes simulated gear doors • 2S LiPo pack and charger Included

Specifications Wingspan

16.2 in. (412 mm)

Length

15.9 in. (402 mm)

Weight

2.75 oz (77.5 g)

Price

$169.99

• Requires DSM2- or DSMX-compatible transmitter The E-flite MiG 15’s appearance is stunning, with crisp scale features like a nearly exact outline, a super cockpit interior and surface details as authentic as you’ll get in any model.

RC-SF.COM

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Our Huge Selection Gives You the Best Fit!

HA2025 - 175W

HA2015 - 110W

HB2015/25 110W - 175W

HB2815 - 275W

HB3615/30 300W - 600W

HA3618 - 500W

HC2808/12/16 100W - 200W

HC2208/12 30W - 50W

HA2825 - 400W

HC5018/30 800W - 1600W

• Propeller Adapters and Gold Plated Connectors Included With All Motors • Mounting Bracket Included With All Outrunner Motors • Largest Variety to Fit Most Applications • We have over 80 motors styles.....and counting!

Get The Most For Your Hobby Dollar, Visit Your Local Hobby Shop!

HC3510/16/22/28 250W - 450W

HC6320/32 1600W - 2200W

Exclusive Distributor

MAXX Products International, Inc. 815 Oakwood Rd., Unit D, Lake Zurich, IL 60047, USA Ph: 847-438-2233 Fax: 847-438-2898

www.maxxprod.com

Falcon Wood Props • Made of top grade German beechwood, • Crafted for top quality & maximum effectiveness at competitive prices, • 100% attention from hub to tip for optimum performance, • Every prop is individually inspected & pre-balanced for immediate use from package,* • Newly launched in the US market - check website for new sizes.

Gas Wood Props P/N WPC1006 WPC1106 WPC1204 WPC1206 WPC1208 WPC1304 WPC1306 WPC1406 WPC1408 WPC1506 WPC1508 WPC1510 WPC1606 WPC1608 WPC1610 WPC1706 WPC1708 WPC1710 WPC1806 WPC1808 WPC1810 WPC1908 WPC1912 WPC2006 WPC2008 WPC2010 WPC2012

DxP 10x6 11x6 12x4 12x6 12x8 13x4 13x6 14x6 14x8 15x6 15x8 15x10 16x6 16x8 16x10 17x6 17x8 17x10 18x6 18x8 18x10 19x8 19x12 20x6 20x8 20x10 20x12

P/N WPC2108 WPC2110 WPC2206 WPC2208 WPC2210 WPC2212 WPC2308 WPC2310 WPC2408 WPC2410 WPC2412 WPC2608 WPC2610 WPC2612 WPC2710 WPC2810 WPC2812 WPC2910 WPC3010 WPC3012 WPC3013 WPC3210 WPC3212 WPC3410 WPC3412 WPC3610 WPC3612

DxP 21x8 21x10 22x6 22x8 22x10 22x12 23x8 23x10 24x8 24x10 24x12 26x8 26x10 26x12 27x10 28x10 28x12 29x10 30x10 30x12 30x13 32x10 32x12 34x10 34x12 36x10 36x12

Electric Wood Props P/N DxP WPE10050 10x5 WPE10060 10x6 WPE11040 11x4 WPE11060 11x6 WPE12050 12x5 WPE12060 12x6 WPE12080 12x8 WPE13040 13x4 WPE13065 13x6.5 WPE13080 13x8 WPE14060 14x6 WPE14070 14x7 WPE14080 14x8 WPE15060 15x6 WPE15070 15x7 WPE15080 15x8 WPE16060 16x6

www.falconhobby.com

P/N DxP WPE16080 16x8 WPE16010 16x10 WPE17080 17x8 WPE17010 17x10 WPE18080 18x8 WPE18010 18x10 WPE18012 18x12 WPE19080 19x8 WPE19010 19x10 WPE20080 20x8 WPE20010 20x10 WPE20012 20x12 WPE22080 22x8 WPE22010 22x10 WPE23080 23x8 WPE23010 23x10 WPE24010 24x10

*Final balance check is suggested before use due to uncontrolled conditions during transit.

US Distributors Aeroworks

www.aero-works.net info@aero-works.net Phone: 303-371-4222, Fax: 303-371-4320

Bobs Hobby Center

www.bobshobbycenter.com derjager@msn.com Phone: (407) 277-1248, Fax: (407) 282-7281

Maxx Products International, LLC.

www.maxxprod.com sales@maxxprod.com Phone: (847) 438-2233, Fax: (847) 438-2898, Ordering: (800)416-6299

Canada Distributor Thunderbolt RC

www.thunderboltrc.com jeff@thunderboltrc.com Phone: 519-971-1975

BY Mike Hoffmeister

GT33 Two-Stroke 33-cc Engine A New,Well-Mannered and Strong Performer

O

.S. Engines has been a leading model aircraft engine company for years.

Their engines are well known for quality, reliability, ease of tuning and innovation. Following on the heels of the GT55, O.S. is now introducing their second gasolinepowered engine, the GT33. This comes at a time when smaller (sub 50-cc size) gas engines are growing in popularity. Notable changes to the GT33 versus the GT55 include a rear-mounted

This right side view gives a good overall perspective of the engine. Note how compact the front of the engine is, and the usual top-notch quality of the castings.

The O.S. GT55 engine comes packed well in an attractive, high-quality box and includes instructions, decals, ignition system, muffler, propeller washer/nuts, spark plug and exhaust gasket.

carburetor and reed-valve induction system, plus the muffler is included in the package. O.S. claims that the engine produces 10 percent more power than other engines in its class.

Here is what I found during my testing and some conclusions.

Why Buy

The 30-cc-size airplanes are probably the fastest-growing class of aircraft today. An engine of this size is also suitable to re-engine many larger glow-powered models, which is creating a huge demand for quality engines in this class. O.S.’s GT33 is also based on their vast experience over decades 36

RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

O.S. GT33 Two-Stroke 33-cc Engine linkage proved to be quite easy to rig because the rear-mounted carburetor and preinstalled control horn on the carburetor butterfly shaft were out in the open.

Once the engine was mounted on the stand and wires/fuel lines secured, I filled the test stand’s tank and started the engine.

The first propeller used was an APC 18×8, which O.S. lists as the smallest suitable propeller for the engine, and also the recommended propeller for break-in. A fresh gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was mixed with Royal Purple synthetic two-cycle oil at a 40to-1 ratio. The O.S. manual has detailed instructions on oil mix ratios for break-in plus general use after breakin, so it’s important to follow the manual. I have had good results using Royal Purple oil with other gas engines, so it was used for this test as well.

The manual has detailed instructions for starting the engine either with an electric starter or flipping it with a stick by hand. Most of the

This front view shows the engine’s ample cooling fin area and displays the exceptional engineering and finish that O.S. has done to keep this engine narrow and easy to package.

of building top-notch RC engines, so they have extensive engineering knowledge from their GT55. The GT33 is powerful, very lightweight, easy to tune and compact, and the package includes a muffler. Finally, O.S. backs up the GT55 with a two-year warranty.

The Walbro carburetor and reed valve block fit nicely into the engine’s backplate. Also, O.S. did an excellent job of integrating the engine’s mounting tabs into its backplate.

The prominent O.S. logos on both the cylinder head and main crankcase casting are a nice touch. Note the rear-intake carburetor location vs. the front intake of the GT55.

Break-In and Performance Testing The first step in testing the engine was to adapt the GT33 to the computer-controlled thrust test stand. This turned out to be a simple task because the mounting pattern is nearly identical to other engines I’ve tested, so I didn’t need to make a new adapter. Also, the throttle

RC-SF.COM

37

O.S. added much to the value of the GT33 engine by including a topquality muffler! It fits very well, looks good and delivers a modest exhaust tone and decibel level.

instructions make the assumption that the engine will be mounted inverted. Due to the configuration of the test stand, it was necessary to mount the engine upright. The engine drew fuel to the carburetor readily while flipping the propeller by hand with the throttle open, as well as with the choke closed and ignition off. The engine was flipped about 10 additional times after fuel reached the carburetor to fill the carburetor passages and cavities with fuel, plus initially priming the engine. Then with the choke open, throttle at about 10% and the ignition on, the engine fired. Initially, it started and ran backwards a few times, so use caution when starting the engine, especially for the first time. And, be certain your model is properly secured in the event the engine starts and runs backwards. Note that after the initial start and break-in, I occasionally had the engine fire backwards and spin several revolutions before it quit.

Then, generally, at the next flip the engine would start and run in the correct direction of rotation. Most of the time, the engine started fine and ran in the right direction on the first try. Should an electric starter be used this would not be an issue.

During the break-in I ran the engine’s rpm up and down to vary 38

RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

the load. I opened the low-speed needle about a half turn to help the engine get more fuel during break-in.

After the first tank, I ran the engine for longer periods of full-throttle power, and then started to tune the carburetor to obtain cleaner running, while still being cautious to keep the high-speed needle slightly on the rich side. I found the carburetor very easy to tune, with great feedback on adjustments, but without being overly sensitive. I think many folks new to gasolinepowered engines will really like how easily

O.S. GT33 Two-Stroke 33-cc Engine

This close-up view shows the changes vs. the GT55’s front intake rotary valve configuration. The GT33 has a more typical rear carburetor mount that uses a reed valve through the backplate to control induction. It is compact and contributes to the engine’s high power and ease of tuning.

the carburetor tunes.

The instructions include a clear, step-by-step approach to tuning the carburetor. With the larger propellers, the engine will easily hold 1500 rpm idle without stumbling upon quick throttle opening, and it also holds steady rpm at full-throttle.

With the smaller propellers that have less rotational inertia, or “flywheel” effect, it seemed more comfortable and smooth with an idle rpm of 1700–1800 rpm. Just for fun, I idled the engine down to 1300 rpm, and it would run that way for quite a while, and would still take abrupt throttling

The included E-5030 Pitts-style muffler is a very high-quality unit. It fits the engine perfectly and adds very little weight.

without stalling!

The standard test run has the engine running for five seconds at stable idle, then five seconds at 20 percent throttle, then five seconds at 40 percent throttle, and so on, with the final five seconds at wide-open throttle. As the program does so, the Medusa Research Power Analyzer Pro data system captures rpm, thrust, throttle position, ignition current draw and temperature data. In a test taking less than one minute, lots of data is captured, which then allows graphing

the results so that they can easily be interpreted, and various propellers can be compared with each other.

After I ran the first test with the APC 18×8, I changed propellers several times until I had a good clean test run for each of the eight propellers included in this review. I found that the high-needle setting needed only a very slight adjustment from the lowest load to the highest load propeller. Considering the engine turned such a wide range of propellers, I was amazed at how little adjustment was needed!

Five of the eight propellers tested delivered 20 lb of thrust or more, which is very good for an engine of this size. Two of the propellers tested were

The included ignition system is incredibly efficient, consuming only 0.13 A at idle and 0.46 A at top rpm.

RC-SF.COM

39

identical propellers that had been tested on the DLE-30 that I reviewed previously: the APC 18×6W and the Mejzlik 19×8 carbon.

O.S. claims 10 percent more power than other engines in its class, and this was validated in my tests. The GT33 engine also has a 10 percent displacement advantage, so some degree of additional power output is expected (vs. the 30-cc DLE30), but nonetheless, the performance of the GT33 was nothing short of impressive. The GT33 turned the APC 18×6W 9100 rpm vs.

8850 for the DLE-30, and it turned the Mejzlik 19×8 carbon propeller at 7700 rpm vs. 7450 for the DLE-30. Thrust gains for the GT33 vs. the DLE-30 with these two propellers were 4.4 and

There is a small roll pin in the top of the main crankcase casting to ensure proper alignment of the cylinder sleeve and therefore the ports, guaranteeing optimal performance and reliability.

The cylinder head has a squish-band combustion chamber and centrally positioned spark plug, with a brass gasket to give a leak-free seal to the top of the cylinder sleeve.

The GT33 uses a reed valve induction system through the engine’s back plate. The system is very compact and offers a straight path to feed the air/fuel charge into the crankcase.

4.6 lb respectively.

A digital sound pressure level meter was used to capture decibel levels. It was set to the A-weighting scale, which simulates the response of the human ear. With the meter at a distance of 10 ft from the propeller and at a 45-degree angle to the side and rear of the engine, the sound pressure levels ranged from 93.4 to 101.5 dBA, which is fairly reasonable, with much of the noise coming from the propeller, especially for the lower load propellers that allow higher rpm.

Engine Layout

First, it’s necessary to point out that disassembling the

This hardware layout shows all of the parts in the GT33, minus fasteners. Casting and machine finish quality is typical O.S.— superb!

40

RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

O.S. GT33 Two-Stroke 33-cc Engine O.S. GT33 Two-Stroke Gasoline Engine RPM

Static Thrust Pitch Speed Sound Pressure (lb) (mph) Level (dBA)

APC 18X6W

9100

23.4

51.7

101.5

APC 18X8

8875

20.2

67.2

100.8

APC 18X10

8025

16.6

76.0

96.8

APC 18X12

7600

16.4

86.4

95.8

Mejzlik 19X8

7700

21.4

58.3

97.3

APC 19X11

6725

20.1

70.1

93.4

APC 20X8

7325

22.0

55.5

96.2

APC 20X10

6700

18.6

63.4

94.1

This table shows the top rpm, static thrust, pitch speed and decibel level achieved with each of the eight propellers tested.

Removal and installation of the piston pin is via the access port in the rear of the crankcase. The piston pin has internal threads so you can use a long bolt as a removal/ installation tool.

Removing the piston and cylinder requires special tools.

The access plug must be removed from the crankcase, and then long, very thin snap ring pliers are required to remove the tiny c-clip that retains the piston pin. Removing the connecting rod and crankshaft also requires a special tool to remove the Crank Pin Stop Screw.

engine should not be necessary, and if for some reason it is required, the best approach is to have a qualified service center do the work. Having said that, I tore the engine down most of the way in order to show more of the engine in this review.

The teardown is straightforward for the most part, but there are a couple of steps that are unique and require great care plus special tools.

Removal of the propeller drive hub is super-easy, as it slides right onto the crankshaft and uses a key to lock it rotationally. In fact, it’s almost too easy, and one must take care not to have the drive hub slide forward and drop the key on the floor.

The step requiring the most care, and special tools, is the removal and then reinstallation of the rear piston pin retaining clip. Due to the

one-piece crankcase/cylinder design, and the clearances involved, it is necessary to remove the cylinder sleeve, and then the piston, while the connecting rod is still installed onto the crankshaft. This is done by pulling out the cylinder sleeve, removing the crankcase plug from the rear transfer port area and then accessing the tiny piston pin’s C-clip with thin needle-nose snap-ring pliers. Once the clip is extracted, the piston pin can be pulled out, so the piston can be removed from the connecting rod and cylinder.

Removal of the connecting rod required more special tools (which I did not have) to remove the Crank Pin Stop Screw, so I left that in place. This also prevented removal of the crankshaft, which is why the parts layout photos don’t show the

crankshaft and connecting rod.

Other than these unique steps, the rest of the teardown was typical of an O.S. glow-ignition two-stroke engine. I also scribed a very small line along the end of the ignition sensor prior to removal, so I could make sure to re-fit it with the same ignition timing because it features adjustment slots.

Conclusions

The new O.S. GT33 engine proved to be a strong performer, with good manners in terms of tuning and throttle response. It ran extremely well with each of the eight propellers tested, which covered a wide range of rpm and load conditions. The price point is similar to other premium engine brands, especially when taking into account the discount RC-SF.COM

41

The baseplate of the test stand rides on a recirculating roller-bearing linear slide for nearly friction-free movement. This allows for accurate measurements of engine thrust.

The Medusa Research Power Analyzer Pro data system is used to collect thrust, rpm and ignition current draw data, plus it drives the throttle servo. So the system provides automated engine running and data collection.

The GT33 proved easy to mount to the PCcontrolled test stand, including connecting the throttle linkage and mounting the optical tachometer sensor.

Here is a view of the eight propellers I used as part of the O.S. GT33 engine test review.

42

RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

O.S. GT33 Two-Stroke 33-cc Engine  Thrust vs. rpm

 25

Static Thrust (lb) 

 20

 15



 10

  

5



Here is how thrust relates to engine rpm for each of the eight propellers tested. This also helps visualize the relative load each propeller will impart to the engine across the rpm range.

  

0  1,000



 2,000

 3,000

 4,000

  5,000 6,000  RPM

 7,000

 8,000

 9,000

 Thrust vs. Throttle Position

25

Static Thrust (lb) 

20 

15





10

  

5





  

0



 

0





20









40 60  Throttle Stick Position (%)







80



100

 Thrust vs. Pitch Speed

25

Static Thrust (lb)



20 

15





10

  

5





  

0





0





10



20



30





40 50 



60





70

80



90

Pitch Speed (MPH)

This is how static thrust and static pitch speed relate to each other. If you want maximum static thrust then just pick the one with highest thrust, but if you want to trade off some static thrust for more pitch speed, this graph can help you visualize the tradeoff. The APC 19×11 was quite impressive, producing 20 lb of thrust, but also producing 70-mph static pitch speed!

Specifications Type

Two-stroke gasolinepowered

Displacement

2.013 in.3 (32.98 cc)

Bore

1.417 in. (36.0 mm)

Stroke

1.276 in. (32.4 mm)

Cylinders

Single

Weight

34.72 oz (984 g)

Ignition weight

3.7 oz (105 g)

Muffler weight

5.65 oz (160.5 g)

Total weight

44.1 oz (1250 g)

Prop range

18×8 (break-in), 18×10-12, 19×10, 20×8-10

Rpm range

1800–8000

HP

3.85 @ 9000 rpm

Fuel

Gasoline (regular unleaded)

Oil mix

30–50:1 ratio

Mounting dimensions

See osengines.com

Muffler

O.S. E-5030 Pitts-style

Ignition

O.S. IG-02 electronic, 4.8 to 7.6 V

Cylinder

Steel Sleeve

Carburetor

Walbro pumper, 2 needle valve

Crankshaft

Dual Ball Bearing

 O.S. GT33 Ignition Current vs.rpm (at 6 V)

 0.5

Vendors This graph depicts the ignition’s current draw across the rpm range, using a regulated 6.0-V power source. The ignition system is very efficient, drawing only 0.46 A at top rpm, and a miserly 0.13 A at idle!

Ignition Current (amps) 

 0.4

 0.3 

 0.2

 0.1

 0.0  1,000

This graph is how thrust output varies with throttle position. As throttle is advanced to around 60%, thrust increases rapidly and fairly linearly. Beyond 60% throttle, thrust increases more gradually and at a decreasing rate as throttle is moved to 100%. Use of a throttle curve or throttle exponential could help make the thrust response feel more linear.

offers that are frequently available at towerhobbies.com, as well as the value of O.S.’s strong after-sales support and warranty. For these reasons, the new GT33 should certainly be considered as you make the decision of which engine to select for your 30-cc-size airplane, whether it is a new build or a conversion of a large glow-powered model.

To see and hear the GT33 engine run, please see the videos at youtube. com by searching on RCSportFlyer.

 2,000

 3,000

 4,000

  5,000 6,000  RPM



7,000



8,000



9,000

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com O.S. Engines osengines.com Tower Hobbies P.O. Box 9078 Champaign, IL 61826 Phone: 217-398-3636 towerhobbies.com

RC-SF.COM

43

™

© 2012 Hobbico®, Inc. All rights reserved. 3134122 AnyLink and Transmitter-Ready (Tx-R) are trademarks of Hobbico®, Inc.

1815 South Research Loop Tucson, Arizona 85710 Phone: (520) 722-0607 E-mail: info@desertaircraft.com Web Site: desertaircraft.com

DA-200

Price $2795

Displacement: 12.20 cin (200 cc) Output: 19 hp Weight: 10.95 lb (4.95 kilos) Length: 9.625 in. (244 mm) Warranty: Two Years

DA-150

Price $1395

Displacement: 9.15 ci (150 cc) Output: 16.5 hp Weight: 7.96 lb (3.61 kilos) Length: 7.67 in. (195 mm) Warranty: Three year

DA-100L

Price $999

Displacement: 6.10 ci (100 cc) Output: 9.8 hp Weight: 5.57 lb (2.53 kilos) Length: 6.5 in. (162.5 mm) Warranty: Three year

DA-50-R

Price $595

Displacement: 3.05 ci (50 cc) Output: 5.0 hp Weight: 2.94 lb (1.33 kilos) Length: 6.7 (170 mm) Warranty: Three year

DA-170

Price $1695

Displacement: 10.48 ci (171.8 cc) Output: 18 hp Weight: 8.05 lb (3.56 kilos) Length: 7.67 in. (195 mm) Warranty: Three year

DA-120

Price $1199

Displacement: 7.4 ci (121 cc) Output: 11 hp Weight: 4.95 lb (2.25 kilos) Length: 6.25 in. (159 mm) Warranty: Three year

DA-85

Price $795

Displacement: 5.24 ci (85.9 cc) Output: 8.5 hp Weight: 4.3 lb (1.95 kilos) Length: 5.9 in. (150 mm) Warranty: Three year

By Jeff Troy

Wings, Part III Completing the Dallaire Sportster Wings

1

Begin the wing joining process by pinning down the right wing half. Because the Dallaire Sportster wing has an undercamber airfoil, the spars do not sit flat against the bench, so the forward side of the wing panel is weighted with lead shot in a plastic bottle. Stacks of old modeling magazines are also useful for this.

2

Plywood dihedral braces are installed on the rearward face of the leading edge and the forward faces of the main spars and drag spars. I use Bob Smith Industries (BSI) 30-minute epoxy for all his center-section joints. The parts are held with as many clamps as can be fitted into the area and left to cure overnight.

With the clamps removed, the fit of the dihedral braces is clearly visible in the wing’s center section.

3

O

ne of the most important bits of knowledge I can pass along is something you can keep with you as long as you choose to stay in the hobby, and here it is: there’s just no such thing as a “hard” model to build. Really? Really!

No matter how intimidating a box of sticks and sheets of wood appears and regardless of how intimidating the artwork on a set of advanced modeling plans may strike you, every model airplane—from the most basic trainer to the most intricately detailed scale replicas—follows the same building procedure: step 1 comes just before step 2, which always precedes step 3 and comes immediately before step 4, 46

RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

The center rib must be cut into three pieces to fit between the leading edge, spars and trailing edge.

and so on until you run out of steps and the project is completed.

The number of steps to completing a complex project is surely greater than it would be for a basic trainer, but regardless of number, the rule always applies: one step follows the previous step, followed by all the remaining steps in sequence until there are simply no more steps left to perform.

In addition to the five models I’m building for you under the camera for RC Sport Flyer, I am constantly working on no fewer than 10 other models at any given time. Right now, one of them is an all-original, new-inbox, Carl Goldberg Models Eaglet 50 that was given to me back in the ’90s

4 while doing some consulting work for Model Rectifier Corporation (MRC).

The Eaglet had always been one of my favorite trainers to recommend for beginners because of its rugged construction, interlocking design and outstanding instruction manual. I bring the Eaglet up here to demonstrate— by contrast—how the difference between simplicity and complexity is not always apparent from just a cruise through a model’s instructions.

The Eaglet 50 comes with a 32page instruction manual, with each of the 76 steps in its four primary sections covered in photographs and text with checkboxes to mark when each step has been completed.

Wings, Part III When sawing the center rib, or any part for that matter, always work over a scrap of wood to make the cleanest cut and prevent damaging your work surface. I use various lengths of scrap pine.

Aligning the center rib is easy. Just center each section on the center joints of the spars, leading edges and trailing edges.

5

6

Build the wingtips up with scrap balsa to prevent dimples and puckers in the covering when it is applied.

Here, a length of 1/4-in. balsa is being cut to fit over the wingtip between the main and drag spar extensions.

After rough cutting with the Zona kerf saw, the edges of the part are bar sanded for a perfect fit.

7

8

This image shows all three filler pieces installed over the top side of the wingtip.

The same procedure is repeated for the opposite tip and for both wingtips on the underside of the wing.

Begin preparing for the center-section sheeting by installing the balsa gussets on either side of the trailing edge of the center rib.

9 There are also additional sections toward the rear of the manual that deal with covering, hinging, balance, radio installation and setup, safety precautions and even basic lessons on the principles of flight. Of the Eaglet manual’s many steps, no less than 34 are for building the wing.

By my last installment of Building Model Airplanes (RC Sport Flyer May 2012), I’d constructed four wings, three for the Airplane Works kit of the 1/4-scale Fokker Dr.1 triplane designed

by Nick Ziroli, and the right and left panels that will be the wing of the 108-in. Dallaire Sportster old-timer, as kitted by Bill Shive of Penn Valley Hobby Center. These two models are far more complex than the Eaglet, yet their instructional materials were almost nonexistent.

The Airplane Works (no longer in

10

business) kit came with all the wood and metal parts needed to build the airplane, and I got the plans direct from Ziroli Plans (ziroliplans.com). A few construction notes are on the plans, but no instructions are provided with the kit. The logical assumption is that if you’re ready to build a 1/4-scale replica of a World War I fighter aircraft with three wings, you’d probably have little or no use for a manual with checkboxes to show you how to glue wing ribs over a spar.

Similarly, the Dallaire Sportster is very light on guidance. Again, the assumption is that the purchaser is experienced and already knows how to build a model airplane. In contrast to the 34 intricately described steps in building the Eaglet 50 wing, the Dallaire “manual” is really just a few stapled-together, typewritten sheets

of paper that give you just six steps: 1) pin the trailing edge, 2) position the spar, 3) pin the spar, 4) install the ribs, 5) install the leading edge and 6) install the rest of the ribs. Where the Eaglet 50 gives you five pages of instructions on wing assembly, the Dallaire’s six steps are all contained in just one half of the first paragraph on the opening page of the instruction sheets.

If I were a beginner and all I had done was peruse the instructions for these three models, I might have gotten the impression that the Ziroli triplane was the simplest of the three, with the Dallaire Sportster being the middle-of-the-complexity-road project, and the Eaglet 50 noted as the most complex. In fact, just the opposite is true. While one step following the next step is the rule for completing model airplane projects, in many cases RC-SF.COM

47

Before installing the center sheets, the plywood dihedral braces should be sanded flush with the tops of the main spars and drag spars.

11

To prevent damaging the sheer webs of the top sheeting, the sheer webs in the wing bays adjacent to the center section should also be sanded flush with the tops of the main spars.

12

Begin the center-section sheeting process by fitting the right-hand sheet over the center section and cutting the sheet to fit the three sections—center, forward and rear. Use a steel straightedge and several light passes of the hobby knife to make your cuts.

13 it’s still up to the model builder to determine which steps might need a little expanding to get the job done correctly.

I expanded on the Dallaire’s manual quite a bit in the last installment and will do so again right now as I show you how to join the two wing panels, sheet the center section on the top and bottom and add a collection of filler pieces to the wingtips to prevent the covering from snagging and puckering near the leading and trailing edges.

When joining the two wing panels, it’s very important to ensure that one panel is resting securely— dead flat—on your workbench. The Sportster wing is 108 in. long, so it would have been impossible to have the entire span lie within the confines of my solid-core-door work surface.

I centered the panels, and because I would be joining the wing halves with epoxy rather than CA, I laid a length of waxed paper under the center joint to protect my work surface and prevent the wing panels from adhering to it.

Sanding the leading edges, trailing edges and upper and lower spars to fit together neatly had already been done in the previous installment, as had gluing together and sanding the pieces of the four center-section sheets. My next step was to join the two panels.

48

RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

After the cut is made at the forward edge of the center piece, fit and cut the piece for the forward section.

I pinned the trailing edge of the right panel to my work surface and used a plastic bottle filled with #7 lead shot to weight down the forward half of the right panel. If I was joining a flatbottom or raised-entry (Phillips-entry) wing, I would have simply pinned down the spar to get the forward section seated flat against the bench.

Undercamber does not allow that, so weighting down the forward section is the solution. With the right wing panel securely in position, I brought the left panel up against the right panel to make a final check of the fit and to check the fit of the three 1/16-in. plywood dihedral braces.

The tallest of these braces will be epoxied to the forward face of the main spars. The mid-size brace will be epoxied behind the leading edges, and the lowest brace will be epoxied to the forward face of the rear spar, also called the sub spar or drag spar.

I chose Bob Smith Industries (BSI) slow-setting 30-minute epoxy to install the dihedral braces, mixing Part A and Part B together for a full five minutes before applying the adhesive to the wooden parts to be mated.

In addition to creating a sturdy center section for the wing, the plywood braces in the Shive Specialties kit are also useful for setting the dihedral angle of the two panels,

14 especially when your work surface isn’t long enough to let you measure the recommended dihedral at the tip of the wing. With the main spar dihedral brace in position between the two panels, I held the left wing tightly against the pinned-down right wing, this time raising and lowering the left panel until the upper spar was in perfect visual alignment—parallel— with the upper edge of the plywood brace. I slipped an empty cardboard box under the raised left panel, and moved it inward and outward until it supported the panel in the correct position to align with the brace.

It’s important to check the fit of the center braces to ensure that they will fit between the two #2 ribs without pushing the wing panels apart.

Once the braces have been fitted and any necessary adjusting has been done with a sanding tool, mix the epoxy thoroughly and apply it to the forward face of the upper and lower main spars, and to the areas of the tall dihedral brace that will come into contact with the spars.

Work quickly but never sloppily, and keep a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a roll of paper towels nearby to remove any excess epoxy that oozes from the joint. Use as many spring clamps as you can to hold the plywood brace flat against the spars. Use the

Wings, Part III After cutting the rear end of the center piece, check the fit between the spars and adjust, if necessary, with the bar sander.

Here I’m applying BSI GapFilling CA to the front and rear edges of the center sheet, and to the upper edges of the center rib and the #2 rib.

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The center piece must be held down in its proper position until the CA is completely cured.

The forward piece of sheeting is next and may require trimming to allow for the 1/16-in. plywood dihedral brace that joins the right and left leading edges.

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The rear piece of sheeting fits against the back side of the drag spar and requires cutting only at the trailing edge.

When the three sheets over the right-hand center section are fitted, cut and installed, the wing should look like this.

19 clamps with the longest arms to hold the lower edges of the brace, and the shorter arms along the upper edges. If you have trouble getting large clamps to reach the bottom spar while passing over the top of the spar, try using a smaller clamp and slipping it under the raised panel. That often works when the dihedral angle is high enough to slip the clamp underneath.

If the epoxy is out of working time, discard it and mix another batch to secure the leading edge brace and subspar brace. Again, use plenty of clamps and work as neatly as possible. Oozing epoxy doesn’t add strength; it adds weight. Adhesive serves no purpose if it isn’t between two surfaces being joined. Wipe away any excess from your model—and your hands—with rubbing alcohol on a paper towel.

Thirty minutes is the approximate working time for 30-minute epoxy,

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but the safe cure time, especially on an important structural joint like a wing center section, is more like eight hours. With everything pinned, supported, glued and securely clamped, I usually leave the workshop and let the assembly cure overnight. If you’re not quite ready to turn in, this is an ideal time to reread the next few sections of your model’s instructions to review your upcoming tasks.

Hit the workshop the next day feeling fresh. Check that everything is still in the position it was left, and begin removing the clamps. Now pull away the box or whatever you may have used to support the raised wing panel. It should not drop at all but stay just where it is after the box is removed—and of course it will if you blocked it up and clamped the center joint correctly.

Remove the pins and the lead-shot

weight from the right wing, lift the wing from the work surface and give the center joint a careful inspection for any oozed epoxy that you may have missed with the alcohol-wetted paper towel. If you find any, do your best to remove it with a hobby knife, being careful not to cut into the spars or dihedral braces.

The one-piece center rib must be cut into three pieces to fit between the leading edge and the main spar, the main spar and the drag spar and the drag spar and the trailing edge. It’s easiest to cut the rib at the forward end of the notches, then trim each piece to fit. I use the Zona® kerf saw to make my primary cuts and then sand to fit with a bar sander. It’s easy to get the center rib pieces installed correctly without measuring; just center the ends on the center joints of the leading edges, spars and trailing RC-SF.COM

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Here’s the Dallaire wing once more, only now the center-section sheeting has been installed over both sides of the 108-in. wing.

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Before installing the centersection sheeting on the bottom of the wing, flip the wing over and apply a bead of gap-filling CA along all the upper sheeting joints from underneath.

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Reinforce the wing by running a generous bead of gap-filling CA along every joint in the wing. Anywhere one part comes into contact with another part should be properly beaded.

23 edges. Gap-filling cyanoacrylate (CA) glue is fine here because the strength comes from the dihedral braces, not the center rib.

If you go back a few issues, you’ll see that I added balsa scraps to the tips of my Dallaire Sportster’s horizontal stabilizer, elevators, vertical fin and rudder components. Most covering materials will dimple where wing sections end sharply and don’t transition smoothly into their tips.

Preventing unsightly covering quirks is easy when you know what to do.

Find some 1/4-in. thick soft balsa scraps and cut them to fit over the plywood wingtip between the end of the leading edge and the end of the main spar extension, the back of the main spar extension to the front of the drag spar extension and the back of the drag spar extension halfway to the the trailing edge.

Preparing and installing these filler pieces is easy. Start by sanding one end of the scrap to conform to the end of the leading edge that stops at the wingtip, then hold the scrap over the tip section between the leading edge and the main spar extension. Use the Zona saw to cut the part slightly oversize, then sand the sawed edge so that the part fits perfectly between the leading edge and spar.

Repeat the process for the section 50

RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

Don’t forget to bead those triangular gussets, every one, top and bottom to give them the added strength they need.

over the tip between the main and drag spar extensions, and again for the section from the drag spar extension toward the trailing edge. The trailing edge will be sanded to blend with the rear portion of the tip, so the filler won’t have to go all the way to the trailing edge—just a bit more than halfway there. Perform the same steps for the opposite wingtip, then flip the wing over and add the same kind of filler pieces to the undersides of the wingtips.

With the wing panels joined, the center rib installed and the wingtip fillers added, sand the sheer webs in the center section and the rib bay adjoining the center section so that they are flush with the tops of the main and drag spars. While you’re working in the center section, remember to add the two triangular balsa gussets at the trailing edge of the center rib. The Dallaire wing is now ready to receive its center-section sheeting.

There are four sheets that cover the center section: one each for the left and sides of the top of the wing, and two more for the left and right sides of the bottom. These four sheets were prepared and sanded right after the wing frames were built, so very little fitting is required to install them now that the wing panels have been

24 joined.

Lay the sheet for the top-right section over the right-hand side of the wing. Line up the inner edge of the sheet with the center of the center rib. Now place a steel straightedge over the sheet next to the main spar, lining it up perfectly with the spar, and cut the sheet to fit against the spar.

Don’t make one hard cut. You’ll get a much truer line if you make several light passes with your hobby knife, deepening the cut each time you pass the blade along the cut line.

Snug the cut edge against the back of the main spar with the edge of the sheet still centered over the center rib, position the steel straightedge to line up with the forward edge of the drag spar and cut once more. The piece will “almost” fit between the spars, but you’ll have to cut or sand another 1/16 in. from the rear of the sheet to allow for the thickness of the rear dihedral brace. That takes care of the center piece.

The forward piece is next, and it’s just as easy to fit and trim. Position the rear end of the sheet against the dihedral brace on the forward side of the main spar, again centering the inside edge of the sheet over the center rib. Smooth the sheet down near the leading edge of the wing and use the straightedge to trim the sheet

Wings, Part III Because the Dallaire Sportster’s trailing edges are not notched for the ribs, the triangle gussets play a major role in preventing the trailing edge from breaking loose from the ribs. A good bead of gap-filling CA along these joints is a big step toward a rugged, durable and highintegrity wing.

Use a hobby knife or a Zona saw to cut the excess from the 1/4-in. scrap balsa tipfiller pieces.

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Use a flowing motion to sand the filler pieces to the same outline shape as the wingtips. Coarse sandpaper on a bar sander is good for this, but a coarse Perma-Grit flat tool is even better.

Use the razor plane to rough-shape the fillers so that they blend with the wingtips and ribs.

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Here is the left wingtip of the Dallaire Sportster after the filler pieces have been planed and rough sanded.

Sand the entire wing smooth enough to be ready for covering. Begin with taking down the sheer webs. Each web should be sanded flush with the top side of the main spar.

29 to fit against the leading edge. Once again, you will have to cut or sand another 1/16 in. from the front edge of the sheet to allow for the dihedral brace on the back side of the leading edge.

The trailing edge sheet is next, and it’s the easiest. Position the sheet with its forward edge against the rear of the drag spar, smooth the sheet down and use the hobby knife along the straightedge to cut the sheet in line with the front of the trailing edge. No additional cutting or sanding will be needed after the cut is made because there are no dihedral braces in the wing between the drag spar and the trailing edge.

You now have three pieces of cut and sanded balsa sheeting that fit perfectly—or at least very close to perfectly—over the right side of the wing’s center section. Start their

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installation with the center piece.

Working quickly but carefully, apply a bead of gap-filling CA along the edges of the sheet that butt against the main spar and drag spar. Now apply beads of CA along the top edge of the #2 rib and the right-side-upper edge of the center rib. Butt the forward edge of the sheet against the rear of the main spar and smooth it down over the ribs until the sheet reaches the drag spar. Be sure to leave enough of the center rib exposed to let the left-side sheeting seat properly when it is installed. Hold the sheet in position until the CA cures, then repeat the gluing steps for the forward sheet and the rear sheet.

Check your handiwork. Pretty slick, isn’t it? While you’re feeling that special sense of pride that comes from building a first-class modeling structure, fit, cut and install the

sheeting pieces for the left side of the top of the center section. When the left side sheeting has been installed, turn the wing over, and working from the bottom, apply a bead of gap-filling CA along each edge of the sheeting that contacts any part of the wing frame. When the CA has thoroughly cured, sheet the left and right sides of the center section on the bottom of the wing.

At this point, there are no more parts to be installed in the wing. This is the best time to grab a large bottle of gap-filling CA and CA accelerator and reinforce every joint in the wing.

Run beads of CA along each of the triangular gussets at the trailing edge, along the insides of the sheer-web joints where the webs meet the main spars and at every point where the spars and leading edge mate with the wing ribs. When you’ve finished, it will RC-SF.COM

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Wings, Part III Every joint in the wing must be sanded smooth—sheer webs to spars, and ribs to spars, leading edges and trailing edges.

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Sanding an undercamber-type airfoil is easy at the leading and trailing edges, but greater care must be used in the spar areas where the undercamber cannot be sanded with the bar held at a 45-degree angle.

be time to shape and sand what you’ve built in preparation for the covering process to come.

Use a razor plane, followed by the bar sander with coarse sandpaper, to shape the filler pieces you’ve added over the wingtips. Prevent digging into the tips by sanding with a flowing motion that follows the curvature of the tips. The filler pieces will require additional shaping to blend them into the tops and bottoms of the wingtips.

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Here’s that wingtip again, but this time it’s been final sanded.

Note how the two spar extension pieces follow the run of the main and drag spars and support the tip at the correct, graceful upward sweep. The extensions have also been sanded to make a smooth and solid base for the covering material.

RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

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Here’s the Dallaire Sportster center section, fully sheeted and sanded, and close to ready for covering. In the next installment, I will sheet the three wings of his Nick Ziroli Fokker Dr.1 triplane.

That will be a far more complex sheeting job, and one you won’t want to miss.

Again, use the razor plane to do the rough shaping, finishing up with coarse paper on the bar sander.

You’ve already sanded the dihedral braces and the first bay of sheer webs to blend into the main spar, and now you must sand the remaining sheer webs on both sides of the wing, top and bottom. Working at a 45-degree angle to help prevent breaking the ribs or gouging any other structural parts, sand every joint where ribs meet the leading edge, the trailing edge, the main spars and the drag spars. Don’t apply heavy pressure when sanding the edges of the ribs; you don’t want to alter the shape of the airfoil, you just want to put a smooth edge on the ribs where they will meet the covering material.

Finally, sand the upper centersection sheeting where it meets the leading edge and trailing edge. Again work with very little pressure to prevent damaging the already sanded flat sides of the sheets. Because of the wing’s dihedral, you must use extra

care when working near the center joint. Slipping beyond the center joint with the sander will cut into and most likely gouge the sheeting on the other side.

Turn the wing over and sand the underside. The shape of the airfoil makes sanding the rib joints easy at the leading and trailing edges, but the undercamber also adds a measure of difficulty when sanding the joints along the ribs and spars. By now, you should be a regular pro with the bar sander, so do your best to smooth the joints without doing any damage to the parts you’re sanding.

Building model airplanes is fun and rewarding, and there’s no feeling more rewarding than stepping back from an ongoing project, looking at what you’ve accomplished and mulling over the “you” that’s become a built-in part of the model. This is art, dude, and your skills are surely developing.

May 31—June 3, 2012

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Monticello has: 800- by 100-foot runway Professional tug pilots Lots of tugs—30 tows an hour Saturday Barbecue $20

For More Information: Missie Anderson Manderson@horizonhobby.com Pre-register @ jrradios.com/Register/Events/Aero Tow.aspx Horizon Hobby, Inc. 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Entry Fee $50

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BY Wil Byers

Soaring How to Take Your Glider’s Spoilers Apart

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his month I want to explain how I solved a problem that you might very well face when your shiny, new, all-composite glider/ sailplane arrives from your seller. It is the case of the glider having factoryinstalled spoilers but no servo linkage connected to the spoiler. More specifically, the problem is when you cannot reach inside the wing to connect the servos’ linkages to the spoiler’s control horn. I expect this problem with factory-installed spoilers will soon disappear as manufacturers start installing the new spoilers that MAXX Products offers, which have the servo integrated into the spoiler mechanism. For now, however, you may also be faced with how to connect the spoiler’s control horn to the servo, as I had with my new 33-percent-scale Fox glider that I bought a couple months ago.

So, here is how I took the glider’s spoilers apart, connected the servo’s linkage, assembled the spoilers again and then installed the servos into the Fox’s wing.

Disassembly

The first step in connecting the spoiler’s linkage to the servo’s linkage is to get the spoiler open. That sounds pretty straightforward, and it is, but if you haven’t done it before you could either damage the spoiler or possibly damage the wing. How I got the spoiler to open on my Fox was to turn the wing over so that the spoiler bay was on the bottom.

If you elevate the tip of the wing at about a 30-degree angle it will be even better because the linkage on the spoiler is configured such that you pull the control horn to open the spoiler. So, a little gravity helps. Then you just gently lift on the spoiler cap.

You must pull the spoiler cap toward the wing, which is in the direction that the spoiler’s dog-bones travel to open the spoiler. If the spoilers do not want to open, do NOT force 56

RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

01

Here I use a mixing stick to hold the spoilers open. Notice that you can see how the spoilers are actually made from two smaller spoilers that join in the middle.

them—just pull gently. On one of the wings of the Fox, I found that a little light shaking of the wing started the spoiler’s opening. Then it was simply a matter of pulling the spoiler’s cap up slowly and towards the root of the wing.

Photo 01

Once the spoiler was opened, I grabbed a Great Planes mixing stick and put it under the spoiler as is shown in photo 01. The stick will keep the spoilers from inadvertently closing on you, which can be troublesome if it happens during the next few steps.

Photo 02

As you will see in photo 02, I removed the hinge pins on the spoiler’s top gate as a way to remove the top of the spoilers with its cap strip. You can also pop the spoiler tops out of the spoiler’s dog-bones, but you must be very careful that you do NOT separate the aluminum spoiler top from its fiberglass cap

strip. I prefer removing the hinge pins, but I would caution you that you must be careful so that you don’t tear the plastic tops off the pins. They can be a little difficult to remove, so go slowly. Also, it is best if you use a piece of wood sharpened like the face of a screwdriver to get under the pin’s head as a way to initiate its removal. Note that each hinge pin has a pin mate that pushes in from the back side of the spoiler. Be careful not to lose these. They must be pushed back into the hinge pin during reassembly of the spoilers.

Photo 03

Once the spoilers are open and its top is removed you’ll want to also remove the spoiler gate that sits below the cap when the spoiler is open. I recommend you lay all the parts and pieces of the spoiler on the bench just as they come out of the spoiler, so that you will know instantly how to reassemble the spoiler when you’ve installed the linkage. Note that the cutout in the

Soaring come out of the spoiler housing.

Photo 06

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You’ll want to remove the dog-bone’s hinge pin as a way to remove the top of the spoiler.

Be careful that you do not lose or damage any of the pins.

spoiler cap and gate must be installed properly so that they drop over the bog-bone hinges when the spoilers are closed.

As you can see in the accompanying photo, the music wire linkage gets inserted into the top hole of the brass pull linkage of the first spoiler.

Photo 04

Photo 05

I also recommend that you do a close-up inspection of how the linkage to the second spoiler gate attaches to the first. In the case of the Fox they joined two spoilers to make one large spoiler, so an additional music wire linkage is required to pull the second spoiler open in synchronization with the first.

03

Note that the plastic dog-bone of the spoiler simply snaps onto its hinge point, which runs through the bottom of the spoiler housing. Get out your magnifying glass if you need to, but do a close examination of how this dog-bone connects to the brass hinge pin, so you will understand how it must come off the pin so it can

This is what the spoilers will look like when you have them taken apart. I laid them out in the order they came apart.

04

Now in this step things can get tricky! You can ruin your spoiler if you are not careful, so use caution doing what I’m explaining.

What I did was get a screwdriver (you might want a “Screwdriver” afterwards) that fits into the spoiler housing—you don’t want one too big or too small, so pick one that is properly sized. Pull the dog-bone up into its opened position. Put the screwdriver’s blade against the bottom of the dog-bone where it captures the brass hinge pin. Then gently but firmly tap the end of the screwdriver with your hand. If you’ve done it right the dog-bone should pop off its hinge pin and be free to be removed from the housing. Again, use a gentle touch; a bigger “hammer” will not make this job easier!

Photo 07

I suggest you study this photo of the dog-bone. As you can see, the bone is designed to snap onto the lower hinge pin of the spoiler housing and to the top hinge pin of the spoiler’s aluminum cap. Note too, that there are two little plastic tits that protrude on the backside of the dog-bone. You absolutely do NOT want to break them off; you will be in dire need of another dog-bone if you do. So, again, proceed with caution as you remove the parts, and do not force any part out or in.

This shot is looking down into the spoiler’s housing. What you see is the control horn and the linkage to the second dog-bone.

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Photo 08

Notice that I’ve attached a DuBro solder link to the dog-bone’s brass linkage. You could use a Z-bend piano wire if you want. I just happen to like using the DuBro links. You must, however, grind the link so that it does

not have as much depth as it came with from the factory. You’ll need to do this because it must fit through the plastic end on the spoiler housing when you reinstall the dog-bone.

You will not need to remove much material, and it will not impact the

05

Here you are looking at how the dog-bone attaches to the metal hinge pin that runs through the bottom of the housing.

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You’ll use the blade of an appropriately sized screwdriver to snap the bottom of the dog-bone off of its hinge pin—be careful with this step!

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

strength of the link in light of the fact that there is not much force exerted on the link either in tension or in compression.

Photo 09

This photo was an absolute challenge to get for you, even with a great macro lens. What you should see in this photo is that the DuBro link and the dog-bone must pass through the plastic end on the spoiler housing that faces the root of the wing. Note that I cut the pushrod to the proper length prior to soldering the link to the 1/6-in. piano wire.

Then the link was attached to the dog-bone’s control horn. Next it was inserted into the spoiler housing and passed through the endplate.

The dog-bone linkage has a channel that the horn must run in, so make note of it when you are removing the linkage and put it back into the channel.

After the dog-bone is reinstalled in the spoiler housing, you must reconnect the second blade’s push/ pull piano wire linkage and then snap the bottom of the dog-bone back onto its hinge pin. Again, you need not force the dog-bone back on the pin. It will snap into place pretty easily.

Then I recommend you snap the lower gate of the spoiler back onto its respective dog-bones. Next you’ll want to install the hinge pins for the upper spoiler gate, so that you can snap the spoiler gate, with its cap strip, back onto the tops of the dog-bones. You must be careful with this step because, again, you do not want to tear the cap strip free of the aluminum spoiler gate. As I reinstalled the tops of my spoilers, the fiberglass cap strip did come free of the gate about one half inch on each side of where the two spoiler parts meet in the middle. After the spoiler tops were snapped back in place, I used a bit of cyanoacrylate adhesive to glue them there. Be certain to use a small capillary-type tube on your glue bottle, so the glue goes only where you want it!

Photo 10

You must set the servo arms to their respective positions in order to

Soaring

07

This is what the dog-bone with its control horn looks like out of the spoiler’s housing­—you can see how it snaps onto the pins.

guarantee the proper travel to pull the spoilers open completely, as well as to get them closed.

I’m using all high-voltage servos in my Fox because I’m planning to use a Power Box® system in it. The Power Box system will use two twocell LiPo packs as a way to provide redundant power to the servos.

Consequently, the output voltage will be about 7.4 V. As a result, I opted for Spektrum® A7030 servos to control the spoilers. These servos deliver 49 oz-in. of torque when powered by a 7.4-V supply, and they have a transit speed of 0.15 seconds, which is more than enough power and speed to drive these spoilers. They also have a metal gear train, which I think is important in this application.

To set the servos’ positions and travel directions, I used a JR R921 2.4-GHz receiver that is bound to a JR® 11X transmitter. If you look closely, you can see that the servos are plugged into Aux 2 and Aux 3 ports on the receiver. I used the glider setup on the JR 11X, with spoilers as an option. In so doing, the throttle stick controls the spoilers, with my preference being to have the stick full forward for the closed position of the spoilers and full down for open. You may opt for a slider or a switch—you pick, I don’t care.

Photo 11

As you see, at the servo end of the spoilers’ pushrods I’m using a threaded clevis. This provides

08

You’ll need to attach a solder link or Z-bend to the dog-bone’s control horn, as you see that I’ve done here.

mechanical adjustment to the linkage should I need it after the servos are glued in place.

Then I taped the spoiler closed with low-tack masking tape.

That guarantees that the spoiler is completely closed and that its linkage is retracted all the way. Then I connected the servo to its receiver port and set the control stick to the spoiler’s closed position.

Next, it was simply a matter of connecting the threaded link to the third hole on the servo’s control horn.

Photo 12

I know that some builders like to wrap their servos in masking tape before gluing them in place. I prefer the Once the solder link is attached, you’ll want to slide the “Goldsmith” method the link and the control horn back into the 09 pushrod, of gluing them into the spoiler’s housing. wing without masking tape and having a bit of glue ooze out from around the edges of the servos as a if you must remove the servo for way to index the servo in the wing. repairs, the index provides an You must be careful, however, that accurate place to reposition the you don’t inadvertently get glue on servo in the wing. Then a little glue the servo’s control horn and thereby will secure it back inside the wing. glue it in place. The advantage of Prior to putting the spoiler into having an indexed position is that the wing, I scuffed the bottom of the RC-SF.COM

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10

Your next step will be to set the servos’ arms so that they are positioned to provide the required amount of travel to pull the spoiler open and close the proper amount—use a ruler to measure the amount needed on the spoiler’s pushrod.

servo with sandpaper and cleaned it with alcohol. This is important to guarantee a good bond between the wing, the glue and the servo.

For the adhesive to glue the Spektrum A7030s into the wing, I used Great Planes® six-minute epoxy.

It was mixed with a bit of flocked cotton. Then just enough epoxy was spooned into the proper position in the wing to fasten the servo to the wing’s internal surface. Be sure to keep the servo connected to the

11 60

receiver, and have the RC system live while the glue is curing. While six-minute epoxy cures in about six minutes, I let it cure for at least 30 minutes before cycling the servo to test the system. Remember to remove the masking tape that is holding the spoiler closed before attempting a cycle test. Otherwise you might rip the servo loose from the wing, or worse—you could kill the servo or strip its gears.

Here the Spektrum A7030 is in the wing, but it is not glued into place yet. I checked for proper travel at this point.

RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

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Wrap Up

Building or assembling an airplane, glider or helicopter is just plain fun.

While you may find it challenging at times, if you are patient, analytical and inventive you will get a model that delivers good performance. In my book, that means lots of fun at the control sticks.

So, immerse yourself in a build or assembly and discover how much relaxed enjoyment you can have getting your model flight ready.

You’ll want to use six-minute epoxy that is mixed with a little bit of flocked cotton to glue the servo into the wing—careful here!

BY Jim Tolpin

Rudder, Elevator, Spoiler Gliders The Allure of RES

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ES does not stand for Really Easy Soaring! RES stands for the primary—and the only—controls you have for this type of model sailplane: the rudder, the elevator and the spoilers. So if there are so few controls, why isn’t RES really easy soaring? Well, the main reason is just that; there are so few controls of the flying surfaces— especially the lack of ailerons that provide quick and efficient banking into turns. The bottom line is that these models tend to feel, and actually be, rather sluggish in comparison with aileron-equipped models.

Longtime model soaring pilot and national contest winner Skip Miller pointed out to me that while the actual pilot load is relatively low with RES compared to flying a molded, fast and slippery, “full-house” sailplane, “You really need to lead, and not follow, these gliders around the sky, as the lag time between control input and response is significant.” In My Topaz S-V2 RES glider climbs exceedingly well. I would not recommend it as a starter model, but once you are comfortable with a model like an Oly II, this is a great choice.

This photos shows me connecting the tow line to the nose of my Olympic II. The Oly II is a great airplane for learning to fly rudder, elevator and spoiler gliders.

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

You can use a bit of masking tape to do duty as a tow-release mechanism. When you get the model to altitude, you just turn hard away from the tug, and the line comes free.

Rudder, Elevator, Spoiler other words, while they might fly comparatively slowly and don’t demand constant attention to the sticks, they do demand that you input control almost before you need it to get the model turning or otherwise oriented in the most appropriate way. This can be especially critical in a crosswind landing. I’ll have more to In this photo I’m getting set to do an aerotow launch Here is the Oly II during the tow. Notice that the say about the challenges with my Oly II 100-in.-wingspan glider. You can have glider is riding a bit higher in the air than the tow lots of fun flying RES, and it takes a lot less money to airplane, so it will not take long for my glider to be at of flying RES later in the fly one these than a scale glider. release altitude. article.

That is not to say, that bring the airframe—and thus the introduction of spoilers to help though, that flying RES is stressful. In the wingloading—down to previously get the models down out of booming fact, as Skip also emphatically pointed unheard-of values. While I’ve always thermals and to help control the final out, “The fun quotient is very high enjoyed flying the Oly, after just the approach for a contest-worthy, bullswith these models,” and Joe Nave, first flight of my Topaz S-V2, I realized eye landing. holder of three U.S. National Electric I had stepped up to an essentially new My own roots in model soaring Sailplane records, told me that he category of polyhedral sailplanes. This go back, I suppose, to the mid-1950s flies RES “to relax and to study has renewed and reinvigorated my when I delighted in flinging small, thermal activity.” I certainly have to interest in RES and has inspired me to 10-cent balsa gliders into the sky. agree with both those statements. encourage others to consider getting (And yes, I did so under the auspices Instead of being primarily focused on into this niche of RC soaring. of the AMA, having joined in about the airplane, you tend to be more 1955.) It wasn’t until the early 80s, focused on the air and the beauty however, that I got into radio control of flight itself. With RES it becomes RES Is Not soaring with a Gentle Lady. I soon an engrossing dance of nudging the • The setup and controls aren’t “graduated” to a larger, spoilermodel into the right place at the right complicated: equipped sailplane for flying at my time, letting it ride the air currents In this increasingly complex local mountain slopes—the 100-in.with a minimal amount of control world, it’s nice to enjoy a hobby wingspan Olympus II. While I continue interference and just watching the that features simplicity at the to fly the Oly today, I recently decided sun glow through its transparent wing same time that it offers significant to purchase a larger, state-of-the-art covering as the model soars high challenges. With a RES ship, the RES sailplane. These models utilize overhead. setup of its transmitter to control the latest advances in airfoils and are The roots of RES gliders in model the flight surfaces is much easier constructed from composite materials history can probably be traced as an than with models equipped evolution from the classic tow-line, free-flight gliders of the 30s and 40s.

From these evolved the simplest radio-controlled, “bent-wing” gliders such as Carl Goldberg’s Gentle Lady or Dave Thornburg’s “Bird of Time.”

These models quickly became popular among glider pilots as soon as RC equipment became affordable and widely available. As the models got bigger (100-in. wingspan and larger), folks found themselves flying them higher and farther away, as well as challenging themselves to land the airplanes with great accuracy. Thus My thirty-year-old Oly II still flies the skies!

Here it alights back on earth while its tow airplane lands in the background. Note its relatively small spoilers compared with those of the Topaz.

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Here I’m shown readying my big Topaz glider for a winch launch.

You’ll definitely want to throw your model so it has enough airspeed to fly in the event of a line break.

The large, split spoilers on the Topaz act as both brakes and descent control for accurate short-field and competition spot landings.

with ailerons and flaps (not to mention motors). You don’t even necessarily have to add mixes or even exponential to fly these models effectively. Admittedly, your work load does go up some when engaging the spoilers without mixed-in elevator. You’ll also be free of hassling with aileron differentials, flight-phase camber settings and flap-to-aileron crow functions.

• The gear isn’t expensive: I probably don’t have to tell you that composite molded model sailplanes are expensive.

Fortunately, molded lifting surfaces in RES airframes are unnecessary, as optimizing the efficiency of the airfoil isn’t the primary factor in the design. While traditional builtup wings simply can’t be as efficient as the precision-molded ones, 64

RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

Vertical control on the Topaz is precisely controlled via a full-flying stabilizer. The rudder, as you can clearly see, is huge—allowing you to horse the tail around if necessary at lower speeds. The small carbon plate visible on the vertical stabilizer covers an opening in which you can optionally install the servos in lieu of running pushrods from the servos installed in the fuselage pod.

The Topaz kit includes a fiberglass ballast tube that I glued in place to a shopmade, plywood fuselage former. I made the ballast from a coil of hollow-core lead fishing weight and screwed a small eye into one end so I could capture it with a plastic peg. I sized the bars, which weigh 6 oz each, so that when installed they are exactly over the center of gravity. Also, notice the power plug I installed in the side of the fuselage—I wired it so that when plugged in, the power is shut off to the receiver. I can also charge the battery through this plug.

you don’t really need this level of performance, since speed and penetration are not the primary goals of the RES pilot. Instead, the goal tends toward lightness and float-ability in light lift. When the wind gets up (say, over 4–5 mph), you either add ballast or switch to flying the heavier and more efficient “moldie.”

RES requires fewer servos, obviously saving money, but the biggest savings in radio gear can be with the transmitter. You don’t really even need a computerized system. I can (and sometime do) fly my Olympus II with my old threechannel AM radio system that I bought back in the 80s!

RES models can be gotten for well under $100 for traditional birds such as the Gentle Lady, and for under $200 for the somewhat

larger (and modernized in construction) Olympus II equipped with spoilers. (See sources at end of article.) You could potentially be up and flying for under a hundred bucks!

Finally, you can launch these lightweight and basic models hundreds of feet into the sky with a simple and inexpensive high start system. You can even hitch a lift (i.e. aerotow) from a powered airplane, utilizing nothing more complicated than a long piece of string and a 6-in. strip of masking tape (we have the pictures to prove it).

• The typical RES sailplane isn’t small: Most RES models typically have a 2.5-m wingspan or larger.

Generally speaking, larger-sized models tend to fly better than smaller models as they are less

Rudder, Elevator, Spoiler

You’ll want to use a straight-ahead throw when launching your model on a winch line. Do not use a sidearm though, or your glider will veer left or right, which will require immediate correction.

affected by turbulence—meaning they don’t jump around and/or stall as readily. They can also cover greater distances more quickly than smaller gliders, allowing your model to range out further and higher.

Last, but certainly not least for this writer’s aging eyes, the longer and larger wings are easier to see at a distance.

• The wings and tail surfaces aren’t hard to repair: If you’ve had any experience at all in the past with building framed rib models (which is basically what even the most state-of-the-art RES models are, except for their molded fuselage), you already know that it’s not that big a deal to repair a crunched wing. It’s just a matter of taking out the broken parts, making and gluing in new ones and then reapplying the covering. With molded or composite wings, it’s a far more complex and difficult job to get the repair back to a good-asnew condition.

Flying RES

The unique difference in flying RES is experienced most succinctly by those who are used to flying more heavily loaded, straight-winged, “full house” (i.e. ailerons and flap) models. As I already pointed out in the introduction, the simplicity of RES is a bit misleading. Lacking wing control surfaces other than spoilers, these polyhedral-winged models are

I spray-painted white bands on the underside of the wing to increase the contrast and therefore the visibility and orientation of the model at a long distance and at altitude.

not going to respond instantly to your every control input. Models won’t immediately bank and carve a turn in response to rudder control as they do in aileron-induced turns. When you encounter sudden turbulence—such as when first encountering a strong thermal—the light wingloading and slower flying associated with this type of model can result in more tendency to stall before you can respond.

Crosswinds during landings can be particularly dicey as you may not gain enough control from the rudder to quickly re-level the wings. It’s not too much fun watching a 134-in.-wingspan glider cartwheel down the runway after suddenly tipping just before touching down! This is probably the number one reason why I switch to my aileron-equipped sailplanes when the wind comes up.

So in general, you need to get used to keeping up the airspeed of these models in order for the rudder and the polyhedral to be effective. (As you’ll see next in this article, ballast can be your friend here.) You have to get used to thinking and acting a bit ahead of time to keep ahead of the model and to anticipate and react quickly to changing conditions.

Ballast or Not

You may wonder why you would want to add weight to a glider in the first place, especially a typical floater type like an RES. Why would you want to increase its wingloading? Well, that is a good question in my mind as well.

These modern, very lightly loaded sailplanes really excel at working lowlevel, low-intensity lift, and in general added weight mostly counteracts that ability. The heavier the wingloading, the less ability for the glider to signal lift, the wider and the more loss of altitude in circling and the longer the model takes to recover from stalls. But low wingloading is all well and good only until the wind comes up.

A lightly loaded model has difficulty flying back against the wind … It just can’t cover the same amount of ground (before hitting the ground) than a faster-moving model does. Some pilots add a bit of nose weight to bring the CG forward, and that can help stabilize the model in light turbulence (especially if you usually fly the model close to neutral). But this doesn’t help penetration, because when you add the extra nose weight you also click in a bit more up trim, and the resultant elevator drag reduces the glide ratio.

Finally, when it gusts much past 5 mph, the lack of ailerons (and therefore, your ability to quickly correct for tip stalls) makes landing a stressful and potentially disastrous situation.

Adding ballast at the center of gravity of your model does two good things for you. First, it increases the flying speed without increasing drag so your model can penetrate a bit better when flying back to you upwind.

Second, ballast can increase stability by reducing the radius of the moment arm around the center of the airplane.

This is especially true for long-winged RC-SF.COM

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Rudder, Elevator, Spoiler

Here I am in the mid-80s launching my recently built, Lee Renauddesigned Olympic II. The launch site is a ridge near Obstruction Point in the heart of the Olympic National Park.

models—and especially those with relatively heavy wingtips.

So for me, I’ll fly unballasted only in calm, nearly no-wind conditions. When the wind comes up at all, I’ll put in the first 6 oz bar. (This is about 15% of my Topaz’s total weight.) If gusts go past 4 or 5 mph, I’ll add another 6 oz. This really helps settle the glider down and aids in penetration when it is coming back upwind, because the glider flies faster and covers more ground. But when conditions start making even this 12-oz (30%) load ineffective, I generally don’t want to risk the glider in a landing situation, so I retire it to the van. As Skip Miller points out, with ballast even the most advanced RES ship will only perform to about 70% of the level of a molded, full-house sailplane. So, other than for the sport of it, why bother?

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

Here’s something you don’t see every day: an Oly II flying in the thermals generated off the slopes of the mighty Mt. Olympus in the northwest corner of Washington State.

Why Spoilers

One question I sometimes get from other pilots when flying my Topaz or Oly is about why there are spoilers and not flaps. Well, the annoying answer is that this category of sailplane wouldn’t be called RES if the third control was flaps! The historical answer is that the spoiler was the third control surface added to the traditional rudder-elevator-only gliders of the 70s—perhaps because of the complicated problem of adding flaps to gliders in the days before small, lightweight servos and computerized radios. The aerodynamic answer is that spoilers work very well to precisely control the flight path angle without unduly slowing and stalling the wing.

Remember, you want to keep these polyhedral-winged models moving right along. So spoilers are great for nailing a landing target over a wider range of wind conditions.

As I mentioned in the introduction earlier, spoilers can also help your model come down from a booming thermal without having to put the model into a potentially selfdestructive, high-speed dive or a vibration-inducing spin. Instead, spoilers when fully raised act as airbrakes, greatly reducing the wings’ lift and causing the model to sink in a relatively controllable fashion. I’ve appreciated this quality several times when my glider was caught in a huge thermal booming up a 300-ft slope in the Olympic Mountains.

State-of-the-Art

Most, if not all, of the competitionquality RES models are derivations of the “Bubble Dancer” designed about a decade ago by Mark Drela, an aeronautical engineering professor at M.I.T. The Bubble Dancer raised the bar considerably over the polyhedral gliders most of us flew or were familiar with until this time. Drela optimized his amazingly thin airfoils in the institute’s wind tunnel to work efficiently at the low Reynolds numbers of a model. He also designed the Dancer’s tailfeathers to minimize drag while maximizing control authority—especially important for the polyhedral wing. The model took advantage of new construction techniques that utilized carbon fiber reinforcements to add more strength to the traditional framed rib structures while actually lowering their weight. The result: A traditionallooking polyhedral RES model that can fly faster—and slower—than any that have come before. Once you fly one, it’s hard to step back!

References Olympus II kit (traditional RES gliders, including Olympus III) skybench.com Topaz S-V2 skipmillermodels.com Mark Drela’s Bubble Dancer charlesriverrc.org/articles/bubbledancer/ markdrela-bubbledancer-3m.htm

THE PERFORMANCE YOU WANT, AT A PRICE YOU WON’T BELIEVE.

When you consider all of the functions that the 8J offers, along with its price point, you’ll realize that this is the radio you’ve been waiting for.

Simply put, there’s not enough room here to list all of the features that the 8J offers. Some of the more popular ones include frequency-hopping security, the ability to transfer model data wirelessly between 8J transmitters, 6 programmable mixes (2 with curves), 5 heli flight conditions, 3-axis gyro support, 5-point pitch/throttle curves and a full-range, internal antenna that can handle any application you can think of. It also has a backlit LCD screen with on-screen terms spelled out. And everything is easily accessed and programmed with a jog dial and three buttons.

Precision. Programming ease. Versatility. It’s all here with the 8J, and at a price that makes it one of the most incredible values in radio control.

The included R2008SB 2.4GHz S-FHSS receiver is S.Bus-compatible and features Dual Antenna Diversity. It also comes equipped to handle high voltage applications.

TM TM

®

©2012 Hobbico®, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3137312

futaba-rc.com/110y

Sound and Fury

Cylinders: 7 Capacity: 160cc (9.80 cu in) Bore: 30.2mm (1.19 in) Stroke: 32.0mm (1.26 in) Weight (engine only): 4.80 kg (10.6 lb) Crankshaft thread: 10 x 1 mm Propeller size: 2-blade 27 x 10, 28 x 12; 3-blade 26 x 12 RPM Range: 1000–6000 Horsepower: 10.6 hp

160cc

NEW EVOLUTION 7-CYLINDER 160cc GAS RADIAL ENGINE ®

When it comes to delivering scale realism and awesome performance, the new Evolution 160cc 7-Cylinder radial is the total package.

Engineered with 90- to 110-inch models in mind, it delivers lifelike radial sound and an abundance of torque for turning large diameter propellers. And it does so for a lot less than many other radial engines in its class.

Includes Collector Ring Exhaust and Electronic Ignition

Get to EvolutionEngines.com right now to learn more about this 7-cylinder wonder and to find the Evolution retailer near you.

©2011 Horizon Hobby, Inc. Evolution, the Evolution logo and the Horizon Hobby logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Horizon Hobby, Inc. 36302

BY Marcus Hubbard

Raptor G4 Let this Raptor Make a Kill on Your Competition!

L

ast month’s article on the Thunder Tiger Raptor G4 was an overview of what came in the kit, recommendations for the components needed to build the helicopter and a build report with some advice on assembling this top-of-the-line helicopter.

As I told you, Thunder Tiger has once again established itself as the helicopter manufacturer to beat in the highly competitive RC 3D helicopter market. And, with their innovative Quick-Calibration system, Thunder Tiger has made the Raptor G4 the quickest and easiest highperformance helicopter to set up, without exception.

Flight Review

Finally the helicopter was complete and the day had come to get the Raptor G4 airborne. I was full of anticipation for what this machine promised in performance!

At the airfield I performed the normal radio system range check to make sure the Futaba S-Bus system

was operating optimally with my helicopter’s receiver and its antenna placement.

Next, the fuel tank was filled with O’Donnell 30-percent nitromethane helicopter fuel. Remember to remove the pressure line plug, else you will cover yourself with fuel once you remove the tank’s fill line. I made sure that all three needle valves on the carburetor were set to the manufacturer’s recommendations too.

Then, with the Futaba 8FG Super transmitter turned on, I turned on the Raptor’s receiver and waited for the CGY750 to power up and sync with the transmitter, which is indicated by the tail’s and then the swashplate’s movement. This was followed by a check of the movement of the swash and tail servo by moving the sticks on the transmitter to confirm that everything was working properly—a practice that must be performed prior to every flight. The Raptor G4 is fitted with a SwitchGlo™ system, so there was no need for a separate glow plug igniter.

Here I am posing with my new Thunder Tiger Raptor G4 and a Futaba 8FG Super transmitter on top of the hill where these photos were shot.

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Thunder Tiger® Raptor G4 Notice the relationship of the landing skids to the angle of the tail boom.

This allows the tail rotor to be elevated for landings.

With a SwitchGlo system, all you do is flip a switch on the transmitter that is assigned to it, and the glow plug goes “hot” for 20 seconds.

After inserting the starter wand through the hole in the top of the canopy, the motor was spun, and in a snap the motor came to life. Note that you must hold the main blades’ grips securely during a start just in case something goes wrong. The last thing you want is for the main rotor blades to spin around and hit you.

The engine idle had been set a little high, but a few clicks on the throttle trim lowered the engine’s rpm setting.

Finally the time came for liftoff.

I slowly increased power, and as planned the governor activated approximately at a third throttle stick. I set the normal range for this setting at 1750 rpm, Idle Up One at 1850 rpm and Idle Up Two at 1950 for all-out 3D performance from the OS 91 HZ-R Speed 3D engine.

In this beautiful inverted shot, you can see how easy it is to see the white on the Mavrikk 690 G5 Pro flybarless main blades.

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Here is a nose-in shot of the Raptor G4.

You can also see how strong the wind was blowing from the exhaust smoke.

The helicopter lifted off nice and easily as predicted with the slow movement from the control stick.

I was impressed by how stable this helicopter was with such a low head speed, and with my first attempt at programming the CGY750. This seems to prove that the engineers at Thunder Tiger and Futaba got the programming and design right on this new gyro system! For its first flight

and first gallon of fuel, I flew the helicopter mildly so that the motor would have time to break in and to make sure there were no issues with the Raptor’s systems.

The O.S. 91HZ-R Speed 3D paired with the Hatori SB-21FH is a power house setup for the Raptor G4. My helicopter tips the scales at a weight of only 9.2 lb without fuel. The flybarless head delivers plus or minus

15 degrees of pitch, but the average pilot will likely never need more than 13 degrees. Futaba’s Brushless High Voltage servos are a perfect combination to run with the CGY750 and the S-Bus receiver, which provide superior control performance for the Raptor G4.

Once the motor break-in was complete, I wanted to test the 3D performance of the Raptor G4. Living in the Northwest we have many sites where we could get some amazing photos of this machine. We chose a location that was on top of a hill to get great photos at and below eye level. Then, it was time to put the Raptor G4 through some 3D tests.

All I can say about this machine is WOW! I flew this helicopter up and down the hill, back and forth, inverted, backwards, upright, in tight maneuvers and big long maneuvers, and the Raptor G4 performed flawlessly to everything I could throw at it. Full-pitch climb-outs were straight as an arrow, as were fullnegative down-lines. The traditional “Raptor Bobble” that seemed to happen when you performed an immediate stop is nonexistent on the new G4. Cyclic inputs are crisp and The Raptor G4 incorporates a rod along the underside of the tail boom that runs through the frames to the front for the rudder servo.

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Thunder Tiger® Raptor G4

Here you see the Raptor G4 inverted. A little luck was required to get a photo with the main blades stopped in line with the helicopter.

immediate with no adverse effects from being assertive on the controls.

Collective inputs are also crisp and immediate with no adverse effects from balance. When you pop the

collective, it jumps. When you stop the stick, it stops. What I was very impressed with was the fact that it felt so nimble—totally opposite of my past experiences with previous

This shows the Raptor G4 below me. See how bright the yellow canopy is along with the white tips on the top of the main blades.

Thunder Tiger helicopters.

I was also impressed by the new helical gear set in its tail rotor design during the build. The gear set performed perfectly. Trust me,

The 650-cc fuel tank allows for 8–9 min of flight from the O.S. 91HZ-R Speed 3D, which incorporates a regulator on its carburetor.

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I pushed them hard, and they delivered perfectly—hard stops, hard reversals, highspeed stops—and when I checked the gears they had not developed any free play. The CGY750 worked well for tail control too, so the model’s pirouette rate is excellent in both directions. When you Not only does the Hatori SF-21 pipe provide an spin the tail in a hover, excellent match for the O.S. 91HZ-R Speed 3D motor, it looks great and sounds amazing. the helicopter remains stationary throughout.

Additionally, Thunder Tiger’s design on the Raptor G4’s landing gear lowers the helicopter’s front a slight amount, which keeps the tail rotor off the ground a little more during landings—nice!

It’s always fun to perform auto-rotations when you have a helicopter set up so that it provides long “hang When you balance a flybarless helicopter before its first flight, you should make certain to have 50% times.” My Raptor G4 fuel in its tank, as shown here. uses Mavrikk 690-mm blades. They worked exceptionally well for my Raptor’s auto-rotations. Let me point CGY750 flybarless system, as well out that my model uses 690-mm as some recommendations from blades for more nimble performance; Thunder Tiger’s team pilot Todd however, 710-mm blade will provide Bennett. Plus I’ll give you some a little more hang time. I found that tips on how to set up and use a even with my Raptor G4 fitted with SwitchGlo system with the Futaba 690-mm blades, it performed inverted 8FG Super and an S-Bus receiver. auto-rotations easily, with enough Until then, I hope you enjoy energy left to transition to a short building and flying the Raptor G4! hover and a nice, light touchdown.

Conclusion

The Thunder Tiger Raptor G4 is an awesome machine. I’m confident you will find it to be a very high-end performer with lots of potential to take you into the winner’s circle at 3D competitions. While not an inexpensive machine, the Raptor G4 is a helicopter that delivers great value for RC helicopter pilots who want aggressive, contest-winning performance.

In next month’s issue I will provide you with an article on how to set up the basic functions of the 74

RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

Specifications Type

3D/F3C

Pilot skill

Intermediate

Length

1366 mm

Width

221 mm

Main blade

690–720 mm

Tail rotor

105 mm

Weight

9.2 lb w/o fuel

Construction

Carbon fiber, aluminum, plastic

Transmitter

6-channel min.

Price

$999.99 kit only

Price as tested

$3100 less Tx

Even with the gray and brown background, the bright yellow canopy provides excellent pilot orientation for aggressive 3D flying.

Notice how massive the 17-mm, heavy-duty helical main gear looks compared with the auto-rotation gear that’s mounted underneath it.

References Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com Futaba 3002 N. Apolo Drive, Suite #1 Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-398-0007 futaba-rc.com Hatori USA P.O. Box 285 Niagara Falls, NY 14304 Phone: 716-297-3295 HatoriUSA.com Mavrikk Blades / Heli Proz 2885 Farley Lane Suite 1 Billings, MT 59101 Phone: 877-435-4776 Heliproz.com Switch Glo / ZRC 9207 Deering Ave. Suite B Chatsworth, CA 91311 Phone: 818-709-0268 SwitchGlo.com

Thunder Tiger® Raptor G4

In this series of photos I am applying positive collective to the helicopter along with full right cyclic. Once the Raptor G4 is on its side, I position the control stick to its midpoint on the collective. As the helicopter continues over to inverted I start adding negative collective. When the helicopter has transitioned to inverted, I then relax the cyclic to its center position so the helicopter does not continue to roll.

You get a nice eye-level shot of the Thunder Tiger Raptor G4 just before it lands. Notice that the G4 is almost out of fuel after 8 minutes of flight.

Needed to Complete Motor—O.S. Speed Tuned .91 HZ-R 3D Exhaust—Hatori SB-21FH (SPEED 91HZR) Transmitter—Futaba 8FG Super Receiver—Futaba R6203SB HV 3-axis gyro—Futaba CGY750 Flybarless Control Gyro/Governor Cyclic servo—Futaba BLS255HV Throttle servo—Futaba S9070SB Rudder servo—Futaba BLS256HV Battery—FlightPower 2S2P 3200-mAh RX LiPo Main blades—Mavrikk G5 Pro 690-mm FBL WC Governor sensor—Futaba BPS-1 (O.S. Backplate) Power switch—Futaba FUTM4385 Glow igniter—SwitchGlo Pro

Kit Contents Hue-changing fiberglass canopy 2-mm carbon fiber frames Carbon fiber tailboom, boom supports and tail fin Torque tube drive system Aluminum head, tail and frame components Aluminum control arms with Futaba servo horns Various plastic components Various hex wrenches and special Torx driver Assembled control rods Assembled 650-cc main and header tank RC-SF.COM

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BY Richard Kuns

Freestyle Extra 260 QB-L ARF A Popular Scale Aerobatic Airplane is Now Electric Powered

T

he Extra 260 was the second aerobatic airplane designed by the famous Walter Extra of the Extra Flugzeugbau Company in Germany. It was built with an amalgam of technologies—wood wings, carbon fiber ailerons, steel-tube fuselage and composite tail and landing gear.

Serial number 001 was sold to Patty Wagstaff, who flew it to a win at the United States National Aerobatic Champion in 1991.

She also won a second national championship in the Extra 260.

It was eventually donated to the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, where it remains on display.

With this history, it’s no wonder that the Extra 260 is a popular

The Extra 260 easily crabs in flight. You just need to add a touch of rudder to give it a bit of cross control. It will hang there.

aerobatic RC airplane.

In fact, Aeroworks offers eight in its catalog. The 260s range in size from a 37-in. profile model to a 122-in. giant-scale airplane.

For this airplane, Rocco Mariani and company have added a new twist to the Extra 260 with a super-lightweight, freestyle electric-powered airplane in the popular 50-in. size—complete with side-force generators.

What You Get

The airplane comes packed in a sturdy kit box with cardboard sheets and partitions separating the various pieces. For additional protection, everything is wrapped in plastic bags.

The Extra is constructed of balsa and lit plywood and comes covered in UltraCote®.

The kit is very complete, including carbon fiber landing gear and wing tube, removable wings, mounted canopy, fiberglass wheel pants and cowl and all the hardware. It also includes a roll of spare covering and colorful decals.

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

Aeroworks Freestyle Extra 260 QB-L ARF The airplane’s fuselage structure takes advantage of laser cutting to remove extra weight, yet it remains quite stiff and strong.

There are several suitable power systems mentioned in the manual with some variation in weight, power, runtime and cost. You should carefully investigate The lightweight structure is beautiful, as you see The stabilizer has a locator dowel centered in its these options before here in the fuselage. It is almost a shame to cover the leading edge. This fits into a hole in the fuselage airframe with the cowl and canopy. Despite all the centering the front of the stabilizer. Simple making your choices. As cut-out areas in the laser-cut structure, the model measurements of the trailing edge are all that’s always, Aeroworks’ staff is very stiff and strong. The firewall has factoryneeded for a perfect fit. Note that there is no is available to help. installed blind nuts. covering on the center of the stabilizer.

My Extra 260’s hardware came packed in small plastic bags, sorted by function. This greatly speeds assembly since no hardware sorting is required.

Control linkages utilize ball links, carbon fiber control horns, doublethreaded push rods and pull-pull cables for the rudder. Laser-cut 1/8-in. motor spacers make a The roomy fuselage interior has platforms for both Plywood spacers are included that will work quick job of setting the the battery and receiver. Because a small amount for most motor mounts. Here five are utilized of tail weight was required for balance, the flight to correctly position the Rimfire 32. The motor right firewall to spinner battery was installed against the wing tube. The includes the rear mounting bracket and the back plate distance. The rudder is operated via a cable pull-pull system. propeller adaptor. canopy and cowl are premounted as well.

All of these factors The Rimfire 32 motor and Silver Series ESC provide plenty of thrust for 3D maneuvers. The contribute to the Quick Futaba seven-channel FASST receiver is powered by the Dimension Engineering ESC and drives HiTec servos. Flight power comes from a Sky LiPo 2650-mAh 4S pack.

Build feature of this airplane.

Kit Contents

• Airframe parts: fuselage, wings, side-force generators, rudder, stabilizer w/ elevators, cowl and canopy • Carbon fiber landing gear w/ painted fiberglass pants, carbon fiber wing tube, tail wheel assembly and foam tires • Hardware packages, linkages, spinner, wrap straps • Photo-illustrated instruction manual • Micro CG Buddy and throw meters • Decal sheet

Needed to Complete

The following list shows the items you’ll needed to complete the model, RC-SF.COM

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Colorful decals add attractive finishing touches to the AeroWorks Freestyle Extra 260 ARF, and they make it easy to see against a bright blue sky.

Tail surface controls are similar to those of large IMAC airplanes.

Sturdy carbon fiber control horns are provided with ball link clevises. The rudder utilizes pull-pull cables to the mid-fuselage servo.

plus the actual parts I selected for the build: • Motor—Great Planes® Rimfire .32 brushless outrunner • ESC—Great Planes Silver Series 60-amp brushless ESC • BEC—Dimension Engineering Sport BEC • Power—Sky LiPo 4S 2650-mAh 14.8-V 30C LiPo • Servos—Two Hitec HS-85MG and two Hitec HS-64MG • Radio—Futaba® 12FGA 2.4-GHz • Receiver—Futaba R617FS 7-channel • Propeller—APC 14x7E • Miscellaneous—Servo extensions, medium and thin CA, thread-locking compound

In the Air

At the airfield, on a summerlike, early-spring day, I did some double-checking of control throws, The model uses a lightweight and sturdy carbon fiber landing gear. Nice fiberglass wheel pants finish off the undercarriage.

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

The aileron linkage uses a carbon fiber control horn and ball link linkages. The pushrod is double threaded and cut to length.

Aeroworks Freestyle Extra 260 QB-L ARF balance and battery charge. All looked good, so I plugged in the battery and taxied the airplane to the center of the runway. There was a slight headwind. As I advanced the throttle to midrange, I watched the Extra quickly pick up speed and climb into the air. After climbing the model to a safe altitude, I found a few clicks of up elevator and left aileron were needed for level flight.

An example of the light weight of the Extra 260 is the canopy and front deck, which are molded from a single piece of plastic. A very simple wood frame completes the assembly.

The business end of the Extra 260 shows you that this airplane has good looks, a power motor system and side-force generators to keep on knife-edge.

Balancing is made a snap by using AeroWorks’ Micro CG Buddy. One quarter ounce of lead was attached to the elevator servo as a way to bring the model into balance.

Hook-and-loop material is used to fasten a Silver Series ESC to the bottom of the motor box. Wire ties are added to secure it. A scoop directs air across the ESC, which then exits a hole in the bottom rear of the fuselage.

Final Control Throws (Expo) Elevator

Low

Medium

High

20° (25%)

35° (45%)

50° (60%)

Rudder

25° (25%)

35° (45%)

45° (60%)

Aileron

19° (40%)

25° (50%)

35° (60%)

Center of Gravity

Set as recommended with Micro CG Buddy.

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After a few clicks of control trim, the Extra flies like it is on rails.

The side-force generators are easy to attach and remove, which is nice during transit.

Next, I did some standard tests to verify all was well. Rolls are quite axial, inside and outside loops track well and inverted flight requires a slight amount of down elevator pressure, which confirmed that the balance was about right. A stall turn confirmed that the down line was quite straight with no tendency to pitch up or down. Finally, from level flight and flying it into the wind, I applied left and right rudder. In both cases, I observed some roll in the direction of the rudder and a little down pitch. Consequently, I landed the model and programmed a mix of opposite aileron and up elevator to the rudder.

After some additional flights, I settled on six percent for both mixes.

The author and his Extra 260 are photographed after a few successful flights. This is a great airplane for quick trips to the airfield, and it flies “beyond” its size.

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

The Extra makes a low, inverted pass. In this case I had to use just a touch of down elevator control to get it flying straight and level.

Back in the air with the Extra, it was time for some fun. This flight, I applied full throttle as soon as the Extra was in the air and enjoyed a rapid vertical climb. I put the airplane through its paces with snaps, four-point rolls, slow rolls, knife-edge flight,

knife-edge loops, flat circles, stall turns, blenders, avalanches and harriers. I was impressed by its harriers because there is no wing rock—amazing for such a small, lightweight airplane.

Landings were quite easy too, as long as some

Aeroworks Freestyle Extra 260 QB-L ARF

Power System Test My Extra 260 uses a Rimfire 32 and a Silver Series 60- ESC power system, which are a good combination for this airplane. The ESC has the current-carrying capacity to unlock the full potential of the motor. The motor comes with a backplate mount and a 5/16-in. propeller adapter. Assembling and mounting the power system is easy because the included hardware makes it so. Be sure to use thread-locking compound so none of the screws or nuts come loose.

For this motor test, I used an Astro Flight Super Whatt Meter, a Tower Hobbies tachometer and a digital fish scale. The airplane was placed on a hard surface, with the elevated tail attached to the scale, which was supported on a metal box. A point throttle curve was used on the Futaba 12FGA to set six discrete Thrust vs.

Thrust vs.Input Input Current Current

66

Thrust InputPower Power Thrust vs.vs.Input

66

55

55

44

44

Static Thrust (lb)

Static Thrust (lb)

Static Thrust (lb)

Static Thrust (lb)

steps, ensuring repeatable throttle settings. My thrust numbers are probably not completely accurate, but they are good enough for understanding basic performance and comparing propellers. Two of the manufacturer’s recommended propellers were tested, an APC 14×7E and APC 13×6.5E. The results show that both propellers produced very similar thrust-to-watts ratios, with the 14×7E producing 5.7 lb of static thrust versus 4.8 lb for the 13×6.5E. Looking at the Thrust vs. Throttle position, the 14×7E produces about 1 lb of additional thrust for throttle setting above 50 percent. Since the intention is to fly the Extra in aerobatic maneuvers, the extra thrust of the 14×7E looks like the best choice.

33 22 11

33 22 11

APC 13X6.5E

APC 13X6.5E

APC 14X7E

00

0

10

0

20

10

30

20

30

Input Current (Amps)

40

50

40

APC 14X7E

60

50

60

00

00

100 100

200 200

300 300

400 500 400 500

Input Current (Amps)

800 800

900 900

Thrust Throttle Position Thrust vs.vs.Throttle Position

66 55

44

44

Static S Thrust (lb)

55 Static Thrust (lb)

33 22 11

33 22 11

APC 13X6.5E

APC 13X6.5E

APC 14X7E

00

1000 1100 1000 1100

This graph shows how thrust output varies with input watts.

With the APC 14×7E propeller, the power system consumes 740 W of power. Note that power is equal to voltage times current, or current squared times resistance.

Thrust vs.RPM RPM Thrust vs.

Static Thrust (lb)

Static Thrust (lb)

700 700

Input Power (Watts)

Here is how thrust output varies with input current. Note how similarly the propellers perform, with the APC 14×7E prop capable of drawing over 53 A slightly over the motor’s continuous rating of 50 A, but well within the surge rating of 80 A, and under the ESC’s continuous limit of 60 A.

66

600 600

Input Power (Watts)

0

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

APC 14X7E

10,000

1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000 10,000 RPM

RPM

This shows how thrust relates to motor rpm for each of the two propellers tested as throttle is increased in 20% increments up to full-throttle. Note that the APC 14×7E propeller produced about 5.7 lb of thrust.

00 0 0

10

10

20

20

30

30

40

40

50

50

60

60

Throttle Position (%)

70

70

80

80

90 90

100 100

Throttle Position (%)

This graph shows how thrust output varies with throttle position for each of the propellers tested. Note how linear the power delivery is across the throttle’s test point ranges.

RC-SF.COM

81

Aeroworks Freestyle Extra 260 QB-L ARF

The Build Aeroworks provides an excellent instruction manual, which includes goodquality pictures to document every step. Assembly begins with inspecting and tightening any loose covering. I found almost none in the review airplane. You’ll discover that extra cyanoacrylate (CA) glue is used on the fuselage joints. Check to make sure all the joints are tight, and apply CA where needed.

After preliminaries are finished, the ailerons, servos and control linkages are installed. CA hinges are glued in place with thin CA. After drying, the fiberglass control horns are glued into factory-cut slots. Then the servos are installed and linkage attached. The pushrods were too long, so about 1/8-in. was cut from each end. The ball links operate smoothly and have little play. Slots are then cut through the covering for the inboard side-force generators (SFG). A small amount of trimming on the wood structure was needed to fit the SFGs. That’s all you’ll need to do to complete the wings.

Next the elevator and stabilizer are attached to the fuselage. There is a small dowel in the center of the leading edge that fits a hole in the fuselage. This centers the front of the stabilizer so only the rear needs to be adjusted. There is no covering on the center of the stabilizer, which eliminates the usual task of marking and cutting. Correctly positioning the stabilizer is quick—just set the sides to equal lengths and double-check with measurements to the aileron tips.

A quick sighting of the stabilizer against the wing will confirm that everything is aligned properly. Then thin CA is applied to fasten the stabilizer to the fuselage.

Like the ailerons, the elevators are attached to the stabilizer with CA hinges. Then the elevator servo and linkages are installed.

The vertical fin is part of the fuselage, so only the rudder remains to be installed. First the carbon fiber pull-pull control horn is attached. Then the tail power was maintained all the way to the runway touchdown. I flew a short approach and landed the Extra smoothly and on the center line.

After I armed the ESC, I trimmed the throttle just to the point that the propeller keeps spinning. This provides some additional drag on the airplane for down lines, and it makes for quick power adjustments while landing.

Conclusion

The AeroWorks’ Freestyle Extra is a superbly performing airplane. The kit is very complete, needing only the power and remote control system. All the hardware is topnotch. Assembly is amazingly quick, with many otherwise time-consuming tasks done for you in the factory. It is very lightweight and performs 3D aerobatics with ease. With all that you get in this kit—great Aeroworks support and amazing performance—it is a real bargain at the price of just $249.95.

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

wheel assembly gets glued to the rudder. Next the rudder is attached to the vertical with CA hinges. Finally, the tail wheel mount is screwed to the fuselage.

Be sure to add some thread-locking compound to the set screws that are attached. The rudder servo and pull-pull cables are installed in the usual manner.

After mounting the landing gear, the power system gets installed. Long machine screws run through a number of plywood mounting spacers for mounting the motor. You simply select the number needed to achieve 2-3/4-in. spacing from the firewall to the motor’s propeller hub. The blind nuts are already installed in the firewall. The electronic speed controller gets attached to the bottom of the motor box. Then an air scope is fastened below it.

After installing radio gear and decals, you’ll need to set the airplane’s balance and its control throws. Both of these tasks are made easy by way of the included tools. You’ll use the Micro CG Buddy first. It consists of a loop of string and a handle. The string is looped around the wing tube in the fuselage and then the handle. I used a small level to double-check the balance. One quarter ounce of lead was needed to get my model to balance. I used double-sided tape to attach it to the bottom of the elevator servo. The kit also includes some control throw gauges. They make adjusting throws quick and easy.

Specifications Aircraft type

Aerobatic 30 size mid-wing monoplane

Pilot skill

Intermediate to advanced

Wingspan

52-in.

Length

45.5-in. rudder to front of cowl

Wing area

560 in.2

Airfoils

Symmetric

Weight

4.2 lb (w/ battery)

Wing loading

17.0 oz/ft2

Controls

Aileron, elevator, rudder, and throttle

Construction

Built-up balsa and plywood structure, carbon fiber landing gear and wing tube, fiberglass cowl and wheel pants

Channels

4 required, 5 used

Motor

Great Planes Rimfire .32 brushless outrunner

ESC

Great Planes Silver Series 60-amp brushless ESC

Battery

Sky LiPo 2650-mAh 4S 14.8-volt 30C LiPo

Propeller

APC 14×7E or APC 13×6.5E

Dimension Engineering 899 Moe Drive #21 Akron, OH 44310 Phone: 330- 634-1430 dimensionengineering.com/

Transmitter

Futaba 12FGA 2.4-GHz

Receiver

Futaba R617FS 7-channel

Servos

Two Hitec HS-85MG and two Hitec HS-64MG

Hobby Partz Phone: 626-968-9860 hobbypartz.com

Instruction manual

Photo-illustrated instructions

Price

$249.95

References AeroWorks 4903 Nome Street Denver, CO 80239 Phone: 303-371-4222 aero-works.net Futaba 3002 N Apollo Drive, Suite #1 Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-398-0007 futaba-rc.com Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com Hitec RCD 12115 Paine Street Poway, CA 92064 Phone: 858-748-6948 hitecrcd.com

100cc Carbon Cub

sport Cub s2

168” Wingspan

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303-371- 4222

Email: info@aero-works.net 4903 Nome Street • Denver, CO 80239

BY Daniel Holman

1430C Charger New Design, New Programming, Better Performance!

A

s my hangar filled with airplanes, I found myself in need of a new battery charger.

A search of a few magazines and the Internet got me looking at the new Thunder Power TP1430 C. Then one landed in my lap by way of a review project from this magazine, which couldn’t have come at a better time.

As my new Thunder Power TP1430C charger came out of its package, it just screamed, “quality!”

With its beautiful anodized aluminum case, dual cooling fans, easy-to-use button controls and a large, bright blue, backlit liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, this new charger, capable of charging multi-chemistrytype batteries, really stands out from many others.

The quality starts with everything you get in the package.

It includes leads to the power supply that come with bullet connectors soldered to the wires, as well as a set of alligator clips that let you connect the charger to any 12-V

This is what the TP1430C looks like when it is set up and ready to start charging a battery pack.

The system is easy to use and affordable to buy.

car-type battery or gel cell. Thunder Power also includes a set of banana plugs that are soldered to positive and negative leads so that you can make a set of custom leads for your charging application. There is also a connector board that mates to many of the typical battery balance leads. It is one of the largest that I’ve seen, and will mate to up to a 14-cell pack. This balance board comes with Thunder Power and JST-XH style balance connectors, so the user can charge almost any battery type, without changing the connector.

Suffice it to say, my first impressions of the TP1430C were good even before applying power to the unit.

It Can Do

One of things that I like about the new Thunder Power TP 1430C charger is its adaptability and versatility. The TP1430C is designed to offer input power options and customizable program settings, as well as the ability to charge almost Here is everything you get when you buy a TP1430C. All you’ll need to add are the connectors for the battery type you want to charge and a DC supply.

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

Thunder Power 1430C Charger This screen shows you that the unit is charging a 6S LiPo battery pack at the rate of 3.6 A, with the balance circuit on.

The same setup is stored in memory location 01, so all you need to do is select that location to initiate a charge for your model’s pack.

This screen shows you that the unit is charging a 14S LiPo battery pack at the rate of 4.0 A, with the balance circuit on.

Here you see that the unit is charging a 3S LiPo battery pack at the rate of 1.32 A, with the balance circuit on.

If you need to charge NiCd packs the 1430C will do it.

Here it is charging at 2.8 A with a delta peak of 06 mV.

You can even charge lead acid packs with the 1430C. In this case it is charging at the rate of 4.6 A.

any battery chemistry and capacity at many different rates.

The most widely used battery chemistry in the RC industry today is Lithium Polymer (LiPo). The TP1430C is capable of charging up to a 14cell series pack, and it can deliver a whopping 30 A of current for when your packs need a fast charge.

Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery packs of this size and capacity can also be charged with these settings and rates.

Lithium Ion Phosphate (LiFe) batteries have become very popular among giant-scale modelers for their ability to accept a fast charge at rates of up to 10C (10 times their rated capacity). This is a significant advantage over other types of Lithium packs. However, this rate of charge is only possible with a limited number of charger brands. One of

them is the new TP1430C! Charging a 2300-mAh 2S A123 pack at 10C (23 A) is not a problem for the TP1430C, and the charge can be done in under 10 minutes. The TP1430C also has the ability to charge LiFe/A123-type batteries of up to 14S. For those of you who still use Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Nickel Metal Cadmium (NiCd) battery packs in your airplanes, helicopters and gliders, the TP1430C can charge them too. It is capable of charging packs that range in size from 1- to 40-cell NiCd or NiMH packs.

Topping off the TP1430C features, it will also charge any Lead Acid (PB) battery that has a rating of 6- to 48-V, and it will do so easily!

One of many features that makes this charger so versatile is that it has the circuitry built in to handle

input voltages of 12–36 V DC. Many chargers are rated at only 11–15 V input, which limits their power sources considerably. Alternately, the TP1430C has the ability to get power from a 12- to 24-V power supply, a battery, a battery bank or any DC power source that delivers 12–36 V. You do not need to worry about having the perfect power source.

In Operation

After connecting my TP1430C to my power supply, the charger instantly came to life, lighting up the brilliant blue, backlit LCD screen and annunciating with a series of beeps.

The four controls buttons are very simple to use and work similarly to most LiPo chargers.

Among many of the outstanding features that Thunder Power’s RC-SF.COM

85

new TP1430C has are its 12 userprogrammable battery memories. To program into the unit any one of 12 battery setups is done by selecting the battery number at the top left of screen and then programming each set point.

You would do so as follows: While in the main screen, use the

(+) or (-) buttons to select a charge, discharge, cycle or storage setting.

After selecting the desired setting, use the “Enter” button to select the programmable memory location, different battery types, charge rates, cell counts, etc.

For instance, press “Enter” once, and the battery memory

Look at this! The charger is pumping electrons into a LiFe pack at the rate of 23.0 A, with the balance circuit turned on.

When you need to see how an individual cell is doing, you can. You just enter the display screen and each cell voltage is displayed.

This screen shows you the status of the charge in times, milliamp hours, charge rate and supply voltage, so you know how the pack is doing.

You don’t want anything unusual to happen in your charger, so there is a screen to tell you how hot it is inside.

This display shows both the input voltage and the output voltage, which you must know to keep the battery packs in good condition.

You can cycle your battery packs with the TP1430C. In this case it is going to charge and then discharge for one charge cycle.

Here is the result of a discharge cycle. The pack delivered 1.98 A and now has a pack voltage of 3.0 V per cell.

This is the screen that you’ll see when you use the charger to ready a battery pack for storage. This one is a 5S pack that is rated at 4400 mAh.

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

number will start to flash. When it is flashing, use the (+) or (-) buttons to scroll through each of the 12 programmable battery charge settings, e.g., LiPo Charge 5S, CP:4400mAh 4.4A BLC-ON. If the “Enter” key is pressed twice, the battery chemistry type will start flashing in the display. Again,

Thunder Power 1430C Charger NiMH packs are not a problem for the TP1430C either. Here is one that I charged at the rate of 5C and 1.5 A.

Here is an example of another NiCd pack being charged at the 6C rate and at 2.8 A, with delta peak at 06 mV.

you will use the (+) and (-) buttons to scroll through the battery types, pressing “Enter” again once the desired chemistry is displayed. Next you will select the capacity (CP), the charge rate and whether or not the balance connector is on or off— (BLC-ON) or (BLC-OFF).

Once everything is set as required for your specific battery type and size, you will connect the battery’s plug to the charge lead and balance board and then hold down “Enter” for two seconds. That will initiate the charge option you’ve selected.

While charging, discharging, cycling or setting the batteries to a storage voltage, the LCD screen displays the battery chemistry, which task you are performing, the elapsed time, the mAh (milliamp hours) into or out of the pack, the charge rate and the total battery voltage. For more information on its progress, you can use the (+) or (-) buttons to scroll through the different screens that will display each cell’s voltage, the charger’s input voltage, the temperature, the peak voltage and more. Once the pack’s charge is complete, the unit will flash “END” while showing the pack’s ending voltage, time and the milliamps that were put into or taken out of the pack.

If for some reason you need to stop the charge manually, just hold down “Enter” for two seconds to end the charge cycle and return to the main screen.

Note that while the unit is displaying the main screen, pressing the “Mode” button will jump the program to Setting Data and then Data View. In either of these menus, use the (+) or (-) buttons to scroll through the lists. Under Setting Data

you will be able to see and/or select temperature units used, beep settings, safety timer, temperature cutoff, cycle pause time, charge capacity limit, input power and current and the end voltage. Under Data View you will find the internal temperature, input and output voltage, peak and average voltage, general charge information and the individual cell voltage and its resistance.

The TP1430C also has a USB port that provides a connection option to your computer so that you can do firmware updates.

Finally, you should know that the charger’s instruction manual is very thorough, detailing all the features of the unit and step-by-step operation instructions.

Specifications Type

Multi-chemistry DC charger/cischarger/cycler w/ integrated balancers

Cell counts/ types

1–14S LiPo/Li-Ion/LiFe (A123), 1–40 cell NiCd/ NiMH and 6- to 48-V Pb (lead acid)

Balancer

Integrated for 2-14S LiPo/ LiIon/LiFe (A123) with balance connector adapter board for Thunder Power and JST-XH connectors

Input power

12.0–36.0 V DC (40 A max)

Charge power

1000 W max w/ 28.036.0 V input

Charge current

0.2–30 A in 0.01 amp increments

Charge voltage

50% storage and adjustable end voltage for LiPo/Li-Ion/ LiFe (A123), adjustable delta peak sensitivity and end voltage for NiCd/NiMH and end voltage for Pb (Lead Acid)

Discharge power

100 W max

Discharge current

0.2–15 A in 0.01 A increments

Discharge Voltage

Adjustable low-voltage cutoff for LiPo/Li-Ion/LiFe (A123), NiCd/NiMH and Pb

Cycles

1 to 15 times

Memories

12 user-programmable

Firmware

User-updatable using USB

Conclusion

Thunder Power really went all out with their new charger. It provides lots of options at an affordable price. I am very pleased with my new TP1430C, and I look forward to many years of reliable service from it. The TP1430C is a great all-in-one charger that is capable of handling battery packs much larger than most people will ever use. Yet it is compact enough to easily fit in your flight box or field tool kit. I would recommend this charger to anyone who wants to get optimum performance out of their models’ battery packs. Priced at aero-model.com at just $229.99, it is an excellent value.

Distributor Thunder Power 4720 W University Avenue Las Vegas, NV 89103 Phone: 702-228-8883 thunderpowerrc.com

Source Aero-Model Inc. 2122 W 5th Place Tempe, AZ 85281-7228 Phone: 480-726-75

RC-SF.COM

87

bladehelis.com

WHAT’S YOUR BlAde PATH? He never dreamt of flying anything but fixed wing. Then he bought a Bind-N-Fly® mCX2 to fly around the house and . . . BAM! He was hooked. It was so fun to fly, he had to try another. Next thing you know he had worked his way up to the 120 SR and was eyeing the mCP X.

mCX

mCX2

CX2

CX3 MD 520N®

mSR

When it comes to giving you a clear path to your RC heli dream, no one beats Blade. From ready-for-anyoneto-fly ultra micros to high-performance 3D thrill machines, there’s a Blade for every step of the way.

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Blaze your own Blade path. Go to bladehelis.com right now to see the entire selection of Blade® helicopters and accessories or to find the Blade retailer nearest you.

450 3D

horizonhobby.com ©2011 Horizon Hobby, Inc. Bind-N-Fly, Blade and the Horizon Hobby logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Horizon Hobby, Inc. MD 520N is a registered trademark or trademark of MD Helicopters Inc. and is used under license to Horizon Hobby, Inc. www.bladehelis.com 33843

BY Daniel Holman

Beast 3D, Gee Bee & Sbach An Ultra-Micro Trio To Fly For!

T

he problem with Horizon Hobby’s Ultra Micro Extreme (UMX) line of airplanes is that once you get one, you want them all. This is a dilemma that I’ve found myself facing. Just when I thought my cravings couldn’t get any worse, E-flite introduces their new AS3X system. It transforms their superbflying UMX Beast biplane into an airplane that gives you the piloting experience that you would typically experience in a large-scale airplane, but the Beast costs thousands of dollars less. E-flite then adds to their product line with the UMX Gee Bee, a classic racer notorious for its unstable flight characteristics. With the AS3X system installed, the Gee Bee comes to life in a gymnasium, or even outdoors, as a stable, easy-to-fly

Here I am flying my UMX Beast 3D basic, which comes with a factory-installed AS3X system. It makes this little model feel like it is a giant-scale 3D machine.

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

pylon racer. The third airplane in this combination review, the UMX Sbach 342, is an amazing aerobat, capable of precision and freestyle aerobatics indoors or out.

Out of the box

The UMX Beast 3D Basic, Gee Bee R2 and Sbach 342 all come out of their kit boxes factory built and ready to fly. The Beast does not include the battery; it uses an E-Flite 2S 180-mAh LiPo. Both the Gee Bee R2 and Sbach 342 airplane packages include a battery and charger. One of the cool features about E-flite’s UMX aircraft is that they can be ready to fly before their batteries finish charging.

Using my JR® 11X transmitter, as well as a friend’s Spektrum® DX8,

I programmed all three airplane setups into the transmitter’s memory before the batteries were done charging—20 minutes or so. After doing an initial setup for the wing type in the transmitter, I then bound the transmitter’s signal to each of the airplanes’ receivers. Then the only thing left to ready the airplanes for flight was to program the dual rates.

The airplanes come factory set so that when 100 percent travel is set in the transmitter’s program setting for endpoints, it gives maximum control throw. This is a real time saver and eliminates programming guesswork.

Once the batteries were charged, it was time to take to the calm skies of the Goldendale, Washington gymnasium.

Beast, Gee Bee & Sbach

In Flight UMX Beast 3D BNF Basic

Quique Somenzini’s original UMX Beast has been a favorite for many RC pilots over the past year because of its excellent precision aerobatic abilities. Although a pilot could fly a few 3D maneuvers with it, to do so required ultra-fast stick movements to maintain certain attitudes, and they could be difficult to maintain at times.

The new UMX Beast 3D utilizes Quique’s original design but has integrated the AS3X system into its control, which has transformed the airplane.

Although the Beast 3D does not have as much control authority as a profile-type indoor 3D foamy airplane, the Beast 3D is now capable of torque rolls, harriers and other 3D maneuvers. Torque rolls are fast, so you must be quick on the control, but they are nothing to scare you. Upright harriers are good but have some wing rock. The wing rock looks worse than you’ll feel because the AS3X system will not let the airplane go past a certain point, and it keeps the airplane close to level without aileron input. For me, the big surprise

This is a great-looking airplane, even if it is only sporting a wingspan of 14.7 in. and weighing just 2.5 oz ready to fly.

You won’t have any trouble learning how to harrier this little bird because it is quite stable in that flight regime.

Here I’m pulling the power back in a harrier and dropping down for a camera pass. It is pretty easy to do!

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The UMX Beast 3D will definitely hover, as you can see it doing in this photo. It has plenty of power too.

The UMX Beast 3D Basic is powered by a BL180 2500-Kv outrunner. I’m using a 200mAh LiPo battery in mine.

came when I rolled the Beast 3D into an inverted harrier. Holding full down elevator and using the throttle to control altitude, the airplane rewarded me with a completely stable, wing-rock-free inverted harrier! I kept waiting for it to stall or get twitchy, but it didn’t happened— very impressive for an ultra-micro airplane.

Rolling harriers are pretty good, but the aileron authority is diminished greatly when it is in a nosehigh attitude.

Knife-edge flight is good with lots of speed, and there’s hardly any control coupling, which is rare for a biplane.

Knife-edge loops are possible, but they require lots of altitude.

When flown outdoors, the UMX Beast 3D is now much less prone to getting kicked around by the wind, thanks of course to the AS3X control system. Interestingly, you will see the system make a lot of corrections

As you can see here, both the top and the bottom wings’ ailerons move, which gives the model excellent roll authority and speed.

I flew the little Beast for some laps of the gymnasium inverted.

It does exceptionally well in all attitudes, thanks to AS3X.

Here I’m just pulling the little Beast into a hover so Wil can get a few close-up shots of the model. It slows down nicely!

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

Beast, Gee Bee & Sbach during windy flights, but your pilot workload will decrease dramatically.

One of the strong points of the Beast 3D’s performance is its ability to fly precision aerobatic sequences outdoors. Snap rolls are clean and fast, and its tracking is excellent.

There is enough motor power to keep going on those long up-lines too, so completing International

Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC) sequences are not only possible but enjoyable to fly.

Landing the Beast 3D is very easy because it does not stall without giving the pilot due warning. Flying the airplane in the gym didn’t leave much room for final, so I turned it hard right before touching down to utilize the available runway room. I

held the power on through the turn and gently let the airplane down in a three-point landing, without the worry of a stall.

With its excellent precision flight and 3D performance capabilities, I am very happy with my new UMX Beast 3D. I look forward to flying it throughout the 2012 season.

Specifications Wingspan

14.7 in. (374 mm)

Length

15.7 in. (400 mm)

Wing area

83.8 in.2 (54.2 dm2)

Weight

2.54 oz (72 g)

Wing loading

3.4 oz/ft2 (1.01 g/dm2)

Motor

BL180 2500-Kv brushless outrunner

Transmitter

4-channel min

Trim scheme

Black, red, silver

Propeller

5×2.75 in.

Battery

2S 7.4-V 180-mAh LiPo

Flight duration

≈5 minutes

Pilot

Intermediate

Environment

Indoor/Outdoor

Price

$139.99

Even with the camera shooting at an ISO of 640 and a shutter speed of 1/320 of a second, you can still see the motion of the Beast.

The UMX Beast 3D will fly in knife-edge flight. It is a very capable airplane, so you can really push the outside of the envelope with it.

You’ll enjoy how this little model performs in inverted flight. It has no wing rock when doing inverted harriers, which is cool!

Holding full down-elevator and using the throttle to control altitude, the airplane rewarded me with a wingrock-free inverted harrier!

Rolling harriers are not a problem either. You can have hours of fun flying this model indoors or out when there is no wind.

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The Gee Bee R2 was built to be modeled, as you can see by this photo. Equipped with an AS3X system, it is quite easy to fly too.

Here I’m pulling the throttle back to make a landing approach to the gym floor.

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

This photo was taken outside. The wind was blowing at about 5 mph, but the little Gee Bee R2 had no problem flying in it.

Beast, Gee Bee & Sbach This little model looks cartoon-like, but it is a ton of fun to pilot around the gymnasium or even outdoors.

The Gee Bee R2 is definitely a racer! It flies along at a pretty fast airspeed, so be prepared.

UMX Gee Bee R2 BNF

With a top speed of almost 300 mph and a whopping 730 hp turning the propeller, there is no question as to why the Granville Brothers Gee Bee R2 racer is such an aviation legend. Although it won many air races, it was also notorious for being hard to fly because of its huge fuselage, stubby wings, short tail moment and cartoon-like appearance.

These design features have plagued RC replicas of the Gee Bee since they were first made available as models. Even large-scale models of

the Gee Bee racer have earned the reputation of being hard to fly.

Most RC pilots would expect an ultra-micro version of Gee Bee to be a handful as well. So, when Horizon Hobby introduced their new AS3Xequipped UMX version, I couldn’t wait to see how it would handle!

How could something so small and scaled so closely to the Gee Bee R2 racers fly well? Let me tell you, I was amazed!

The gym where my friends and I typically fly in is no larger than a basketball court. Consequently, I

was concerned about test-flying the Gee Bee in it. Nonetheless, I decided to perform the test flights indoors, rather than be wind challenged.

Taxiing it to the farthest wall of the building enabled me to use the whole “runway.” The steerable tailwheel made ground handling easy.

Once lined up, I slowly applied the power, using about 75 percent for takeoff. Halfway down the gymnasium floor, the UMX Gee Bee R2 lifted off the wood straight and true. Due to the small size of the gym, I had to instantly turn it, and hard too. It gave

My brother Michael and I are shown in the background as the model races past us and Wil, who was behind the camera.

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This little UMX Gee Bee R2 with AS3X system is powered by a 180-size 3000-Kv motor that gets current from a 200-mAh battery pack.

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

no sign of poor performance, and it sped through the turn.

After realizing that the Gee Bee would not stall, I pulled the throttle back to about 60 percent and got its control surfaces trimmed.

My photographer and editor, Wil, walked to the middle of the gym to snap some pictures of the airplane as I flew it around him in a large oval pattern. After he had gotten some shots, I wanted to have some fun. While he turned circles in the center of the room, I kept increasing the throttle more and more.

This is a racer, and it goes fast—turning left is what it’s all about. Wil finally started laughing and stopped trying to follow it with his camera.

The Gee Bee never hinted at With AS3X working for you instead of against you, the Gee Bee is capable of doing lots of an accelerated stall, and I did maneuvers, including knife-edge flight. about five hot laps around the gym before slowing it for a landing. With no more than Here I’m setting the Gee Bee the length of a basketball court up for a three-point landing on for its final approach and landing, I the pavement of the gymnasium parking lot. tried a wingtip dragging technique, which I use with many other ultramicro airplanes indoors. This involves dragging the wingtip on the ground as I turn from base to final. Then I touch down as soon as the airplane is lined up. Unfortunately, due to the tall fuselage, this didn’t work for me.

I dragged the wingtip around the turn to final, but the stiff landing gear didn’t like the slipping touchdown.

The airplane slid sideways and gently nosed over, but it suffered no damage.

Refusing to end the flight on that note, I flipped it back on its gear and went around again. This time I leveled it off completely before touching down and was rewarded with a nice roll out.

We then took the Gee Bee outdoors to the parking lot to see how it would perform. There was a gentle breeze, but I couldn’t feel its effect on the the airplane’s controls. The Gee Bee will fly slow, but it performs best when it is going fast. Pylon racing with these little racers would be a blast. All the basic aerobatics are possible. The coolest part of flying this is airplane is that it

Beast, Gee Bee & Sbach tracks like a pattern airplane and will sustain knife-edge flight. Its roll rate

is moderate, but if you use rudder and elevator control mixed with ailerons, it will give a nice snap roll.

The airplane will spin, but only when forced to do so.

I flew it up relatively high to see if I could get it to tip stall, but it was rock solid at all airspeeds, even when

yanking full up-elevator control. Using the parking lot as a runway, I had fun shooting a long approach and a scale, two-point landing. The AS3X system has truly enabled this beautiful classic aircraft to become a niceflying airplane indoors and outside.

Specifications

This is how the model comes out of its kit box. You need not do anything more than bind your Tx to its Rx.

This photo shows you just how fast this little model can fly. This was a full-throttle pass for the cameraman.

Wingspan

20.1 in. (510 mm)

Length

13.9 in. (352 mm)

Wing area

72.5 in.2 (4.7 dm2)

Weight

3.60 oz (102 g)

Motor

180-size 3000-Kv brushless outrunner

Transmitter

4-channel min

Servos

(4) 2.3 g linear

Trim scheme

Red and white

Propeller

5.25Ă—3.5 electric

Battery

2S 200-mAh 25C LiPo

Charger

DC powered 2S LiPo

Flight duration

≈4 minutes

Environment

Indoor/Outdoor

Pilot

Intermediate

Price

$169.99

Opening the throttle wide, I raced it around the gymnasium a few times to simulate those Bendix races.

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UMX Sbach 342 BNF

The Sbach 300 and 342 aircraft have become very popular full-scale aircraft over the last couple of years.

They have also become popular RC airplanes, so I was excited when E-Flite® released their UMX version of the gorgeous Sbach aerobat, which does not have AS3X. I have been flying mine for many months and really enjoy it. Even without AS3X, the Sbach is still stable, predictable and a very capable performer.

For this photo shoot, we were flying the review model inside the gymnasium. It was no problem, but there wasn’t extra room to spare in the flight box. I fly my Sbach outside mostly, and even with its small size it penetrates the wind quite well. Of the three airplanes in this review, the power-toweight ratio of the Sbach 342 is the most impressive.

Flying it outdoors is lots of fun, and like the Beast 3D, flying precision IMAC sequences is quite good for a model of this size.

Tracking is very good too. Also, with its side-force-generators installed, knife-edge flight is easy, and with almost no control coupling. Knifeedge loops are possible, but they require lots of altitude. Snap rolls are fast and precise, and its roll rate is excellent when performing axial

The Sbach 342 is a superblooking airplane and an extremely capable indoor and outdoor flyer. It delivers super value in an ultra-micro package.

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

Beast, Gee Bee & Sbach We flew the Sbach indoors for this review because of the weather, but I’ve put hours on mine outdoors.

The side-force generators come with the UMX Sbach 342 BNF package, and they are fantastic!

Here you see the Sbach laying it down in terms of knife-edge flight, which the side-force generators aid.

You will enjoy this model because it will give you the ability to practice your IMAC maneuvers.

There is a lot to like about this little UMX Sbach 342 BNF airplane: You can fly it indoors, you can fly it outdoors, you can practice 3D flying and you can practice IMAC. You can also just have a ton of fun with the $169.99 airplane.

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Specifications

If you push the throttle forward on the Sbach it will gain speed quickly, yet you can slow it down too when you need to land.

This is my hangar of airplanes that I took to the gymnasium for a Sunday afternoon of fun.

We flew a couple of the airplanes outside too, but the wind was not too cooperative.

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

The UMX Sbach is powered by a 180-size 2500-Kv brushless outrunner motor that gets current from a 180-mAh LiPo battery.

Type

Micro Aerobatic

Wingspan

17.0 in. (432 mm)

Length

16.6 in. (422 mm)

Wing area

65 in.2 (4.2 dm2)

Weight

1.95 oz (55 g) w/ battery

Wing loading

4.2 oz/ft2

Motor

180-size 2500-Kv brushless outrunner

Transmitter

4-channel w/ dual rates and expo

Servos

(4) S2000L linear

Propeller

5×2.75

Battery

2S 7.4-V 180-mAh LiPo

Flight duration

≈6 minutes

Charger

DC powered 2S LiPo

Pilot

Intermediate

Environment

Indoor/Outdoor

Price

$169.99

Beast, Gee Bee & Sbach rolls and blenders. Although they are not as flat as those of a giant-scale airplane, I can coax a knife-edge spin out of my Sbach. Rolling spins are fast and look really cool, as do IMAC spins.

Indoors, the airplane was limited in its flight envelope due to the small space, but it still delivered rolling circles, snaking figure-eights, knife-edge flight and more. Harriers are possible, but they require constant correction.

Torque rolls, although possible with the Sbach, are not easy to perform.

The airplane’s slow flight is very good, and stalls aren’t wicked. Landings are uneventful, and I generally land my model in a three-point position.

With its sleek lines, sharp paint scheme and precision flight characteristics, the E-Flite UMX

Sbach 342 really attracts attention.

You’ll discover, as I have that it is very rewarding to fly. You will not be disappointed with this airplane should you opt to buy one!

While the Sbach has been available now for about a year, it is a UMX airplane that should not be overlooked if you are searching for a model that will let you get lots of aerobatic practice. It is an excellent flyer and priced right too!

Debrief

For me, RC aviation is awesome, no matter if I’m flying my 35-percent-scale Hangar 9 Extra 300 or an ultra-micro airplane indoors. This is a great hobby, and it is about fun! Horizon Hobby’s line of Ultra Micro and Ultra Micro Extreme airplanes are, in my opinion, superb values for your dollars spent. And if that is not enough reason to buy one, consider that the weather indoors is always good.

Furthermore, E-flite’s new AS3X control system is just amazing. You must experience it firsthand to appreciate the RC piloting it offers.

Iif you are looking for a handful of fun and relaxation, buy a UMX airplane, or better yet, get one with the new AS3X system for even more enjoyment. The prices are definitely right and affordable.

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BY Daniel Holman

Hyper Taxi Get In, Sit Down and Take a Ride

This is a very unusual-looking airplane, but it is pretty wild and fun to fly because you can be doing 3D maneuvers with it in almost no time, whether you fly it indoors or out.

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

E-flite® Hyper Taxi

H

orizon Hobby and E-flite have outdone themselves with their new Hyper Taxi, equipped with AS3X. Developing the new AS3X micro stabilization system has been no easy task, but through months of extensive testing, they have finally blurred the line between giant-scale and ultra-micro flight performance.

When I read about the release, I though it was cool. After experiencing it firsthand, all I can say is that it blew me away! I have never been fond of gyro systems, but while this system utilizes a three-axis gyro, it is so much more! Instead of giving you the feeling that it is flying the airplane, this new AS3X system gives the ultra-micro airplane the feel that you would expect from a giant-scale aircraft by correcting for wind and turbulence as well as making all the controls feel much more fluid and natural. Moreover, if you put this system in a poor-handling airplane, you’ll suddenly have one that flies well. Put the AS3X system in an airplane that handles well, and well … read on!

Wil called me to say he had just received three of E-Flite’s new AS3Xequipped aircraft. He wanted to get together for a photo shoot. Needless to say, I was excited!

Assembly

In the gym at Goldendale, Washington where I fly indoor airplanes, the Hyper Taxi was easily removed from its kit box/carrying case, as was its charger and 2S 80-mAh LiPo battery pack. After putting the battery on to charge, I used another battery to bind the aircraft’s receiver to my JR 11X transmitter. Programming the transmitter for the Hyper Taxi was quick and easy because the model requires almost no programming.

Dual-rate controls are recommended but not mandatory. I programmed a little exponential into the transmitter and then checked the controls. The Hyper Taxi was ready to fly in less than 10 minutes from box opening.

It’s really that easy!

Here I am with my JR 11X transmitter and the UMX Hyper Taxi, which comes with a built-in AS3X system. It will only take you a few minutes to ready this model for flight.

It won’t take you long to learn how to do harrier flight with your Hyper Taxi. It is an easy model to master.

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I maidened my Hyper Taxi in the gymnasium, but you can certainly fly this model outdoors, although its performance envelope will be limited by the wind.

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

E-fliteÂŽ Hyper Taxi

You’ll need to get used to the orientation of your Hyper Taxi if you want to really go crazy with it because right side up can be upside down.

The Hyper Taxi uses four long-throw linear servos to drive its control surfaces, which are ailerons, elevators, rudders and throttle.

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This shot was taken just after liftoff, which is pretty cool because the model takes off like a rocket would—straight up.

The colors that E-flite provides on their Hyper Taxi really help keep you oriented to the attitude of the airplane.

In the Air

With its battery charge complete, I was itching to get the Hyper Taxi off the ground! Placing it in the center of the gymnasium floor, I advanced the power to about 90 percent, and the model lifted off gracefully.

I pulled the power back slightly to maintain its altitude at about a foot above the floor. In hover, the AS3X system is always working, but the airplane still feels natural and reminds me of hovering a small 3D foamy.

Aileron authority is excellent even at zero airspeed because the ailerons/ elevators are positioned right behind the propeller. Torque rolls can be quite fast, and reverse torque rolls are no problem. While in hovering flight, be sure not to over-control the aircraft, as it requires very small inputs. Hovering it right above the ground is fun, but be careful because the ground effect is noticeable, and it takes a little more piloting than hovering at altitude.

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

This shot shows it backing down to the gymnasium floor for a landing. You can torque roll it for fun on approach.

E-flite® Hyper Taxi

Here I’m transitioning the model to forward flight. You’ll just add some down elevator, and then the model will begin to accelerate.

The Hyper Taxi is powered by a 180-size 2500-Kv brushless outrunner that gets power from a 7.4-V 2S 180-mAh LiPo battery pack.

Transition from hovering flight to forward flight is amazingly smooth and as easy as gently pushing down elevator until the attitude is about 10 degrees nose-high. After a few clicks of trim the Hyper Taxi will be flying straight and hardly faster than walking speed. Forward flight is almost hands off and can be

You can expect to get approximately five to eight minutes of flight time from the Hyper Taxi when it is fitted with a 180-mAh E-flite LiPo battery pack.

performed at any angle between 5 and 30 degrees, depending on the desired airspeed you want to fly it.

After doing a circuit of the gym upright, I rolled to inverted flight and found that it was just as stable and easy to maintain. For me, the funniest part of flying the Hyper Taxi is that it handles the same right side up,

inverted and in knife-edge flight. With the exception of the small canopy, the profile is mirrored all the way around, so flying it in low-light conditions would not be a good idea because you cannot rely on a silhouette for orientation.

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E-flite® Hyper Taxi anything that a 3D foamy will, but in a different way. Slow rolls, point rolls and all the regular aerobatics are a cinch. Control authority is excellent all the way around, and it’s fun to fly along inverted and push full down elevator to pop up into forward flight in the opposite direction. High-alpha maneuvers are stable and with power to spare. The Hyper Taxi’s roll rate is very fast when the nose is pointed down, and it is very manageable through rolling harriers and axial rolls. Loops are tight without a hint of stalling even when using full up elevator, thanks in part to the AS3X system.

Landing the Hyper Taxi is fun and easier than it looks. To end my first flight, I pulled the model’s nose up to about 45 degrees and flew it in harrier towards my desired landing point. Two feet before reaching that point, I applied a blip of throttle and up-elevator control to get the nose vertical. After sticking it in a hover,

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RC SPORT FLYER — June 2012

I pulled the throttle back to about 60 percent and let the Hyper Taxi back down, keeping it vertical with elevator and rudder control. I gently increased the throttle when it was 6 in. off the ground—arresting its descent. Then I let the Hyper Taxi gently kiss the ground.

Debrief

The Hyper Taxi really surprised me with its stability and wide flight envelope. The AS3X system makes this airplane what it is and rewards the pilot with a stress-free and fun piloting experience.

This airplane is not a trainer, but I would recommend it to the intermediate and advanced pilot.

Those who want to fly a Hyper Taxi must be capable of hovering an airplane to successfully fly this one.

Priced at only $169.99, there’s nothing but fun to be had with this new release from E-flite and Horizon Hobby.

Specifications Type

Aerobatic & 3D

Pilot skill

Intermediate

Wingspan

14.7 in. (373 mm)

Length

12.7 in. (323 mm)

Weight

2.55 oz (73 g)

Motor

180-size 2500-Kv brushless outrunner

Battery

7.4-V 180-mAh 2S LiPo

Flight duration

≈5–8 minutes

Environment

Indoor/Outdoor

Assembly Required

No

Price

$169.99

Distributor Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 Horizonhobby.com If you are looking for truly affordable fun in a wild little model, the Hyper Taxi is it. You can’t beat the $169.99 price!

RAIN GOT yOU GROUNDED?

Don’t let the weather get in the way of a little stick time PHOENIX PROFESSIONAL RC FLIGHT SIMULATION Don’t let the weather keep you down. With the Phoenix Flight Sim, you can fly anytime, rain or shine. This flight sim has it all, from amazing graphics to incredibly realistic physics. It’s the only sim that comes with a fully functional Spektrum™ 5-channel DX5e 2.4GHz transmitter that you can use to fly real aircraft at the field. So ignore the weather. And let the good times take flight.

INCLUDES: » Functional Spektrum DX5e 2.4GHz transmitter » Over 150 RC model simulations included » FREE downloads of many more models available » Fly with friends online

©2011 Horizon Hobby, Inc. PhoenixRC and the PhoenixRC logo are registered trademarks of Runtime Games Ltd. Exclusively distributed by Horizon Hobby, Inc. The Spektrum trademark is used with permission of Bachmann Industries, Inc. 31786

For the Fun For the

RecReate epic aiR Battles with these paRkZone waRBiRds Enjoy one of the finest scale flying experiences available and become an ace in a day with the ParkZone® Albatros D. Va or RAF S.E.5a. Both let you take on your friends in thrilling air-to-air combat with the optional Sonic Combat adapter with leads and Sonic Combat Module™ (see inset). Of course, you don’t have to fight to have fun.

The stunning detail and spirited brushless performance of both planes makes sport aerobatics or shooting touch and gos just as much fun as shooting down friends.

Own the sky! Go to parkzone.com right now to learn more and to find the ParkZone retailer near you.

Albatros D. Va

Wingspan: 42.3 in (1070mm) Length: 35.0 in (890mm) Weight: 43.4 oz (1230 g) Motor: Speed Control: Servos: Transmitter: Receiver: Battery: Charger:

RAF S.E.5a

Wingspan: 37.1 in (945mm) Length: 30.0 in (760mm) Weight: 40.6 oz (1150 g)

960Kv 480 brushless outrunner motor (installed) E-flite® 30A Pro Switch-Mode BEC (installed) 4 sub-micro (installed) 4+ Channel (sold separately) Spektrum™ AR600 DSM2®/DSMX® (installed on BNF only) 3S 11.1V 1800mAh 15C Li-Po (included with BNF only) 2S–3S DC Li-Po balancing fast charger (included with BNF only)

(PKZ5980) PNP (PKZ5985) BNF (PKZ5580) (PKZ5575)

horizonhobby.com ©2012 Horizon Hobby, Inc. ParkZone, just fly., Sonic Combat Module, DSM2, E-flite and the Horizon Hobby logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Horizon Hobby, Inc. DSMX is a trademark of Horizon Hobby, Inc., registered in the U.S. The Spektrum trademark is used with permission of Bachmann Industries, Inc. Patents pending. 35429

Glory

ExPErIEnCE ThE ruSh of AIr-To-AIr CoMbAT with the SonIC CoMbAT ADAPTEr WITh lEADS (PKZ1055) and SonIC CoMbAT MoDulES (hBZ4020), Sold Separately Installation is easy. Plug the Sonic Combat adapter with leads into an open switch channel on your receiver and connect it to your speed control as directed. Then, connect the Sonic Combat Module (or SCM) and attach it to the outside of your plane. When activated, the SCM fires a short burst of sonic energy with an effective range of up to 80 feet. To score a hit, get within range of another SCM-equipped plane, lock onto its tail and fire.

When hit, your victim’s Sonic Combat Module will emit a high-pitched tone and disable their motor for 3 seconds.

During this time, they’ll still have flight controls and can maneuver for a counter attack or a safe landing.

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450 X

The Expert Edge: Blade 450 X The Blade® heli development team has decades of combined RC experience designing or flying everything from ultra micros to high-performance 3D machines. If anyone knows what awesome performance looks and feels like, they do. It’s their expertise that makes the Blade 450 X the ultimate 450-size Bind-N-Fly® experience.

At the core of its awesome performance is the Spektrum™ AR7200BX Flybarless Control System; a remarkable advance that combines a 7-channel DSMX® receiver with BeastX™ 3-axis MEMS stabilization into a single, lightweight unit. This, combined with a high-output brushless power system, hardened dampers and carbon fiber blades, allows you to experience spectacular 3D performance, right out of the box.

Get to bladehelis.com right now for complete details on this incredible Bind-N-Fly heli experience and to find a Blade retailer near you.

Specifications: Length: 25.8 in (655mm) Height: 6.10 in (155mm) Flying Weight: 25.3 oz (717 g) Rotor Diameter: 28.4 in (720mm) Main Motor: E-flite® 440H 4200Kv brushless, installed On-Board Electronics: Spektrum AR7200BX 7-Channel DSMX Flybarless Control System with Integrated BeastX Technology, installed Battery: E-flite 3S 11.1V 2200mAh 30C Li-Po, included Charger: 3-cell DC Li-Po balancing, included

horizonhobby.com © 2012 Horizon Hobby, Inc. Blade, E-flite, Bind-N-Fly and the Horizon Hobby logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Horizon Hobby, Inc. DSMX is a trademark of Horizon Hobby, Inc., registered in the U.S. The Spektrum trademark is used with permission of Bachmann Industries, Inc. BeastX is a trademark of Markus Schaack and is used with permission. The Spektrum AR7200BX employs technology exclusively licensed to Horizon Hobby, Inc. from freakware GmbH. U.S. 7,391,320. Other Patents Pending. www.bladehelis.com 35090