Plane Talk - 2010/10

EVERY ONCE IN awhile I get the chance to review something
that is unique. The Tucano 60 ARF from AirBorne Models is
different because although it’s an ARF, it is not a typical
aerobatic design (such as an Extra, Edge, Sukhoi), nor is it the
typical warbird. It’s a beautiful, sleek combination of both.
The full-scale Tucano was designed to be an advanced
military trainer. Its sleek lines give it the aerobatic grace of a
sport/RC Aerobatics (Pattern) design.
When I became aware that the Tucano was available for
review, I lobbied the AMA to see if I could get it in the color
scheme of the Brazilian Smoke Squadron. (It is also available in
the military training scheme.) This multicolor design should
show up great in the air and could make for a good Fun Scale
contest entry.
I also requested that I be allowed to convert the aircraft to
electric power. I have quite a bit of experience with such
modifications. In addition, I couldn’t bring myself to cut big
holes in that gorgeous cowling to let a cylinder head and muffler
hang out, destroying the beautiful lines of this model.
The Tucano is advertised as a 1/7-size sport-scale model. It is
definitely not for the novice. You should have built a few ARFs
before tackling this project, and you should also have
successfully soloed at least one low-wing airplane.
Since this was my first review of an AirBorne Models
product, when the Tucano arrived I thoroughly went through
everything to see what was ahead of me. There were no big
surprises when I opened the box.
Everything was nicely packaged in what has become
customary for ARFs these days. All major components (wings,
fuselage, elevator, etc.) were packaged separately in plastic. All
bags were held in place with a large amount of clear packing
tape. The combination of these techniques ensured that the model
made it to me with no damage.
While examining the pieces I found that the entire airframe
was built from balsa and light plywood. The
plywood appeared to be laser cut and
engineered to save weight wherever possible.
The airplane arrived completely finished
with iron-on covering. A nice touch was that
the stripes and trim were not stickers (or
decals); they were individually cut pieces of
covering that were ironed into position at the
factory.
The cowl was also prepainted, in colors
that not only matched well, but also
seamlessly lined up with the fuselage. To top
it off, this ARF needed no love from my heat
gun to tighten any of the covering. Maybe that
was because it was a new kit and had not sat
on a shelf for too long, or maybe the factory
staff simply did a great job.
Mechanical retracts were standard and the
two main gear units that were preinstalled.
They had plastic housings and featured a solid
lock in both the retracted and extended
positions.
Rounding out the box contents were two
large sheets of decals, ample hardware, and
the instruction manual. All hardware was
individually bagged and numbered, and the
numbers were matched with steps in the
instruction manual.
If there was a “weak link” in the package,
it would have been the manual. It wasn’t bad,
but it could have been better in spots.
Assembly: There is no need to go into
detailed, step-by-step description of any ARF
assembly; that’s why we have manuals.
However, I’ll touch on a few things along the
way that caught my attention.
Putting together the wing was
straightforward. It basically consisted of
securing the wing halves and the wing spar
with epoxy, attaching the ailerons and flaps,
and then installing the radio and control
hardware. Nothing was out of the ordinary
there except the aileron servo hatches.
A manufacturer normally has the builder
glue hardwood blocks to a plywood cover, but
not in this case. The aileron covers were
molded plastic and included the mounting
blocks as a one-piece unit.
Ailerons and flaps were hinged at the
factory, but I had to attach them with a few
drops of my favorite thin CA glue.
All hardware was included, which
consisted of metal pushrods, plastic clevises,
keepers, and horns. I had to mark the threaded
rods to make 90° bends at the correct length,
but that’s almost all the hard work there was
to do. Not only were the hinges preslotted, but
the holes for the control horns were predrilled.
Easy!
On the underside of the wing were the two
preinstalled main gear retracts. After attaching
the gear door covers to the struts for a bit of
scale appearance, I hooked up the pushrods to
the retract servo, attached the wheels, and was
good to go.
The fuselage was almost as easy to
assemble as the wing was. I only had to glue
the tail surfaces in place, attach the prehinged
control surfaces with thin CA, and install the
control hardware.
Each elevator half had separate pushrods,
so a component referred to as the “strapper”
was included to bring everything together.
This two-part plastic piece held the two
pushrods from the elevators and another that
ran to the elevator servo, making a sort
of Y-link. This was another easy setup
time-saver.
All control hardware was attached as
in the wing, with pushrods running
through the fuselage inside preinstalled
tubing.
Up front I was required to mount the
nose gear retract and install its pushrod.
My power drill made a rare appearance
during this process; I had to fabricate a
hole so the pushrod could pass through
the well of the nose gear.
Electric Conversion: As I mentioned, I
just had to convert this model to use
electric propulsion. I couldn’t bear the
thought of having cylinder heads,
mufflers, and other protrusions detracting
from the slender design of the cowl.
I decided to use a proven system that
I install in most 60-size conversions: an
E-flite Power 60 motor, a Jeti Advance
ESC from Hobby Lobby, and a couple of
Thunder Power 4200 mAh 3S2P Li-Poly
batteries that would be wired in series to
form a 6S system.
I start by mounting the motor to the
firewall. To do so, I attach the cowl first.
Thinking back throughout the many air shows I’ve attended and the numerous acts, stunts,
airplanes, and characters I’ve seen across the country, a few stand out. Tops on many people’s
list might be the Navy Blue Angels or Air Force Thunderbirds for their precision and speed. Or
maybe the Red Baron Pizza Squadron’s Stearmans, Patty Wagstaff and her Extra, or the
extreme aerobatics of Shawn D. Tucker and his Challenger.
All of those are fantastic performers, but there’s a group I was lucky enough to see that made
a huge impression on me. It seems like a gazillion years ago (it was actually the early 1980s),
but I remember the experience like it was yesterday.
Officially known as the Força Aérea Brasileira Esquadrilha da Fumaça, the Brazilian Air
Force Smoke Squadron flies Embraer T-27 Tucano turboprops. That airplane was originally
designed as an advanced two-place trainer and is still in service. The seven-aircraft group flies
with the same crisp precision as any jet team.
Although lacking the ear-shattering roar of jets, the slower-flying Tucanos can fly more
compact maneuvers that keep them in front of the crowd. This group’s routine is more of an
elegant ballroom dance through the sky, compared with the high-impact performance of many
air show teams.
Sprinkled throughout the Smoke Squadron’s performance was something I’ve never seen
done better: the Lomcevak. But it wasn’t just any Lomcevak; it was one of their signature maneuvers
This trick can be described
only as magnificent end-overend
tumbling in slow motion—
so slow that the Tucanos made
it look like time had stopped.
The soloists of the group
repeatedly and effortlessly
performed these aerobatics in a
way I’ve never seen duplicated.
This year I heard that the
Smoke Squadron was back in
the US, performing at the
Vectron Dayton Air Show held
July 17-18 in Dayton, Ohio. I
had to attend, to witness the
pilots going through their
paces. Although the Tucanos
had changed from red, white,
and black to the scheme you
see on the review model, the
fliers still knew how to
captivate an audience.
If you ever get the
opportunity to see this group in
person, don’t hesitate. The
Brazilian Smoke Squadron is
one of the more awe-inspiring
air show performances you
might ever see. MA
—Tom Sullivan
Because the cowl’s mounting holes were
predrilled, all I had to do was align its stripes
with the fuselage and then mark and drill the
holes into the fuselage. I measured the
distance from the firewall to the front of the
cowl.
After I removed the cowl, I adjusted my
Warbird Performance aluminum mount, with
the motor attached, to the correct distance and
placed it on the firewall to line up the shaft to
center in the cowl’s opening. After marking
and drilling the attachment holes for the
mount, I affixed it using 10-32 hex bolts,
blind nuts, and a touch of thread lock.
With the motor mounted, I attached the
ESC to the firewall on a small balsa spacer I
made from scrap material. I also marked a
couple 3/4-inch holes on the firewall and cut
them using my Dremel tool, to allow air to
pass through the fuselage.
It was time for the balance. With the wing
attached and noting the balance point (3.54
inches from the wing LE), I placed the
batteries on top of the fuselage and moved
them fore and aft to find where the Tucano
would balance. They would best be mounted
slightly aft of the firewall, positioned where
the fuel tank would typically go.
The width of the two battery packs
required that I trim a bit (approximately 1/8
inch) from each side of the former where the
LE of the wing would slot into. I used a
system of “less is more” when securing the
packs in position but allowing the maximum
airflow.
Throughout the years I have learned that
you don’t need much material there—just
enough to keep the packs in place. You could
use plywood or some sort of hard wood, but
the best solution I have found is to use
Popsicle (mixing) sticks. Cut to length to fit
snugly between the two formers, I use one
stick on each side of the batteries and one
across the opening in the former, to keep the
packs from shifting.
To keep the batteries in place, yet have
them be removable, I make two triangular
pieces from scrap plywood. Then I attach
spare servo arms to each piece. Between
them, these arms will hold a small pushrod
that is threaded on one end and has a Z-bend
at the other.
Then I slip a piece of medium fuel tubing
over the pushrod, to act as a cushion against
the batteries, and install a clevis on the
threaded end. To remove the packs, you
simply unclip the clevis from the arm and
rotate it out of the way. This method is easy,
quick, and lightweight.
One of the most important parts of this (or
any) electric conversion is to make sure you
include an external arming plug for the power
system. I normally use a female Deans
connector mounted through the side of the
fuselage, and I’ve made a few small male
“jumpers” that can plug in to complete the
circuit. This way I can assemble the model,
turn on the radio, and move out to the runway
with no worries of bumping the throttle stick.
The last step was to employ my Dremel
tool to enlarge the opening in the cowl, to let a
bit more air through the fuselage. It turned out
that this opening provided a good amount of
airflow to keep everything cool, even after a
good 10 minutes of full-power flying.
Final Assembly: To finish the Tucano, the
radio needed to be installed. With the
exception of the receiver battery, everything
fit nicely in the wing bay with plenty of room
to spare. The receiver battery would fit there
too, but I shifted it to the rear of the fuselage
for ballast.
As it turns out, the factory thought of the
balance issue and designed a hatch on the
underside of the fuselage. Normally you
would mount the battery there and then cover
it by reattaching the hatch cover with a few
screws. But since I needed the heated air to
exit the fuselage, I decided to leave this hatch
off.
With the radio installed, there were a few
cosmetic steps to complete. They involved
mounting the included pilot figures, applying
decals, and attaching the canopy. (If you want
to use this as a Fun Scale model, make sure to
install those pilots; it’s in the rules.)
There were also small parts to install that
would have added to the scale appearance:
two white antennas and a step. I chose not to
use them; I would no doubt knock them off,
causing a bit of “hangar rash.”
All finished, my review Tucano ARF
came in at 7.1 pounds without batteries. With
them in place the model topped out at 8.25
pounds, making it a bit heavier than
recommended but probably not that far off if
you consider that a glow-powered model is
heavier with a full tank of fuel.
The total time from when I opened the box
to this point was roughly 10 hours, including
the electric conversion.
Flying: After installing the batteries, attaching
the wing, and quickly double-checking all
control throws, I installed the arming plug and
taxied the Tucano out for initial tests.
As I mentioned, this electric conversion
uses a propeller that leaves little ground
clearance, so I was careful to avoid as many
cracks and bumps as I could. It had been
awhile since I had flown a model with a
tricycle gear configuration, and this one
proved to be a dream to taxi. It required little
rudder input to turn and tracked well under
power.
For the first takeoff I chose not to use
flaps. Rollout took nearly 60 feet, and a gentle
pull of the stick had the Tucano smoothly
climbing skyward.
After a few trim passes and the obligatory
photo flybys, it was time to see how the
aircraft handled. Straight-and-level flight
required a tad more than one-third throttle.
Because of this airplane’s clean lines, it
gained speed in a hurry and was a bit reluctant
to slow; I learned that during the first few
practice landing attempts. Even after a few
tries, the first touchdown was long. I decided
to try flaps on the next flight.
Using flaps on the second takeoff, the
rollout length wasn’t noticeably shorter;
however, the climbout could be much steeper.
Dropping flaps in flight also allows you to
dramatically slow the Tucano and maintain a
good deal of maneuverability.
Landing with flaps is definitely the way to
go. You can use their extra drag to bring the
model down in a much shorter distance and at
a safer speed.
In the last of three initial flights, I decided
to wring it out. Using full throttle for most of
the flight, I wanted to see not only how the
airplane performed, but also how well the
internal cooling would work and what kind of
flight time could be expected.
On the performance side, the Tucano flies
like almost any sport-Pattern aircraft. Loops,
Rolls, Point Rolls, Hammerheads, Split “S”s,
Immelmann turns, and more are nearly
effortless. This model also excels at snaps and
spins, as does the full-scale version.
The E-flite Power 60 has more than
enough power to continuously loop from level
flight and offers a good 10 minutes of airtime
using full power. Applying throttle more
judiciously, you can easily stretch this to 15
minutes with a little power to spare for a
touch-and-go or two.
Having written countless reviews through
the years, I’ve been of the mind-set that no
model package is perfect. Thankfully, I work
with a magazine that encourages the reviewers
not only to bring up problems an airplane has,
but also to offer workarounds if possible.
I’m pleasantly surprised to write
something that I never have. There were
simply no problems with the review Tucano.
Yes, the instruction manual could have been
improved upon, but all the parts were
included, the pieces fit together, and, best of
all, the finished model flies great. It didn’t
even have enough wrinkles for me to bother
with getting out the heat gun.
An issue might pop up if you decide to go
with a glow engine, but in looking through the
instructions and parts I think the result will be
the same. This is a well-thought-out ARF that
faithfully represents the full-scale aircraft. It
has fantastic flying characteristics and I’ll
certainly be putting a lot of time on it. MA
Tom Sullivan
[email protected]

EVERY ONCE IN awhile I get the chance to review something
that is unique. The Tucano 60 ARF from AirBorne Models is
different because although it’s an ARF, it is not a typical
aerobatic design (such as an Extra, Edge, Sukhoi), nor is it the
typical warbird. It’s a beautiful, sleek combination of both.
The full-scale Tucano was designed to be an advanced
military trainer. Its sleek lines give it the aerobatic grace of a
sport/RC Aerobatics (Pattern) design.
When I became aware that the Tucano was available for
review, I lobbied the AMA to see if I could get it in the color
scheme of the Brazilian Smoke Squadron. (It is also available in
the military training scheme.) This multicolor design should
show up great in the air and could make for a good Fun Scale
contest entry.
I also requested that I be allowed to convert the aircraft to
electric power. I have quite a bit of experience with such
modifications. In addition, I couldn’t bring myself to cut big
holes in that gorgeous cowling to let a cylinder head and muffler
hang out, destroying the beautiful lines of this model.
The Tucano is advertised as a 1/7-size sport-scale model. It is
definitely not for the novice. You should have built a few ARFs
before tackling this project, and you should also have
successfully soloed at least one low-wing airplane.
Since this was my first review of an AirBorne Models
product, when the Tucano arrived I thoroughly went through
everything to see what was ahead of me. There were no big
surprises when I opened the box.
Everything was nicely packaged in what has become
customary for ARFs these days. All major components (wings,
fuselage, elevator, etc.) were packaged separately in plastic. All
bags were held in place with a large amount of clear packing
tape. The combination of these techniques ensured that the model
made it to me with no damage.
While examining the pieces I found that the entire airframe
was built from balsa and light plywood. The
plywood appeared to be laser cut and
engineered to save weight wherever possible.
The airplane arrived completely finished
with iron-on covering. A nice touch was that
the stripes and trim were not stickers (or
decals); they were individually cut pieces of
covering that were ironed into position at the
factory.
The cowl was also prepainted, in colors
that not only matched well, but also
seamlessly lined up with the fuselage. To top
it off, this ARF needed no love from my heat
gun to tighten any of the covering. Maybe that
was because it was a new kit and had not sat
on a shelf for too long, or maybe the factory
staff simply did a great job.
Mechanical retracts were standard and the
two main gear units that were preinstalled.
They had plastic housings and featured a solid
lock in both the retracted and extended
positions.
Rounding out the box contents were two
large sheets of decals, ample hardware, and
the instruction manual. All hardware was
individually bagged and numbered, and the
numbers were matched with steps in the
instruction manual.
If there was a “weak link” in the package,
it would have been the manual. It wasn’t bad,
but it could have been better in spots.
Assembly: There is no need to go into
detailed, step-by-step description of any ARF
assembly; that’s why we have manuals.
However, I’ll touch on a few things along the
way that caught my attention.
Putting together the wing was
straightforward. It basically consisted of
securing the wing halves and the wing spar
with epoxy, attaching the ailerons and flaps,
and then installing the radio and control
hardware. Nothing was out of the ordinary
there except the aileron servo hatches.
A manufacturer normally has the builder
glue hardwood blocks to a plywood cover, but
not in this case. The aileron covers were
molded plastic and included the mounting
blocks as a one-piece unit.
Ailerons and flaps were hinged at the
factory, but I had to attach them with a few
drops of my favorite thin CA glue.
All hardware was included, which
consisted of metal pushrods, plastic clevises,
keepers, and horns. I had to mark the threaded
rods to make 90° bends at the correct length,
but that’s almost all the hard work there was
to do. Not only were the hinges preslotted, but
the holes for the control horns were predrilled.
Easy!
On the underside of the wing were the two
preinstalled main gear retracts. After attaching
the gear door covers to the struts for a bit of
scale appearance, I hooked up the pushrods to
the retract servo, attached the wheels, and was
good to go.
The fuselage was almost as easy to
assemble as the wing was. I only had to glue
the tail surfaces in place, attach the prehinged
control surfaces with thin CA, and install the
control hardware.
Each elevator half had separate pushrods,
so a component referred to as the “strapper”
was included to bring everything together.
This two-part plastic piece held the two
pushrods from the elevators and another that
ran to the elevator servo, making a sort
of Y-link. This was another easy setup
time-saver.
All control hardware was attached as
in the wing, with pushrods running
through the fuselage inside preinstalled
tubing.
Up front I was required to mount the
nose gear retract and install its pushrod.
My power drill made a rare appearance
during this process; I had to fabricate a
hole so the pushrod could pass through
the well of the nose gear.
Electric Conversion: As I mentioned, I
just had to convert this model to use
electric propulsion. I couldn’t bear the
thought of having cylinder heads,
mufflers, and other protrusions detracting
from the slender design of the cowl.
I decided to use a proven system that
I install in most 60-size conversions: an
E-flite Power 60 motor, a Jeti Advance
ESC from Hobby Lobby, and a couple of
Thunder Power 4200 mAh 3S2P Li-Poly
batteries that would be wired in series to
form a 6S system.
I start by mounting the motor to the
firewall. To do so, I attach the cowl first.
Thinking back throughout the many air shows I’ve attended and the numerous acts, stunts,
airplanes, and characters I’ve seen across the country, a few stand out. Tops on many people’s
list might be the Navy Blue Angels or Air Force Thunderbirds for their precision and speed. Or
maybe the Red Baron Pizza Squadron’s Stearmans, Patty Wagstaff and her Extra, or the
extreme aerobatics of Shawn D. Tucker and his Challenger.
All of those are fantastic performers, but there’s a group I was lucky enough to see that made
a huge impression on me. It seems like a gazillion years ago (it was actually the early 1980s),
but I remember the experience like it was yesterday.
Officially known as the Força Aérea Brasileira Esquadrilha da Fumaça, the Brazilian Air
Force Smoke Squadron flies Embraer T-27 Tucano turboprops. That airplane was originally
designed as an advanced two-place trainer and is still in service. The seven-aircraft group flies
with the same crisp precision as any jet team.
Although lacking the ear-shattering roar of jets, the slower-flying Tucanos can fly more
compact maneuvers that keep them in front of the crowd. This group’s routine is more of an
elegant ballroom dance through the sky, compared with the high-impact performance of many
air show teams.
Sprinkled throughout the Smoke Squadron’s performance was something I’ve never seen
done better: the Lomcevak. But it wasn’t just any Lomcevak; it was one of their signature maneuvers
This trick can be described
only as magnificent end-overend
tumbling in slow motion—
so slow that the Tucanos made
it look like time had stopped.
The soloists of the group
repeatedly and effortlessly
performed these aerobatics in a
way I’ve never seen duplicated.
This year I heard that the
Smoke Squadron was back in
the US, performing at the
Vectron Dayton Air Show held
July 17-18 in Dayton, Ohio. I
had to attend, to witness the
pilots going through their
paces. Although the Tucanos
had changed from red, white,
and black to the scheme you
see on the review model, the
fliers still knew how to
captivate an audience.
If you ever get the
opportunity to see this group in
person, don’t hesitate. The
Brazilian Smoke Squadron is
one of the more awe-inspiring
air show performances you
might ever see. MA
—Tom Sullivan
Because the cowl’s mounting holes were
predrilled, all I had to do was align its stripes
with the fuselage and then mark and drill the
holes into the fuselage. I measured the
distance from the firewall to the front of the
cowl.
After I removed the cowl, I adjusted my
Warbird Performance aluminum mount, with
the motor attached, to the correct distance and
placed it on the firewall to line up the shaft to
center in the cowl’s opening. After marking
and drilling the attachment holes for the
mount, I affixed it using 10-32 hex bolts,
blind nuts, and a touch of thread lock.
With the motor mounted, I attached the
ESC to the firewall on a small balsa spacer I
made from scrap material. I also marked a
couple 3/4-inch holes on the firewall and cut
them using my Dremel tool, to allow air to
pass through the fuselage.
It was time for the balance. With the wing
attached and noting the balance point (3.54
inches from the wing LE), I placed the
batteries on top of the fuselage and moved
them fore and aft to find where the Tucano
would balance. They would best be mounted
slightly aft of the firewall, positioned where
the fuel tank would typically go.
The width of the two battery packs
required that I trim a bit (approximately 1/8
inch) from each side of the former where the
LE of the wing would slot into. I used a
system of “less is more” when securing the
packs in position but allowing the maximum
airflow.
Throughout the years I have learned that
you don’t need much material there—just
enough to keep the packs in place. You could
use plywood or some sort of hard wood, but
the best solution I have found is to use
Popsicle (mixing) sticks. Cut to length to fit
snugly between the two formers, I use one
stick on each side of the batteries and one
across the opening in the former, to keep the
packs from shifting.
To keep the batteries in place, yet have
them be removable, I make two triangular
pieces from scrap plywood. Then I attach
spare servo arms to each piece. Between
them, these arms will hold a small pushrod
that is threaded on one end and has a Z-bend
at the other.
Then I slip a piece of medium fuel tubing
over the pushrod, to act as a cushion against
the batteries, and install a clevis on the
threaded end. To remove the packs, you
simply unclip the clevis from the arm and
rotate it out of the way. This method is easy,
quick, and lightweight.
One of the most important parts of this (or
any) electric conversion is to make sure you
include an external arming plug for the power
system. I normally use a female Deans
connector mounted through the side of the
fuselage, and I’ve made a few small male
“jumpers” that can plug in to complete the
circuit. This way I can assemble the model,
turn on the radio, and move out to the runway
with no worries of bumping the throttle stick.
The last step was to employ my Dremel
tool to enlarge the opening in the cowl, to let a
bit more air through the fuselage. It turned out
that this opening provided a good amount of
airflow to keep everything cool, even after a
good 10 minutes of full-power flying.
Final Assembly: To finish the Tucano, the
radio needed to be installed. With the
exception of the receiver battery, everything
fit nicely in the wing bay with plenty of room
to spare. The receiver battery would fit there
too, but I shifted it to the rear of the fuselage
for ballast.
As it turns out, the factory thought of the
balance issue and designed a hatch on the
underside of the fuselage. Normally you
would mount the battery there and then cover
it by reattaching the hatch cover with a few
screws. But since I needed the heated air to
exit the fuselage, I decided to leave this hatch
off.
With the radio installed, there were a few
cosmetic steps to complete. They involved
mounting the included pilot figures, applying
decals, and attaching the canopy. (If you want
to use this as a Fun Scale model, make sure to
install those pilots; it’s in the rules.)
There were also small parts to install that
would have added to the scale appearance:
two white antennas and a step. I chose not to
use them; I would no doubt knock them off,
causing a bit of “hangar rash.”
All finished, my review Tucano ARF
came in at 7.1 pounds without batteries. With
them in place the model topped out at 8.25
pounds, making it a bit heavier than
recommended but probably not that far off if
you consider that a glow-powered model is
heavier with a full tank of fuel.
The total time from when I opened the box
to this point was roughly 10 hours, including
the electric conversion.
Flying: After installing the batteries, attaching
the wing, and quickly double-checking all
control throws, I installed the arming plug and
taxied the Tucano out for initial tests.
As I mentioned, this electric conversion
uses a propeller that leaves little ground
clearance, so I was careful to avoid as many
cracks and bumps as I could. It had been
awhile since I had flown a model with a
tricycle gear configuration, and this one
proved to be a dream to taxi. It required little
rudder input to turn and tracked well under
power.
For the first takeoff I chose not to use
flaps. Rollout took nearly 60 feet, and a gentle
pull of the stick had the Tucano smoothly
climbing skyward.
After a few trim passes and the obligatory
photo flybys, it was time to see how the
aircraft handled. Straight-and-level flight
required a tad more than one-third throttle.
Because of this airplane’s clean lines, it
gained speed in a hurry and was a bit reluctant
to slow; I learned that during the first few
practice landing attempts. Even after a few
tries, the first touchdown was long. I decided
to try flaps on the next flight.
Using flaps on the second takeoff, the
rollout length wasn’t noticeably shorter;
however, the climbout could be much steeper.
Dropping flaps in flight also allows you to
dramatically slow the Tucano and maintain a
good deal of maneuverability.
Landing with flaps is definitely the way to
go. You can use their extra drag to bring the
model down in a much shorter distance and at
a safer speed.
In the last of three initial flights, I decided
to wring it out. Using full throttle for most of
the flight, I wanted to see not only how the
airplane performed, but also how well the
internal cooling would work and what kind of
flight time could be expected.
On the performance side, the Tucano flies
like almost any sport-Pattern aircraft. Loops,
Rolls, Point Rolls, Hammerheads, Split “S”s,
Immelmann turns, and more are nearly
effortless. This model also excels at snaps and
spins, as does the full-scale version.
The E-flite Power 60 has more than
enough power to continuously loop from level
flight and offers a good 10 minutes of airtime
using full power. Applying throttle more
judiciously, you can easily stretch this to 15
minutes with a little power to spare for a
touch-and-go or two.
Having written countless reviews through
the years, I’ve been of the mind-set that no
model package is perfect. Thankfully, I work
with a magazine that encourages the reviewers
not only to bring up problems an airplane has,
but also to offer workarounds if possible.
I’m pleasantly surprised to write
something that I never have. There were
simply no problems with the review Tucano.
Yes, the instruction manual could have been
improved upon, but all the parts were
included, the pieces fit together, and, best of
all, the finished model flies great. It didn’t
even have enough wrinkles for me to bother
with getting out the heat gun.
An issue might pop up if you decide to go
with a glow engine, but in looking through the
instructions and parts I think the result will be
the same. This is a well-thought-out ARF that
faithfully represents the full-scale aircraft. It
has fantastic flying characteristics and I’ll
certainly be putting a lot of time on it. MA
Tom Sullivan
[email protected]