I have to admit that I am somewhat smitten by the Hawker Hurricane and "kind of" wanted to add one to the hangar. When E-flite did their last round of discounts on this plane and started selling them for $109.00, I snatched one up. Thanks to Go Go Hobbies for making this happen!
I purchased the appropriate E-flite retracts and bent struts and the grand total of the plane and pieces was less than $200.00. Not bad for such a sweet little warbird!
The assembly went well as it does for most E-flite planes and I had to wait for the rain to bugger off so I could maiden her.
Leigh, a team pilot for Go Go Hobbies graciously offered to take her up while I worked the camera. In the video, you can see that winter has taken a toll on our field and it was a bumpy taxi and take off. Up she went, Leigh did a quick circuit to check the trim (none required) and on the second lap she dived with purpose towards terra ferma and would not respond to elevator input.
Fortunately, she crash landed into a large clump of grass. The only damage was a broken prop, a snoot full of mud and the flaps decided to detach themselves. The front end looked a bit "wrinkled".
So what caused the crash? I'm pretty sure it was alien intervention. The force of the crash ripped the 7 channel Spektrum 7010 receiver forward off its Velcro and in doing so, the elevator and rudder servos had become unplugged. The elevator was stuck in the down position. I wondered if the servo lead may have come out of the receiver in flight but if you watch the video, there was no down elevator input prior to the crash.
When I went about my repairs, as soon as I plugged everything back together again it all worked perfectly. The servos were fine and there was no apparent cause for the crash. What do you do? Out of desperation all I could do was look over at the radio and wonder. To be on the safe side I created a new model, rebound the receiver and hoped for the best.
A little hot water took out the wrinkles, a straightforward repair to the flaps and a new prop was all it took to make her (almost) as good as new.
The Maiden Take 2 video will be posted shortly.
Wingspan: 53.5 in (1360mm)
Overall Length: 42.0 in (1060mm)
Wing Area: 480 sq in (29.7 sq dm)
Flying Weight: 4.50 - 4.65 lb (2.00 - 2.10kg)
Motor Size: 25-size 1000Kv brushless outrunner (installed)
Radio: 5+ channel full range radio system
Servos: 6 digital high-speed metal hybrid gear servos (installed)
CG (center of gravity): 2.50 to 3.00 in (64 to 76mm) back from the leading edge of wing at wing root
Speed Control : 60A Pro Switch-Mode BEC (installed)
Recommended Battery: 3200mAh 3S 11.1V 30C LiPo
Flaps: Yes
Retracts: Retract ready
Minimum Age Recommendation: 14 years
Experience Level: Intermediate
Recommended Environment: Outdoor
Assembly Time: Less than 1 Hour
Is Assembly Required: Yes
- Transmitter and Receiver: 5 channels minimum. 6+ channels are needed for flap and retract use.
Music:
The Royalty Free Music is from Jamendo at: www.jamendo.com
Artist: Re-Drum
Name of Album: It's Better To Burn Out Than Fade Away
Song Title: Cloud Progression
Link to Song:
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Permission to share, adapt and make commercial use of the work under the condition of Attribution.
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