Greg Covey

E-flite’s new [link=http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFL8100#quickOverview]F-86 Sabre[/link] uses design principles that feature top-of-the-line glass and balsa construction techniques to recreate the famous jet fighter with extreme accuracy. In the jet arena where performance reigns supreme, this E-flite ducted fan jet hits on all cylinders with its performance - a fully designed intake and exhaust ducting. When outfitted with E-flite’s own Delta V fan and motor and a 4S Li-Po, the Sabre will hum with power and speed. As always, E-flite has gone above and beyond to fashion a model in which the aviation aficionado can take great pride.

Unlike many EDFs in its class that only provide aileron and elevator control, the F-86 Sabre 15 DF provides authoritative rudder control so you can execute point rolls and knife-edge flight with precision. The fan ducting has been designed to achieve superb efficiency without sacrificing a scale-looking intake or requiring the need for speed-robbing cheater holes. Swapping batteries and accessing electronics is easy with the generously proportioned magnetic hatch.

Specifications:[ul][*] Wingspan: 33.8 in (860mm)[*] Overall Length: 35.4 in (900mm)[*] Wing Area: 256 sq in (16.5 sq dm)[*] Flying Weight: 53 - 55 oz (1500 - 1560 g)[*] Motor Size: 15 DF 3200Kv Brushless Motor[*] Radio: 4+ channels[*] Servos: Sub Micro (4 required) & Micro (1 required)[*] Speed Control : 60-amp brushless[*] Recommended Battery: 4s 14.8V 3200-3300mAh Li-Po[*] Scale: Warbird[*] Experience Level: Advanced[/ul]
Features:[ul][*] Designed for the E-flite Delta V 15 DF for great power and performance[*] Lightweight fiberglass fuselage provides minimum weight to this accurately detailed scale model[*] Factory-finished scale trim scheme with 3 unique nose art/squadron decal sets included[*] Magnetic battery hatch allows for quick access to the airplane's electronics[*] Hyper-efficient ducting with no "cheater" holes[*] Airfoil-shaped vertical fin and rudder[*] Full 4-channel control[/ul]

Greg Covey

As expected with E-flite products, the parts were well secured in the box and sealed in plastic. The covering on the sheeted wing and tail pieces was flawless and most of the decals were pre-applied except for the choice of three finishing schemes that were provided on a separate sheet.

The 44-page manual is packed with photos, tips, and instructions to provide a successful assembly.

Greg Covey

A closer look at the F-86 fuselage reveals exceptional quality in both the construction and finish. The attention to scale detail really brings out those Sabre looks!

The magnetic battery hatch is already finished and allows for quick access to the airplane's electronics. A bottom hatch is provided for easy access to the DF and ducting. The clear plastic exhaust tube is pre-cut and assembled. The control rod tubes also come pre-installed. The airfoil-shaped vertical fin and rudder are both made from fiberglass. The rudder comes taped to the fin for safety during shipping.

Hellcat716

My Feedback: (2)

Looking forward to the flight report. Sold mine after the first flight. Was lucky to get it down in one piece. Have not heard much good about this plane flying ability. Good luck.

Greg Covey

Ok, thanks for the heads-up. Sometimes the smaller scale fiberglass models require a certain skill set to have a successful experience. They certainly look great but are not for everyone.

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My power system components and completion parts are as follows:[ul][*] E-flite [link=http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFLDF15]Delta-V 15[/link] 69mm Electric Ducted Fan[*] E-flite [link=http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFLM3215DF]BL15[/link] Ducted Fan Motor, 3200Kv[*] E-flite [link=http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFLA1060]60-Amp Pro[/link] Switch-Mode BEC Brushless ESC[*] ThunderPower [link=http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/RelatedParts.aspx?ProdID=EFL8100&Category=Completion%20Guides&SubCategory=Optional%20Battery]3300mAh 4-Cell/4S 14.8V[/link] Pro Power 30C LiPo[*] Spektrum DSM2 [link=http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=SPMAR6200]AR6200[/link] 6-Channel Receiver[*] E-flite 7.5-Gram Sub-Micro [link=http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFLRS75]S75[/link] Servos (4)[*] JR Sport [link=http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=JSP20030]MC35[/link] Micro Servo[/ul]

Ron101

My Feedback: (22)

On the other site there is a huge thread on this plane and I've also watched my friend fly his
It's a great flying plane, rock solid in the air, the only negative is it comes in pretty hot.. so you need to setup your landing to bleed off speed then you will be fine

I have a Sapac T-45 composite the V1 with no flaps and if you don't setup right for landing it comes in really hot....

but both planes are really good flyers, the F-86 is screaming fast too on the stock setup

nice little plane

Greg Covey

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the information. I would expect this design to come in hot requiring some speed bleed off so no surprises there. It's ok to mention RCG on RCU.

Regards
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When I started the assembly, I was happy to see that all the parts were appropriately separated into their own resealable bags.

meps

My Feedback: (10)

Great flying plane. Flies as if it's on rails. I maidened mine this past Saturday with the stock set-up. It does come in pretty hot. I don't like the forward "scale like" caster on the nosegear which makes steering very sensitive. I flipped the plane while I was doing some very low speed taxiing to set up tracking. It got scratched up in a few places but structually, it was fine.
Steve

Greg Covey

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the feedback. I'll be sure to keep the nose wheel steering gain down as I have heard this several times now.

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The assembly begins with aileron servo installation. The clever mounts are glued in place on the bottom piece and then use the top piece to secure the servo. I had no issues here and found the instructions to be excellent.

The plastic servo covers look like an improvement to the original covers taken off the wing. However, this does require you to add the decals back on from the included extra set as shown on my left wing bottom with the "USAF".

Greg Covey

The wings installed just as described in the manual. I sanded the glossy fiberglass finish on the fuselage sides where it meets the wings and then glued them in place using 20-minute epoxy. The two carbon fiber support rods were also coated with epoxy before inserting them into the wing channels.

The fit was perfect without any modification needed. I taped the wings in place on the bottom side and let them dry overnight.

Greg Covey

The horizontal stabs are glued in the correct angle using a supplied jig. After marking the correct position in the fuselage with a black marker, the covering is removed so that it can be glued in place. I used 5-minute epoxy for a secure hold.

Greg Covey

I brought the unfinished F-86 to a local R/C show this weekend and it received plenty of attention. Since most of us fly off grass, and we don't like the look of fixed gear in flight, we are thinking of replacing the gear with tanks on the bottom as in the attached [link=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Waleed_Ehsanul_Karim.jpg]photo[/link]. The goal here is to take it off grass on the tanks.

Has anyone done this already?

evan-RCU

Thats how the Alpha F-86 is. It works very well.

Ron101

My Feedback: (22)

Greg guys are bungee launching and belly sliding with no problem... I would not try a hand lauch with this one
as for the tanks guys are having the plane come in hot and are on the heavy side for the wing loading... so I would sratch the tanks but that's just me

Greg Covey

Hi Ron,

I like the bungee idea because I have a mini bungee that I used for my [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=1019]VPro Mig-15[/link] review years ago. You could put a hook in the already re-enforced nose gear hole.

Depending upon when I get it finished, I will try the bungee launch before or after our local event that has a pavement runway.

Thanks!

Greg Covey

The elevator and rudder installation used different techniques. The elevator hinges fit into the pre-cut slots of the horizontal stabilizer and were secured with thin CA. Remember to let the thin CA soak into the hinges and dry without using any kicker. Once dried, I wiped off the white residue with some debonder.

The rudder used three pin hinges that were first cut to length and then glued to the rudder only. Once dried, I glued the rudder to the vertical stabilizer using V-poxy from [link=http://www.bvmjets.com/Pages/Catalog/vpoxy.htm]Bob Violet Models[/link]. The thicker aircraft-grade epoxy doesn't run so I did not need to coat the hinge joints with petroleum jelly. However, it is still a good idea to use some petroleum jelly just in case the glue gets on the hinge.

The tail feathers looked great and I really think this is a beautiful looking model by E-flite!

Greg Covey

The JR Sport [link=http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=JSP20030]MC35[/link] Micro Servo was used for the two elevator halves. Note that holes are provided in the fuselage to allow a screwdriver to access the servo screws closest to the side.

When installing the control rods per the manual, I noticed some binding on one side so I cleaned the metal rods and sprayed some silicone on them before pushing them through the nylon tubes.

The control horns were CA'ed into position after first cutting away some of the covering underneath. The elevators seemed to work fine but I had a slight hesitation on one side so I may revisit this area before test flying the Sabre.

Greg Covey

The rudder servo and linkage installation used a similar technique to the elevator. I used an E-flite [link=http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFLRS75]S75[/link] sub-micro servo per the manual. Again, I had more resistance on the control rod than desired so I coated the metal with some silicon lubricant.

Since there was a small amount of slop in my servo, the rudder did not return perfectly to center from one direction. I reduced some of this by gluing the end of the nylon tube to the wood support. The support hole was slotted and allowed the nylon tube to move until it was glued.

I ended up replacing the S75 servo with a more capable JR [link=http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=JRPS285#quickSpecs]DS285[/link] digital servo which eliminated the centering issue.

Greg Covey

The landing gear installation went without issue. The wing holes were pre-drilled to install the latches using the supplied screws. The wheels spun freely on the axles and the mains fit well in the notches under the wings. The steerable nosewheel, fuselage mount, and bellcrank all seemed solid and turned nicely.

Although I'm not a fan of fixed gear during flight, the F-86 Sabre really started to look nice on the ground! Perhaps after the initial test flights off pavement, the gear mains can be replaced with tanks for grass landings and the nosewheel can be replaced with a hook for a mini-bungee launch.

Ron101

My Feedback: (22)

Looks great Greg!
I keep coming close to picking on up, but I run 4s 4200 in my Sapac's and think these packs will be to heavy for the airframe and I don't really want to buy packs just for it..
same reason I haven't done a habu... but I'm getting weak looking at your pictures

Greg Covey

Hi Ron,

Thanks. I'm doing a slow build so I can stall until the first weekend of August when we have an R/C event south of Buffalo (Hamburg, NY) so it can initially be tested off pavement. After that, I may replace the fixed gear with a set of HET tanks that are close to size.

The Sapac models tend to run slightly larger in size so I agree with your assessment on the 4200mAh packs.

Regards.

Greg Covey

The steering servo and linkage were very easy to install using the pre-bent rod and included servo mount. I really like the simple design of these sub-micro servo mounts included in the F-86 kit.

Instead of using the recommended 4th hole from the servo center of the arm, I used the 2nd hole due to several reports of high gain on the steering control. I still had plenty of nose wheel turning when using the 2nd hole and it allowed the rod to run parallel with the fuselage bottom.

Greg Covey

The E-flite manual offers two positions to mount the 60-amp Pro Brushless ESC. When I saw the bottom mount scheme for a cooler running ESC in a hot environment, I jumped at that option. One of the key areas for keeping an EDF power system running well is to keep the ESC cool.

A Dremel tool makes quick work of this task. I simply traced the ESC on the bottom of the fuselage and cut the proper size opening. I'll likely hold the ESC in place with a hook and loop strap across it.

I also see no need for an On/Off switch in small EDF applications. Simply plugging the battery into the ESC is sufficient. The E-flite 60-amp Pro Brushless ESC makes it easy by providing a fail-safe mode of operation. If the switch is open, the ESC is on. I simply cut the switch wire off to about 1" in length and covered the end with a piece of shrink wrap.

Greg Covey

The Spektrum AR6200 receivers were placed in the locations and orientations per the manual using the supplied hook and loop material. I also secured the ESC in place using some of the supplied hook and loop material and my own 3M Velcro black strap. Additionally, I glued the four corners of the ESC to the fiberglass bottom with small dabs of epoxy that could be broken away, if needed.

The fiberglass intake tube was fitted into position after first surrounding the center with a hook and loop strap. The strap is put on first so that it doesn't accidentally get wrapped around the steering rod later on.

Greg Covey

The E-flite Delta V 15 DF assembled very easily. Two screws hold the BL15 brushless motor in place and another two screws hold the fan fairing. Thread locker was used on all four screws. The rotor is held in place with a collet adapter. I used an Allen wrench to tighten the spinner while holding the rotor blades.

Page 30 of the manual was a bit confusing because step 3 states, "Note that the fairing faces to the bottom of the fan unit.", and earlier it was stated in a diagram that the fan bottom goes to the fuselage top. In any case, the larger side of the fan when viewing the mounting lugs is considered the fan bottom so be sure to assemble the fairing so that it faces the fuselage bottom, not the fan bottom. The second photo shows the fairing on the wrong way for the F-86.

After cutting the thrust tube to fit around the fairing, the Delta V 15 DF is installed in the fuselage with the 4 supplied screws. The 4 screw holes in the plywood mount will be visible if the DF unit is installed correctly into the intake tube. The intake tube will be firmly pressed into the nose so that it cannot move forward or backward once the DF is installed.

The thrust tube is folded into a "U" shape, installed from the rear opening, and taped onto the DF unit. The aft end is then trimmed to match the outline of the fuselage.

This elegant design was not just easy to install, it provides a very clean duct (without cheater holes) when viewed from either the nose or the tail.