Worth a Closer Look - 2004/02

Worth a Closer Look
14 MODEL AVIATION
In each installment of “Worth a Closer Look” we do
our best to bring you new and exciting products from
our industry. These write-ups are not press releases,
but are actually mini reviews written by the Model
Aviation staff. In each instance the product or service is
actually built, tested, flown, used, etc. to give you a
firsthand account of how it performs.
We have found some of these items on our own, but
many have been brought to our attention from outside
sources. If you have a product or service that you feel
might be “worth a closer look,” contact Model Aviation
Aeromodeling Editor Bob Hunt at (610) 614-1747, or
send an E-mail to [email protected].
USB Flight Data Recorder
Simple to set up and
operate, the R/C Flight
Data Recorder from
Eagle Tree Systems
measures and records
information about your
flight in real time.
After your flight,
plug the recorder into
your personal computer
or laptop and watch the
included Windows
application replay your
flight, graphically displaying the flight parameters.
Among the items recorded during the flight are altitude, airspeed,
rudder, ailerons, elevator, throttle, and battery level. You can play back
this data to analyze the flight or help sort out problems. The data can
also be exported in an Excelcompatible
data file.
The recorder is lightweight, at
less than 3 ounces with all
cables. It is opto-isolated from
the model’s flight pack and has
low power consumption—
approximately 35 mA. A built-in
status light-emitting diode
indicates onboard battery level
on power up and will retain all
flight data without a battery.
This unit supports Mode 2
and Mode 1 transmitters, has an
adjustable capture rate, and is
fully compatible with Windows
98SE, ME, 2000, and XP
operating systems.
Everything you need is included: the recorder, a USB cable, a pitot
tube for airspeed measurements, four Y connectors, software, and an
instruction manual. The street price is $149.99.
Two optional accessories are available but are sold separately from
the recorder. Both units use the expansion port on the recorder. The
first is the Electric Expander. It measures electric current, voltage, and
rpm, and it sells for $49.99.
The second is the Racer Expander, which measures rpm and as
many as two temperature inputs. It includes one rpm sensor and one
temperature sensor, and it costs $29.99.
Eagle Tree Systems, LLC; 4957 Lakemont Blvd. S.E. Suite C-4
PMB 235, Bellevue WA 98006; Tel.: (888) 432-4744; Web site:
www.eagletreesystems.com
Extra 300S 1.60 Almost Ready to Fly (ARF)
Gene Soucy—a three-time US and Canadian National Champion
full-scale pilot—puts in thousands of hours of preparation and
practice to earn his fame, but it takes modelers just 15-20 hours to be
ready to thrill audiences with this Extra 300S.
Great Planes’ 1⁄4-scale Extra 300S ARF was created in
cooperation with air-show and competition pilot Gene Soucy and is
the only licensed version of the world-famous aerobatic aircraft
available today.
The colorful trim scheme is all MonoKote and comes already
applied to the prebuilt wood airframe. The aluminum spinner, tailwheel
assembly, authentic sponsor decals, and horizon indicators for
the wingtips are included.
Painted fiberglass parts (cowl and wheel pants) reproduce the fullscale
Extra’s contours. The two-piece wing slides together to form an
easy-to-install one-piece wing, and then it slides apart to fit in a
backseat or trunk.
Double-beveled control surfaces are linked to exterior servos and
are generously sized for enhanced maneuvering. Airfoils on the fin
and stabilizer also contribute to smooth flight and true tracking.
This 1⁄4-scale Extra has a wingspan of 74 inches, a wing area of
1,048 square inches, and weighs 12-131⁄2 pounds. It requires a 1.20-
1.60 (two-stroke) or 120-180 (four-stroke) engine for power and a
four- to six-channel radio with six servos. The price was not set at
press time, but it should be available at roughly the time you read
this.
Great Planes Model Distributors: Box 9021, Champaign IL
61826; Tel.: (800) 682-8948; Web site: www.greatplanes.com
RV-4 Park Flyer
With the RV-4, there’s no need to drive back and forth to and
from a flying field. Just grab it and go for clean, quiet electric
flight at a park or school yard.
The quick-building RV-4 features lightweight all-wood
construction. Full-span strip ailerons add aerobatic capability,
making this a great intermediate model.
The RV-4 requires a four-channel radio with three microservos,
an Electronic Speed Control, a motor, a gearbox, and a battery
with charger. It spans 41.8 inches and sells for $64.99.
Great Planes Model Distributors: Box 9021, Champaign IL
61826; Tel.: (800) 682-8948; Web site: www.greatplanes.com
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Nationals with it, but it can do a surprisingly wide variety of
maneuvers in a small space. On takeoff, the 370 power system
pulled the model
into the air with
authority and
kept it in a good,
steady climb.
Once we
executed a few
trim and photo
passes, it was
time to see what
the Formosa was
capable of, and it didn’t disappoint. Loops, Figure 8s,
Hammerhead stalls, Immelmann turns, and more are easy to do
from level flight. Rolls of all sorts—slow, point, and snap—are
also simple to do, but keep in mind that this is a park flyer, so
some loss in altitude can
be expected.
One of the more
interesting aspects of
the Formosa’s flight
performance is how
well it flies at low
power. It slows way
down and floats steady
as a rock. From an
altitude of 50 feet,
you’ll have plenty of
time to glide in and set
up your approach.
The Formosa is a great kit. Its light weight coupled with a
powerful geared motor will give you a good 10 minutes of highperformance
flight without needing a great deal of sky.
The GWS Formosa sells for $45.99, and a Slope Glider
version is $32.99.
Horizon Hobby Distributors: 4105 Fieldstone Rd.,
Champaign IL 61822; Tel.: (800) 338-4639; Web site:
www.horizonhobby.com MA
February 2004 15
Formosa Park Flyer
In the ever-evolving world of park
flyers, GWS has introduced this unique
new aircraft. It is a small electric-powered
sport-Pattern model.
Out of the box the Formosa is similar to
other GWS designs, in that the entire
airframe is made from injection-molded
foam. The fuselage consists of a left and a
right half, and the wing and horizontal
stabilizer are one-piece units.
A few dozen other plastic parts are
included and make a complete hardware
package, including a geared 370 motor.
You’ll need a micro flight pack with four
servos and a battery pack to power
everything.
Although there aren’t too many parts,
the instructions call for several of them to
be assembled with the supplied glue,
making the assembly process last longer
than you might think. To allow sufficient
drying time, wait several hours between
steps. From start to finish, it took
approximately three
days to finish our
Formosa.
The only
problem we had was
with the landinggear
wire. The 90°
bends in the wire
were surpassed, and
trying to correct the
bend caused the
wire to break.
Replacement struts
were easy to make using the original wire as a guide.
Most of the printed information we could find about the
Formosa mentions that is should weigh 17-18 ounces when
finished. We were pleasantly surprised when our model weighed
less than a pound (14.5 ounces) ready to fly with battery!
Included in that weight are several nice features: a bolt-on
wing, an 8.4-volt 830 mAh NiMH battery pack, a full-house fourchannel
radio system, and a canopy that doubles as a hatch,
which is held in place with a strong magnet.
The model has a wingspan of 35.4 inches, a length of 35.9
inches, and a wing area of 255.8 square inches.
Flying the Formosa is fun. Don’t expect to win at the Pattern
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