HotBodies A7
 

A quick search of this forum shows some chatter about this plane, but no flight report. Has anyone flown this bird yet? I'm ready to pull the trigger on getting one, but I don't want to be a beta tester like the first owners of the F-86.

I heard the A7 has full ducting. If that's true, then with the bigger engine this bird should be far superior to the F-86.

So, has anyone flown it yet?

HotBodies A7
 

Just finished mine today. Will fly tomorrow, weather permitting. The kit itself if very nice, went together in less than seven hours, great engineering. Was much less work than the Kyosho Sabre. More power, but more airplane, and more weight, too. 66 ounces.

HotBodies A7
 

Easy - does it have full ducting???

HotBodies A7
 

Full ducting, all the way through, all fiberglass, has a cover cap. Two cheater holes on the sides, nicely faired into the ducting.

HotBodies A7
 

Sounds like they did their homework o this bird. Do you have any assembly pics?

Let us know how it flew today. Will we have to make extensive mods to this on for performace?

HotBodies A7
 

I did not snap any pics while building, but they would not be very interesting anyway. There is not much to do. I will snap some pics of the internals before flying it, as the layout of stuff is pretty interesting.
If it does not perform, I cannot see any mods that could be done except putting in a larger engine. I do not see the kind of extensive modification that the sabre needs being a possibility on this one.
I hope to get out late this afternoon with it. She's all ready to go, though I have not put on the decals. Somehow, I just cannot live with the awful and bland and hard-to-see all silver scheme, and will end up painting it, if she flies at all.

HotBodies A7
 

Let us know. I'm going to wait until I hear your flight report before I buy.

HotBodies A7
 

A smart move. I took it out to the field today, but it was gusting 20 knots crosswind, according to my little Kestrel wind meter, so I did not fly. Wednesday...

HotBodies A7
 

Any flights yet?

HotBodies A7
 

No, but I hope to sneak out later today. Windy again today, but I do not think I will be able to resist...

HotBodies A7
 

Flew her! Wind was measured up to 20 mph, and it was a dark and grey day, but I could not resist.


I was tuning the engine when I had my transmitter neckstrap sucked in...broke a blade off the fan, but I had a spare fan unit in the car. Took half an hour to change it all out. Duh.

Running 45% nitro, the engine seems very happy, ran out the flight without missing a beat, taxied up to my feet.

Great improvement over the Kyosho Sabre, much more positive climb and power. Hard to gauge the top speed, as I was really getting buffeted around up there, but it's not a speed demon.
Ground handling was good. Handling charachteristics in general were excellent. In spite of a very serious 90 degree crosswind, using the nicely effective rudder and ailerons, I took off and landed pretty much on the centerline. Makes me look good.

I am definitely wishing for more power, though. Looking into 21 sized buggy engines right now.

I can't wait to get her out on a better day and explore the performance a little more.

Pics
 

T33jetman says his did NOT fly at Superman...not enough power, just did wheelies...go figure?

HotBodies A7
 

Another view

HotBodies A7
 

Front and side intakes. Notice the indent in the bottom of the radar nose to get more air in. Not very scale!

HotBodies A7
 

Easy, looks cool, neat to have a trunk sized jet! I laughed pretty hard at you comment about the neck strap getting sucked in, I have a perfect 5 inch hole in a sweater because of a dynamax fan. Paint that sucker green and put the shark mouth on the intake, would make her look even cooler. By the way, how much thrust would you say you are getting out of the .18 fan? Just curious. Thanks, Mike

HotBodies A7
 

Neckstrap came out fine(my lucky neckstrap, can't fly without it!) but the fan blade did not! Lucky to have another.
I was thinking the same thing. Camo. Most of the white and grey navy schemes are pretty tough to see...
Silver is just awful.
I have not measured it. Dumb. I have a fish scale in my field box...I'd GUESS 2.5 pounds?

HotBodies A7
 

Hi Curtis,
THIMBLE DRONE glo fuel! A real blast from the past! Where in the world did you get that can?
Jon

HotBodies A7
 

Oh, I have my sources. I built a time machine from plans out of the back of Popular Mechanix.

"THIMBLE DROME GLOW FUEL-POWER PACKED FOR HOURS OF FUN"
That can serves me well...

HotBodies A7
 

Easy -

Thanks for the report. If you had to do it again, knowing what you know now, would you spend the $$$ for this plane?

Just curious - where are you located?

HotBodies A7
 

I live in the heart of NYC. I know, I am hedging about whether or not this plane gets a seal of approval or not...I just want to get a couple more flights before saying yea or nea. I also notice that there is often a huge difference of EXPECTATIONS...what people are expecting a jet to do.

HotBodies A7
 

Regarding expectations, I didn't expect my Kyosho Sabre to fly at all. I was thrilled as hell to get 25 flights out of it without so much as a scratch. I felt like my skill level was truly "advanced".

But at the same time $450 was a lot of dough for a plane that was woefully underpowered. I'd prefer not to repeat that episode again.

I was looking for a .21 for my Sabre, but it looked like it was gonna be tough to find a buggy engine that would mount ok (ie - the carb was where the fan would be).

Put a few more flights on it and then give me your yea or nea. I respect your opinion; my Sabre would have never flown if not for you.

HotBodies A7
 

Gosh, I'm blushing! If you are not expecting hundred mile per hour performance, then you will already be pleased with your A7.
What really struck me yesterday was how all the "experts" at the field, who do not fly jets, had so many opinions that were totally incorrect, and how if you listened to them, you get a totally different opinion of everything...
These same guys who just finished smashing their 40 sized ARF Avistars and EasySports right in the middle of the runway offered all sorts of "helpful tips" and such. They said the plane "barely took off and staggered around". "Had no power", etc...
Hey, it's a brand-new DF model. In a crosswind. I held her down for most of the runway. At no time did I feel she was on the edge of a stall, or running out of power. All I did was keep circling the field a little bit, feeling her out. It was HOWLING out, wind-wise, and a smarter fellow would not have taken off at all, but at least I was smart enough not to do any weird maneuvers in that wind.

Anyway...
I poked around a bit on the web looking at buggy engines last night, but I think I will have to go to some hobby stores with the fan itself to check them out. May have to make up a driveshaft extension to clear the carb...or change out the carb. Problem is, that big slide valve carb is probably a big part of getting that 35,000 RPM...

HotBodies A7
 

Easy does a 21 car engine fit in that 18 fan or do you need a bigger fan for it or a mod maybe to make it fit ?

HotBodies A7
 

Dunno yet. I would not want to change to a different fan unit. That would sort of defeat the purpose. I do think that there are positively a bunch of hotter engines in the same class. The HPI/HB 18 is not considered a real performer by the car guys...

HotBodies A7
 

I just ordered one yesterday. Did you do anything the keep the weight down? I'm planning on using HS-225 mighty mini servos. Will they fit? How many flights do you have on it now?