It's back, only this time as a fabulous 52"! The original 3DHS 47" Velox Revolution was a wildly popular plane renowned for it's insane tumbling ability and otherworldly pitch authority. The Velox was the first 4ft plane to use built up and airfoiled tail surfaces, and this gave a performance increase that surprised just about everyone. Snaps and tumbles were so crazy that we even came up with a few news ones, just by accident. We were used to seeing small improvements from one airframe to the next, but the Velox was such a huge step that it redefined small plane performance.
An airfoiled surface is much less likely to suffer from destructive high speed flutter, so we were able to push that plane harder than anything we had ever seen in a 4ft plane. For this reason alone it was a ground breaking plane that advanced the XA (extreme aerobatics) part of 3DXA. I'm sure we will be doing even more of that with the 52", so it's great to have it back with the latest V2 composite construction.
Assuredly, the Velox is back, only this time as part of the Extreme Flight/3DHS fleet of 52" planes. These are big flying planes that rival the 60" class for smoothness and precision, all while maintaining their advantage in small plane agility.
Being familiar with the original Velox, I sort of knew what to expect, but I also know how far airframe and equipment technology has progressed, so I was also ready for a surprise or two. I also went in pretty confident that as a 52" this would probably be my new favorite. Mostly, considering how wild the original Velox was, I went into this anxious to see just how tightly the new one could wind itself up in a tumble or pop top. Spoiler alert: It's pretty awesome.
Once again we are treated to another great new color scheme, only this time drawn by Ben Fisher himself. The red/yellow scheme is pretty vibrant. and as always, blue is classic. Also, knowing how much work Ben put into this plane, there was no way it was going to be anything but spectacular.
Being familiar with the original Velox, I sort of knew what to expect, but I also know how far airframe and equipment technology has progressed, so I was also ready for a surprise or two. I also went in pretty confident that as a 52" this would probably be my new favorite. Mostly, considering how wild the original Velox was, I went into this anxious to see just how tightly the new one could wind itself up in a tumble or pop top. Spoiler alert: It's pretty awesome.
Once again we are treated to another great new color scheme, only this time drawn by Ben Fisher himself. The red/yellow scheme is pretty vibrant. and as always, blue is classic. Also, knowing how much work Ben put into this plane, there was no way it was going to be anything but spectacular.
THE KIT
Like the rest of the 52" lineup, the Velox is a nicely built as anything I have owned. I built three of the new 52" Edges and was very impressed with the fit and finish of the entire package, and this Velox is no different. It used to be the larger planes were always turned out just a little bit better, but that's disappeared. These 52s are as sweet as anything I've ever seen, and it also seems like they get nicer with every new release.
The newest Velox features Extreme Flight's V2 mixed composite construction. Not only are there full length carbon rods in the fuselage, but also carbon over critical high stress areas like where the wing tube mounts, anti rotation pin holes, and receiver tray. The entire landing gear mounting is heavily reinforced with composite and you would have to work pretty hard to damage it. Finally, the entire motorbox, it's formers and battery tray are laminated with composite material. Essentially, this is a V2 model because it's packed with composite and the newest V2 construction. This is the second coming of the Velox, so you could call this V2 and not really be incorrect.
The Velox features the self aligning stabilizer seen on the newest releases, and this takes virtually all the stress out of the build. Slide the stab all the way forward, glue it, and you are done. I still measure it for my own peace of mind, but I've done about 10 of these now and they all came out perfect. Aside from the hinging, anything else on the build can be unbolted and done over, so it's critical to get the tail on straight the first time. Especially for the newer guys, having the stab align itself take almost all the stress out of the build, but the experienced builders certainly don't mind the build being easier and more stress free.
I've often said the most exciting thing hardware can do is simply work well enough that you forget about it, and that's what we've got here. The 52s use the same hardware package, and most of that stuff has been proven over the last decade in the 48" series. The wheels, axles and ball links are all the same stuff we've been flying all along and it's great to be using stuff I am so familiar with and trust so much. About the most voluminous thing I can say about it is that the stuff simply works.
The tail wheel assembly has been perfected by replacing the old two piece threaded tiller arm with a one piece machined aluminum arm that stays in perfect alignment. It's such a tough piece I think if you totally destroyed the entire plane you could probably use the tail wheel assembly on the next plane!
There's great familiarity in the pushrods and ball links. Again, we've been using the ball links for over a decade with great reliability and durability, and this sort of thing makes it easy to just forget about it and not have to worry about stuff falling off when you are flying the plane.
Mostly I wasn't really surprised at the level of fit finish and overall quality of execution. I've seen it before in the other 52s, but that certainly doesn't mean I take it for granted. All of my 52s have been as much fun and satisfaction to build at has been to fly them, simply because they go together so effortlessly and come out so beautifully. It's gotten to the point we expect perfection and we are getting it, but let's not forget to appreciate it. Let's not forget what a long road it was get to this point, with big thanks to Chris and Ben for raising the bar so high. These 52s are superbly made products and so much better than what we were flying just a few short years ago.
FLYING
Equipment
We have certainly tested a lot of different equipment in my 52s, and they have been perfect for this. All the 52s are such smooth, good flying planes, and respond to set up and equipment changes so predictably they are perfect test vehicles. I think barring any unexpected new revolutionary technology, these planes are as tricked out as we can make them, and will be for a long time.
This is actually a good thing. You can fly a 52" for years and never worry you don't have the best equipment you can put in it, and it doesn't cost that much more than using standard gear. The 52s are sort of unique here in that you can build one with average equipment and it's just fine, but you can also very affordably have the best of everything you can get, and the best flying plane you have ever owned, for only a little more.
This plane shares the same equipment set up as my 52" Extra. As such, this section will be good, old copy and paste from that article:
Power System< The Xpwr 3910 with Airboss 80 ESV has always been the perfect power system for these planes, and that's not going to change either.
The motor of choice for this plane is a product of Extreme Flight's Extreme Power division (Xpwr). As you may have read in Testing the Xpwr 3910 . When the motor first became available I wanted to become familiar with it, so I tested it in my 48" Extra and MXS. It is smooth running, cool and reliable, just like the Torque motors I love so much.
The 52" series and Xpwr 3910 were designed to work together as an integrated package. This motor delivers absolutely Xtreme sick power, 1068 watts at 72 amps (Xoar 14/8). Having flown these 52s for coming up on three years now, I think it's safe to say the 3910 is the perfect motor for these planes.
Designed to work with either a Xoar 14.8 or 15/7 propeller, the 3910 accelerates so quickly you can almost feel the plane trying to rip the transmitter out of your hands. This is the most righteously powerful thing I have ever flown.
The sound of the 3910 is a little different to what we are used to. It is quieter and sounds more like (metaphorically speaking) a Mercedes than a Ferrari. I does not quite scream like a 2814, but it's sound is a little more muted and lower pitched. Perhaps this is because it's not working nearly as hard, which leads me to believe it could be even more reliable than what we are used to flying. More reliability was certainly not necessary, but it's always a good thing.
Aside from being shorter, and bigger in diameter than what we are used to seeing in the 48s, there's really noting different in the way you install and use the 3910 in the 52" Extra. The mount appears to be the same one as used on the Torque 4016/500 MkII motors we fly in the 60" planes, so again I am happy to be working with something so familiar.
The motor simply bolts straight to the Extra's firewall (using the included X mount) with no additional fitting or cutting. You just install it the same way we have been doing all along with all the other EXPs. This is not really a surprise because the two were designed to work as one integrated unit.
Power System: Speed Controller
You were looking for a surprise here? Of course the speed controller on any of my planes is always going to be an Airboss, for this project, the Airboss 80 Elite. I've been using these ESCs in my larger planes since the dark ages and still have not had one let me down. Never change what's working. With a Xoar 14.8 prop, I was pulling 73 amps, so we have the right ESC with a little safety margin built in.
Again, with this being a completely integrated package, the motor and ESC work together perfectly. Even on fully charged 70C packs there was never a hint of squeal or hesitation, and throttle response is smooth and linear. This is what I expected from the Airboss ESC and what I've become accustomed to with Torque motors. Xpwr certainly got everything absolutely right on this package.
One change especially worth notice is that to get the best performance out of the 3910, you will need to reprogram your Airboss 80 first to default, and then add high timing. This is a simple matter that is covered in the manual you get with the ESC, or the online version.
Servos
First, the recommended servos have always served me well in my 52s. I also experimented with 6 volt servos with very good success, but the move to high voltage, uber quality servos was eye opening. Most people will be super happy with the recommended servos, but those who want to push the plane and themselves to text level need every advantage they can get, and this extends into servos.
Just when I was starting to think it could never get any better, glowing testimonials about ProModeler servos were hitting the net. A few of my RC Groups friends had tried them and were rabidly praising them, so I thought this had to be worth a shot, especially since my standard servos were two years old and getting a little tired.
I started with the ProModeler DS100 servos, as seen in Awesome Servo Testing__ProModeler DS100DLHV and Slick 580 EXP__The Ultimate Set Up. More than ever I was convinced this was the absolute end of development for 52" class equipment. Then John Beech told me about the DS150. While 100 inches of torque from the DS100 is enough to rip stubborn stumps out of the ground, the DS150 features half again as much at 150 full gut wrenching ounces.
When you already have enough torque (which the DS100 has), you might not think more would be useful, but it is. More power and more torque just means the servo is not as stressed as less powerful units. It's a big, powerful monster that is just loafing around taking it easy, and that's really good for reliability. Overstressed stuff doesn't do so well here.
While this is really sweet to have, the DS150 also features more speed. They are not so super rocket fast that the control surfaces blurr when you move them, but they are visually faster than the DS100, and I was happy enough with those. If you have any doubts, you can always check the specs on the page linked to below.
Unchanged are all of the DS100s quality construction, million cycle rated potentiometers, and ultra solid gear train construction and alignment, among way too many other things to mention here. For a closer look and more technical info, please check John Beech's excellent write up on the ProModeler site (scroll down a bit). Even if you are not interested in higher quality/performance servos, there is so much good information here it's well worth the read about servos in general.
If there is any downside at all, it's the extra $15 tagged onto the price tag. For extreme hardcore 3DXA pilots who hammer their equipment mercilessly, that's only $60 total on a $650 plane. When you push to that level, you need everything you can get, so that kind of money is just what you have to spend. You want the best, so you spend the money, install them and forget about it, which is exactly what you want from a servo. I don't need them to sing, and I don't need them to dance. I just demand that they perform, and even the DS100 far exceeds that. The DS150 is just more of all that.
This price is still extremely competitive (and sometimes less) than other company's premier servo, so most of them will spend it happily. For regular 3D sport pilots, the DS100 at $39.99 is still going to be way more servo than they can get for a comparable price.
Astute readers will remember I'm not necessarily a tech guy (and don't pretend to be), and this isn't a tech blog. I'm a flying guy and this is a flying blog. Specs are great if you love numbers and want to nitpick speeds down to the hundredth of a second, or torque down to the last quarter ounce, but I believe the real story is always in the flying. Specs will give you an idea of how well the servo will work, but I don't believe anything until I fly it.
Now, if you are a spec guy, you can check the specs and make up your own minds, but I'm going to stick to telling you what things do in the air.
You will need to supply 7.4 to 8.2 volts to these servos, and for this I trust the Castle 10 Amp BEC, which is fully adjustable using the Castle Link Programmer.
SETUP
Again, no surprises here, which is an excellent thing. About the only choices here is what arm you use and how much throw you get. Everyone seems to like something different, but if you start with the set up from the manual that's the best place to start.Ailerons
Lately the rage has been super fast rifle rolls, but I'm no longer young enough to be able to keep up with something that quick. Here I have dropped down to a ProModeler arm with the outer hole at 7/8" This is still plenty fast with enough control to counter torque in a hover.
Elevator
Here though, I like a lot of control movement. I'm using the Xessories 1/25" arm and starting on the second hole from the outside. This is the same thing as shown in the pictures posted on RCG, but later I can move it to the outside hole if I want more.
Once again, I use the ProModeler 1" arm, only now I use the second hole from the outside. This allows me to crank my end points and get just the right amount of travel on both directions. Notice here I have the ball link on the inside of the arm. This allows the pushrod a much straighter line of travel and better geometry.
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