Fast Freddy

Anyone have any experience with the Hybrid-Air by Parkflyers. I came across it at the following website: http://www.parkflyers.com/html/hybrid-air.html Any advice would be welcomed!

KiwiKid

This model is the Coota made by Art-tech:
http://www.art-tech.cn/english/Artic...?ArticleID=149

The Coot A is a small two person amphib that has been copied here. "Market research"
indicated that Coota was a naff name so it got rebranded as the Hybrid-Air.
There is a thread at RCG that has some background info and flight reports:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...ighlight=coota

Fast Freddy

KiwiKid,
Thanks for the info. I found a LHS and the Hybrid-Air will arrive soon. I think I'm going to buy one as it looks like it goes together quickly and I have no time to build. I also like flying boats more than floatplanes.

aenigma

Yeah we got one and it was branded as the cooda(or coot a but i could have sworn it was cooda), one of the worst flying planes i've flown.But hey thats just art-tech for you.Its fun to take it up high and cut power and pull back and watch it go into a nose towards ground spin you cant get out of without power.Or when you take off throttle and the nose shoots up in the air because the pod is not in the right place.Or watching it porpoise uncontrollably if you try to take off without holding full back, or trying to actually land without plopping it in the water like a duck.

When we first got it we had to get a new motor for it because the original had tons of slop.No suprise there since we had an art-tech before and everything was complete garbage, no different here.Of course we didn't realize this was an art-tech, you know those compulsive hooby shop buys!The other problem was the battery charger they included was the wrong one, so that meant repainting and cleaning all the smoke off the walls/airplanes and everything else in the airplane room since the battery caught fire.That was a job I tell you, luckily nothing else went up in fire just the refrigerator it was sitting on some other battiers by it and a transmitter.At least they sent another battery, yeah big deal.

I'd say stay away from anything art-tech, I don't think you can get a worse brand of airplane.

aenigma

I just wanted to update it still flies the same although I have gotten used to it, just gotta keep alot of throttle when landing and thank god its electric so there are no dead sticks.But I wanted to say that I talked to someone who knew someone else that got one and he said it flew great.Sure it is a "this guy knows another guy who knows another guy who knows elvis!" sort of thing but it made me think I may have got a dud.Well, as far as the airframe gows that is.I know the electronics are garbage because the last art-tech I had was the same way.But if you're dead set on getting one even if it flies as bad as mine, you can learn to get around its shortcomings.

traxxboy

How does it compare to the aventura twin?

Thomas B

My Feedback: (4)

I have always liked the Taylor Coot A, so I ordered the Hybrid-air airframe replacement parts (fuse assembly and wing set) only from Parkflyers.com for around 45 bucks.

They shipped right away and I got them within 4 days, so the parts situation must be better, now.

I think this small foamy Coot can benefit from some careful choosing of components to help keep the weight down for better performance.

Dave ESPI

After nearly a year of Hemming and Hawing, I decided I needed a new summer flier. I spend a good bit of time on a lake with friends, and I have a GUANLI PBY catalina, and love it, but its BIG. I need somethign a bit smaller to transport with me. PARKFLIERS has a new 2200 7.1 2 cell battery that they just now are bringing online, and it will give this Hybrid-Air close to a 20 minute or more run time. [X(] I researched the COOTA and read threads here and on RCGroups, and after talking to Mark @ Pf custoomer support, I opted to not build one from scratch but go with the RTF version. My buddy wants a seaplane too, so if I liek it, Ill get a second and give him the RTF and then make motor and power mods from their RTF as a base model.

From what I can tell, some carbon spats should be added to winngs and tail section to lend a bit more support for loading and stress with more power and a 11.1 3 cell with a new upgraded 35-40 amp ESC as the one that comes stock is a true 18 amp (not 20 as some places list it as) ESC.

I think it needs to be painted too

More to come

Dave ESPI

OK, so I got one back in June. It flies great from Parkfliers. It came in a nice box, and thre assembly was easy. I pealed some stickers off and modified it to look more like a US CoastGuard plane, and flew it for 2 battery packs. Parkfliers now has a slightly larger battery and its worth it to get ! I went from 18 minute flight times to nearly 28 minutes with throttle control and some good winds up high

It takes off of water really well. I removed the huge nose 2.5 ounce weight, and later added back in a 1 ounce weight. It flew perfect with just a slight bit of down trim on the elevator, and would climb really well with the trim taken out with no porpose effect to it.

I have 10 flights on it and it flies super nice. I reccommend using clear tape on the canopy and engine cowl as they can come off, so extra security is peace of mind whne splashing around. Landing is easy also. She slows down nicely and glides well with just about 1/4 throttle, kill the throttle and you can almost "duck flop" it in with a stiff pull back on elevators then stall it to splash.
Its a "Keeper" in my hangar for sure. I got a bit cocky on my second flight, and drilled the tree next to the deck behind me as I was pulling a hard loop and the wind gusted up and I had to choose "tree or railing" and I tried to sneek the plane thru, cut throttle and dorked the wing on the tree, but no structural damage, just a chunk out of leading edge. Flew just as good after it.

I was dissapointed however that the wheels that came with it were not able to be taken off and on at whim depending on how you wanted to fly. If Parkfliers (or Arttech) had some sort of slip-in clip system so when water is not available to land on/off of (pavement) the wheels and landing struts could be removeable and reinstalled without glue, it would be totaly a kick-azz versitile true park Sea/ Land/ Air plane !

Dave ESPI

Just wanted to say I have beat the everliving ***** outa this plane and it still flies top knotch!
Have 20 flights and splashdowns on it, andits a blast. really handles well and looks awesome in the air.
The Parkflier version blows the COOTA art-tech one outa the water when it comes to quality and completely painless to build and fly with good quality components installed from the factory !

I pulled the heavy nose weight out of it and slid my battery packs a bit more forward after trimming a bit of foam to extend he battery reess. helps to fly better up and out of the water and longer in the air. It tends to porpose up a bit, so a bit of down trim on the elevator is needed if U use the smaller stock battery it comes with.

If people are on the fence, I really do say take the plunge on this. its a blast, I'm really looking forward to seeing what it can do off of snow and ice !

baddb1

Thanks for your review. I am thinking of getting one. [8D]

stryker-man

Pardon my grammar, for i am dutch, from the netherlands a.k.a holland.

I have a love/hate relation with it after only 14 flights. It costed me 159 euro's incl. tax and transport costs, so for now i spent and had fun for 11 euro per 'flight'. I had glue left over so the repair did not cost me extra, the tape i have plenty and is not even calculated here.

The allmost RTR and rc electrics/motor etc. allready built in was great for me. After unpacking all i had to do was mix the A and B epoxy glue's and glue the 2 main wings on to fuselage. BUT the manual did not state what A and B glue was, i never worked epoxy before, so i thought it was for 2 material in/on the plane, i.e. for fuselage itself or other plastics/wood ON the fuselage. Since the text on the tubes are written in 'kanji' i had to find the mix part out my self on forums. That was a day wasted for waiting replye's.

This is my first 'all flaps' plain, i flew a 2 flaps striker 'wing' before, and silverlit airlifters (vector steered motor controles only) and a 'conrad' piper j3 cub with back horizontal and vertical flaps, no mainwing flaps. And heli's but that is another love and chapter.

The bad thing is that the plane is hanging to the right side in the water, even after moving all that could in cockpit to left side..

When flaps up, behind, 1 goes more up and down then the other, the one the servo rod is onto goes further then the other one witch is attached by a horizontal rod with the first mentioned one.

When steering with the back vertical flap, the whole flap and part before that/the whole little vertical wing so to speak, moves vertically to 1 side, so that is unwanted up- or down (= more left or right) steering extra on 1 side. Also it has more flap-out to 1 side, corners sharper, then other side.

The nose is VERY heavy, a large weight is glued inside, great for much wind flying, but with less wind/or air speed you have to steer a bit up all the time AND think/know this when landing. No self making straight lines or horizontal path on this one..

After take off (that allways needs to-the-left steering at first) it flies not to bad, but not great to, since, even if everything is 'set' the moment you steer or flap other wise, other unwanted steering comes along with that

I have taken off, with right main wing in water allways at first seconds.. 14 times, and with the 14th landing, a bit of a splash with turn in water (more 'vertical' gravity speed then forward speed) the right wing got a 'tear'? crack? cut? underneath in place of wing-/-to fuselage corner.

Anyway, in the corner of wing and fuselage, underneath (not top side also) for about 90% of the lenght and up and in to the side to cabine spot.

The A and B glue i had left was enough to toothpick it in between that little (i go for-) crack. More upwards to cockpit i could use the original ehhh flat-stick that is in the kit. Now hopefully it will hold in air/landing or even takeoff.

I did not loose the entire wing, well this is so what i guess, since i had pre-taped that area, up and under, a tip on a forum i found.

That way, after the splash i wanted to get on the flying horse right away, but saw/seen that the right wing bended upwards in takeoff.

Luckally i got it (filled with water) 'boating' to shore and electrics where spared.

Still, i feel that for a first real all can do full flaps like a real one, brushless powered model this is not a bad experience those 14 flights. (in 3 battery charges, not 14 times i.e. 14 times 15 minutes!) only about 3/4th of 1 hour!)

But beginnerplane, i would call it "being experienced in beginning with lesser planes" or so plane A great take off and landing experience plain, a learn to glue plain..

My hope is that there will be a coota (of any brand) made from EPP, and that is (more-)balanced when unpacked.

1 that has no 'unwanted extra steering side effect when steering' because off go-along materials other then the flap you want to move.

Another great improvement would be a 'click on' / rubberband / braking rods / magnets / or so system for the wings, so they come of when amount X of landing force from front gets to them, sparing the fuselage.

This 'review' is still going / open, since i will fly the coota / hybrid-air once again, battery is charging as we speak. maybe tomorrow, today, next week, but then i know if the repair was good enough for the way i fly it (cautious and not to fast, no loops and rolls)


In core this might be a GREAT plane, even for beginners.