Contributed by: Michael Parsons | Published: December 2005 | Views: 67654 | Email this Article
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Ultrafly Su-27
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Great
Planes Model Distributors
P.O. Box 9021
Champaign, IL 61826-9021
Telephone: 800-637-7660
E-mail: gpinfo@gpmd.com
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the mid 1970's the Eastern Bloc found themselves at a disadvantage
with the introduction of the F-15 and F-16 fighter jets. Their answer
to that problem was the SU-27 Flanker. A fly by wire, highly maneuverable
aircraft that certainly leveled the playing field. Ultrafly has
captured the sleek lines, beauty and performance of this fighter
jet with their SU-27 ARF. |
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The
sukhoi arrived on my doorstep double boxed and without a
scratch. Upon opening the box, I found the contents to be
expertly wrapped in plastic and neatly arranged as to avoid
damage. The low parts count will surely make this a quick
build.
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The
canopy is cut along the molded lines and then glued to the
hatch. I used 560
canopy glue for this task. Next the secure points and
magnets were attached to the hatch using the supplied glue.
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Separate
the Ailerons from the wings and hinge using the supplied
paper hinges. Next using a screwdriver, make indention's
on the wing and the fuse where they will join. This will
allow the epoxy to seep into those holes and form a better
bond. This is important so do not deviate! Using epoxy,
spread an even coat on the two surfaces to be joined and
then hold together until the epoxy sets up. I used 5 minute
epoxy and worked on joining one surface at a time. The
trick here is to keep the same amount of incidence on
both wings. I would have preferred to see some mating
nubs between the wings and fuse to help with alignment.
There is a small shelf on the fuse for alignment, but
it was difficult to keep the wing from sliding around
while the epoxy set up.
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I
am using 3 Futaba 3108 mini servos and an Ultrafly D/13/32 geared
1.93:1 and a 7x5 APC prop. This is a bit of a hot setup and throttle
management must be used. The recommended gearing and what is supplied
is 2.38:1. I decided to hang the ESC outside the nacelle and route
the battery lead down the bottom of the fuse and then up into
the battery compartment. The ESC is velcroed in and the antenna
is routed out the back.
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obtain the correct CG, I had to get the Thunderpower 3S 2100 further
into the nose than the stock battery tray allowed. For this, I bent
up some wire the width that I needed and installed it into my 100
watt soldering gun. This made short work of hollowing out the compartment.
This took about 10 minutes start to finish. |
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I
set the SU-27 up with 70% expo on the Ailerons and 65% on the
Elevator. Dual rates were programmed in as well with the low end
being right around 45% and the high rates at 100%. CG was right
on the money with the manual's suggestion and throttling up showed
the power was there. Tony "The Launcher" Lockhart
did the honors of tossing her for me. Upon release and with the
throttle around 3/4, the Sukhoi took to the skys with stability
and speed. A couple of clicks of up-trim and three clicks of left
aileron left me with a plane flying at a good clip and hands off.
A few paces at medium speed and then it was time to get on the
throttle to see what it could do. Good climbout and a fast roll
rate was present. The low high speed passes were fun, but the
slow nose up passes turned out to be my favorite. All of that
wing area stabilized this plane at any speed, but it become very
noticeable while going slow which is great for landings!
I asked a fellow club mate who is proficient in pusher jets to
give it a go. This gave me the opportunity to study it through
the lens of my camera and take some photo's. I launched it for
him and after a few laps to get a feel for it, he started doing
tail slides and cobra's which the Sukhoi is famous for. I was
so shocked at the sight of it all, I almost forgot to snap pictures.
Upon landing the plane, Mike commented positively on the performance
and looks.
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Credits:
Filming: Tony Lockhart
Piloting: Michael Parsons/Mike Downey |
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the easy of the build, to the fantastic flight characteristics,
this plane is great! There have been only a handful of foam ARF's
that I have assembled that have left me with a positive feeling
form start to finish. and this is one of them. Ultrafly has done
an wonderful job making everything come together to maintain the
scale look and feel while not comprimising performance. The SU-27
is a perfect plane for the turn and burn at your local field or
slow and easy surveying from above. One word sums it all up....Awesome!
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