The Hobbico "Classic Cruiser" free-flight plane was chosen for the conversion.

My conversion project will feature the Hobbico FlyZone Classic Cruiser which is under $20 at the local hobby shop or on-line. The 21.5 inch Cub-like design looks cute and weighs only 3.0oz RTF stock.

The 2-cell circuit board was cut from the belly of the plane. It weighed 0.6oz.

I taped my elevator in place using four pieces of clear cellophane tape.

Before attaching the elevator assembly, you must first cut out a small section of foam to allow for a proper swivel up and down. A 30 degree swing in either direction is plenty since it is a large elevator.

My finished tail looked great! Both control surfaces could easily swivel 30 degrees in either direction.

To mount the rudder, I used a combination of tape and hinge material. The hinge material on the bottom of the rudder was glued into pre-cut slots using white craft glue. The hinge material provides a stronger support for the rudder for adding a steerable tailwheel (if desired) and for just keeping the rudder in place. Alternatively, a second piece of tape here would work fine too.

The initial position shown here for the servos created a very tail-heavy plane.

I choose to mount my MJ receiver and servos in a position that was easy to install and also provided access for "show and tell". Most of the local area flying clubs have never seen this technology before so they are usually loaded with questions after I fly a 3oz plane outdoors. Note that my initial position for the servos was not a good choice as it created a very tail-heavy plane.

The receiver and crystal will later be protected with foam and tape. The servos will need only short control rod runs to the elevator and rudder. For entry-level simplicity, I will be using thin metal rods instead of carbon fiber. More experience micro-flight enthusiasts can use alternate mounting positions, techniques, and materials.

After cutting slots into the foam, the servos are simply held in place with clear cellophane tape. I glued a balsa piece inside the fuselage to create a shelf for the receiver to sit in. It is held in place with double-sided tape. The crystal will later be bent 90 degrees and held against the fuselage with clear tape. Another photo will show the receiver sides protected by foam slices cut for the servo bays.

Although a direct drive motor uses much more current than a geared setup, the inefficiency is somewhat negated by the Kokam 340mAh cell. It will be interesting to see how much throttle is needed to maintain flight.

I protected the receiver with some foam sides and taped the bent over crystal with clear tape.

Additional protection is provided by the stock landing gear. All the components could still be seen on my conversion for showing it off at local events.

Since the servos were a bit aft, I needed to place my Lithium cell up front under the nose to balance the plane. I cut a slot into the foam and the cell just presses in place.

My converted Hobbico Classic Cruiser was Ready-To-Fly (RTF) at only 3.3oz with the landing gear. The Cirrus Micro Joule servos easily controlled the elevator and rudder in both directions. My initial ground testing showed no sign of jitter or interference. I can't wait to test fly it!

As I wait for a calm day to test fly my converted model, it stores safely back in the original box with the wing and landing gear removed. It can stay in my car until needed.

To extend the existing control rods, I cut them in half and CAed the wires inside a thin plastic tube. The servo arm and tail surface alignment was made quickly before the CA had a chance to set.

My modified Classic Cruiser simply flew fantastic!

The Cirrus MJ Flight Pack performed perfectly without any servo glitching or radio drop outs. The plane may be a bit hot for indoor gym flying depending upon your skill set but it flies great in a small open field.

The newer improved Micro Joule servos have a screwed on arm that uses a slip-tension to save the control surface when banged. I simply keep my trim settings at neutral and force the elevator or rudder back into position by turning the servo arm by hand. Perhaps it was an unintended"feature".

My Classic Cruiser could play up in the clouds or just above the corn field.

My Classic Cruiser could play up in the clouds or just above the corn field. During no wind conditions, I could throttle back to about 1/2 or 3/4. Note that I'm now using a direct drive GWS IPS motor on a single cell with a GWS 5x4.3 prop attached via a pinion gear. (See the "Motor Alternatives" section) On my initial set of test flights, I managed to crash the nose of the plane onto a cement sidewalk which broke the motor can apart. It didn't seem possible to put back together so I replaced it with a GWS IPS motor instead.

During no wind conditions, I could throttle back to about 1/2 or 3/4.

A direct drive GWS IPS motor provide a lower current alternative.

For an easy to follow conversion of the little Classic Cruiser, the stock motor will work just fine. For a more advanced level of conversion, replacing the stock motor with a direct drive GWS IPS motor will provide increased power with a significant current drop.

The Kokam 340mAh cell can supply 6amps of current and the plane will fly on partial throttle so either motor will work but the stock motor draws more current for a similar performance.

It is assumed that the advanced micro-flight enthusiast already understands the benefits of doing so, and, that my focus is on a more simple conversion for entry-level enthusiasts.



The Cirrus Micro Joule Flight Pack worked perfectly. I saw no issues with the flight pack when using a single Lithium cell for power. The available options allow you to use various components in a 3 or 4 channel micro-flight plane. Converting an inexpensive electric free-flight plane has not only become possible but is made much easier using the Micro Joule Flight Pack.

My main goal for this write-up was to promote some ideas and inspiration for using the tiny Micro Joule Flight Pack in your own conversions. Give it a try and you'll have a blast with the exciting world of micro-flight R/C!