E-flite’s 1-inch spinner is a gem (above left). The GWS 7–3.5 gray prop, which is theprop to use with this plane, fit perfectly in it. A real quality piece
shorting plug is used. On the Nanolite, though, the standard bind plug can’t be used. Instead there are two pins that have to be shorted to bind the receiver. These pins are squeezed together with tweezers to touch one another. The process was hit or miss. A much easier and certain solution is the use of the small shorting plugs used on PC computer boards to change settings on the board. Some of these pins are shown in a picture and can be purchased at any com- puter parts store or repair shop. So just before the report on the flight char- acteristics, let me mention radio setup. I found that the full travel throws suggested needed the servo travel dialed down to about 80% travel on each surface. For the aileron servos that was a good thing because they could bottom out on the servo hatch at 100% full travel. Low rate was set for elevator and aileron at 70%. Rudder low rate was down to 50% with some expo added. The purpose here was to set the rudder to low rate at takeoff to minimize nose wheel steering sen- sitivity. As I found out on the first flight, that was a good thing. Some of the pictures will show the radio
setup that followed the manual. Thanks to that, no servo reversing was required. The battery position shown in a picture—con- nectors facing aft—is important. It lets the
of equipment. Canopies and wind screens are notorious for poor fits, but the Cessna’s front and rear windscreens (above right) fit just right.
battery move all the way forward in its tray. In that position the Thunder Power 3S 480 mAh Li-Po let the plane balance exactly on the suggested balance point in the manual. That balance point also happens to be on the lower wing spar. So it was time for the first flight. It could
be described more as a wrestling match with the 20 mph gusting wind. Remember, this plane is light and small but with deadline approaching quickly, the plane had to be flown. Besides, it was a bright sunny day and the temperature was at a balmy (?!) 38 degrees. Well, the Cessna, like its full size cousin, proved it could tackle the wind beast with authority. Despite the wind’s attempts to smash the
little plane into the ground, or send it soar- ing to the heavens, the 150 always respond- ed to control inputs. There were several ex- cursions when I thought the wind induced attitudes might have ripped the wings off but that little Aerobat proved really strong. That first flight ended with a nice wheels
only, if abrupt, landing on the grass. It was flown at the local park’s small ballfield. The dirt infield was pretty pockmarked with footprints but there was a small relatively clear patch where the Cessna managed a quick takeoff. A hand launch would have been no problem. An attempt was made to
take off from the grass but the Cessna just dug in because the wheels are just too small and the wheel pants didn’t help. So the fol- lowing suggestion: from a grass field, hand launch unless the grass has the consistency of a putting green. The plane will land on grass with no damage to the gear. On a calmer, though still cold day, the
Cessna put in two more flights to get a bet- ter evaluation of the flying characteristics. The windy first flight sure couldn’t provide that information. Takeoff on the first of those two flights revealed that the nose gear needed some adjustment to track straight, though the takeoff roll was all of 30 feet, and that at about three-quarter throttle. Right aileron trim was needed as well as a little bit of right rudder trim. The real Aerobat was certified for light aerobatics and from what I have been told it really required healthy coordination of aileron, rudder, elevator and throttle. The same proved true for the little Cessna. There’s a fair amount of work to get a decent axial roll. Use of ailerons alone results in a fairly large barrel roll. Loops tracked true. Turns with aileron alone were pretty crisp
and responsive, even at low rate. Some turns were attempted with rudder only to see how effective and capable that was. It worked but there was a decided pitch down that required more elevator input than with the aileron-only turns. Finally some slow flight and stalls. The
Cessna kept flying at a leisurely crawl just a bit above low throttle. It’s conceivable that the Cessna could fly indoors, though the space would have to be fairly large, larger than something like an elementary school all-purpose room. Most of both of these flights were conducted at half throttle and loops easily performed at three-quarter throttle. Both flights easily went 8 minutes, including a few touch and goes. Before recharging, the FMA Direct CellPro 4 charg- er showed that there was still 25% of battery capacity remaining. When the warm weather and calmer
Only 13.4 ounces complete, the little Cessna handled 20+ mph gusting winds on its maiden flight with aplomb, at low rate settings. Subsequent flights in calmer conditions used high rates to advantage.
FLYING MODELS
winds arrive soon, I hope, the little Cessna Aerobat will prove a great addition to my hangar. It will easily fit in any car, fully as- sembled, and battery access is very easy, as is access for any adjustment. There are a lot of nice features in the E-flite Cessna 150 Aerobat 250 that have all been rolled into one very enjoyable and reliable package.
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