HOBBYZONE F4U CORSAIR S WITH SAFE TECHNOLOGY
John Kauk [email protected]
Get your wings with this beginner-friendly warbird.
Back in the mid-1980s, my dad and I wanted to get into RC flying. We got a trainer and all the associated gear, and set out to do so—on our own, with no instruction. I know that’s not the best way to go about it, and we spent plenty of time in a crash-repair-repeat cycle. It was frustrating, and we didn’t get out of that cycle without help from an AMA club and instructor.
One option available to help beginner pilots learn to fly is HobbyZone’s BNF F4U Corsair S, a molded Z-foam trainer/warbird with Sensor Assisted Flight Envelope (SAFE) technology. Three flight modes—Beginner, Intermediate, and Experienced—provide three levels of stabilization and control limits.
- Beginner mode significantly restricts the pitch and roll axes, and makes the airplane self-leveling.
- Intermediate mode is much less restricted, is not self-leveling, but prevents the model from entering extreme attitudes.
- Experienced mode provides a full, unrestricted flight envelope.
All three modes have Panic Recovery available, which forces the aircraft into a climbing, upright, level attitude.
Assembly
The Corsair S comes nicely packed for shipment in a double box. The parts are well protected in a fitted Styrofoam container that keeps individual components free from damage. Small parts such as the battery, charger, and landing gear come in bags tucked into pockets molded into the foam and held in place by packing tape. My Corsair S arrived in perfect condition.
I read through the manual first. I was surprised to see only two pages addressing the assembly process, mostly with well-executed diagrams. There isn’t much assembly necessary: the servos and the receiver are factory installed, as is the complete power system. Except for the elevator, all control linkages are installed and properly adjusted.
Assembly steps I followed:
- Threaded the aileron leads into the fuselage and bolted on the wing.
- Snapped the landing gear into the fittings in each side of the wing and installed the plastic gear leg covers on the wire landing gear.
- Slid the stabilizer assembly into the slot molded into the fuselage, aligned it, and taped it in place with the four small strips of clear tape provided.
- Connected the elevator control rod clevis as indicated in the manual diagram, then connected the ailerons to the installed Y-harness inside the top fuselage hatch.
The assembly was complete in approximately 10 minutes.
Next was radio setup. I looked up my DX9 in the manual’s computerized transmitter setup chart and followed the steps outlined. The simple programming resulted in the three SAFE flight modes being controlled by a three-position switch and the bind button controlling Panic Recovery. After that, I connected the included battery and bound the receiver to my transmitter. A quick control-direction test, as outlined in the manual, confirmed that the flight control surfaces were all moving correctly.
I checked the motor for proper rotation, then connected an Astro Flight wattmeter to measure current at full throttle. The power system pulls roughly 21 amps and provides about 250 watts of power. That's a power loading of slightly more than 100 watts per pound, which is perfect for this airplane.
Checking the center of gravity with the battery all the way forward in the fuselage revealed that it was slightly tail-heavy. I found that 1½ ounces of weight corrected that problem, so I removed the propeller and cowling and attached lead weights to the firewall. Replacing the cowling and propeller completed preparations, and the Corsair was ready for flight.
Flying
I met my friend and chief test pilot, Bill Miller, out at our club field east of Topeka, Kansas. It was sunny with 12 to 15 mph winds from the southwest, and temperatures were in the low 50s. I briefed Bill on the SAFE flight modes and Panic Recovery before we carried the Corsair out to the runway.
With the SAFE mode set to Beginner, Bill advanced the throttle for takeoff. The firm foam wheels are perfectly sized for a grass runway, and after a short, straight acceleration down the runway, the Corsair lifted off and briskly climbed out.
In Beginner mode, the airplane is stable and not extremely responsive. This can be disconcerting for an experienced pilot, so after a few circuits around the field to get a feel for the model, Bill switched into Intermediate mode.
Intermediate mode was much more responsive. The Corsair felt more like a fighter aircraft should, but there was enough restriction in the flight envelope to keep the model from rolling or looping unintentionally.
In Experienced mode there were no limits on the flight envelope, and the model was capable of all conventional aerobatic maneuvers. The roll rate was fairly quick, depending on airspeed, and large, round loops were easy and straight. Slow flight is super stable. In Beginner and Intermediate modes, the Corsair won't stall; it simply begins to descend. In Experienced mode, the stall is a gentle drop of the nose, straight ahead, and applying power will resume flight.
Landings are simple, even in crosswinds. In Beginner mode, line the airplane up with the runway and reduce power to descend. When the model is above the runway, press the Panic Recovery button and hold it while cutting power. The Corsair will assume a nose-up attitude and land smoothly.
As my friends and I flew the Corsair, we repeatedly tested the Panic Recovery button. Regardless of the model's attitude, when the button was pressed the airplane snapped back to upright, level, and into a slight climb. It was remarkable to see that happen the first couple of times. We tried to find a situation where the Corsair wouldn't immediately recover, but failed.
Conclusion
The HobbyZone F4U Corsair S is suitable for a wide range of RC pilots. It's intended to be a model that a beginner can use to teach himself or herself to fly, but it's also suitable for an intermediate flier who wants to expand the limits of his or her abilities with a reliable safety net in case of trouble. And finally, it's a fun warbird for an experienced pilot to fly in any condition.
This is the airplane I wish my dad and I had used to learn RC flight with. I think I'm going to really enjoy flying the F4U Corsair S this season.
—John Kauk [email protected]
MANUFACTURER/DISTRIBUTOR
Horizon Hobby (800) 338-4639 www.parkzone.com
SOURCES
- Spektrum
(800) 338-4639 www.spektrumrc.com
- Astro Flight
(949) 855-9903 www.astroflight.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
