Extra EXP__Testing The T Motor 480

First, apologies for running a little late on the report. Life kind of got in the way.

After more than a decade of extreme performance and perfect Torque and Airboss reliability, it was hard to give up the idea that they would stay on top forever. Then the T Motor comes along and shatters any doubt it is the way forward in a 48" plane.

The T Motor has a huge advantage of not only having more power but can also run a 13/6.5 prop. These are both the holy grails of power systems, and the T Motor delivers on both. Of course, you have to pay for that somehow, and higher amp draw is the price. However, this was not as severe as I was expecting. I usually come down with 15 volts in the pack after 4.5 minutes, and with the T Motor (which you can see I ran pretty hard)  it was 14.8, That's the drop dead figure for quitting on a 4s pack, so we essentially gave up nothing. Not being an engineer or anything, my guess is the motor is simply ten years newer technology and more efficient.

Starting at the beginning, the entire product presentation is superb. The boxes are really nice, and that's important because we always need boxes to store and organize our stuff. 

The motor itself is beautifully made, utterly beautiful. It's honestly as beautiful as a Torque.

The part that really impressed me was the ESC. The entire unit is metal encased. This will make it more durable if you ever shove the motor back into the battery compartment or other abusive behavior. 

You can see they paid a lot of attention to cooling the ESC with a plethora of slots. 

It also has a really super nice feature of having a slot for the securing zip tie to slide through, On the older heat shrunk units, I hated to crank down on the zip tie too much for fear of crushing something important. With the slot, you just nail it down so it can never move.

One nice advantage on this ESC is the wires to the battery are a little longer. This gives you more flexibility to move the ESC forward or aft and gives you one more tool for adjusting the CG. 

I had to shave the X Mount down a little but that was a 5-minute job. Outside of that it bolted right on, I believe the unit weighs about the same as the 2814/Airboss combo because my CG didn't change. This was a pretty seamless transition, which is always nice when you are trying something new.

Final thoughts on the motor and ESC themselves is how overwhelmingly nice they are. Of course, we still have to run it, but when stuff is this well made you go in with a really solid degree of confidence.

It's an extremely nice looking package.

FLYING

First, a few excuses. I had to order a programming cable, so for now I am flying the servos on 6 volts. These are 8 volt servos and much happier on the proper voltage. I could tell a difference, but I've been flying fast servos for years. I don't think most people would have noticed. This part will get better when I get my cable and can ram it up to 8 volts.

We're also coming off the back of a horrid cold front and the wind was terrible, choppy and gusty. Since the report is running a little late, it would have been a bad time to tear up a plane, so we settled for just running it hard and not trying to do something stupid in bad conditions.

A few really important things to notice here. I have often said nothing is as smooth as a Torque, but this T Motor is even better. It has it's own sound. This thing runs like a stick of butter.

Power is what most people want to hear about, and I am guesstimating we've got about 20% more. Next time out I will run a complete amps/watts test. We were just so excited to fly it that we forgot! You can check the video for yourself, but this motor blasts of a hover like a Saturn 5 and rockets down the runway like a 60" EXP.  Power boarders on being a little too much, but most people like that anyway. In no way will anyone ever be disappointed in this motor's power output.

Of course, there's a price to pay for everything and with this motor it's a slight reduction in flight time. In my case, I usually come down after 4.5 minutes with 15.0 volts in the pack, and with the 480 I get 14.8. Of course, we ran the motor especially hard, and 14.8 is where you want to quit anyway. This is such a small difference I have no explanation other than the newer motor has 10 more years of development behind it and is more efficient. Then again, remember, I am not an engineer. Technically, I am a fun specialist.

Also, a big improvement is you can run a 13/6.5 prop instead of a 12/6. An inch is not that much on a ruler, but on a prop, it is day and night. Post stall just became so much easier. This is sort of what we experienced on the 52" planes with their massive 15" props. The planes actually fly lighter than they really are because that extra inch blows a lot of air over the lifting surfaces.

There's more to a motor than brute power though. You want a nice, linear throttle response. Previously the Airboss gave us that, but with the T motor it's much easier to modulate the throttle to get you exactly what you want. When you combine the extra control the bigger prop gives you with a smoother power delivery, that's a 360 win.

I have a little mechanical sympathy and I know when I have got something good in my hands. I ran it up at home to make sure it turned the right direction and right then I could tell I was going to be pleased. I noticed how quiet and smooth it ran just taxiing out. Once I worked the throttle a few times I knew I was not going to have any reliability issues because it was just too damm sweet for that.

These are just the observations on day one and in bad conditions. I will probably come back and add more observations as I fly it more, Still, to walk away this happy made for a pretty good day. 

Nail

Where does this leave the Torque and Airboss series? While no longer the latest and greatest, that's still a valid system. Reliability and durability never go out of style. I think the fact this series has lasted 15 years in an ever-changing market with technology exploding shows how far ahead Torque was. We had a hell of a run with those motors, and they aren't done yet. If you have a Torque system, just 

run the crap out of it. It's paid for and the performance was good enough yesterday. 

What does this do to the 48" market though? I say it's probably the same thing as has happened with mega servos and Auras. T Motor is the next level up on the technology ladder, just like those other things. The Aura was enough to send the 48s to that next level of performance and then the mega servos made just as much difference. After two flights it's a little early to say T Motor is going to redefine this division, but I am certainly leaning that way.

So now a 48" can be whatever you want it to be. On one hand it's not that expensive to tweak one completely out with the most mega equipment available. Some of us are such performance nuts that we are seeking any advantage we can find. OTOH, not everyone wants or needs a plane that is this razor precise, and those folks can get still get away with the older equipment and never feel like they are missing a thing.

You can probably still get away with less expensive servos and no Aura. You can still have joyful flights with any number of power systems, and you can still fly a 48" strictly for sport. The 48s have always been that well rounded. The big difference is now we have the equipment we need to extract all the performance that has always been in these planes.

With the V2 treatment and better equipment, the Extra became a different plane. A fully tweaked out 48" is now more like a starship than a model plane. The V2 treatment stiffened up the entire plane, the servos center so well that superb tracking is guaranteed, and having the stability provided by the Aura makes these planes far more serious than we could foresee. With the T Motor we add more power and more prop, both winning strategies.  Smoother running and more linear throttle response is another bonus.

I have gone through this in the four stages of V2 construction, mega servos, Auras and now T Motors. Each new piece of equipment made for a quantum leap in performance and this T Motor is no different. The equipment has finally (maybe) caught up with the advanced nature of the 48" Extra. Of course, it remains to be seen how the Edge and MXS respond to more power, smoother delivery and big prop, but it certainly woke my Extra up in no uncertain terms.

48" MXS V2__Bad Attitude Flight Testing

Life kind of got in the way and I couldn't get the text for the flight review finished until now.

Having flown the 48" MXS for over a decade, this V2 was a much anticipated plane for me. I had fallen in love with my 60" V2 the instant I opened the box, and the 48" was much the same thing. 

With V2 construction the planes are now much more durable and the fit and finish of everything is better than stellar.  V2 construction also gives you a stiffer airframe, one that doesn't flex under load. You can tell the V2 stays straight and aligned the moment you turn after take-off. The airframe is largely unchanged externally, but the stiffer construction makes a big difference you can feel right away.

48 MXS V2__Bad Attitude 2022 003 from Doc Austin on Vimeo.

The V1 and V2s fly essentially the same except the V2 does everything a little better simply because it is more refined. Add to that better precision thanks to the increased stiffness and you've got a better airplane.

The best way to sum up the MXS is that it is a lot like you would expect from a short coupled Extra. The MXS is much more lively, though it surrenders a little to the Extra in precision flying. These two are very similar, except the Extra is biased a little more toward smooth, precise flying and the MXS is tailored more toward better agility and more violent snapping.

For 3D, the MXS' short coupling gives you better control authority. You can spin the MXS around in a tighter harrier turn, so this is a great plane for smaller fields. Harrier manners are very, very good, but you can see that in the video. Overall, while similar to the Extra, the MXS is still different enough in flying manners that both are worth having. They are just biased a little one way or the other on the precision vrs agility scale.

While different, I fly them relatively the same. The MXS is stronger than the Extra in some maneuvers and the opposite is true in others.

Overall, I think the MXS is a good second 3D aircraft. It's a very stable plane, but the level of agility is maybe a bit too much to be learning 3D on. Most people like the Edge for 3D training, but once you get past that most pilots will find the MXS' agility to be useful and even amusing. If you are already flying an Extra, you can jump into an MXS and feel pretty much at home right away.

It's a little more challenging to deal with all of that agility, but you can easily get around that with set up. For example, I only have two raters on my radio anyway, so I use the 3D and low rates from the manual. I completely discarded the "insane" rate because it's not really necessary and the plane overall flies better on the 3D rate.

Of the 3 currently available 48s, I would rate the Edge as the best plane for people learning 3D, but it still does very crisp precision.  The Extra for most precise plane in the lineup, but still 3Ds extremely well. The MSX is for those who want the no compromises, hardcore king of badass. 

Finally, the only way to really judge a plane is in how much fun you have with it, and the MXS has always delivered on that front. The MXS has always been a really special plan for me and now it is much, much nicer all the way around, and flies better too.

Extreme Flight 48" MXS V2__Bad Attitude 2022

The 48"MXS has been such an incredible plane for so long it really hurt when we couldn't get them any more. The 60" V2 sort of made up for it because that plane is so spectacular, but I missed having a smaller grab-n-go version. The news that a 48" V2 was on it's way really excited me. I have most of the equipment on hand, so all that was left was the agonizing wait, and now that's finally over.

With the arrival of the MXS V2, the 48" class is really hopping again. There was a lot of excitement last year with the Extra V2 and Edge V2, and now the MXS makes three brand new V2 entries into the class. There might even be more coming, so things look pretty sweet for the four footers.

These V2 airframes are such a big jump in performance and stability that they changed the game. The V2s make extensive use of carbon, G10 mixed composites, and advanced construction, to lay a great foundation to build the new MXS V2 on.  What you are seeing in this new MXS is what was learned from 10 years of flying the plane, coupled with the latest composites and advanced construction. It gives you a stronger, better flying and more durable plane, which is especially important the way we treat them!

Personally, the MXS has always been a special plane for me. The V2 is just more special, but we'll get more into that in the flight report. We will take some photos of the plane out in the sun when we go to the field. Right now, we have nasty winds and no camera guys, so hopefully tomorrow.

Another improvement is the bottom of the stab now matches the checkerboard on the wing. The asymmetry of this on the V1 always made me a little crazy, probably from OCD, but now it's perfect. 

The Kit

As has become the norm with the other 48" V2s, the quality of the kits is now bonkers. Everything is beautifully finished and fits perfectly with no tinkering. The composites are so beautifully done it just sets everything off. The wow factor is amazing. 

Previously, the 60" planes were a bit nicer. Maybe it was the size or something, but they always seemed a little better turned out. That has now disappeared and these V2s are as serious as it gets, especially if you go for premium servos and a good electronic stability system.

The most obvious of the changes is going to be the extensive use of carbon and G10 mixed composite construction. There are times when only carbon will do, like landing gear supports, or other rods and tubes. However, for things like formers black G10 laminate is nearly as strong, nearly as light and much less expensive. The G10 laminates are so strong that you don't need a lot of carbon just for that sake of having carbon. Each material has it's own use, and applying G10 where it is most effective is a great way to cut costs while still having composites that will do the job and look cool too.

The MXS  comes with the same wing quick latch as seen on the other V2s, which is nice if you have to take the wings off for transport. I generally leave the wings on mine except when I am doing maintenance, and then it's nice I don't have to fight with wing bolts. Those of you with arthritis will especially appreciate that part.

Motorbox

As seen on earlier 60" planes, and more lately the other 48" V2s,  gone are the carbon support rods replaced by angled motor box construction. This gives you just as stiff of a motorbox, but the angled sides become wider as you move back, and this allows much better access to the battery and easier change out.

Wing Lock System

As is becoming the norm with the newest Extreme Flight releases, the MXS features a quick release wing attachment mechanism. You slide the wing on and move the latch forward, which captures the wing bolt. The mechanism is spring loaded, so it locks solidly into place. Naturally, after years of using other methods, I was a little skeptical, but we've been using this system for two years now with great results. 

Locked and ready to fly......

In the first picture you can see the latch open. In the second the wing is on with the wing bolt sticking through, not yet latched firmly.

I never took the wings off my 48s for anything but maintenance anyway because the plane would fit in the trunk assembled, but I know a lot of guys take multiple planes, and quick assembly/disassembly makes these 48s even more convenient than they already were.

Self Aligning stabilizer Installation

Here's what I think it the most underrated innovation of the last decade. I always hated putting the horizontal stabilizer in because if you get it wrong, you get a bad flying plane. All the newest Extreme Flight planes feature a self aligning stabilizer. The front of the stabilizer is notched at the center, and the leading edge is flat. The leading edge of the stabilizer saddle in the fuse has two little alignment pieces. You side the stab forward until the flat surface of the LE  butts up against the alignment pieces and that squares the stabilizer up to the wing.

This is an ingenious little arrangement that takes the most stressful part of the build away. Slide it forward, and glue. You're done. However, these are mass produced items, so I always measure mine anyway, partially to be sure, and partially because of OCD.

Filler Pieces

The only thing on the V1 that was not perfect was the slot behind the elevator. It had to be there so you could slide the elevator in and back out of the way before you put the stab in.  We loved the V1 so much no one ever complained about it, but aesthetically it wasn't ideal. For the V1 the MXS borrows a trick first seen on the Velox with little filler pieces to fill the gap.

   

This might seem insignificant, but the difference in the finished plane is worth it. Every little detail counts

Hardware

I don't like a lot of change just for the sake of change, so I'm really glad Extreme Flight has kept the same hardware package we've been using since the introduction of the EXP series. It's all tough, reliable stuff that we all know forward and backward, which makes it easy to work with. It's also nearly bullet proof, but it's nice most of us have a good supply of spares built up over the years.

New for this plane is Extreme Flight included their excellent metal backplate elite spinner. These have been all i have used for the last 10 years and you just sort of bolt them on and forget about them. They have all come perfectly balanced, are good looking and durable.

Building

The 48s are the everyman's plane, whether you are a new 3D pilot or a veteran.  Since these are such important planes for virtually everyone, Extreme Flight's product development chief, Ben Fisher, has made a nice build-along video. Here he covers every step in real time, so you can prop your phone up on the bench and use the video as a guide. There are lots of great tricks and information in here, even if you are an experienced builder, there's still plenty to learn here. The video covers the Edge build, but most of the video applies to all of the 48s as well.

Most of this build was like a surgical procedure. Everything slid together, bolted together or glued together perfectly. I didn't have to trim or tinker with anything. I was kind of on auto pilot until I got to the cowling, and thankfully, at least for me, you still have to mount it yourself, and I accept that as a challenge to get it perfect. That, or it's my OCD kicking in.

If you follow the procedure in the video manual, and take your time, you can't get it wrong. I've always done mine a little differently, but this time I tried it Ben's way and got really good results. I'll probably keep doing it this way because you can't get it much better than this.

Power System

Once again, it's going to be the Torque 2814/Airboss 45 ESC power system. I have been using this combination in my 48" planes, again, for over a decade. Reliability and durability have been 100% dead solid perfect. There is more power than you actually need, with enough to give unlimited vertical performance, and throttle response is perfectly linear.

Like all Extreme Flight power systems, once you bolt the cowling on you can forget about the motor and ESC and simply fly it. Most of my 2814s and Airboss' are years old, but I have so much faith in them I will drop an old beat up one into a brand new plane with no worries. The Torque and Airboss ESC are the Maytag of electric motors.

I cut a small strip of balsa to use as an ESC mount. It's also a good place to put the Velcro, but it also raises the ESC up just enough that you can slide it back over the next former if you want to move it more rearward. I'm balanced according to the manual, but if I care to move the CG rearward, I can slide the ESC back a little.

BEC

If you are running 6 volt servos, the standard Airboss will feed those just fine. We flew the V1 for roughly a decade like that. For me, though, this is such a high performance airplane I think it deserves the best of everything.

For 8 volt servos you either need a 2s lipo or an external BEC. I chose the BEC because they are not that hard to solder up, and once installed you simply forget about them. A lipo is probably better, but then you have to watch the voltage and charge it, so going with a BEC is one less thing to worry about. I have always used the Castle 10 amp BEC on all my 8 volt planes, and again, am delighted with the reliability and durability.

Here you can see I solder mine up a little differently. Instead of soldering both the ESC battery leads and BEC to the deans plug, I cut back the heat shrink on the wire about halfway between and solder there. It makes putting the deans plug on much easier because you don't have to hold and solder one lead at a time to one place.

I usually mount the BEC on the fuselage side down low, but this time I followed what i did on my 48" Edge. I mounted it against the front of the landing gear block. This puts it dead center in the airflow coming in from the chin scoop. I've never had a problem overheating one before, but this is a better place for it, especially once summer gets here.

SET UP
As always, the manual is the best place to start. My radio only has two rates, so I go to manual and use the "3D rate," and of course the low rate. I don't feel like this is a sacrifice of any kind. Maybe you can get a little more violence out of the plane with the insane rate, whereas the 3D rate is smooth, more

controllable and much easier to fly precisely.  I'm leaning more towards making my planes less wild, smoother and more stable, and this set up does that really well. 

If you want to spin and tumble the plane into orbit though, the insane rate is for you. Most people find the MXS to snaps and spin fine on the 3D rate, and no one complains the plane isn't violent enough.

The other important part of the setup is the low rate. A lot of people fly on high rates all the time, but they are missing out on how well these planes fly precision maneuvers like point and slow rolls. I stick to the manual here and adjust my low rate ailerons to give me three rolls in five seconds. This is extremely easy to keep up with and actually makes a great sport rate. I didn't change it much because the manual rate is extremely close, within 2% or 3%. 

To check the CG on the MXS, I wrap a string abound the tube and set the plane to have the nose hang down just a little. That's just a starting point, but it's very close. You never want to start off tail heavy.

Ailerons

Here I am using the arms that came with the servos. They are the same size as Hitec arms . Using the second hole from the outside, I am getting about 33 degrees of travel. I know the manual suggests 38 or so, but I'm 68 years old and that's a little much for me to hang on to. 33 suits me just perfectly and I can fly it smoother too.

Elevator

Here I use the G10 arm extension on the standard arm. Right now I have not turned up the endpoints in my TX, and I'm at 50 degrees up elevator with down elevator maxed out. I can get as much as 72 degrees with this arm, but we're going to start off a little tamer this time. I've been using less elevator in my planes lately, so we'll try it this way. I can always turn it up if I need more.

Rudder

Here i use a 1" arm to get the throw I wanted.  One thing I've done differently on my last few builds is move the ball link on the servo arm to the inside. This gives the pushrod a straighter shot at the control horn.