Performance-Stats and Final Thoughts
Initial flight:
Before painting, I did take a test flight, see the video for it here.
Initially it was a bit bumpy, almost going straight up from take off. I
had to trim out the elevator (on the elevator itself, though I trimmed it out on
the transmitter at first) to make a more level flight at 50% throttle. I
should mention that you, of course, have to balance the plane at the 85mm from
the wing leading edge at the "root". I marked both sides of the fuselage
then extrapolated that down to the bottom of the plane drawing a line there (its
just behind the leading edge of the wing). With my 3200mah 9.2oz or so
pack, I have the pack velcroed to the side of the fuselage and the position of
the main square of the pack ends at about the midpoint of the two servos in the
fuselage.
Balancing of the Props:
Using the finger balancer or any other balancer, you should also balance the
props. The key to balancing is making sure it swings to the same position
each time (not necessarily level position). If it doesn't balance, use
sandpaper to sand down the heavy side or add nail polish to the side that is
lighter.
Servo Groan
You will want to eliminate any servo groan prior to flight. What this
means is when the plane is sitting idle, you should not hear the servos.
You should also not hear them groan when you reach your maximum positions with
the sticks. If you do, try several things: Flexing the control
surfaces (the foam), make sure there is no binding on the control rods (ie: bent
rods), etc.
Actual Performance Stats
I purchased the
Astro Flight meter
to test out the performance. Keep in
mind it doesnt come with deans connectors, so you must put your own on, pay
close attention to which side has the male and female connectors. If you
have this reversed the readings will not be correct!
Stats:
7x5e: 19.20 amps, 222 watts, 11.55 volts
8x4e: 23.4 amps, 267 watts, 11.48v (without props, 2.63 amps,
12.33v, 32 watts)
No load: 0.14 amps (with one servo groaning this becomes 0.26 amps)
RPMS: 8x4: 8222 x 2 or about 16,444 combined (initial test), ~19,000
(final config)
Thrust test: (standing nose down on kitchen scale) Roughly 49oz
AUW (no paint): 44.2 oz (with tape on the bottom to protect the plane
during landings)
AUW (paint): 45.2 oz (with tape on the
bottom)
Flight times: 15 minutes without continually pushing the limits (say 40%
aerobatic), probably could max to 20 mins
Vertical ability: On a fresh battery nearly straight up, so say around 89%
of vertical or near vertical for maybe 100 feet or more
before stalling.
Final Thoughts:
After having just a few Zagi electrics for years, I must say this plane is very
easy to fly. You become better at making shorter and shorter landings
(distance wise it takes some room at first to land, until you become better at
it or add some weight to the plane to bring it down quicker). I chose to
stick with the 8x4 prop. I will eventually be adding 900mhz video
equipment to the plane, adding around 4oz of weight (Stay tuned for that guide
as well). This plane should handle the extra load with ease, with this
brushless setup.
You can also add wheels to the plane if you want. There are many ways to
do it, most of them if doing it directly, involve attaching plywood plates to
the bottom of the fuselage for support. Another method is to make a frame
from tubing at a hardware store and use rubber bands to attach the whole thing
to the plane (makes for easy removal in situations where wheels aren't desired)
As far as aerobatics go, this plane did very well for the type of plane it is.
I was able to make very tight loops and some rapid barrel rolls among others
with ease.
PROS:
-
Fairly easy to build
-
Very good performance from the Xtra motors
-
Easy to fly
-
Ideal for a camera setup, with the props on each side and
out of view
CONS:
-
A bit pricey for this brushless setup and the whole deal
-
Directions aren't always exactly the best route to take,
you must improvise (minor)
Ratings Explained:
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