Nice shots. I like the plane coming straight at the camera.

Originally Posted by bring the thunda

Hi guys,

all done and ready for the maiden tomorrow if the weather is good

Geez the blue sure is a sweet colour. How did the maiden go with that motor?

Originally Posted by Mr Kamikaze

Geez the blue sure is a sweet colour. How did the maiden go with that motor?

Hi Mr K,

It certainly was interesting

Even with the lipo as far forward as possible, the CG was too far back and this made the elevator super sensitive for the first flight.

I had to add 57g of ballast to the motor box to get the CG forward enough. It flew much better after that. I'm off tomorrow morning for more flights so I can trim this baby out perfectly. It sure is a good looking plane.

Quite floaty for my short little "runway" at the park where I fly, so I'm gonna have to practice those super-slow harrier landings

How are you enjoying flying that West Tigers Mango beauty?

Yep I love it. For its size I'm still amazed how well it flys IMAC or pattern type sequences. It really holds super straight lines and has no hint of stalling and I think it looks and flys like a much bigger plane when doing this kind of flying. I'm happy to fly whole batteries just doing big smooth flying.

Then it becomes a 3d animal. Easy as harriers and hovers, rollers as well. Currently playing around with death slides from about 100ft down to under 10ft the rudder and power giving complete confidence to do it. Oh and my fave with it at the minute is a full power wall, zero the power then as it stops slam power back on and push over the top straight into a rolling harrier. It does this move tighter than any other plane I have seen.

Did I mention I love it!?

Mines ready to go. So how are you guys finding the 12 degree low rates?
it sure seems like a lot of difference. I fly a mix of 3d and precision so I wonder if 12 degrees on aileron is enough roll rate?

Originally Posted by kepople

Mines ready to go. So how are you guys finding the 12 degree low rates?
it sure seems like a lot of difference. I fly a mix of 3d and precision so I wonder if 12 degrees on aileron is enough roll rate?

10-12 degrees is perfect for the elevator low rate. For ailerons low rate it really depends on what you like, if you like faster snap rolls, i would suggest you go to about 20 - 25 degrees of aileron throw or adjust to where you like it. Then for high rates, definately go for as much throw as you can on everything!

Are any of PA's electric aircrafts suitable for a beginner flyer with a little skill on RC helis?

Originally Posted by adrictan

Are any of PA's electric aircrafts suitable for a beginner flyer with a little skill on RC helis?

Probably the Electric Shock, set up for low rates (dual rates) would be an inexpensive starter plane if you're trying to avoid the super light weight foamies. And getting a lot of training flight time on a good SIM will help a bunch too.
-Byron

Originally Posted by bring the thunda

Hi Mr K,

It certainly was interesting

Even with the lipo as far forward as possible, the CG was too far back and this made the elevator super sensitive for the first flight.

I had to add 57g of ballast to the motor box to get the CG forward enough. It flew much better after that. I'm off tomorrow morning for more flights so I can trim this baby out perfectly. It sure is a good looking plane.

Quite floaty for my short little "runway" at the park where I fly, so I'm gonna have to practice those super-slow harrier landings

How are you enjoying flying that West Tigers Mango beauty?

The dead weight is not needed

Here is the thing with the Bandit,
Unlike other planes the Bandit is VERY neutral plane and will fly wherever you point its nose. It takes a bit of time to get use to it but it doesn’t hurt its precision ability. It is a very precise plane but the concept of flying the Bandit with a "nose heavy" feel is not applicable.

Ask Aerofan Dan he will tell you! He didn’t want to take my advice (when flying the pre-production plane at SEFF and Joe Nall) blaming the tail servos and CG but after getting use to the plane his battery is exactly where it should have been from the first place and he is happy with the CG . Just a matter of getting to know the Bandit better.

One thing to confirm is that the elevator linkage is not binding (activate it manually after detaching the servo arm) and then check the centering of the servo. Obviously if the servo is not centering well it will contribute to trimming changes.

Also verify that the ailerons are in neutral position (no Flaperons or Spoilerons in neutral position).

Lastly check that the motor sit flush with the firewall and there is no undesired "down/up thrust" angle. Make sure there is no epoxy on the firewall where the motor sits. Also make sure that the balsa triangles (behind the firewall) are trimmed so they don’t obstruct the motor from sitting flush with the firewall).

Lastly, trim the plane in a very calm day and not gusty as it will certainly confuse you.

Shaun
Precision Aerobatics Team

Originally Posted by bring the thunda

Hi Mr K,

It certainly was interesting

Even with the lipo as far forward as possible, the CG was too far back and this made the elevator super sensitive for the first flight.

I had to add 57g of ballast to the motor box to get the CG forward enough. It flew much better after that. I'm off tomorrow morning for more flights so I can trim this baby out perfectly. It sure is a good looking plane.

Quite floaty for my short little "runway" at the park where I fly, so I'm gonna have to practice those super-slow harrier landings

How are you enjoying flying that West Tigers Mango beauty?

57 grams of noseweight?Sounds like something is amiss.By all means if you like the plane with that much wieght in the front thats how you should enjoy it.But,it has to have something going on wih how the motor is mounted,or maybe not enough expo or maybe too much expo in the elevator?dunno but usu if using the manufacturer recommended setups you dont add static weight to their planes.I have seen those servos not center well.(sorry pa) but it happens with any servo.also motor thrust angle if it is not correct can cause weird issues.

very true Shaun,

It is a pitty to add extra weight to get the right CG. PA did a great job by creating such a well balanced airframe.

This plane is absolutely neutral. We fly this plane even on 3 as on 4s with a different weight of battery and in both of the cases, it flies very neutral.

It is better to place the esc as far as possible in the nose (just like the manuel says) and make the batterywires a bit longer.

Originally Posted by adrictan

Are any of PA's electric aircrafts suitable for a beginner flyer with a little skill on RC helis?

Originally Posted by wa4geg

Probably the Electric Shock, set up for low rates (dual rates) would be an inexpensive starter plane if you're trying to avoid the super light weight foamies. And getting a lot of training flight time on a good SIM will help a bunch too.
-Byron

Hey adrictan, how much skill do you have on the heli? If your ok with nose in hover, figure 8's and circuits, I would recommend the Addiction or AddictionX over the Electric shock.

The electric shock is very responsive, and it is small so is best suited to close range flying. Also the landing gear is not really suited to grass landings.




Loving the photos and maiden stories fellas!

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the helpful advice. It flew better today with slightly more nose weight.

I'll strip it down and change some servos around and double check the fit against the firewall of the motor as well as checking the elevator moves freely when disconnected.

I may also move the Rx to just behind the lipo on the tray. If it flies nose heavy sports style, I'll start reducing nose ballast and hopefully be able to get rid of it all.

Thanks again guys for the advice

Originally Posted by adrictan

Are any of PA's electric aircrafts suitable for a beginner flyer with a little skill on RC helis?

Hi Adrictan,

I also had some experiance with RC helis and flew a high wing trainer about 10 times before i recently moved to the bandit. I started off with a tamer 13x5 prop and found it to be a great beginer plane. As long as you have some experiance with your orientation it really isnt much harder to fly on low rates than a trainer and its a great versatile plane that can grow with you.

Marcel

Thanks guys for the reply so far.

I've not started long in heli and am currently flying a Mini Titan E325. Over the course of a month plus, I'm comfortable in hovering at any time with zero crash since starting. Am currently learning to fly it from left to right & vice versa.

I was looking at the Kyosho Redbull series until I saw the Bandit. The Kyosho is available in Singapore but I suppose the only way to get the Bandit is to order thru U.S or Australia.

Any more thoughts & comments?