Originally Posted by Jimmy the Heater

Ahhh I didn't see that, brushed vs brushless. I don't have a lot of luck with brushed setups, they don't tend to last very long. Very much a brushless fan from a reliability standpoint alone.

I respect your opinion but my Stratos with brushed motors are original and still going strong. Your plane your choiice..

That's good news. Maybe I'll pick one of these up and see if I can break my bad luck streak with brushed motors

Wow.

I wish that they had announced this just a few weeks ago, I may have held off on buying the Parkzone Archer that I did.

I'm currently teaching myself to fly with a Firebird Stratos, and I really love the plane. This Delta Ray looks to be like, literally, the next "step" on the way to flying pretty much anything I would want.

I'm becoming pretty proficient with the Stratos, but the idea of even trying to fly the Archer still scares me as I just KNOW it'll be on the ground in pieces before I even know it.

I'm thinking that I may go ahead and order one of these when they become available, and have the Archer wait until next spring to get up in the air.

I also really like the looks of it for some reason.

Very cool!!

Sorry for the double post...does anyone know if Horizon charges a credit card for a preorder when the order is placed, or when it ships?

I'll be calling Horizon this afternoon, anyways, so if I don't find out before then I'll make sure to talk to someone there to ask. I'd like to preorder one of these Delta Rays, but I don't want to have to pay for it until it ships.

Originally Posted by Gimpdiggity

Sorry for the double post...does anyone know if Horizon charges a credit card for a preorder when the order is placed, or when it ships?

I'll be calling Horizon this afternoon, anyways, so if I don't find out before then I'll make sure to talk to someone there to ask. I'd like to preorder one of these Delta Rays, but I don't want to have to pay for it until it ships.

I preordered the Stratos last year and was never charged until it shipped.

Horizon does not charge for preordered product until it ships.

Originally Posted by Gimpdiggity

Wow.

I wish that they had announced this just a few weeks ago, I may have held off on buying the Parkzone Archer that I did.

I'm currently teaching myself to fly with a Firebird Stratos, and I really love the plane. This Delta Ray looks to be like, literally, the next "step" on the way to flying pretty much anything I would want.

I'm becoming pretty proficient with the Stratos, but the idea of even trying to fly the Archer still scares me as I just KNOW it'll be on the ground in pieces before I even know it.

I'm thinking that I may go ahead and order one of these when they become available, and have the Archer wait until next spring to get up in the air.

I also really like the looks of it for some reason.

Very cool!!

You might want to consider the Apprentice S instead of the Delta Ray.
I think the Delta Ray will be the best FIRST plane on the market. But you already can fly the Stratos and the Delta Ray will be very, very similar to that in terms of speed and size. All you will be learning from it is 4-ch, which really isn't much different than 3-ch except for some aerobatic stuff.
With the Apprentice S, you will get experience with something that flies faster and higher than your Stratos. That will help you more when you move on the Archer and what not. And the S has the same 4 modes as the Delta Ray.

As a bonus, later you can try some stuff with the Apprentice that you can't with the Delta (floats and fpv)

The only reason you might not choose the Apprentice S is budget. The S cost $150 more, when you consider the cost of a second battery. Plus, you can re-use some of your Stratos parts as replacements on the Delta (landing gear, engines, props, etc). And they (Stratos and Delta) both use the same battery.

Originally Posted by dsheikh573

You might want to consider the Apprentice S instead of the Delta Ray.
I think the Delta Ray will be the best FIRST plane on the market. But you already can fly the Stratos and the Delta Ray will be very, very similar to that in terms of speed and size. All you will be learning from it is 4-ch, which really isn't much different than 3-ch except for some aerobatic stuff.
With the Apprentice S, you will get experience with something that flies faster and higher than your Stratos. That will help you more when you move on the Archer and what not. And the S has the same 4 modes as the Delta Ray.

As a bonus, later you can try some stuff with the Apprentice that you can't with the Delta (floats and fpv)

The only reason you might not choose the Apprentice S is budget. The S cost $150 more, when you consider the cost of a second battery. Plus, you can re-use some of your Stratos parts as replacements on the Delta (landing gear, engines, props, etc). And they (Stratos and Delta) both use the same battery.

Yah, the same battery thing is a selling point to me. It's one of the reasons I bought the Archer as it uses the same battery as the Stratos.

The other advantage, for me, of the Delta Ray over the Apprentice is size. The Delta Ray will be easier for me to transport (Honda Civic), easier for me to store in my hobby room (currently at a 12 month "low" of 16 vehicles), and most importantly easier for me to fly in the park that I fly in. It's plenty big for something like the Stratos, and I'm sure eventually the Archer will be fine in it, but it seems like it would be pushing the lower end of the spectrum for the Apprentice.

Its a very Good looking plane! I would like to have it in a kit version if possible . Its like a big fun jet.

I just noticed the Delta Ray doesn't have a rudder.

I'm now wondering where it would fit in my progression.

I'm flying a Firebird Stratos. Eventually I would like to learn aileron controls.

I have a Parkzone Archer for when I get around to using it, but I will be honest the idea of flying it right now still scares me pretty good.

Would learning aileron controls with the Delta Ray be a sound choice before moving onto a full on Four channel plane??

I still like the idea of SAFE, even if its not a full on four channel bird.

The Delta Ray IS a full-on 4-channel plane that uses thrust vectoring for yaw instead of a rudder. It's very effective. In experienced mode, the Delta Ray is a blast, and likely to be a lot of fun for experienced pilots as well. I wouldn't say it's less capable than the Apprentice S, but it is a different flight experience. Until you try it, I wouldn't knock it's versatility.

I would by this plane in a heartbeat, but man so many new products coming out and I really like the looks of the new Blade Quadcopter coming out with SAFE tech. I bit the hook on the Nano qx with SAFE and it is a blast to fly. In 10 mph winds yet. I like that. Still a plane guy so who knows I may end up getting both If the funds are there.

Originally Posted by Dave Eichstedt

The Delta Ray IS a full-on 4-channel plane that uses thrust vectoring for yaw instead of a rudder. It's very effective. In experienced mode, the Delta Ray is a blast, and likely to be a lot of fun for experienced pilots as well. I wouldn't say it's less capable than the Apprentice S, but it is a different flight experience. Until you try it, I wouldn't knock it's versatility.

Ahhhh...

I hadn't even at all thought about the idea of the plane using thrust vectoring or differential thrust in place of the rudder.

That gives it the full four channels.

I'm sorry I didn't think of that...I'm still new to all of this.

I think I'll be preordering the Delta Ray. I love my Stratos so much, and this seems to be just a logical "next step" for me.

Thanks for clearing my confusion up!!

I guess my question to Dave E would be. Why would the new 350 QX quadcopter with SAFE technology be offered in a BNF and not the new Delta Ray? I already have to many tx's .

Originally Posted by Ginohio

I guess my question to Dave E would be. Why would the new 350 QX quadcopter with SAFE technology be offered in a BNF and not the new Delta Ray? I already have to many tx's .

I was kind of wondering the same thing. I'd gladly buy a BNF version and bind it up with my DX6i.

I'm GUESSING, however, that the reason it's being sold as RTF only is so that they can include that transmitter with the three way switch which was mentioned is the easiest and most intuitive way to set how you're flying.