Hey everyone, I'm a newbie to this whole thing...I got my first plane (hobbico speed pilot) last summer and had a really bad first flight. (smacked nose first into the ground at top speed) All of the electric bits were okay, but the plane was anything but. I decided to give construction a try and built a BLT type plane using the wing and tail feathers of the speed pilot and building the fuse out of 3mm coroplast. I have had some luck with fights this year and have a little more confidence. I was looking for something to help me a little bit more without a hefty price tag. I read the review on the e-zone of the Escapade and it seems like something I'd want. I first wanted to see what everyone else thought first. Thanks in advance for any help you may offer.

Yes, I have an Escapade........what a waste of money. I couldn't get it to fly. Third attempt hit the "Charlie Brown kite tree"........you know the one you should be able to avoid. Resulted in breaking the wing in two places. Yes, I repaired it and haven't flown it since.

What I am flying and is more forgiving is a T-52. What a great trainer and on "steroids" sorry 9 cells instead of the 6 I usually use...........it screams (for a trainer that is) You can't beat it........it flies on the inexpensive S400 and 10-12 minutes on 6 1200mah Nimh. I highly recommend it.

I'm waiting for a S480 and S550 to arrive..............let the fun begin

Thanks for the heads-up. I just wanted to hear what anyone else has said about this particular plane/set-up. If anyone else has any other comments then please post here. I would like to hear what the general consensus is as a whole, no offense striker308. Thanks again.


RG

i have an escapade and i really like it. i fly it a couple of times a week. it was easy to build and seems fairly strong except for the THIN fin/rudder/stab which needs reinforcing. the only flaw in the kit that i found was a warped rudder and fin, which i have yet to fix, other than adding a couple clicks of right rudder on my Tx. =)

the plane has a pretty huge wing area (292 sq in) for being 11oz so it feels a bit "floaty" but ROGs are no problem with the stock motor with either a 7-cell or 8-cell pack. the battery compartment is a bit small, but it can be modified relatively easily if you want to go to a higher capacity battery. the plane is pretty stable in the air, easily cruising around the sky on 1/2 throttle and you can easily trim it to fly hands off. it loops easily and has gentle stall characteristics. landings are slow and easy and it's a really fun plane to practice touch and goes on since its got tricycle gear and decent wheels. two negative flying characteristics i have found are that it loses more altitude than you would think on a deadstick approach, and pitch varies noticeably with application (and cutting) of throttle. mine is a bit heavy at 11.75oz but that's with bigger (hitec 81) servos and a reinforced tail.

i'm sure there are better planes out there, and worse. for me, it went together well and flies good. i made a couple mods to improve the look: re-painting the wings and replacing the plastic pilot with a canopy i made from a 500ml coke bottle. fits perfect. =)
i have yet to crash it other than a couple nose-over onto the prop landing rolls, but it seems to hold up to regular flying pretty well.

hope that helps. have fun whatever plane you decide to get. =)
ron

Thanks alot terrible 1, I actually went a head a bought the plane from Tower hobbies...(at $45 why not try?) I have put it together for the most part, just have to put in the reinforcements in the tail fins and under the wing and go. I was actually thinking of using some sort of fastener between the turtle deck and the wing at the LE, so that I can take it off for transport.(velcro or other wise) I got some of the 2/3 AA 650mAh Nimh and have put together a pack of 7 cells. It seems like it will fit pretty well with a little help. I have some smaller servos (not sure of manufacturer) , so I'm hoping that they will help off-set some of the weight of the battery. I'm looking forward to seeing how she flies...maybe if the wind dies down this next weekend. Speaking of which, how does it handle wind? I know it's pretty light so I wouldn't guess anything above 5-10 mph. Thanks again for all the info.

RG

Oh yeah, if you could show me the coke bottle canopy that would be great. Thanks


RG