flag8r

Are there any major disadvantages to the Parkzone Radian? Wanting to upgrade my glider, but it could be costly to get a higher end one. Thoughts on the Parkzone Radian?

Generally I stay away from RTF at this point in the hobby.

CBM Racing

The radian is awesome, but has minor drawbacks like all planes. You can just buy the wing set and fuse and use the gear from your other glider. The drawbacks to this sailplane are the firewall is easily cracked and the props break easily. Also check the pushrods where they are attached on the rear of fuse, they pull loose easily, but a wrap of tape fixes this. The good side of the plane though, it flies awesome! With stock setup it gets up to altitude pretty quickly. Usually a 30 second motor run is plenty to get to thermal hunting altitude. Not a speed demon when looking for lift, but it moves along ok with some down trim. Best part is how fantastic it thermals though. Rarely do I have to stop flying due to a dead battery. Lots of people learned to thermal with this plane, including me, and it makes learning to read the air and find thermals pretty fast and easy. Hardest part some days is getting it back on the ground, as it wants to float a looong time. I love mine, but had doubts when I first got it, thought it felt weak and flimsy and cheap. After first flight, all doubts were gone, it flies great. Just broke the 1 hour flight mark with mine. 30 second motor run and thermalled it for 1hr8mins and 38secs, although the usual thermalling time after a motor run is 10-30minutes before having to motor up again. Good luck with whatever you decide!

TIA

I've been thinking about getting one of these myself.

What lipo and brushless motor would one suggest intalling?

[&:]

Tom Nied

The Radian RTF comes with a 11.1V 1300mAh Li-Po and is recommended for the PNP

The Radian RTF or PNP comes with a 480-size, 960Kv brushless outrunner from ParkZone

Horizon Hobby
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdID=PKZ4700 and
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdID=PKZ4775

I really like mine once I got past and figured out its weaknesses.

Tinkrerpilot

My Feedback: (2)

flag8r, TIA

Get one and you won't be disappointed. With all the little things that have popped up with these and the easy fixes, the majority are very happy with the Radian. Read the threads and see what its all about. The guys here sold me on buying one to see what it is all about. The little issues are worth the flying time that this model gives you. Great bang for the buck. Easy to get replacement parts and or fix as you go. MOdel can be ready to fly before the battery is through charging. That simple. I did all the checks and additions on mine and will fly it this weekend. Weather got nice for once for decent flying time, along with no overtime from work. All good. Report to follow.

tink

flag8r

saw one today and although its supposedly pretty solid, it looks and feels very flimsy. Not to sure about that material. I think I'd rather get something made out of wood.

Tom Nied

flag8r I hear you loud and clear. I kind of thought the same thing when I opened the box when I first received mine. I've put on 35 flights that I have kept record of date, duration, and altitude, and any interesting notes. I had two flights that ended in crashes that could have been considered totaled. Recently flights #33, #34, #35 resulted in wonderful relaxing flights of +1 hour. I've learned for me it's best at winds under 10 mph. It needs the upper wing saddle reinforced with 3M strapping tape. If a crack develops in the motor mount, it can easily throw a prop blade. Losing the stock canopy is not so bad, you can make a lighter replacement from a 2 liter soda bottle. I like mine with the COG 1/8 behind the recommended location. The Winged Shadow "How High SP" is a great addition. On my last flight an old guy like myself came up behind me and was enthralled with its flight. I've had planes that are less maintenance prone but something about the Radian when it gets into a thermal, excites me. I've cracked mine up more than I would normally stick with a model, but continue to repair it. I've had a "love hate relation" with it, and swear thats what "Radian" means in Chinese. But I continue to fly it, and continue to enjoy it. I don't even expect +1 hour flights and am happy with +35 minutes. So I could show you a really beat and repaired Radian that continues to live on. And I could understand you taking a pass at this plane. But then again, there is a group of us, almost a club, that keep flying it. One thing I really like about it, if the conditions are good, and if I have the time, I can just grab and go to the local park and fly. It's easy.

CBM Racing

Yeah, same for me what Tom said! I thought it was flimsy and kinda cheap feeling, but was mistaken. It is actually very tough when it comes to sudden unexpected "landings". If mine were made of wood, it would be kindling by now. If/when you do have a bad crash and something breaks, it is so easy to repair, that all you need is some ca/superglue and maybe some tape untill glue dries. With wood, you have to strip off covering, replace what you need to(hoping it's straight), recover...a real pain in the you know what. I've seen the radian pile in from a nosedive from about a thousand feet and fly again in about 2hrs! It really is a LOT stronger than it looks and feels.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

I fly a Supra, an AVA and other competition gliders. I fly these in competition off the winch. So I have other gliders to fly.

So, you might be surprised to know that I love my Radian too. Flies great and thermals great. Mine is the RTF and fully stock. It is my trainer plane and the first glider I recommend to new members of our glider club. But sometimes I just fly it by choice. Great for hunting thermals. I hope to get it out on the slope too.

Try it, you'll like it!