Image from Horizon Hobby

I bought the micro 4-site as soon as my LHS could get one in stock.  We were locked in the middle of a long rainy period with no end in sight, and I was really looking forward to something I could use in the conference room at the office.

The model comes with the handy reusable carrying case (box), 2 of the high cap batteries, and one of the 4-port Celectra micro chargers.  These chargers are very nice, and a boon if you have lots of micros.  That said, I got one with my MsR, and I wish I had been given the option to buy the 4-site for $130, less the charger. 

Like all of the micros, setup was as easy as charging the battery, binding it to my DX6i,and going flying.  I approximated the factory settings at 30% expo and did not bother with low rates.

Charged up, and fired up, I hauled the airplane to the office, and hung signs on the doors of the conference room that said “Important Meeting!”

ROG proved to burn up too much of the available space in the conference room, but hand launch was fine.  With the battery set exactly in the middle of the Velcro strip, it wants to roll over and hover with no problems.  However, my fingers were rusty on the sticks and I could not get it to slow down enough.  I gave up before one of my wall impacts did damage.

That night, I glued the speed brakes on, and the next day I hung the signs in the conference room again.  This was much better.  You can hold the airplane just above a walking pace, and it’s very predictable.  I was amazed at how stable it was, no real wing tipping, and very smooth. 

At this point I was starting to hit my own limits as a 3D pilot, and after 2 packs and some minor damage to the nose I was ready to quit.

I’ve owned the model for a few weeks now, and I must say that I am a lot more at home in a low-wind outdoor situation than the office. I’m still not good enough to keep it in that tight, and being able to punch skyward is still an important strategy for me when I get in trouble. 

I have some buyer’s remorse.  At $169, this airplane is not cheap, and I am starting to think that the regular 4-site might have been a better choice for me.  If I had access to a gymnasium, I would probably feel different.

The solution to this?  E-Flite needs to release a version with no fancy charger and a $125-130 price point.  Also, I think that an airframe only (no electronics) version should be offered, so that one could swap the electronics from their old, battered plane to a spanky new airplane without spending the bux for the PNP version.

We beat the Winter blues with this thing, now we just need a better value in order to keep recommending it.

Since acquiring my JR X9303 DSM2 radio in May of ’09, I wouldn’t trade it for any other TX. Except for the new X9503. Yup. That’s right, 50 model memory.

Horizon’s website indicates shipping late this month, although we all know how that works. The official JR site has yet to be updated at this time.

A couple new features myself and many many others really wanted to see got incorporated as well:

A backlit LCD display 

The ability to trigger the timer with the throttle. No more forgetting to start the &$%@ flight timer!

Manufacturers Advertised Price for the radio & 9-channel R921 receiver w/no servos is $549, $80 less  than the previous MAP of the X9303. Considering the R921 is worth $169 alone, it’s a good bundle.

Then again, not everyone sells for MAP – “add to cart” and you’ll see what I mean. I would imagine this reputable vendor should have the X9503 radio priced similarly.

The radio retains %100 of the legendary 9303 programming, which was introduced with the 72Mhz S/PCM XP9303. Naturally it is compatible with all Spektrum aircraft receivers.

Add. model memory, more features (and useful ones at that) @ a lower price.

Although I won’t be in a hurry to replace my X9303 with this upgraded model it will be quite tempting!

-Zeke

This is one of those iconic airplanes that everybody should have in their collection of Sport aircraft.  I bought mine from Porkeez here in Sonoma County, and instead of using all of the recommended Eflite parts I switched it up a bit. 

I used a Scorpion SII-3014, 1040kv motor instead of the recommended Power 10.  Scorpion motors have a very high quality look and feel to them, and they tend to be slightly higher performance, and less expensive than E-Flite motors in many cases.   In addition, I’ve had nothing but good experiences with the NA distributor, Innov8tive Designs.  They publish a handy Motor comparison chart that makes it easy to match up their motor with another recommendation.  In addition, they publish extensive propeller data charts that are very helpful.

I coupled the Scorpion motor with a Castle Thunderbird 54, Hitec HS-65HB servos, and a JR R790 receiver.

The build was a very routine E-Flite ARF experience.  I give it high marks for fit and finish, and a few negative ones in that the hardware looks a little cheap.  Be very careful with the wing fillet.  It’s plastic that has been painted on the backside, and before the bottom wing is installed, it is prone to damage.

I used the E-flite recommended throws, which are about maximum on high rates and very close to that on low rates.  I found the thing a little twitchy on low rates with the recommended 25% expo, so I bumped the aileron travel down a few millimeters, and set the expo to 30%.  It feels better to me, set up that way.

The model rolls out fast and takes off immediately- This took me by surprise a bit on the first flight.  The light wing loading is immediately apparent, and you will see in the maiden video that I needed to use more right rudder on takeoff. 

Once up, it tracks clean and fast.  Turns look coordinated even when you do not use the rudder, and it rolls in and out of 3D with a grace that I have not experienced thus far.  Aileron rolls are fast, crisp, and clean.  The model flies as well inverted as it does right side up, almost hands off. 

Landing was pretty easy, as well.  It slows down nicely, and while it’s going to take a little practice to stop wagging the wings, it’s not a hard airplane to set down accurately. I used 1500mah out of a Turnigy 2200 in 5:30 of flight, mostly WOT. Peak draw was 46 amps on takeoff, and for most of the flight I was drawing 20-30A. The motor was cool to the touch after 5:30 of spirited flight.

In short, apply any superlative, positive term you can think of regarding the flight characteristics – I have yet to find something I don’t like about this airplane. 

BTW the snap roll feature is BRUTAL at 100% throws.  On my second flight, I hit the snap roll, and it dislodged Zeke’s Eagletree logger and smacked it against the leading edge so hard it bent the pins. (!)

Get yourself an Ultimate Biplane.  I don;t know if the E-flite/Scorpion/Hitec cocktail I brewed up is the best combination, but it sure seems to work well.

Getting to Maiden it on Christmas Day with a good friend was just the icing on the cake.

Happy Holidays,

- Eli

 I hate sending radios in for service.   I say that, even though I’m told that Horizon will do all sorts of wonderful things to your radio while it’s in their care.

So, when my DX6i turned up with a broken rudder trim tab switch, I started using sub trim instead of sending it in.  I have other radios, but that is my only DSM radio.

Last week, I tripped on East R/C.  They are out of Florida, they sell on Ebay and direct, and they have a few special parts, such as the machined aluminum trim tabs I bought from them last week.  Apparently the little plastic levers themselves are typically the part that fails, so this is a functional and cosmentic upgrade.

Actually opening up your radio is not for everybody, especially if your radio is still under warranty.  The instructions that they wrote are well illustrated/easy to follow – check it out.

Broken trim tab

I am very pleased with the result.  It gives the poor old DX6i a little bit of a nicer feel, and I plan to check out their aluminum ERC roller button upgrade!

The finished product

Here’s hoping that everybody gets something they enjoy this week.  Cheers!

- Eli

How much did you spend on the hobby in 2009?  How much will you spend wrapping up Xmas, and how many of you will receive gift certificates that will be spent before year’s end?

Gift from Horizon Hobby

I think I must have spent too much this year, because the mailman brought me a little Xmas gift from Horizon today. 

 It’s a nice little aluminum water bottle, came with a card and a discount code good for 20% off a single order.   Thanks Horizon! 

I contrast that to my other experiences – I’ve been trying to get a return call from somebody (anybody?) over at Hobby-Lobby for over a week now.     Their customer service has really gone to hell in the last few years, and I think I may have placed my last order with those guys.

I think it’s interesting that the hobby industry has not been hit as hard as other ‘non essential’ industries, and it’s encouraging to see companies like Horizon succeed.   I can only hope that the recession causes other, less responsive firms to either tighten up the ship or get into a different business.

Happy Holidays,

- Eli

After owning the camera for a few weeks, I have a much better feel for how it works, and how to mount it without so much worry.  The mounts they give you are very secure, but I find I need to run a thin strip of tape through them in order to keep them from rattling slightly in the audio.

Firstoff, Gopro:  We really need the proposed upcoming firmware patch that will flip the video right side up in the camera without needing to use editing software.  I end up flipping it in Premiere Elements, which is time consuming.

The non-waterproof door is ideal for RC use.  You can hear plenty of detail when the motor is not running, and also wonderful wind and servo noises if that’s the kind of thing you like.  Everybody I talk to says they prefer music, but I can see some utility for having accurate sound reproduction, especially from a glider.

Here is my latest attempt at a short (~7 minute) film.  I took it from the same brushless Aspire as I did the last video, and I really tried to use only the sections of footage that I thought were interesting.  There are plenty of air/air shots of the other planes at the field, and what I think is some of the best bits from ~25 minutes of footage.

We also had a chance to play with the still camera mode, and this turned out very nice.  I will comment that it looks a little grainy under certain circumstances, but I also didn’t take any pains to adjust the camera for the ambient settings.  First time.

5MP still image from Gopro HD Hero

 The wide angle is extreme, and it does look cool for a lot of stuff.  At this price point, I’d love to see a camera of this quality that had interchangeable lenses. 

It handles difficult conditions well – the sun is a nightmare in this shot:

5MP still image from Gopro HD Hero

Next I’ll try some more exotic locations.

I’ll continue to experiment as my time and hardware permits. 

Also worth checking out – a gent named Mario Schimanko wrote me last week, he’s got a Hero and has been doing some FABULOUS work on Vimeo.  Check it out!

- Eli