It is and ready to fly.
Battery: 7-cell KR600AE
Receiver: FMA Extreme5
Xmitter: Focus 3 FM
Motor: Stock Permax 400 w/external supression caps
ESC: FMA SC-20 w/shottky soldered to motor
Servos: SC80 (same as cirrus CS21BB) - mounted in slots underneath wing
Control Throws: 10mm travel
As or my ability, I can fly my Chubby Lady, Sopwith Pup, and GWS Pico Cub F, but the Pico Jet looks fast!
Any first flight tips out there, or "gotchas" I should look out for?

...hmmm, well get ready for a completely different flying plane than any that you have mentioned. it is fast, much much faster than slowflyers are. just be sure to gain some air speed after launch before intiating your first turn. i have the combat version which is substancially heavier so im not sure if your 7 cell 600AE's will work. i almost always fly with 8 cell packs myself so if 7 doesnt work , slap another on and see what happens. either way, good luck and congrats on your next step.

What dez said. It should be faster than what you are used to. Be sure to launch at full throttle and throw level to gain airspeed before giving very much up. I've flown my combat version on 6 cell car packs (it wasn't any fun) so you should have no problem with much lighter 600AE cells. Keep airspeed up in the turns . I hope you have more than one pack cause you will want to fly again right away.(after you let the motor cool a bit)

Have fun Al

Will:

Hmm ... are you saying that you have only flown rudder/elevator slowflyers up to now? If so, I think that dez is putting it mildly when he says "get ready for a completely different flying plane than any that you have mentioned." I would seriously consider trying a high wing aileron plane like a Twinstar to get the hang of ailerons before trying something as fast and maneuverable as the P-Jet. Maybe I'm being too conservative, but I think this is going to be quite a jump for you. As far as tips, have someone else throw it for you on your first flight, and expect it to drop a bit from the launch as you let it get up airspeed. If you try to feed in up elevator too soon to make it climb, you will stall for sure. It's a great plane with no bad habits, but it will be moving much faster than what you're used to. BTW, the standard P-Jet will fly fine on 7 cells, although you may want to graduate to 8 cells after you get more comfortable with it.

Enjoy (and let us know what happens)!

Neil

PS: Al's post slipped in while I was writing mine. Seems like you're getting similar advice from other P-Jet pilots.

[This message has been edited by Neil Morse (edited 07-18-2001).]

Thanks for the warnings about the plane's speed. I forgot to mention that I flew my FMA Razor (an elevon bird) a couple if times without any problems. However, the wing area is much larger than that of thr PicoJet. Your collective advice is duly noted.

Heck, I only paid $45 for my PicoJet. I'm prepared to pick it up in pieces after my first flight

Will:

Glad to hear that you've had a bit of stick time on the Razor. Based on my brief one-time experience flying a friend's FMA Razor, I think you'll find the P-jet a lot more stable and a better flyer. Also, we've all been talking about it's speed, but once you get the P-Jet up high, you can slow it down very easily so don't feel you have to keep it on full throttle the whole time. (That will come later when you get more used to it!)

Good luck,

Neil

The PJ and TJ have become my favorite planes, I fly the combat version and I kinda liken it to a faster quicker turning Zagi. I fly in a park in it works well on the 8 cell packs. Be gentle on the stick movements at first, and keep the speed on in the turns. The thing I like is if you're headed for a tree or somthing you can evade it within a few feet. As with launch, full power into the wind and it flies right out of your hand.

Have fun.

Neil is right. Have someone launch it for you so you can trim it out immediately if necessary.

I have flown my PJC on 7 cells with a stock
400 with no problems.

I put in a lot of up trim when I launch just
to keep the plane in the air until my right
hand gets back to the stick. Before doing this I had some close calls and actually used
my palm to fly with.

I have heard from others that the regular PJ
foam busts up pretty bad when roughly treated. Not so with the Combat version: I have badly launched the plane into the ground, hit power lines at full speed,
crashed inverted, and triple cartwheeled a
landing. While the foam became bent and cracked I never had any chunks fly off!

First flight tips -

If you're not used to a fast aircraft then wear a pair of bicycle clips.

Congraulations, Will. We knew you could do it! (Well, maybe some of us had some doubts -- sorry for being so conservative in my advice, but I did change my tune a bit once I found out that you had flown a Razor.) Anyhow, glad that our advice helped -- it is a bit counter-intuitive to let it sink a bit, but you'll find it steps out more quickly on 8 cells.


BioHazard:

I read a review in a British mag that mentioned using bicycle clips. I must be stupid, but I don't get it. Is it a joke? Please interpret for us over here in the Colonies.

Neil

SUCCESS!! I had two perfect flights this morning on a beautiful sunny day (rare in the Pacific NW),just me and the birds.

After a quick range check, and a CG check, I powered it on and gave it a heave. It was very hard not to give it up elevator immediately, but I remembered the sage advice and let it settle down and gain speed. Then, with a tug of the stick, it rose with authority and I was climbing out!

It flew better than my razor, but I want more power - grunt grunt! I think I'll add the 8th cell to the battery packs as suggested. What a great little plane!

Neil

LOL

The bicycle clips could save you from embarrassment and keep your flying site clean

Do you get it now?

Ah hah! So that's it. Thanks for spelling it out. It's just an expression that we don't use over here, so thank you for the explanation.

Neil