Hi all,
I recently visited the Skymaster factory in China. I was truly amazed at change in the product from the original. The ARF PLUS series is really a big step forward from anything else that I have seen in ARF.
The 'new technology' pays off handsomely when it comes to weight and strength. I felt the weight of a number of fuselages - F15, Big F16, F4 etc and they are VERY light. The strength lies in the quality of epoxy resin and 3 layers of matting used, as well as strategically placed carbon fibre. All the flying surfaces use either pure carbon-fibre, or internal carbon-fibre strengthened brass tubing. Gone are the bushings for elevators/elevons - replaced by Ball-Bearings.
Another real 'first' is the continuous hinging of all control surfaces. There is NO HINGE GAP on the top of Ailerons and bottom of Flaps. A strip of Kevlar forms the hinge and a curved fairing allows the opposite side to rotate inside the wing - very good. The fit of the wings etc. to the fuselage is greatly improved - no gap visible! The rivet and panel detail is superb as well.
Another massive step forward is in the oleo struts, wheels and brakes. Most oleos are slowly being converted to Hydraulic/Air operation. The engineering (made in Taiwan) is top-notch, with incredibly smooth operation - and NO LEAKS! Coupled with this is single plate disc-brakes sandwiched between two friction surfaces. The wheels are air-filled and very light.
All painting is done by an external contractor.
Another innovation is the introduction of Wing-Bags for the kits – no more scratches!
Once again, I am convinced that the owners of the new range of ARF PLUS models will be well satisfied.
Anton Lin has invested a lot of money to improve his product, and carries out careful QC checks - so a big 'thumbs up' to him.
Cheers
Leon