Hobby Lobby Super Hornet - 2011/07

60 MODEL AVIATION
Hobby Lobby Super Hornet
MICHAEL RAMSEY
REPRESENTINGTHEPRIDE
of the US Navy is the F/A-18E/F
Super Hornet, which the Boeing
Corporation presently
manufactures. McDonnell Douglas
built the original F-18C/D in great
numbers to serve in the Navy and
Marine branches of the American
military, and it is still the machine
of choice for the Navy Blue Angels
aerobatics demonstration team.
The Hornet has supported our
military with honor and distinction.
Even through economic challenges,
the F-18 fought internally with
military strategists as it boldly took
on fighter and attack roles that as
many as three other aircraft types
had previously filled. Its versatility
was obvious enough that the
original Hornet became the basis
for the required larger and more
modern defender.
The Super Hornet is literally the
backbone of the carrier-based
military. It does everything,
including fight threats from air-toair,
air-to-surface, reconnaissance,
and hunting submarines, and it can
even be fitted as a refueling tanker.
The F/A-18 will take out
terrorist trash and come back with
dinner and a movie. To see one of
these jets streak through the air is
awe-inspiring!
If you’re an RC pilot who is
jazzed about our nation’s military
might, as I am, you should get the
eRC electric-powered, ducted-fan
F/A-18E ARF from Hobby Lobby.
The eRC version is not a toy, nor
does it fly like one. It’s truly
special, and I’ll tell you why.
To begin with, simply look at
this fierce model! It screams
“Whorah!” without even moving.
Actually licensed by Boeing,
Hobby Lobby jumped through the
right hoops to make this model as
scalelike as possible. Some of us
balk about doling out a few extra
bucks for an aircraft that pays for
high-price lawyers to protect
copyrights—but frankly, I’m okay
with the few extra spent here,
because the result is a model that
Boeing isn’t ashamed to call scale.
Check out the assets hanging
from the wings! Nothing makes a
warbird look more menacing than
stuff that goes “boom,” gripped
securely by the underslung hangers.
If you don’t like ’em, you can
easily pop them off and the
performance of the model steps up
a couple notches. I prefer to leave
mine.
A rugged set of electricpowered,
retractable landing gear
holds up the Super Hornet on the
ground. The spun-aluminum struts
are spring-actuated on both the
front and rear. Even the rear struts
07sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 5/24/11 9:08 AM Page 60
July 2011 61
Hobby Lobby brings an EDF honoring
Boeing and the US Navy
have knuckle pivot points,
identical to on the full-scale jet.
Because the retracts use wormdrive
motors, they deploy at a
slow speed that is similar to that of
the full-scale F/A-18.
Another scale feature that gave
me grins is the seven-bulb LED
light system that surrounds the
aircraft. They consume very little
energy from the flight pack and
induce hardly any drag since they
are concealed behind clear plastic
lenses. An accomplished pilot
might even be able to fly this EDF
at dusk or on a moonlit night.
One nonscale feature on the eRC
aircraft probably has the pencilpushers
at Boeing crazy jealous.
Output of the single high-power
90mm electric-ducted-fan (EDF)
unit is through twin hyper-flow
nozzles that—get this—pivot 30°
degrees in any direction. That’s
right; this Super Hornet is super
because it has the added agility of
vectored thrust.
When you take into account
everything that comes standard with
this all-foam EDF, the $400 doorto-
door price tag is a dynamite
bargain. And I haven’t even gotten
into how well the model flies yet!
There’s a good chance that the
highlights I’ve practically shouted
out in the preceding have
convinced you to buy an e-
Hornet—or at least admire the
slick offering from a leader in
electric-powered RC flight such as
Hobby Lobby.
Is the model perfect? Surely not,
but I love it enough to overlook the
following or do something about it.
The combination of light foam construction and
contoured lifting-body design generate an
effectively lighter wing loading, which allows the
Super Hornet to handle in a more stable manner.
07sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 5/24/11 9:10 AM Page 61
62 MODEL AVIATION
Factory-installed servos are 9-gram, analog,
submicro, nylon-geared types. Normal- and
reverse-direction servo selections are also
determined at the factory. All servos are
rubber-cemented in place.
A loop of twine spans the spring-hinged nose
gear doors that catch the gear strut during
retraction, to pull the doors closed. The
author reinforced the string hooks to
prevent failure.
The high-output 90mm EDF power system
offers better than a 1:1 power-to-weight
ratio with the right battery. Each flying
stabilizer fully pivots 40° with an
independent servo.
The generous-sized top hatch
latches tight in the molded
foam. A sturdy battery
compartment includes a
heavy-duty security strap.
The 80-amp ESC includes a
splitter that can connect twin
3S Li-Poly batteries.
The 90mm high-output EDF breathes well without ugly cheater holes. Thrust-toweight
ratio is slightly better than 1:1 using a 30C-40C Li-Poly battery with 3200-
3600 mAh capacity.
The preinstalled hard-aluminum retracts
are electric powered (no servo or
pushrod linkages) and spring loaded for
shock absorption. They actuate slowly for
scale effect.
Above: The author performs a final preflight
walk-around and manually aligns the F/A-
18E down the runway centerline. The
model’s towering vertical fins offer
outstanding directional stability.
Left: Nozzle direction mirrors right-aileron
control surface direction. Vectored thrust
makes normal flight feel crisp; without it,
slow speed and high-alpha aerobatics would
be impossible.
07sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 5/24/11 9:14 AM Page 62
July 2011 63
matched and intended to offer a high powerto-
weight ratio.
The plastic-wrapped parts are delivered
in an EPS-foam box that is custom-designed
to cradle all the pieces, so they arrive free
from dings. EPS foam can be on the brittle
side and prone to rash. But thanks to the
great packing job, the delivery carrier didn’t
have to take any punches for blemishing my
perfect jet.
Because eRC did such a good job packing
the model, I assumed that the EDF unit was
mounted and balanced
the way a quality
power system should
be. That was dumb
on my part, but I ran
up the bare fuselage
in the shop the night
it arrived, to see how
it sounded (or if
anything would let
go).
Man, is that
sucker loud, but how
smooth! Many
flights later I still
have no reason to
touch the fan system.
Tab-lock joinery
makes it practically
impossible to err
when epoxying in
place the wings and
twin vertical fins.
Both have wiring
with prepared plugs
that neatly connect and then tuck away inside
smartly located crevasses.
The full-flying stabilizers simply bolt into
place. And those twin thrust-vectoring
nozzles—well, those come installed.
The short 13-page manual shares my
surefire method of making epoxy joints
look professional. Rubbing alcohol will
clean up any of the adhesive, as long as
it’s still viscous.
Joints that are left wet will actually stain
the flat paint with a gloss coat that is so
Right: For easier ground handling and takeoff control,
program the rudder with dual rate and/or exponential
reductions. Sensitive nose wheel steering can make highspeed
roll-outs challenging.
Below: Stall characteristics of the eRC F/A-18E are
exceedingly gentle and allow a landing approach attitude
that is a high angle of attack, which considerably slows
touchdown speed.
The livery represents an F/A-18E Super
Hornet from the carrier wing CVW-8, VFA-
31 “Tomcatters” squadron, created in 2007.
It’s clear that much effort went into the
paint and factory-applied decals to replicate
aircraft 101.
But if you’re a stickler for details, as I
am, you’ll wish that the black paint on the
vertical fins were masked more accurately at
the base of the assembly joint. Likewise,
I’m a little sad that the canopy frame was
painted gray instead of black to match the
surround.
Last, the clips that snare the draw cord
for the nose gear doors arrived broken.
Luckily I found the tiny broken pieces in the
box. I carefully attached them with CA.
Once in place, the break in the parts
required a splint, which I made from short
threads of Kevlar attached with more CA.
Okay, I’m finished being picky.
The all-EPS-foam molded model is
available as an ARF (the way I got mine)
and as an airframe-only package that
includes the retracts and lighting system.
This Super Hornet bursts the envelope of
ARF definitions. The eRC version comes
not only with the hinging complete, but also
the servos installed with the pushrods,
undercarriage, and lighting in place.
Oh, and the power system is fully
installed and wired. Every lead and servo
wire is neatly routed and labeled at the
receiver end and ready to connect to any
radio system you choose.
This F/A-18 more resembles an RTF
than almost anything. The fan unit is well
Static photos by the author Flight photos by Jay Smith
07sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 5/24/11 9:18 AM Page 63
64 MODEL AVIATION
obvious that hecklers at the flying site will
have a field day. Handling the glue is almost
the only job on the build that requires
patience, so don’t rush it.
As complex and feature-rich as this jet is,
absolutely no building or setup experience is
necessary to flight-prep it; that’s true
sophistication. ARF products sure have
come a long way.
Honestly, the black-and-white manual
included images that were a bit hard to read,
so I recommend downloading the full-color
version from the Web.
Most of the manual is dedicated to radio
programming and uses the ultra-popular
Spektrum DX7 as an example. Employing a
different radio system wouldn’t require too
difficult of a translation.
The four primary controls are simple to
set up, as are the retracts. Multiple servos on
a control arrive wired into preinstalled
harnesses. Opposing servos, such as those
on the elevator, are preinstalled with one
normal and one going in the reverse
direction, so that they automatically operate
the twin surfaces in the same direction.
The only technical information that
requires a stretch of the imagination is Pmixing
of the vectored thrust nozzles. They
work in unison with the ailerons, elevator,
and rudder controls to produce 360° of
possible movement.
The servo that operates yaw direction is
simply Y-harnessed to the nose gear
steering and doesn’t require a mix.
However, the two other servos connected to
the nozzles need to be electronically linked
with four of the six open mixes in the
typical seven-channel radio.
After following the directions to the
letter, it turned out that my elevator and
aileron controls worked the nozzles in
reverse. But correcting the mix values was
simple.
The direction the nozzles go in relation
to the flying surfaces is the same. For up,
the nozzles point up. And for right aileron,
the right nozzle goes up. Move the rudder
stick to the left, and the nozzles should point
to the left side of the model.
Not at all necessary—but fun to have as
an option—is to assign the four mixes to a
two-position switch. That way, you can
experiment with the advantages that thrust
vectoring adds by turning it on and off.
Thrust vectoring as the in-flight rudder
control is an excellent compromise for not
having working rudders on the Super
Hornet. It isn’t really meant to have knifeedge
performance anyway, and working
rudders would be so much heavier than the
considerably more versatile thrust-control
system.
What’s so great about vectored thrust?
It effectively offers a pilot the control
authority of a propeller-driven airplane but
with the clean lines and speed potential of
a jet.
Because a propeller blasts air over the
control surfaces, such powered aircraft have
more control at slower speeds. A jet needs
airspeed at all times, so that it can be
maneuvered with the flight surfaces
Pointing the thrust, using a vectoredthrust
system, minimizes the airspeed
requirement for a flier to maintain control.
Beyond that, having vectored thrust allows
the aircraft pilot to have more control and
maneuvering capability at all speeds.
Flying: With all control surfaces aligned
and stabilators set to neutral as shown in
the manual, the Super Hornet will fly
directly of off the workbench. But before
test-flying, do confirm that the thrust
nozzles are square as possible to the thrust
lines.
The recommended 3700 mAh 6S Li-
Poly battery pack will make the F/A-18 a
tad nose-heavy, but it is remarkably
tolerant of this condition and flies
magnificently regardless. If your location
is incessantly windy, leave it nose-heavy!
The manual-recommended CG point is
excellent. It does cause this model to fly
more neutral and makes it easier to flare
on landing.
I could achieve the CG point with a
lighter high-C class of Li-Poly batteries
from Model Rectifier Corporation. Its RFI
3200 mAh 6S pack is compact and light,
plus it doesn’t seem to mind the highoutput
demand of this EDF system.
Without obvious trial on my part, two
incidents had me slightly miffed. First, one
of the main gear legs failed to extend on the
first flight. Cycling the transmitter retract
switch fully restored the
function, but why it happened
is beyond me.
Specifications
Test Model Details
Motor: B3553 1750 Kv brushless
outrunner
Battery: RFI 6S 22.2-volt, 3200 mAh
25C Li-Poly
Drive: Five-blade impeller, 90mm EDF
unit
Speed controller: 85-amp ESC with
5-amp switch-mode BEC
Output load: 1,500 watts at 65 amps
(with 3700 mAh 30C 6S Li-Poly)
Radio system: Spektrum DX7
transmitter, Spektrum AR7000 receiver
Ready to fly weight: 75 ounces
Flight duration: Four to six minutes
Model type: RC EDF ARF
Skill level: Beginner builder;
intermediate pilot
Wingspan: 373/8 inches
Wing area: 378 square inches
Length: 52 inches
Weight: 72 ounces
Wing loading: 27.43 ounces/square
foot
Power (included): 1,440-watt motor,
90mm electric ducted fan, 85-amp ESC
Battery (recommended): 22.2-volt,
3700 mAh 25C Li-Poly
Radio (recommended): Sevenchannel
transmitter (minimum), sevenchannel
receiver
Servos (included): Eight submicro 9-
gram units
Construction: Molded EPS foam
Covering/finish: Factory-applied paint
and livery markings
Accessories (installed): Retractable
landing gear, vectored thrust, seven-LED
light set
Price: $389.99
Pluses and Minuses
+•
Outstanding realism and appearance.
• Thrust-vectoring system with 360°
control.
• Realistic motor-driven retractable
gear.
• Removable armament package.
• High power-to-weight ratio.
-•
One-piece design can be a challenge
to transport.
• Battery box modification required to
achieve correct CG.
• Fragile nose gear-door-closure
hardware.
07sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 5/24/11 9:19 AM Page 64
Second, during a takeoff cycle the left
main wheel departed the aircraft; it simply
spun off. This is the flight I asked the most
from with the Hornet; I saw the probability of
a “next flight” as being slim.
As it turned out, the Hornet could land
slow enough that ailerons kept the wheel-less
gear strut from grinding a dramatic amount—
and the Super Hornet rolled to a stop rather
than a tumble, as I imagined earlier.
The plastic of the main-wheel axle cap
and main-wheel hub are the same PVC
(polyvinyl chloride) material, and it has a low
melting point. The wheel came off when the
fast-spinning wheel welded itself to the cap
and spun free following the thread direction.
A touch of Teflon lube is highly
recommended to prevent wheel loss, as is a
dab of CA on the axle cap.
The Super Hornet literally leaps from
pavement. I don’t know if it leaps from grass
or not; I don’t fly foam models with retracts
from grass, because it traumatically shortens
their life spans.
Something about the model weights the
nose heavily enough that a good amount of
elevator is needed to break ground on takeoff.
When the nose does “unstick,” the aircraft
bolts skyward as if released from a steam
catapult—kind of fitting.
With this jet’s super-light wing loading
and high power-to-weight ratio, a high-alpha
departure is easy to overcome and correct.
Even in a deep stall pointed downwind, this
Hornet doesn’t want to give up a level
attitude.
A stall actually has to be forced, but
fortunately this precious habit makes landing
the F/A-18 a pure joy. I’ve gotten much better
at correcting the departure angle on takeoff
merely by correctly managing elevator input.
The secret to landing any jet, heavily
loaded or not, is to bring it in under power.
Even this kite of a model lands best with
approximately 30% throttle left in all the way
until the wheels are down. That way, it has
the same control response throughout the
entire approach sequence
Many EDF models are sad performancewise
because they aren’t powered correctly
or, worse, aren’t engineered with correctly
contoured intakes that won’t let the screaming
fan eat air. The eRC Super Hornet is
extremely well thought out, with all the
benefits and fun that such an aircraft should
offer.
It won’t take long for the average sport
pilot to get comfortable with the F/A-18. The
low rates are comfortable, and input has scalefeeling
control authority.
Recommended high rates can feel
sensitive, especially on the roll axis. The
elevator and rudder actually felt exactly right
for an aggressive-aerobatics flight mode. With
the exponential turned up 30% on the aileron
high rate, stick harmony was achieved—and
I’ve found this Hornet to be incredibly
comfortable to drive around the field under a
50-foot ceiling.
This jet can cruise with the throttle near
60% which offers enough power for quick
turns and rolls that stretch the field.
Loops are big and tall at full throttle; they
should be with a jet. Inverted flight is
comfortable, as are outside aerobatics. It
might be the thrust-vector controls talking, but
I love how this F/A-18 snaps—which isn’t at
all a scale maneuver.
Experiment with thrust-vector control at
your own pace. You won’t even know it’s
there when you’re flying normally and
performing basic aerobatics.
To get a feel for it, quickly haul in full upelevator
up high and at cruise speed. The
Super Hornet will abruptly point straight up,
or past vertical, without gaining much
altitude. That’s called the “Cobra” maneuver,
and it’s popular with modern Soviet fighters
at full-scale air shows.
From up high, slow the model as if to stall.
When ground speed reaches zero, add full
power and full rudder. Hold in the correct
amount of elevator control and the F/A-18
will spin flat. Add power to increase the
rotation speed. Exiting the flat spin is quick
with a bump of down-elevator after
neutralizing the controls.
Vectored thrust changes what flying jets is
all about. They normally go fast, turn, loop
huge, and occasionally roll. Because the eRC
Super Hornet can turn on a dime and perform
more predictably at slow speed, there’s much
more flying fun to explore.
With a 3700-4200 mAh 6S pack, you can
get a respectable five- to six-minute flight
with vectored-thrust banging thrills all the
way. You can get the CG almost right with
the heavier packs if the aft end of the battery
compartment is removed to allow
repositioning.
I wouldn’t call this Hornet 3-D-capable with
the thrust vectoring, but I like how much
more versatile that control addition makes its
flying envelope. Slow-speed, high-alpha
performance wouldn’t be possible, nor
would the wicked-flat spins or Cobra turnaround.
Roll rate does not seem to be
enhanced with vectoring, but it’s cool that
it’s there.
The one-piece airframe is slightly
awkward to transport. It’s the only model I
can take to the field, but I do have lots of fun
when I get there.
The eRC F/A-18E looks extraordinarily
cool in the air. And at a midthrottle cruise,
it’s almost as close to realistic as you can get
with a jet-fighter-shaped soda cooler. MA
Michael Ramsey
[email protected]
Manufacturer/Distributor:
eRC/Hobby Lobby Distributors
5614 Franklin Pike Cir.
Brentwood TN 37027
(866) 512-1444
www.hobby-lobby.com44
Sources:
Model Rectifier Corporation
(732) 225-2100
www.modelrec.com
Spektrum RC
(800) 338-4639
www.spektrumrc.com
07sig3.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 5/24/11 9:44 AM Page 65

60 MODEL AVIATION
Hobby Lobby Super Hornet
MICHAEL RAMSEY
REPRESENTINGTHEPRIDE
of the US Navy is the F/A-18E/F
Super Hornet, which the Boeing
Corporation presently
manufactures. McDonnell Douglas
built the original F-18C/D in great
numbers to serve in the Navy and
Marine branches of the American
military, and it is still the machine
of choice for the Navy Blue Angels
aerobatics demonstration team.
The Hornet has supported our
military with honor and distinction.
Even through economic challenges,
the F-18 fought internally with
military strategists as it boldly took
on fighter and attack roles that as
many as three other aircraft types
had previously filled. Its versatility
was obvious enough that the
original Hornet became the basis
for the required larger and more
modern defender.
The Super Hornet is literally the
backbone of the carrier-based
military. It does everything,
including fight threats from air-toair,
air-to-surface, reconnaissance,
and hunting submarines, and it can
even be fitted as a refueling tanker.
The F/A-18 will take out
terrorist trash and come back with
dinner and a movie. To see one of
these jets streak through the air is
awe-inspiring!
If you’re an RC pilot who is
jazzed about our nation’s military
might, as I am, you should get the
eRC electric-powered, ducted-fan
F/A-18E ARF from Hobby Lobby.
The eRC version is not a toy, nor
does it fly like one. It’s truly
special, and I’ll tell you why.
To begin with, simply look at
this fierce model! It screams
“Whorah!” without even moving.
Actually licensed by Boeing,
Hobby Lobby jumped through the
right hoops to make this model as
scalelike as possible. Some of us
balk about doling out a few extra
bucks for an aircraft that pays for
high-price lawyers to protect
copyrights—but frankly, I’m okay
with the few extra spent here,
because the result is a model that
Boeing isn’t ashamed to call scale.
Check out the assets hanging
from the wings! Nothing makes a
warbird look more menacing than
stuff that goes “boom,” gripped
securely by the underslung hangers.
If you don’t like ’em, you can
easily pop them off and the
performance of the model steps up
a couple notches. I prefer to leave
mine.
A rugged set of electricpowered,
retractable landing gear
holds up the Super Hornet on the
ground. The spun-aluminum struts
are spring-actuated on both the
front and rear. Even the rear struts
07sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 5/24/11 9:08 AM Page 60
July 2011 61
Hobby Lobby brings an EDF honoring
Boeing and the US Navy
have knuckle pivot points,
identical to on the full-scale jet.
Because the retracts use wormdrive
motors, they deploy at a
slow speed that is similar to that of
the full-scale F/A-18.
Another scale feature that gave
me grins is the seven-bulb LED
light system that surrounds the
aircraft. They consume very little
energy from the flight pack and
induce hardly any drag since they
are concealed behind clear plastic
lenses. An accomplished pilot
might even be able to fly this EDF
at dusk or on a moonlit night.
One nonscale feature on the eRC
aircraft probably has the pencilpushers
at Boeing crazy jealous.
Output of the single high-power
90mm electric-ducted-fan (EDF)
unit is through twin hyper-flow
nozzles that—get this—pivot 30°
degrees in any direction. That’s
right; this Super Hornet is super
because it has the added agility of
vectored thrust.
When you take into account
everything that comes standard with
this all-foam EDF, the $400 doorto-
door price tag is a dynamite
bargain. And I haven’t even gotten
into how well the model flies yet!
There’s a good chance that the
highlights I’ve practically shouted
out in the preceding have
convinced you to buy an e-
Hornet—or at least admire the
slick offering from a leader in
electric-powered RC flight such as
Hobby Lobby.
Is the model perfect? Surely not,
but I love it enough to overlook the
following or do something about it.
The combination of light foam construction and
contoured lifting-body design generate an
effectively lighter wing loading, which allows the
Super Hornet to handle in a more stable manner.
07sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 5/24/11 9:10 AM Page 61
62 MODEL AVIATION
Factory-installed servos are 9-gram, analog,
submicro, nylon-geared types. Normal- and
reverse-direction servo selections are also
determined at the factory. All servos are
rubber-cemented in place.
A loop of twine spans the spring-hinged nose
gear doors that catch the gear strut during
retraction, to pull the doors closed. The
author reinforced the string hooks to
prevent failure.
The high-output 90mm EDF power system
offers better than a 1:1 power-to-weight
ratio with the right battery. Each flying
stabilizer fully pivots 40° with an
independent servo.
The generous-sized top hatch
latches tight in the molded
foam. A sturdy battery
compartment includes a
heavy-duty security strap.
The 80-amp ESC includes a
splitter that can connect twin
3S Li-Poly batteries.
The 90mm high-output EDF breathes well without ugly cheater holes. Thrust-toweight
ratio is slightly better than 1:1 using a 30C-40C Li-Poly battery with 3200-
3600 mAh capacity.
The preinstalled hard-aluminum retracts
are electric powered (no servo or
pushrod linkages) and spring loaded for
shock absorption. They actuate slowly for
scale effect.
Above: The author performs a final preflight
walk-around and manually aligns the F/A-
18E down the runway centerline. The
model’s towering vertical fins offer
outstanding directional stability.
Left: Nozzle direction mirrors right-aileron
control surface direction. Vectored thrust
makes normal flight feel crisp; without it,
slow speed and high-alpha aerobatics would
be impossible.
07sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 5/24/11 9:14 AM Page 62
July 2011 63
matched and intended to offer a high powerto-
weight ratio.
The plastic-wrapped parts are delivered
in an EPS-foam box that is custom-designed
to cradle all the pieces, so they arrive free
from dings. EPS foam can be on the brittle
side and prone to rash. But thanks to the
great packing job, the delivery carrier didn’t
have to take any punches for blemishing my
perfect jet.
Because eRC did such a good job packing
the model, I assumed that the EDF unit was
mounted and balanced
the way a quality
power system should
be. That was dumb
on my part, but I ran
up the bare fuselage
in the shop the night
it arrived, to see how
it sounded (or if
anything would let
go).
Man, is that
sucker loud, but how
smooth! Many
flights later I still
have no reason to
touch the fan system.
Tab-lock joinery
makes it practically
impossible to err
when epoxying in
place the wings and
twin vertical fins.
Both have wiring
with prepared plugs
that neatly connect and then tuck away inside
smartly located crevasses.
The full-flying stabilizers simply bolt into
place. And those twin thrust-vectoring
nozzles—well, those come installed.
The short 13-page manual shares my
surefire method of making epoxy joints
look professional. Rubbing alcohol will
clean up any of the adhesive, as long as
it’s still viscous.
Joints that are left wet will actually stain
the flat paint with a gloss coat that is so
Right: For easier ground handling and takeoff control,
program the rudder with dual rate and/or exponential
reductions. Sensitive nose wheel steering can make highspeed
roll-outs challenging.
Below: Stall characteristics of the eRC F/A-18E are
exceedingly gentle and allow a landing approach attitude
that is a high angle of attack, which considerably slows
touchdown speed.
The livery represents an F/A-18E Super
Hornet from the carrier wing CVW-8, VFA-
31 “Tomcatters” squadron, created in 2007.
It’s clear that much effort went into the
paint and factory-applied decals to replicate
aircraft 101.
But if you’re a stickler for details, as I
am, you’ll wish that the black paint on the
vertical fins were masked more accurately at
the base of the assembly joint. Likewise,
I’m a little sad that the canopy frame was
painted gray instead of black to match the
surround.
Last, the clips that snare the draw cord
for the nose gear doors arrived broken.
Luckily I found the tiny broken pieces in the
box. I carefully attached them with CA.
Once in place, the break in the parts
required a splint, which I made from short
threads of Kevlar attached with more CA.
Okay, I’m finished being picky.
The all-EPS-foam molded model is
available as an ARF (the way I got mine)
and as an airframe-only package that
includes the retracts and lighting system.
This Super Hornet bursts the envelope of
ARF definitions. The eRC version comes
not only with the hinging complete, but also
the servos installed with the pushrods,
undercarriage, and lighting in place.
Oh, and the power system is fully
installed and wired. Every lead and servo
wire is neatly routed and labeled at the
receiver end and ready to connect to any
radio system you choose.
This F/A-18 more resembles an RTF
than almost anything. The fan unit is well
Static photos by the author Flight photos by Jay Smith
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64 MODEL AVIATION
obvious that hecklers at the flying site will
have a field day. Handling the glue is almost
the only job on the build that requires
patience, so don’t rush it.
As complex and feature-rich as this jet is,
absolutely no building or setup experience is
necessary to flight-prep it; that’s true
sophistication. ARF products sure have
come a long way.
Honestly, the black-and-white manual
included images that were a bit hard to read,
so I recommend downloading the full-color
version from the Web.
Most of the manual is dedicated to radio
programming and uses the ultra-popular
Spektrum DX7 as an example. Employing a
different radio system wouldn’t require too
difficult of a translation.
The four primary controls are simple to
set up, as are the retracts. Multiple servos on
a control arrive wired into preinstalled
harnesses. Opposing servos, such as those
on the elevator, are preinstalled with one
normal and one going in the reverse
direction, so that they automatically operate
the twin surfaces in the same direction.
The only technical information that
requires a stretch of the imagination is Pmixing
of the vectored thrust nozzles. They
work in unison with the ailerons, elevator,
and rudder controls to produce 360° of
possible movement.
The servo that operates yaw direction is
simply Y-harnessed to the nose gear
steering and doesn’t require a mix.
However, the two other servos connected to
the nozzles need to be electronically linked
with four of the six open mixes in the
typical seven-channel radio.
After following the directions to the
letter, it turned out that my elevator and
aileron controls worked the nozzles in
reverse. But correcting the mix values was
simple.
The direction the nozzles go in relation
to the flying surfaces is the same. For up,
the nozzles point up. And for right aileron,
the right nozzle goes up. Move the rudder
stick to the left, and the nozzles should point
to the left side of the model.
Not at all necessary—but fun to have as
an option—is to assign the four mixes to a
two-position switch. That way, you can
experiment with the advantages that thrust
vectoring adds by turning it on and off.
Thrust vectoring as the in-flight rudder
control is an excellent compromise for not
having working rudders on the Super
Hornet. It isn’t really meant to have knifeedge
performance anyway, and working
rudders would be so much heavier than the
considerably more versatile thrust-control
system.
What’s so great about vectored thrust?
It effectively offers a pilot the control
authority of a propeller-driven airplane but
with the clean lines and speed potential of
a jet.
Because a propeller blasts air over the
control surfaces, such powered aircraft have
more control at slower speeds. A jet needs
airspeed at all times, so that it can be
maneuvered with the flight surfaces
Pointing the thrust, using a vectoredthrust
system, minimizes the airspeed
requirement for a flier to maintain control.
Beyond that, having vectored thrust allows
the aircraft pilot to have more control and
maneuvering capability at all speeds.
Flying: With all control surfaces aligned
and stabilators set to neutral as shown in
the manual, the Super Hornet will fly
directly of off the workbench. But before
test-flying, do confirm that the thrust
nozzles are square as possible to the thrust
lines.
The recommended 3700 mAh 6S Li-
Poly battery pack will make the F/A-18 a
tad nose-heavy, but it is remarkably
tolerant of this condition and flies
magnificently regardless. If your location
is incessantly windy, leave it nose-heavy!
The manual-recommended CG point is
excellent. It does cause this model to fly
more neutral and makes it easier to flare
on landing.
I could achieve the CG point with a
lighter high-C class of Li-Poly batteries
from Model Rectifier Corporation. Its RFI
3200 mAh 6S pack is compact and light,
plus it doesn’t seem to mind the highoutput
demand of this EDF system.
Without obvious trial on my part, two
incidents had me slightly miffed. First, one
of the main gear legs failed to extend on the
first flight. Cycling the transmitter retract
switch fully restored the
function, but why it happened
is beyond me.
Specifications
Test Model Details
Motor: B3553 1750 Kv brushless
outrunner
Battery: RFI 6S 22.2-volt, 3200 mAh
25C Li-Poly
Drive: Five-blade impeller, 90mm EDF
unit
Speed controller: 85-amp ESC with
5-amp switch-mode BEC
Output load: 1,500 watts at 65 amps
(with 3700 mAh 30C 6S Li-Poly)
Radio system: Spektrum DX7
transmitter, Spektrum AR7000 receiver
Ready to fly weight: 75 ounces
Flight duration: Four to six minutes
Model type: RC EDF ARF
Skill level: Beginner builder;
intermediate pilot
Wingspan: 373/8 inches
Wing area: 378 square inches
Length: 52 inches
Weight: 72 ounces
Wing loading: 27.43 ounces/square
foot
Power (included): 1,440-watt motor,
90mm electric ducted fan, 85-amp ESC
Battery (recommended): 22.2-volt,
3700 mAh 25C Li-Poly
Radio (recommended): Sevenchannel
transmitter (minimum), sevenchannel
receiver
Servos (included): Eight submicro 9-
gram units
Construction: Molded EPS foam
Covering/finish: Factory-applied paint
and livery markings
Accessories (installed): Retractable
landing gear, vectored thrust, seven-LED
light set
Price: $389.99
Pluses and Minuses
+•
Outstanding realism and appearance.
• Thrust-vectoring system with 360°
control.
• Realistic motor-driven retractable
gear.
• Removable armament package.
• High power-to-weight ratio.
-•
One-piece design can be a challenge
to transport.
• Battery box modification required to
achieve correct CG.
• Fragile nose gear-door-closure
hardware.
07sig2.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 5/24/11 9:19 AM Page 64
Second, during a takeoff cycle the left
main wheel departed the aircraft; it simply
spun off. This is the flight I asked the most
from with the Hornet; I saw the probability of
a “next flight” as being slim.
As it turned out, the Hornet could land
slow enough that ailerons kept the wheel-less
gear strut from grinding a dramatic amount—
and the Super Hornet rolled to a stop rather
than a tumble, as I imagined earlier.
The plastic of the main-wheel axle cap
and main-wheel hub are the same PVC
(polyvinyl chloride) material, and it has a low
melting point. The wheel came off when the
fast-spinning wheel welded itself to the cap
and spun free following the thread direction.
A touch of Teflon lube is highly
recommended to prevent wheel loss, as is a
dab of CA on the axle cap.
The Super Hornet literally leaps from
pavement. I don’t know if it leaps from grass
or not; I don’t fly foam models with retracts
from grass, because it traumatically shortens
their life spans.
Something about the model weights the
nose heavily enough that a good amount of
elevator is needed to break ground on takeoff.
When the nose does “unstick,” the aircraft
bolts skyward as if released from a steam
catapult—kind of fitting.
With this jet’s super-light wing loading
and high power-to-weight ratio, a high-alpha
departure is easy to overcome and correct.
Even in a deep stall pointed downwind, this
Hornet doesn’t want to give up a level
attitude.
A stall actually has to be forced, but
fortunately this precious habit makes landing
the F/A-18 a pure joy. I’ve gotten much better
at correcting the departure angle on takeoff
merely by correctly managing elevator input.
The secret to landing any jet, heavily
loaded or not, is to bring it in under power.
Even this kite of a model lands best with
approximately 30% throttle left in all the way
until the wheels are down. That way, it has
the same control response throughout the
entire approach sequence
Many EDF models are sad performancewise
because they aren’t powered correctly
or, worse, aren’t engineered with correctly
contoured intakes that won’t let the screaming
fan eat air. The eRC Super Hornet is
extremely well thought out, with all the
benefits and fun that such an aircraft should
offer.
It won’t take long for the average sport
pilot to get comfortable with the F/A-18. The
low rates are comfortable, and input has scalefeeling
control authority.
Recommended high rates can feel
sensitive, especially on the roll axis. The
elevator and rudder actually felt exactly right
for an aggressive-aerobatics flight mode. With
the exponential turned up 30% on the aileron
high rate, stick harmony was achieved—and
I’ve found this Hornet to be incredibly
comfortable to drive around the field under a
50-foot ceiling.
This jet can cruise with the throttle near
60% which offers enough power for quick
turns and rolls that stretch the field.
Loops are big and tall at full throttle; they
should be with a jet. Inverted flight is
comfortable, as are outside aerobatics. It
might be the thrust-vector controls talking, but
I love how this F/A-18 snaps—which isn’t at
all a scale maneuver.
Experiment with thrust-vector control at
your own pace. You won’t even know it’s
there when you’re flying normally and
performing basic aerobatics.
To get a feel for it, quickly haul in full upelevator
up high and at cruise speed. The
Super Hornet will abruptly point straight up,
or past vertical, without gaining much
altitude. That’s called the “Cobra” maneuver,
and it’s popular with modern Soviet fighters
at full-scale air shows.
From up high, slow the model as if to stall.
When ground speed reaches zero, add full
power and full rudder. Hold in the correct
amount of elevator control and the F/A-18
will spin flat. Add power to increase the
rotation speed. Exiting the flat spin is quick
with a bump of down-elevator after
neutralizing the controls.
Vectored thrust changes what flying jets is
all about. They normally go fast, turn, loop
huge, and occasionally roll. Because the eRC
Super Hornet can turn on a dime and perform
more predictably at slow speed, there’s much
more flying fun to explore.
With a 3700-4200 mAh 6S pack, you can
get a respectable five- to six-minute flight
with vectored-thrust banging thrills all the
way. You can get the CG almost right with
the heavier packs if the aft end of the battery
compartment is removed to allow
repositioning.
I wouldn’t call this Hornet 3-D-capable with
the thrust vectoring, but I like how much
more versatile that control addition makes its
flying envelope. Slow-speed, high-alpha
performance wouldn’t be possible, nor
would the wicked-flat spins or Cobra turnaround.
Roll rate does not seem to be
enhanced with vectoring, but it’s cool that
it’s there.
The one-piece airframe is slightly
awkward to transport. It’s the only model I
can take to the field, but I do have lots of fun
when I get there.
The eRC F/A-18E looks extraordinarily
cool in the air. And at a midthrottle cruise,
it’s almost as close to realistic as you can get
with a jet-fighter-shaped soda cooler. MA
Michael Ramsey
[email protected]
Manufacturer/Distributor:
eRC/Hobby Lobby Distributors
5614 Franklin Pike Cir.
Brentwood TN 37027
(866) 512-1444
www.hobby-lobby.com44
Sources:
Model Rectifier Corporation
(732) 225-2100
www.modelrec.com
Spektrum RC
(800) 338-4639
www.spektrumrc.com
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