Air Hogs Aero Ace: The most fun I have had with RC in months!

Smokescreen38 · Nov 24, 2005, 08:20 AM

On my lunch break yesterday I picked up one of the new Air Hogs Aero Aces and I have yet to wipe this stupid grin off of my face.. (

<--see?) Its a typically simple Air Hogs offering in that it uses the thrust differential style steering... but dont be fooled. This thing rocks.

This little bipe comes with a built in LiPo and because of its lightweight and tiny size (I think the wingspan is about 8") it can almost be flown in your living room! I have been flying this in the very obstacle filled space of my backyard and have found it to be extremely manuverable!!

The steering is well tuned so that it steers sharply but doesn't lose altitude. The little (pager?) motors hum along nicely and they each have a heat-sink which will hopefully mean a long life.. but they certainly make more than enough power.

The run times for this sort of "toy" are stunning. The box advertises ten minutes.. and I would say that this is right if you flew at high throttle settings but the plane actually flies best if you keep the throttle stick at about 1/4 - 1/3. I have been shocked at what I can bounce thisthing off of and still have it just fly away from it. I hit a branch, then off the trunk, then off of the tail of my very confused dog and still recovered from about one foot off the ground!

One down side is that the charger is built into the (nice looking) transmitter. I Imagine that this will be hard on the 6 AA's but I have done about five or six charges now with no signs of weakening.

I am also skeptical about the range of the radio. The Tx antenna is quite short... but its just not that kind of plane. You would probably speck it out at 200 feet!

Its just so smile inducing to see this tiny little bipe wandering around your back yard. I cannot reccomend it strongly enough. $30 at Toys R Us...

MustangP51 · Nov 24, 2005, 09:19 AM

Can we see some pictures?

StCalvin · Nov 24, 2005, 09:48 AM

The Indoor/micro forums has a long thread on this one,.

Smokescreen38 · Nov 24, 2005, 09:51 AM

http://www.rcgroups.com/gallery/show...cat=500&page=1

http://www.rcgroups.com/gallery/show...cat=500&page=1

It comes with some colorful stickers that I opted to leave off. They were a bit childish

im-sad · Nov 24, 2005, 11:23 AM

Ur right, Its a blast to fly, A freind likes to bring one to the field and we all take turns trying to land it on our hands

.

eran_k · Nov 24, 2005, 02:03 PM

is there a place to get on-line?

Leo L · Nov 24, 2005, 09:11 PM

I believe RCUniverse has a long thread on this plane. You are right that it is a blast to fly, especially considering its size and cost. I initially bought one for my wife, but my 24 year old son, who never flew RC, tried it and there was no getting it away from him. So I bought a second one for my wife. However, i decided that it makes a great pass-time while I'm waiting for my batteries to charge, so I took it away from her and ended up buying a third one for her. So we are now a three AeroAce family. I think that this little plane is a great way to introduce someone to this fun hobby, yet it is also a great paasstime for more experienced flyers, at work during lunch break, just in the back yard when wind and time permit, etc.

Hope that you enjoy your AeroAce as much as my family is enjoying ours.

Gomless · Nov 24, 2005, 10:30 PM

You can get 'em online at (Edited - removed link)

Todd pointed out I had the wrong plane - thanks Todd!
There is another Airhog plane at ToysRUs called the Defender, but it's NOT the same thing - probably not near as good a flyer as the Aero Ace - not a bipe, either.

Steffen

Matt D. · Nov 25, 2005, 01:12 AM

How slow does it fly?
Thanks,
Matt

savydad · Nov 25, 2005, 04:15 AM

gomless, that link is for the defender plane, nowhere near what this plane is...amazon/toysrus doesn't have it listed on their site yet. Only thing I can think of is to search for the x-twin online, or even the aeroace on ebay. Being in Israel, you might not be able to get one shipped for cheap. I think the x-twin coming from europe would be cheaper, and it's the same plane. Ask in the thread smokescreen linked, someone should be able to help you out.

Todd

Smokescreen38 · Nov 25, 2005, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt D.

How slow does it fly?
Thanks,
Matt

It flies more than slow enough to fly in a back yard.. I would say that its just slightly faster than walking speed.

I have found that a little nose weight makes it fly more smoothly but might add another 1/2 mph or so to its airspeed.

Smokescreen38 · Nov 25, 2005, 08:44 AM

I have heard that some people have successfully modded up the Defender (with their own gear) and made it into a pretty decent flyer... but its not the same thing. IIRC it comes with a *yawn* NiMH battery.

Tres Wright · Nov 25, 2005, 11:39 AM

I have one as well, and at 30 bucks it's got to be the best value in R/C. Mine didn't fly worth a darn out of the box, but with some tweaking it flies excellent now. I had to add a 1/2" screw to the nose for some nose weight (also helps to protect it when it bounces into something). I also had to put a tiny bit of down elevator and right rudder trim in, and had to remove the left motor, reposition it and glue it back in place (both motors should angle slightly). Now it gently climbs under throttle, maintains level flight at half throttle and gently descends at low throttle. Turns take about a 10' diameter. I time all flights and consistently get 12 minutes outdoors. The one drawback, and it's a big one, is the range is about 60' max. Every single flight I fly it out of range several times and have to stick the TX antenna up over my head to regain control. It is difficult to keep it within 60'! In the below thread some people have modded their TX to add two more cells to increase range, I'm going to have to try that.

There is a giant thread of mod's to these here:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=401484

Smokescreen38 · Nov 25, 2005, 03:42 PM

Yikes.

I just removed the lower wing as so many have reccomended in the other threads... and it climbs no matter what you do!

You cant steer without throttle.. you cant throttle without climbing

Technically speaking, it flies even better than it did before though.

What's the best solution to this problem? Adding weight sounds like a bad idea.

oldcoot88 · Nov 26, 2005, 12:29 PM

Hi all

As a result of this thread, i went out to Toys be Us and bought one of these little buggers. Haven't had a chance to fly it yet because of high wind. Being a retired electronics geek, i had to investigate the Tx unit a little bit.

With the unit off and the charging cord disconnected from the plane, there is about 100 microamps of current being drained from the batteries. I took the reading at every cell, and each one shows the same drain. This is equivalent to a slow leak in a tire, and will certainly flatten the cells over time. So i gotta take the batteries out except when using the unit, sort of a PITA. Dunno if this is a fluke of this particular unit or if they're all that way, but it'd be worthwhile to check 'em for sure.

I made a little insert consisting of two thin brass strips stuck on either side of an insulating strip, to insert at the end of each cell, which breaks the circuit. Connecting the ammeter (milliameter in this case) to the strips re-makes the circuit to give the reading.

Will submit flight reports as the weather gods permit.

Bill(oldcoot)

Nov 24, 2005, 08:20 AM	#1
Smokescreen38 getting a shift on Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 4,366	Air Hogs Aero Ace: The most fun I have had with RC in months! On my lunch break yesterday I picked up one of the new Air Hogs Aero Aces and I have yet to wipe this stupid grin off of my face.. ( <--see?) Its a typically simple Air Hogs offering in that it uses the thrust differential style steering... but dont be fooled. This thing rocks. This little bipe comes with a built in LiPo and because of its lightweight and tiny size (I think the wingspan is about 8") it can almost be flown in your living room! I have been flying this in the very obstacle filled space of my backyard and have found it to be extremely manuverable!! The steering is well tuned so that it steers sharply but doesn't lose altitude. The little (pager?) motors hum along nicely and they each have a heat-sink which will hopefully mean a long life.. but they certainly make more than enough power. The run times for this sort of "toy" are stunning. The box advertises ten minutes.. and I would say that this is right if you flew at high throttle settings but the plane actually flies best if you keep the throttle stick at about 1/4 - 1/3. I have been shocked at what I can bounce thisthing off of and still have it just fly away from it. I hit a branch, then off the trunk, then off of the tail of my very confused dog and still recovered from about one foot off the ground! One down side is that the charger is built into the (nice looking) transmitter. I Imagine that this will be hard on the 6 AA's but I have done about five or six charges now with no signs of weakening. I am also skeptical about the range of the radio. The Tx antenna is quite short... but its just not that kind of plane. You would probably speck it out at 200 feet! Its just so smile inducing to see this tiny little bipe wandering around your back yard. I cannot reccomend it strongly enough. $30 at Toys R Us...

Nov 24, 2005, 10:30 PM	#8
Gomless Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Alabama Posts: 50	You can get 'em online at (Edited - removed link) Todd pointed out I had the wrong plane - thanks Todd! There is another Airhog plane at ToysRUs called the Defender, but it's NOT the same thing - probably not near as good a flyer as the Aero Ace - not a bipe, either. Steffen Last edited by Gomless; Nov 25, 2005 at 08:15 AM. Reason: Error!

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Nov 24, 2005, 09:19 AM	#2
MustangP51 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: East sussex Posts: 543	Can we see some pictures?

Nov 24, 2005, 09:48 AM	#3
StCalvin ooops Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Dekalb,Illinois Posts: 1,440	The Indoor/micro forums has a long thread on this one,.

Nov 24, 2005, 09:51 AM	#4
Smokescreen38 getting a shift on Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 4,366	http://www.rcgroups.com/gallery/show...cat=500&page=1 http://www.rcgroups.com/gallery/show...cat=500&page=1 It comes with some colorful stickers that I opted to leave off. They were a bit childish

Nov 24, 2005, 11:23 AM	#5
im-sad It should be I was sad :) Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Sentul ,Bogor ; Indonesia Posts: 2,442	Ur right, Its a blast to fly, A freind likes to bring one to the field and we all take turns trying to land it on our hands .

Nov 24, 2005, 02:03 PM	#6
eran_k Eventually...I will fly Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Israel Posts: 842	is there a place to get on-line?

Nov 24, 2005, 09:11 PM	#7
Leo L Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 780	I believe RCUniverse has a long thread on this plane. You are right that it is a blast to fly, especially considering its size and cost. I initially bought one for my wife, but my 24 year old son, who never flew RC, tried it and there was no getting it away from him. So I bought a second one for my wife. However, i decided that it makes a great pass-time while I'm waiting for my batteries to charge, so I took it away from her and ended up buying a third one for her. So we are now a three AeroAce family. I think that this little plane is a great way to introduce someone to this fun hobby, yet it is also a great paasstime for more experienced flyers, at work during lunch break, just in the back yard when wind and time permit, etc. Hope that you enjoy your AeroAce as much as my family is enjoying ours.

Nov 25, 2005, 01:12 AM	#9
Matt D. Registered User Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 668	How slow does it fly? Thanks, Matt

Nov 25, 2005, 04:15 AM	#10
savydad newbie plane..oldie truck Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 1,086	gomless, that link is for the defender plane, nowhere near what this plane is...amazon/toysrus doesn't have it listed on their site yet. Only thing I can think of is to search for the x-twin online, or even the aeroace on ebay. Being in Israel, you might not be able to get one shipped for cheap. I think the x-twin coming from europe would be cheaper, and it's the same plane. Ask in the thread smokescreen linked, someone should be able to help you out. Todd

Nov 25, 2005, 08:44 AM	#12
Smokescreen38 getting a shift on Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 4,366	I have heard that some people have successfully modded up the Defender (with their own gear) and made it into a pretty decent flyer... but its not the same thing. IIRC it comes with a yawn NiMH battery.

Nov 25, 2005, 11:39 AM	#13
Tres Wright Live to ride... and fly! Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Forney, TX Posts: 13,149	I have one as well, and at 30 bucks it's got to be the best value in R/C. Mine didn't fly worth a darn out of the box, but with some tweaking it flies excellent now. I had to add a 1/2" screw to the nose for some nose weight (also helps to protect it when it bounces into something). I also had to put a tiny bit of down elevator and right rudder trim in, and had to remove the left motor, reposition it and glue it back in place (both motors should angle slightly). Now it gently climbs under throttle, maintains level flight at half throttle and gently descends at low throttle. Turns take about a 10' diameter. I time all flights and consistently get 12 minutes outdoors. The one drawback, and it's a big one, is the range is about 60' max. Every single flight I fly it out of range several times and have to stick the TX antenna up over my head to regain control. It is difficult to keep it within 60'! In the below thread some people have modded their TX to add two more cells to increase range, I'm going to have to try that. There is a giant thread of mod's to these here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=401484

Nov 25, 2005, 03:42 PM	#14
Smokescreen38 getting a shift on Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 4,366	Yikes. I just removed the lower wing as so many have reccomended in the other threads... and it climbs no matter what you do! You cant steer without throttle.. you cant throttle without climbing Technically speaking, it flies even better than it did before though. What's the best solution to this problem? Adding weight sounds like a bad idea.

Nov 26, 2005, 12:29 PM	#15
oldcoot88 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 1,733	Hi all As a result of this thread, i went out to Toys be Us and bought one of these little buggers. Haven't had a chance to fly it yet because of high wind. Being a retired electronics geek, i had to investigate the Tx unit a little bit. With the unit off and the charging cord disconnected from the plane, there is about 100 microamps of current being drained from the batteries. I took the reading at every cell, and each one shows the same drain. This is equivalent to a slow leak in a tire, and will certainly flatten the cells over time. So i gotta take the batteries out except when using the unit, sort of a PITA. Dunno if this is a fluke of this particular unit or if they're all that way, but it'd be worthwhile to check 'em for sure. I made a little insert consisting of two thin brass strips stuck on either side of an insulating strip, to insert at the end of each cell, which breaks the circuit. Connecting the ammeter (milliameter in this case) to the strips re-makes the circuit to give the reading. Will submit flight reports as the weather gods permit. Bill(oldcoot)