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Great Planes Seawind 71" ARF E-Conversion Review
By kingsflyer
Jul 06, 2007, 04:55 PM
IntroductionThe innovative Seawind came to America in 1989. From the outset, the Seawind was a bold concept, built on the principle, "If it looks good, it will fly well." Extensive use of composite materials made the beautiful sweeping lines of the Seawind a reality, and the full scale Seawind does look great and does fly even better. The Great Planes Seawind model faithfully replicates those beautiful lines and the results are stunning. There is nothing like this plane on any flight line and everyone stops to watch whenever it flies.
Kit ContentsEven though this is an ARF, the manual states that the build will take 15 to 20 hours. It took closer to 30 for me... could it have been all that time I spent holding that beautiful fuselage making those airplanes noises? Maybe, but I prefer to think it was because I was just a very careful builder.
Kit Includes:
Kit Requires:
Recommended by Great Planes and used in this review:
Since this build is an electric conversion and for the float plane specifically, there were some parts that were supplied with the kit that were not used for this review.
These parts were included in the kit, but were not used:
AssemblyThis kit was a typical ARF. All of the wooden components were covered in white Top Flight Monokote. The fiberglass was painted in a matching white with two-tone painted trim, and the canopy window was painted black. The covering quality was excellent and only required minor touchup to remove a few wrinkles. The photo-illustrated instructions made assembling the Seawind a pleasure. However, I would like to note some minor issues and some special steps needed for the e-conversion.
WingThe unique airfoil seemed to have the effect of washout at the wingtips and may have been the reason for the excellent slow flying characteristics of the Seawind.
The kit contains some excellent servo covers that are supposed to help shield the servos from water spray. Since the servos are located on the bottom of the wing, I opted to add some silicone sealant to the covers before I installed them. This proved to be a wise decision (see photo of takeoff below).
FuselageThe fuselage is truly a thing of beauty. Fit and finish were excellent. The recommended motor mount bolted right to the firewall using the pre-installed T-nuts. E-Power was really easy - no throttle servo linkage to adjust or fuel tank to plumb.
Radio InstallationI had been flying the Spektrum DX7 system in all my electrics for several months and had not used the full-range AR7000 receiver or the standard size DS-821 servos yet. I decided the Seawind would be an excellent home for the system. The tiny antennas fit inside the fuselage and did not require any hull penetrations like standard 72 MHz receivers. Seven 36" servo extensions made a real mess until I bundled them up and tucked them out of the way in the hull.
CompletionThe aluminum wing spar was a very tight fit in the fuselage and in the wing halves. The rubber seal around the cockpit area was easy to apply and worked very well at keeping the water at bay. The canopy fit was excellent. One of the challenges of the e-conversion was locating the proper CG. The CG given in the manual was for a gasser with an empty tank. On a gasser, as you fuel up and get ready to fly, you move the CG rearward a considerable amount due to the tank location. Because of this, the CG given in the manual was in the most nose-heavy location, and I should have been able to move the e-conversion CG back to an equivalent 3/4 full tank gasser point and have a properly balanced plane. Using a CG machine, I set the CG at 1-1/32" empty then put 13 ounces of weight in the tank area and measured again. The CG had moved to 2-1/8", so that's were I set the CG for the first flight.
FlyingBasicsThe Rimfire 50-55-500kV pulled the plane along at 1⁄2 throttle without any problems. At full throttle, the Seawind was really fast! I used high rates for all flights and they felt about right.
Taking Off and Landing
I had to fly the wing throughout the takeoff to keep the wingtips from dragging in the water and "water looping" the plane. I had to hold right aileron to counter motor torque until the Seawind got up to flying speed, and I used up elevator to fly the plane off the water. If you wait for the plane to lift itself off the water, it will begin porpoising and hopping across the top of the water. Landings were best accomplished by slowing the plane down and dragging it in nose high. Too much speed on the landing resulted in porpoising and large bounces.
Aerobatics/Special Flight Performance
With the CG set at 2-1/8" from the front of the wing, the Seawind was very stable. It may still be slightly nose heavy at this CG location. It was difficult to stall and would not spin very well. Loops were a thing of beauty and rolls were axial. I could not get the Seawind to perform a stall turn. It may have been the rudder throw or maybe the CG location. Inverted flight required some down elevator to hold the plane level. A more rearward CG should take less down elevator. The full-scale Seawind droops the ailerons 10 degrees when the flaps are lowered. I programmed the ailerons for 3 positions - 10 degrees down, neutral, and 10 degrees up (reflex or crow). With flaps lowered, the down position seemed to help takeoffs, and the crow position seemed to help slow the plane down for landings. I need more airtime to fully evaluate these mixes. I also did not have time to try to reflex the flaps like the full scale plane to see if it would increase airspeed. Even though that may have been an advantage in the full-scale Seawind, the Great Planes model doesn't need any more speed.
Is This For a Beginner?No. This kit is for intermediate to advanced flyers. The model is fast and requires some special skills to takeoff and land on water. Flight Video/Photo Gallery
Conclusion
The e-conversion Seawind was lighter than the glow version and was 100% electric reliable. The Rimfire 50-55-500kV brushless motor pulled the 10 lb Seawind along with ease. The Electrify Power Series LiPoly batteries provided plenty of power and punch to get the Seawind off the water and, after lots of aerobatics, came back barely warm. Electric power systems ran consistently well every time, in any orientation, through every maneuver and landed and taxied back without dying. Try e-power on your Seawind - you will be glad you did!
Pluses:
Minuses:
Great Planes has a great flying scale model of the most beautiful seaplane that has ever flown. The Seawind is even better with e-power! Last edited by Angela H; Jul 06, 2007 at 04:54 PM.. |
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Jul 06, 2007, 06:08 PM
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#2 |
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WAA-08 Pilot Eventually
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Darien,IL,USA
Posts: 1,313
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AWESOME!!!!!
Mike the review and especially the video. CONGRATULATIONS & MANY THANKS. E power really works swell on the Seawind. It's a beauty. Good job, Don |
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Jul 06, 2007, 08:49 PM
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#3 |
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Ozzie Express wiggy pilot
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: YANKALILLA , SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
Posts: 3,045
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Good stuff well done ....I move the cg back a little at a time till the elevator is as responsive as I want , then try the inverted trick
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Jul 06, 2007, 09:24 PM
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#4 |
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We shall serve the Lord
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: TEXAS
Posts: 1,661
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Thanks. CG adjustment is next on my agenda. With the two Lipoly packs fastened to the sides with hook and loop fastners, I can move them both back 1/4" at a time and slowly shift the CG rearward. I like your adea of getting the CG to the point of the elevator response feeling right.
Mike McD |
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Jul 06, 2007, 11:40 PM
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#5 |
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Show your beef, I show chicken
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Anaheim, California
Posts: 3,665
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I love the plane, but, please practice the landings and takeoffs. The video scared me away, I consider myself a fairly good pilot, but, wow I hate to do that kind of landing when the water has ripples. LOL
Al Last edited by SCALEFAN; Jul 06, 2007 at 11:57 PM. |
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Jul 07, 2007, 12:28 AM
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#6 |
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We shall serve the Lord
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: TEXAS
Posts: 1,661
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I hope to smooth out both the takeoffs and the landings by moving the CG a little more aft. I'll also continue to work with the aileron/flap configurations to optimize them for takeoffs and for landings.
Mike McD |
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Jul 07, 2007, 05:01 AM
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#7 | |
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Ozzie Express wiggy pilot
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: YANKALILLA , SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
Posts: 3,045
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Quote:
 , if you want to improve your takeoffs and landings , you could get a Nitro one  
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Jul 07, 2007, 05:19 AM
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#8 |
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Always Learning
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Taranaki New Zealand
Posts: 2,155
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howzat!!!! the real one http://www.seawindsna.com/
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Jul 07, 2007, 07:45 AM
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#9 | |
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JSF pilot
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Keller, TX.
Posts: 468
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Quote:
No flameouts, no mess and your wife won't say "you smell!" when you get home  Mike, GREAT job, I can't wait to see the EP version! Last edited by flyingrandy55; Jul 07, 2007 at 10:09 AM. |
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Jul 07, 2007, 08:27 AM
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#10 |
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We shall serve the Lord
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: TEXAS
Posts: 1,661
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You go Grandy55! And you didn't even mention the fact that the gasser's CG is constantly changing from slightly nose heavy to really nose heavy as the fuel load burns off. Ever tried flaring a nose heavy airplane? You can run out of elevator real fast. PALEFACE can keep the NITRO, I'll take the consistancy of E-Power every time.
The good news about the flooding here in Texas is that float fly ponds are everywhere now. Up until today the lake in my front yard worked great. Unfortunately they are opening LBJ to boat and recreational use in about 30 minutes. Oh well, that's time enough for a couple of more flights. Gotta go. Practice - Practice - Practice. Mike McD |
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Jul 07, 2007, 01:37 PM
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#11 |
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KI4HVT
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: miami, fl
Posts: 1,468
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Another of the real deal taken at Sun-n-Fun, Lakeland, FL...
-dave |
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Jul 07, 2007, 05:25 PM
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#12 | |
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Ozzie Express wiggy pilot
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: YANKALILLA , SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
Posts: 3,045
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Quote:
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Jul 07, 2007, 05:44 PM
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#13 |
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Ozzie Express wiggy pilot
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: YANKALILLA , SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
Posts: 3,045
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Here's some morehere
Man youve got some catchin up to do , basicly the "nitro" one has the step back further and better tip floats , and is a lot CHEAPER 
Last edited by SON OF PALEFACE; Jul 07, 2007 at 05:51 PM. |
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Jul 07, 2007, 05:55 PM
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#14 |
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Show your beef, I show chicken
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Anaheim, California
Posts: 3,665
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Son of Paleface,
I've been looking at the Nitro for some time, they are always out. It might be better, but, what good is it if you can't get it? I love the picture of the flip up canopy, great idea. Al |
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Jul 07, 2007, 06:22 PM
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#15 | |
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Ozzie Express wiggy pilot
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: YANKALILLA , SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
Posts: 3,045
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Quote:
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