FT Baby Blender. Re Maiden !!

...a super bipe

I had long wanted a bi-plane and, having been bitten by the Flitetest bug, I decided that the Baby Blender would be the one for me.

Having built it and checked the CG I discovered, as I have with a few FT planes, that it was tail heavy and therefore I decided to fly it with a 2200 battery to add weight to the nose.

In addition to now being heavier, for the first time I used an "all-in-one" pack from eBay which, at about the same cost as making the plane, I thought a perfect fit. Unfortunately the Baby Blender turnout out to be pitch sensitive, either going up or down in a hurry with no happy medium achievable.

Also unfortunately, the eBay motor popped after only a few minutes, leaving the overweight bipe to plummet earthwards.

Fast-forwarding several months, I eventually replaced the Blender's motor and also gave it a covered lower cowling, something I'd tested with success on the FT 3D. Also, I decided to go with a lighter 1800 battery and see what happened.

The combination turned out to be a winner, the lighter-weight FT was still stable and now with a much lighter nose it quietly floated around the field once I'd set the elevator trim down a little; it headed for the skies so much lift was it generating!

The only change I made from the first flight was to increase the aileron throws a touch. Apart from that all good, and I'm looking forward to many more flights peacefully punting the little bipe around the oval...

Rarebear Funfighter. First Flight.

back in business...

The Rarebear was my second fast plane, after the notoriously hard to launch Radjet. Despite its diminutive caricature proportions, it was blindingly fast and flew on rails. However, as happens, it had it’s share of incidents, including a near lipo fire and a high speed excursion through a barbed wire fence. Finally, battered and weakened beyond stable flight, it was retired to the wall and gradually stripped of it’s internals for new projects.

So it was with great excitement that I came again to consider another Rarebear to join the flying corp. The first time round I’d chosen the PNF version, in the rather dull white and brown livery, but this time I got the ARF kit, unpainted and without decals. This time also I changed the battery; last time I went with the “ballistic upgrade” 45-90C which, when combined with the diminutive current-junkie funfighter motor, makes for epic speed and addictive noise. However it was far too fast in reality, so this time I chose the same 850mAh 4S battery, but in more sedate 25-50C form.

Also, I had a bit of fun rendering the Rarebear into its donor Bearcat regalia; Navy decals with pacific blue paint (a few shades lighter than the real thing). Overall I thought it looked great. Also, importantly, I applied tape to all the hinge lines (excluding the rudder which doesn’t function) to avoid a repeat of the “missing bits” episode of the original.

So to the first flight. Yes, I was nervous. The Rarebear is small, fast and can kick on launch, so certainly not to be taken lightly. So it was with some trepidation that I threw it up on about half throttle and held my breath.

As it turns out, the rare bear was very well behaved, climbing sweetly into the sky; a little steeply because I’d set the elevator up a bit and, after it had levelled off, flew absolutely beautifully, straight and stable, turning with characteristic crispness and climbing with absolute disregard for gravitational dynamics.

In all, the first flight was excellent, the little ‘bear even slowing up for landing without a hint of wing drop, so I’m now looking forward eagerly to pushing the limits towards full throttle, enjoying the subdued howl of the little fighter across the kangaroo paddocks…

FT Cruiser X-57. First Flight.

...hey I made an X-plane. sort of...

Having seen NASA's intriguing X-57 Electric Research Plane, I decided to converted Flitetest's twin-engined FT Cruiser into an RC version of NASA's experimental plane, featuring twin electric motors mounted in the wingtips.

The X-57 actually features 14 motors, twelve small motors with folding props mounted in the leading edge of the wings providing supplementary power for takeoff. The two larger motors installed in the wingtips provide the high-speed cruise propulsion.

I wasn't going to be wiring up fourteen motors, so I dispatched with the dozen leading edge units favouring the simpler hand-launch solution. I used small 89W quad motors (1806 2300kv) running at on a 3S 2200 battery. The propellors are 5x3 props, swinging inwards sweeping air onto the top of the wing to counteracting the wingtip vortex.

This is one of the main benefits of the wingtip design, a second being that the concentrated wingtip flow feeds into the propellor, increasing the dynamic thrust. Finally, additional thrust is generated by virtue of the outside sweep of the prop being unimpeded by the presence of a wing; the prop wash goes into free air.

The modified FT Cruiser with weighs 940g all up, or 749g without battery compared to the spec mass of 766g. The 17g difference is due to reduced wing size, one less servo (rudder servo ditched in favour of differential thrust) and smaller motors. However, 7g ballast had to be added to the nose for CoG correction due to the motors being set rearwards compared to the standard Cruiser configuration.

The motors generate a combined 710g of thrust as installed, sufficient for cruise but certainly not 3D flight. Static thrust of a commercial aircraft is a quarter of its loaded weight and around half of its empty weight. In the case of the xCruiser this would equate to 235g to 470g respectively. So it's comfortably powered in aircraft terms although less so in RC terms where closer to 100% is nice-to-have...

Turbo Porter Sunset

...evening walk became an evening flight

Wild rainy weather for the day suddenly subsided into a golden sunset, warm rays flooding under the dissipating sheet of clouds. Taking the opportunity for some exercise, I headed out for a walk. However I hadn't made it to the corner before I'd decided that this would actually be a great time for a sunset flight.

I don't often fly at the local fields anymore as there's not that much space, quite a few trees and often people walking dogs or playing. However, with sunset approaching and it having just stopped raining, I packed the Turbo Porter and headed down the road.

As ever sunset changes rapidly and the best of it was gone by the time the Porter headed to the skies. However, I managed to capture some of the fading sunset and enjoyed compiling the video... 

Canadair on the Duckpond

...finally flying off the pond

The field where I often fly was prone to flooding at the southern end; an event which occasioned the influx of birds of all kinds and the occasional kangaroo something for a splash.

However, unfortunately the sports club didn't share my enthusiasm at an inundated playing field and so instituted an engineered solution to pump the flood waters away. Happily, after a year or so, this fiendish system has failed, heralding a triumphant return of the ephemeral pond.

I had often been tempted to get something flying off the pond but for some reason never got around to it. However, for once, I managed to get to the field with a float plane while the pond was still full and when the weather was OK, in this case with the Canadair.

Unfortunately, as far as the video was concerned, the sun dipped away behind the clouds just as I the Canadair hit the water, so the video quality was frustratingly compromised. Despite that technical hiccup, the flying was a success, making the wait worthwhile...

Raptor Sunny Clouds

...a ray of sunshine

The weather this autumn and winter has been dreadfully windy, all the more remarkable given that this is usually the stillest time of the year and the opportunity I'd taken to fly off the lake in the still afternoons.

However, there have been a few occasions when the gusting northerly has abated and yielded bejewelled afternoons, like this one.

Heading down to my usual spot, lovely cumulus decorated the vivid blue sky, the dark grey of their undersides vividly contrasting with the sparkling white of their peaks. As on the best late-afternoons, the clear horizon allowed a full spread of lush, golden sunlight to drench the lush greenery of the fields and add a sense of magical perfection to the scene.

These are my favourite flying conditions, preferred to sunny mornings or even lovely sunrises, except for when I'm suddenly wanting to capture a special moment of exceptional light, or beautiful cloud formation, or ibis flying formation.

Fortunately, in some cases such as this, I don't need to worry as I've got the video running and I can enjoy the moment. Flying the Raptor now is lovely, my favourite being it's red and white wings contrasting vividly with the blue and greys of the sky as it sweeps past...

Phoenix 2000. First Flight.

...a little slope soaring

I've chosen to set up the Phoenix 2000 as a pure soaring glider without motor, running a 2200 3S battery located right at the firewall and some small-change ballast installed in the nose cone.

I have configured the Phoenix with crow brakes, as I discovered that having some sort of brake/lift dump is essential, whether that be fence-type brakes or, in this case, flaps and ailerons configured to generate drag and reflex the airfoil respectively

There are, unfortunately, no good slope soaring sites nearby, however I decided to try the hill at the far end of the paddocks where I fly; not particularly high or steep but enough to generate a little lift.

The wind was a strong north-wester, a little gusty too, and I launched the Phoenix with as lusty a hurl as I could summons. The Phoenix flies well enough, catching what little and sporadic lift was available here.

I tried the Phoenix with and without flaperons active but, given the very turbulent conditions, I couldn't asses the effect they have.  Similarly, I didn't get the opportunity to really test the crow brakes, however they were effective in slowing the glider down and didn't cause it to climb when deployed which is good.

However, as a first try, the Phoenix is encouraging, so I'll be trying to get it flying in some better lift... 

Fox Glider with Funfighter Motor.

...back with avengeance

The little Fox glider is a beautiful flier, however mine has always suffered from motor vibration. Even the addition of a supplementary firewall didn't make much difference, so the little Fox was eventually consigned to hang on the wall whilst I decided what to do.

Help came in the form of the forced retirement of the Radjet, and I transplanted the Funfighter motor I'd installed there into the Fox. To complement this I'm using a 1500 4S Zippy compact battery, lightweight enough not to tax the speedy motor but large enough to provide generous flight times for the sleek Fox.

The result is speedy, the slippery Fox now genuinely fast and very quiet, the Funfighter motor providing it with landscape-traversing speed and generous, although not unlimited, vertical climb.

So all in all a simple and very successful transplant, the Fox glider flying with the Radjet's heart...

SR71 Blackbird. First Flight.

...blackbird of noisiness

The SR71 is a Parkjets design, one of those "stickplanes" which combine simple construction with characteristic design cues that define the aircraft.

I chose to do the 125% version, giving a wingspan of 840mm and a length of 1250 and making it quite an impressive aircraft.

I chose to power the Blackbird with a funfighter motor I'd liberated from my old Rarebear. This motor is a little under-specced for a plane this size, yet it managed to give the SR71 a decent turn of speed nonetheless. I was going to use a 1500 4S lipo but, unable to get CoG sorted, opted for a heavier 2200 4S to balance things out.


My main concern approaching launch was not it's flight characteristics which, being a large delta promised to be benign, but the proximity of the handhold to the propellor! Fortunately this concern was unfounded, and the SR71 took to the skies beautifully stably.

As the Blackbird accelerated away, it became apparent that this is a very noisy plane, even noisier than the Radjet with the same motor...

Phoenix 2000 EPO Composite Glider. Unofficial Unboxing.

...back to the future

The Phoenix 2000 was the very first RC plane I purchased, and so this is very much a back-to-the-future episode for me.

The Phoenix 2000 is, as it was back then, a very well build and affordable RC plane. It has a sturdy plastic moulded fuselage, which it shares with its sibling the Phoenix 1600, which comes complete with plywood battery tray and rear servo deck.

The fuselage comes with the rear control rods pre-installed and, on PNF versions, the servos installed and connected.

The wings are good-quality EPO with moulded-in reinforcements, and a carbon joiner rod is supplied as well. There's also a sleek moulded plastic canopy which clips onto the fuselage.

The wings have substantial ailerons, with servos installed on the PNF package, although control rods have to be fitted yourself. There's provision for flaps including moulded recess for servo and linkages included - you just need to cut the flap free where they're moulded to the wing.

The kit comes with a folding prop and spinner with collet adapter, and there's a fixed nosecone in case you just want this as a pure glider.

So the Phoenix 2000 comes highly recommended as a high-quality entry-level glider, sturdily constructed yet elegant and capable in the air...

Fun With the FT Viggen.

...fast and fun

The Viggen has proved to be a great addition to the fleet, being fast stable and distinctive in the air. And, all this despite it being my first Flitetest build.

Most amazingly is how easily, and stably, it launches; being flat underneath you have to launch it underhand and yet it climbs stably without threat of stall or spin.

It's benign characteristics are a combination of it being a delta, but also certainly due to the calming effect of the canards, keeping the nose up and reducing the load on the wings.

You can turn the Viggen as sharply as you like and it won't do anything nasty. In fact, so effectively will it turn that it's almost like it has vectored thrust, being able to keep on looping almost about its own length.

And it's quite quick too; my version runs a common-or-garden ebay fan with a 50A ESC and is good for about 100kph. You could load it up with a 12 blade fan although I'm not sure how much aero load you'd want to put on a foam board plane...

Flying the Firstar EDF

...on a sunny Saturday afternoon

Beautiful weekend weather begged for some flying, so I headed down to the paddock with the Firstar EDF conversion. The first flight of this has been on a cold & overcast morning, so this afternoon would be an opportunity to try out the big FPv plane in some sunny weather.

With the straight-shooting EDF unit, the flight characteristics are much more aligned with its close cousin, the phoenix 2000 glider, making it a real pleasure to fly. And today enjoying having a bit of fun cruising it around the open space of the paddocks.

Whilst EDF's are known energy hogs, the Forstar flies so much better and truer that I still think the overall performance and duration can't be worse than with that huge prop tower and negative thrust line. This still has to be tested when I get some proper FPV flying done, but even just punting the Firstar around is so much more fun now...

Firstar V2. 70mm EDF Conversion.

...flies and sounds better

The flight performance of the Firstar has been very disappointing, mainly I think because of the effect of the negative thrust angle which effectively just increases the wing loading.

So, like I'd long considered with the Floater Jet but never actually did, I've replaced the pusher prop with a low-mounted 70mm EDF installed directly on the body mount used for the stock motor tower with large cable tie straps screwed in place.

The EDF is rated at about 1.2kg thrust, far more than required, so I'm only running it at 60% speed on a 3000 4S lipo, which is more than adequate. In conjunction I've also replaced the stock 30A ESC with a 50A unit.

The thrust line of the EDF is virtually through the centre of lift on the wing, and this shows on launch with the V2 flying straight and then beginning to climb as the speed climbs, in stark contrast to its behavior with the tall pusher prop where it always nosed in and was reluctant to climb.

The much sleeker form, with the tower and foam shroud, means that it's also faster through the air, if required, and glides very well. And, if you needed more benefits, it also sounds brilliant...

Flitetest Viggen. First Flight.

...no bites from the vegan

Preparing for the first flight of the FT Viggen I was both excited and nervous; it looked to be a great flying plane made a little more forgiving with the canards. However, having a completely flat underside, it was also the first plane that I’d ever have to launch underhand.

So, as I’ve done several times before, I headed into the depths of the paddocks to a launch spot with long grass, just in case I needed an arrestor bed. As it turns out not really but it didn’t hurt since, at my first attempt, the trajectory was too flat, and the Viggen simply disappeared gently into the foliage.

The second attempt was good, the Viggen holding an upward attitude till I could bump up the throttle and then it was on its way.

Flitetest Nutball. First Flight.

...a well rounded plane


Whilst waiting for parts to arrive for the completion of the Viggen, my first Flitetest project, I decided to do a Nutball from a spare sheet of foam and a scrap motor.

It's a very easy plane to make, much simpler than the relatively complex Viggen, so didn't take long to make at all.

However, I didn't like the front-mounted motor or externally attached battery, which I thought looked ugly, so I mounted the motor internally and made access to the power pod through the top of the plane.

The result was a much neater-looking plane however required a much bigger battery (a 1300 3S) in order to compensate for the relocated motor.

With a big wing area I didn't think this would be a problem, however it turned what should be a slow floater into an absolute handful of a plane. Additionally, the elevator/rudder setup seemed highly ineffective with the Nutball not wanting to turn much at all. In fact, overall, flying the Nutball it recalled my first flights with the nose-heavy Radjet. 

By the end of the second flight, which ended with the Nutball spiralling into the paddock, I'd decided to reduce weight with a smaller battery mounted on top, and to change to elevon mix layout to improve flight response... 

Firstar Sunrise III

...and lovely clouds

Another lovely morning from a few weeks ago, perfect for for a pre-work sunrise flight. The Firstar is a good camera platform, although I haven't been able to use it for FPV due to interference issues with my Taranis radio.

Also, the motor configuration means it doesn't climb very well. However this will soon change; I'm getting some bandpass filters which will hopefully resolve the 2.4GHz interference, and I'm planning to replace the prop with a low-mounted EDF unit to eliminate the down-thrust of the stock unit.

So, we'll see how these changes pan out; here's hoping for some cloud soaring...

Canadair on the Lake.

...an afternoon cruise

It's not often that I get to the lake; access is restricted so it's only on nice afternoons when it's not to windy. And only on a few couple of days a week.

On this particular afternoon things were looking good, so I arrived at the lake only to find that it was pretty windy.

Now the Canadair is a very capable and stable flyer, but I'm nervous about mishaps on water, necessitating getting my inflatable rescue craft out, blowing it up before paddling across the lake you're not supposed to go boating on.

Anyway, I decided to fly nonetheless and, fortunately, things went fine. The water wasn't too rough nor the wind too gusty, so I had a pleasant afternoon cruising the Canadair around and doing takeoffs and landing without having to call the rescue squad...

Firstar V2. Sunrise Series II.

...sunrise and mist

Going into autumn I again have the opportunity to enjoy sunrises at the field as they coincide with my journey to work. On this particular occasion there was the extra bonus of mist covering the outer fields.

In the suburbs mist is a rare visitor, so I feel especially to spent time with this ethereal visitor, so quickly dispelled with the approach of the sun's rays.

The window of sunrise was quite small, one of those where the light squeezes between horizon and clouds for a few minutes, blossoming brightness growing again quickly dull as the sun heads into the clouds.

Nevertheless, it was a beautifully tranquil morning, with a mix of clouds, mist and sun...

Turbo Porter. S.T.O.L. Fun.

...windy-day fun

Having just successfully flown the Stinger jet after its repair, I headed down the road for a chill-out session with the Turbo Porter.

As it turned out, the wind had freshened considerably to the degree that I had initial trouble getting a stable take-off run. However, having banished those gremlins, I settled into enjoying the PC-6's thoroughbred characteristics.

Despite the breezy and gusty conditions, the PC-6 was always stable and, with flaps fully deployed, could almost be landed vertically. And, one the one touch and go, the PC-6 appeared to bounce leisurely into a near vertical climb with ease.

So a fun end to an action-packed afternoon's flying...

Stinger 64 EDF. Repair Flight.

...back in the air!

It was months ago when, having too much fun with the Stinger, I inadvertently sent it speeding into the swampy paddock grass, where it half its nose and my near-new nanotech battery disappeared into the mud.

Since then I have agonised over how I was to replicate the tapering form of the nose, which also accommodates the canopy magnet and terminates into the join with the nosecone.

Eventually I used rear sections of the original fuselage (funny how you never crash backwards), although this wasn't quite right and had to be cut, and then added onto, and then filled, and sanded, and painted.

However, after this unnecessarily protracted affair, the Stinger was again airworthy and looking pretty good. However, the proof of the pudding if in how well it flies.

Fortunately, in this case, it flew as well as ever, and I was gifted with a good launch as well. So back to enjoying a few run-filled, adrenalin rushing minutes screeching the Stinger around the paddocks...

Raptor Glider 2000. Gorgeous Clouds.

...beautiful afternoon to be in the sky

I love clouds, especially crisp fresh clouds. Or wispy clouds driven by high chill winds. But especially good are those times when you're treated to a dramatic combination of developing clouds made more dramatic, in this case, by warm afternoon glow from the opposite horizon.

The conditions were windy and a little turbulent, as you might imagine, but nothing to deter the Raptor from having a bit of fun cruising around and surfing the breeze.

Fying with such gorgeous sky scenery is a real treat, and one of those occasions on which I'm so happy to be able to get something in the sky and be a part of nature's beautiful spectacle.

Turbo Porter PC6. Wing Cam.

...an intriguing viewpoint

I decided to give the Turbo Porter a go with a wing cam - I’ve only tried this once before on the Raptor glider, and I thought that the Porter would be a good candidate to handle the imbalance that the weight & drag of the camera creates.

I also thought I’d try a ground, putting the mobius on a mini tripod to capture launch and landing action.

Well it turns out that the latter is a bit trickier than I expected; it has to be located far enough away that the plane has lifted off, obviously, so there’s running back & forth to set it up. Secondly, when I have to fly to fixed cameras my flying goes to pieces. I crashed the Rarebear doing this after having flown it twice without incidence beforehand.

Despite the incumberences of the wing and ground cameras, I still managed to get some nice footage, with the wing cam providing intriguing fixed footage of the Porter as the scenery and lighting revolve around it.

And I managed to capture about a second of takeoff from the ground cam. At least I didn’t hit it...

GeeBee R3. Flying Around.

...having some fun

The little GeeBee is kind-of strange to fly, as I may have said before - it appears to be dragged around by its engine and has the very characteristic forward-jutting undercarriage.

However, despite odd characteristics, it does fly quite sweetly, although don't fly it too slow or you'll have it upside down in the grass from a tip stall

One thing it does for you, almost without trying too hard, it knife edge. Maybe not exactly perfectly, however very stable and most entertainingly.

So, while I was buzzing it around, I put it into increasingly steep turns and had it knife-edging around for my amusement.

A fun little plane, except when you try and land it on grass...

Floater Jet. Lake & Country.

...scenic flight and more

A trip to the country was an opportunity to take the Floater Jet to see whether there might be an opportunity for lift off the adjoining hillside.

Also, an opportunity for a gentle scenic flight the next day, with a tranquil morning and the lake mirror-calm.

Not that it was an uneventful flight, with a flock of corellas passing through and a very close call with a radio tower.

And to end it, probably the worst judged approach I've made in a long time, with the docile Floater Jet over-flying and floating straight into the garage door...

Raptor Sunset Criusing

...kept on getting better

Taking the Raptor into the hills for some late afternoon sloping ended prematurely as the breeze dropped off to nothing at the approach of evening.

So, making the most of what looked to be a lovely sunset, I set the Raptor to cruising down the ridge filming our disappearing star.

It turned out to be one of those surprise sunsets which start of a little dull and then develop as the sun clears the low cloud.

As such, I kept the raptor flying laps up and down, only turning it in when the sun was just a glimmer on the horizon...

Trainstar Tough Trainer. Flying Around.

...a little fun Trainstar-style


For a while now the Trainstar has been grounded due to increasingly-bad prop vibration.

Initially I thought the front fuselage was flexing from fatigue and installed stiffeners, which made no difference. Then I got a prop balancer & did the prop which likewise had a nominal effect.

It turned out that it was just the bell mount grub screws which, although I'd tightened them, were a little loose as the hex drive had stripped. Fixing this was tricky and painful as I couldn't get the originals out, and I couldn't tap new holes for fresh grub screws as there wasn't enough depth.

Eventually it has been fixed, well enough anyway, and now the Trainstar is back in the air again, still full of character...

Firstar 2000 V2. Launch with Flaps.

...easy does it


The Firstar's high-mounted pusher endows it with characteristics familiar of the breed; it's not nice to launch.

True, the V2 mount is angled to eliminate torque which rotates the nose, however the high-moun configuration cannot escape from a downward thrust component. As well as gobbling up battery capacity in cruise mode, it also makes launches tricky.

Having lived through AXN and Radjet, I'm over launch stress, which is why I like using flaps with the Firstar.

Now I know this is contentious but, in this case at least, it works. Usually I'm fumbling to get my launch hand on the radio before the Firstar hits the turf. And I'm not the only one, I've seen several unsuccessful attempts at getting a Firstar into the air.

Considering that this plane sports high-aspect glider wings, launch really shouldn't be an issue. Which is where the flaps come in; dialing in about 20 degrees of flap transforms the launch from a nail biting affair into a floaty cruise, with the big big hanging in the air patiently while you get your hands into position.

Nice and easy, just like it should be...

Pilatus Turbo Porter PC6. Parachute Drop.

...geronimo !

This morning I tried out the dropping bay of the Art Tech Turbo Porter with a trio of intrepid parachutists.

I had tried dropping before, initially with my car keys which seemed like less of a good idea as I watched them spiralling down through the air for what seemed like ages before they actually hit the ground.

And I tried it again with two paratroopers fresh out the pack. The bay works a treat, but it turns out you have to unpack the parachutes somewhat for it to unfurl. It's been a while since I played with parachute men.

Anyhow, this morning th edrop worked a treat, with the three carefully packed parachutes blossoming open on cue a fraction of a second after I flipped the switch. The wind was a little stronger than I expected, so the chutes drifted scenically across the field.

As it happened, turning the Porter around trying to lose some height in the rather restricted space, I collected one of the parachute party who got snagged onto the wing. I didn't need to search for that one at least...

Stinger 64 EDF. High Speed Crash.

...best of times, worst of times

 A beautiful sunny afternoon with a gentle southerly blowing set the scene for some great flying with the Stinger.

Now, with its third iteration of decals, it sported much improved visibility which boosted confidence in flying at speed. Picking its orientation, primarily roll, had always been a bugbear with me, but now I was able to fly it with much greater authority.

For once the launch was good and the Stinger was soon howling round the paddocks, executing thrilling low passes and high turns.

This was the best I'd ever flown it, by a long way, and the enjoyment of flying the speedy little jet and the beautiful setting was quite intoxicating.

Unfortunately this wasn't to last, with one low pass having me turn into the sun where, like previously, I mistook the orientation and the Stinger skewed into the marshy grass at speed.

Worse still, half of the nose had been blasted into the mud by the battery, with both embedded to the degree that they were lost despite my best efforts to find them...

Pilatus PC 6 Turbo Porter. First Flight

...flies as good as it should

The moments before a plane taking off on its first flight are a bit odd, a mix of trepidation and expectation. Additionally, I find, with the larger planes I wonder to myself whether they will actually get airborne.

With the Turbo Porter my fears were unfounded, as this is a very well sorted airplane; it takes off very easily, just easing off the ground on about two thirds throttle and will cruise happily on half power.

The pre-installed flaps have excellent travel with full flaps slowing the Porter down to little more than jogging speed. The large control surfaces also give you instant confidence which, combined with the PC6's unflappable demeanour, makes flying this plane an absolute pleasure.

Aerobatics are easy, and any it will stabilise quickly from any incident. Of course, with its scale detail, it also looks great in the air and it's rugged undercarriage makes takeoff and landing very easy.

On the subject of undercarriage, I didn't screw in the lower strut mounting, allowing the strut to slide in the mount to give the suspension additional flex which I think works great.

Now just to get the paratroopers organised for some air drops using the integrated dropping bay...

Art Tech Pilatus Porter 1700mm PNF. Unofficial Unboxing.

...lovely plane & lovely kit

The Art Tech PC6 Turbo Porter is a high-quality kit all round - well boxed, accurately moulded and well put together.

All the servos and linkages are installed, you just need to connect the tail linkages to the control horns, and all the decals are pre-applied as well which I like as ones like the windows can be tricky.

The servos for the drop cavity (bomb bay) and tow hook are also installed. There's a convenient access hatch on top of the fuselage to get to the tail servos if required at some stage.

Overall the Art Tech Turbo Porter looks like an excellent aircraft; now's here's hoping it flies like a PC6 should...

Firstar 2000 V2. First Flight.

...brief but successful

The first flight of the Firstar 2000 was also my first outing with my new Taranis, with the latter being much more of a headache to configure than was the former. However the Firstar disappointingly have a number of quality issues which first required resolving.

The morning was a little gusty, with the northerly coming through earlier than expected. I opted to fly the Firstar with two 2200 3S packs which seemed to give the required cog. Volantex suggest running this off a 1800 3S, but seriously...?

Despite the Firstar V2 having the revised motor mount which reduces nose-down rotation due to the moment, this configuration still pushes the plane downwards and consequently there is the balancing act with the amount of power you use to launch.

As such the launch went OK, although I needed to rush to get both hands onto the radio controls after I'd thrown it. Of course, if you have someone to throw it for you this isn't an issue.

As you'd expect with the high aspect glider wings, it flies, and glides, very stably although the downward effect of the motor spoils its cruising performance in my opinion.

The flight was cut short by my inability to trim it out. No fault of the Firstar but rather programming glitches with the Taranis which I have subsequently fixed, but the Firstar landed without issue to complete a rather abbreviated but nevertheless successful maiden flight...