Well now that the Sukhoi SU-26XP is out why don't we start to gather information in one place!

Here are my first questions...

1. Please report your experience with CG position on the new plane.

2. Let us know what batteries you are using. E-Flite? Hyperion? Turnigy?

Did anyone get extra Velcro strips (for batteries) with their plane? My P-51 came with extras but the Sukhoi seems to come with none.

Got the plane, all stock setup. This maiden flight is with the battery about centered in the battery 'slot'

Sukhoi SU-26xp Unboxing / Review / Maiden Flight! (11 min 41 sec)

Originally Posted by earthling1984

with the battery about centered in the battery 'slot'

With or without landing gear?

Originally Posted by tdriedger

With or without landing gear?

My longer flight in the video was without landing gear, same position, center about. You can change where the battery is based on how you want it to fly. If you want more stable flight, for 'normal' flying with just rolls and loops, you will want it further forward. If you want to do more 3D stunts, you will want it further back.

My friendly LHS called me today.

I bound her to my Futaba 10CHP. I set her up for max throws all around. I adjusted the trims for zero deflection @ center-stick. With a Hyperion G3 CX 160 mounted to the rear of the slot, the CG is @ 37mm - right on factory spec. I had 4 Hyperion 160s charged & ready to go. It was time to fly!

Specs:

EW: 31.15g
Stock AUW: 35.80g
Hyp 130: 35.25g
Hyp 160: 36.00g
MA 180: 36.30g
CG: 37mm (Hyperion 160 to the rear of the slot)

Setup:

Control linkages set for max throw
Servo travel: +/-100%
Rates: 100%
Expo: 80% on ailerons & elevator; 25% on rudder

Test conditions:

Elevation: 940' AMSL
Temp: 67 F
Wind: 5 MPH; g15 MPH
Static RPM (Hyperion 160 - 30 sec into run): 7500 RPM

Maiden flight:

I couldn't wait for the wind to die down, so I took her up - despite the 15 MPH gusts. With the control surfaces visually centered, I lined her up & nailed the throttle. She was airborne within a few feet. A couple clicks of up-elevator trim & she was flying level - hands-off. I pulled to vertical, and she headed upstairs with authority. Like her predecessor, she handled the gusty conditions with ease.

General flight

Take-offs @ WOT are quick. As with all taildraggers, she requires right-rudder input to remain on course during the takeoff roll. She handles much like her predecessor. She seems to be fast enough with the stock prop, and had no trouble making headway in the wind. Slow-flight is great, and she's a pussycat on landing. The slight increase in weight over my V2 w/P-51 motor/GWS 5043/Hyp 240 didn't seem to be noticeable.

Aerobatics

Trimmed for level flight with the CG @ 37mm, she flies level inverted with a hint of down-elevator input. She tracks well through loops, and the increased elevator authority allows for some very tight ones, as well. She does have a tendency to corkscrew out of really tight loops when full elevator is used, however. Rolls are crisp. Like her predecessor, she rolls like a drill bit! Elevators are reasonably flat, although bit of wing-rock was present. Harriers also had some wing-rock, but it was manageable. As with her predecessor, her 3D performance will improve with the CG moved back to 38-39mm. Since she balances @ 37mm with no ballast, moving the CG to 39mm will be easy to do. A strip of clear packing tape under the horizontal stab should do the job.

She has plenty of power for hovering & vertical maneuvers; however the wind was too gusty for me to hold hover for more than a few seconds. She can accelerate vertically out of a hover, and she climbs straight up for a couple hundred feet or more with ease. The increased elevator/rudder throw is very noticeable (and very welcome!). Knife-edge flight is easy. She does sustained knife-edge at just over half-throttle. I couldn't check for coupling during knife-edge flight, as the wind was too strong.

The wind was starting to get quite unpredictable, so I cut my flying session short. I flew about 3 packs. I had to do zero forward speed, power-on landings, as the wind speed was often somewhat above her stall-speed.

First impressions:

HH got it right this time. This plane flies very well in stock form. There is plenty of power on tap for most any pattern or 3D maneuver. With max throws and some expo, she can be mild, yet wild when commanded. With the CG @ 37mm, she can fly very slowly, with no tendency to tip-stall. She's a real pussycat on landing.

Pros:

* Much stronger tail feathers. They seem to be made from the same material as the J-3 Cub's tail feathers.
* Plenty of power with the stock motor/prop & a good battery.
* Achievable aerobatic CG.
* 6400L brick is a great improvement.
* Pushrod guides dramatically improve elevator & rudder authority.

Cons:

* Slightly heavier than a V2 with a Hyperion 240 mAh flat-pack cell & c/f strips on the tail feathers. (Not enough to be noticeable in flight, however.)
* Under certain conditions, the blue leading edge can make the wing difficult to see during a head-on approach.
* Aileron linkage could be factory-set for maximum throw, so that one wouldn't have to cut the decals right away.

Summary:

HH incorporated the most cost-effective mods from the R/C community, and added a robust tail, pushrod guides, and the long-throw brick. The XP flies very well right out-of-the-box. It flies even better with higher-c cells. Horizon - the XP is a real winner! Thanks for listening!

Joel

Awesome


Vids anyone?

Originally Posted by Razors edge 29

Awesome


Vids anyone?

Working on it. Was hoping to get something up on 'Tube yesterday; however my videographer ran out of time. Wx is supposed to suck this weekend, so I probably won't be able to shoot any video until sometime next week.

Joel

Cool

weather sucks here as well




QUOTE=turboparker;15302284]Working on it. Was hoping to get something up on 'Tube yesterday; however my videographer ran out of time. Wx is supposed to suck this weekend, so I probably won't be able to shoot any video until sometime next week.

Joel[/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by earthling1984

Got the plane, all stock setup. This maiden flight is with the battery about centered in the battery 'slot'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiCbWKU4sBk

Nice summary earthling.. thanks for taking the time. I've got one of these Sukhoi's on hold at my LHS.. I better run down a get it.. they got 6 in a few days ago, and they're all gone.. hopefully they've still got mine on hold from my call to them last night.. they should though.. I might have one sitting on my table in a few hours.

PS.. I think I'm hooked on this BNF stuff since I got my DX7 a few months back.. I find myself trying to come up with funds to buy them all.. so far though all I have is my P-51BL.. but that one plane sold me on them. I'd be buying the Extra that's coming out.. but I can't find them anywhere.. if they have one of those at my LHS I might come home with that too.. hehe. Thx.

Well I picked up my Sukhoi.. its a quite attractive little plane. Its all set up ready for the maiden flight.. sometime this evening I think. The only thing I was perplexed on was there's no binding plug.. you just turn it on.. and bind it.
What happens when you want to rebind it though.. I'm not seeing that in the instructs.. do you really have to cut those fancy little decals.. Its no biggie really, as I can cut them without issue to get inside, and I probably wont' be able to tell.. but...
does anyone have insight on rebinding??

No binding plugs required on the micro bricks. Just repeat binding process to rebind.

Ah ha... here's some insight.. duh.. I should have read the book in entirety first. IF you connect the aircraft battery FIRST.. its puts the Rx into bind-mode. Thats the only time you connect the Rx battery first is when you bind, or re-bind.. hmm.. I'm still new to 2.4 technology, and these micros are a little different.. I'm gaining on it quick though.

Really nice reviews guys! My birthday is later this month and I think I've decided what I want.

-Dustin

The wind gods came up with a calm morning today! I took the XP out and got in four flights.

I'm using some of the Turnigy 160mAh cells. They seem to work great. I didn't measure the CG position but I've left about a 1/4" space between the battery and the back of the battery slot. Plane seems fairly neutral, inverted flight was easy with little to no pushing on the stick.

This pane is a ball of energy just waiting to get out!

I've flown a PZ T-28, PZ P-51 Micro, Multiplex Merlin and an EPP Yak. This is the most agile plane so far. It is a great step up for anyone that is really comfortable with their Micro P-51.

I'm no 3D pilot and that's not what I'm looking for in this plane. As they say in one of the Horizon preview videos - It's a backyard IMAC plane. That is just what I'm looking for to further my flying skills.