Note: This report is in progress. I will be adding text, photos and video as we go.
This plane represents a bit of a departure from what I am used to flying. New airframe manufacturer, new power system, new servos, and a new assembly procedure were all things I had to adapt to, but once she broke ground, I knew there was nothing to worry about.
My only concern was that the whole project was a little too easy, creating an anxiety that I may have missed something. The truth is it was too easy. I took it out of the box and it was ready to go in 30 minutes or so. There was nothing to think out because it was all but done.
OK, it was so easy I had this haunting too-good-to-be-true feeling right up until it broke ground and then forgot about it and just enjoyed flying the plane.
This plane is as nice as any 48" I've seen, and as we'll get into, it flies as well as any of them.
The Shakedown
I got two shakedown flights in a lot of wind, but the promise is certainly there. I need to dial back my aileron throw for tomorrow because it rolls like a drill bit, and I am comfortable with a little less......just a personal preference. The way the thing came out of the box was close to perfect, so I may decompress a little and look at it tonight. I may just leave it alone and adapt to it.
As far as CG, the with the back edge of my Thunder Power 6s 1800 70C Rampage pack sitting flush with the rear landing gear former she balanced dead center on the wing tube, so we started there and she is just a touch ahead of neutral, which is where I like them, so I've going to leave that alone.
This Slick is nothing at all like previous Slicks. I was much more comfortable right away as compared to the original 51, and this plane is more like the 52" Slick EXP with great tumbling and smooth precision. My point and slow rolls are a little sloppy, but two flights are not enough time to dial the plane in and adapt to it. So far, my only complaint is that the plane likes to flatten out of a KE spin, but I hit my last one just right. It was simply a matter of different timing. Otherwise, she snaps and spins just fine.
So, after day one, I'm really pleased with the plane. The only scare I had was got an extra half rotation on a snap but caught it and flew it out with no drama except maybe my heart rate went up a bit. It's all a timing thing, but I may either adapt or try a little less aileron throw. I went through this on the Velox, but I tailored the set up to be less aggressive, which makes the plane smoother, but doesn't kneecap performance. The way she comes out of the box is going to be right for most people, but I'm going to tweak this plane to get everything I can out of it.
One really nice surprise is my pitiful hovering actually looked pretty good. I tried two or three times suspecting I just got lucky, but she hovers really stable and locked in. This will be an excellent tool for getting my hover better.
Most people are going to wonder about how light the plane flies, or how "floaty" it is. Here the Slick is as floaty as my other 48s, and maybe a little more. Harrier manners are really solid and reassuring. She does beautiful elevator drops.
Pitch authority at 45 degrees is very impressive and the Slick does a righteous wall maneuver and pops flat in a parachute.
I was comfortable so quickly I just flew it and didn't really dig to discover the differences. It's so similar to what I am used to that adapting was almost automatic.
Right now it's just day one, but I'm already flipping through the pages on the Skywing page looking for my next project.
Power System Performance
Since I have never flown a 48" on 6s, I went from the supplied wood 13/7 prop to an APC 13/6.5 to be sure I did not hit the batteries too hard. This turned out to be a good call because I came down with just the right voltage. I'll probably keep this prop on it as I will fly it using less power and do more 3D as the winds calm and I learn the plane better.
There was no spitting or shuddering on start up and power delivery was explosive, but easy to modulate. It ran smooth all day and didn't give me any worries. After a punch out or two I simply forgot about it until whenever I would hammer it and the thing would simply blast off. I run an idle mix and one thing I noticed is when you cut the power there was no winding down. It simply went to idle instantly. Power systems have come a long way since the original Torques, and this kind of instant response is probably a result of all the drone technology that's creeping into our systems. The response is smooth and predictably and very easy to control and get exactly what you want from it.
Today was about survival, and we accomplished that, got the CG dead on, and had a nice smooth day, which is what you want first time out. Power was about level with the TMotor, so this prop sacrifices nothing while cutting my amp draw and increasing run time. In short, it's a beast, and while most people will be happy with that, I may experiment with a Zoar 13/6 and drop a little more power in exchange for hitting the batteries a little less hard.
That's it for today, but we'll add video and some more commentary hopefully tomorrow.
Day Two
The weather forecast was marginal, but it's even worse for the next 10 days, so we had to go now. I dialed my ailerons back about 10% and now she's about perfect. The plane not only remains stable, but got even better with throw I was more comfortable with. Now the timing on snaps and spins are much more like what I am used to, so I adapted the plane to me.
Here's what we have so far, and since we want to get the info out as fast as possible, we'll settle for this and shoot some better video and more detailed flight report when the weather is less wicked.
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