Great Planes F-86
Lifting up the canopy (above left) allows one to easily access the battery for quick changes. The two magnets were enough to keep the canopy in place at all speeds and wind situations. A simple servo coupled with
area, rudder coordinated with ailerons and elevator certainly help. Even on low rates, I had no problem producing a few knife-edge passes for the camera, loops from level flight are no problem on a fresh battery and rolls are second nature. The battery is advertised to give you
around eight minutes of flight time and as a precaution I set my timer for seven minutes. At around six minutes the motor pulsated letting me know it was time to return to base. The reason for my shortened flight time versus advertised was due in no small part to the 30-degree weather I was flying in. Expect at least seven minutes in warmer weather with throttle management. Even with the wind, I had no problem bringing the F-86 in for a perfect three point landing; however the wind and I have been at odds with each other since 1983, and see- ing this mockery take place, promptly blew hard under the plane, flipping it over. For- tunately, this model is so light, the only
bellcranks (above right) gives the F-86 smooth and accurate ailerons, while protecting the servo within the fuselage belly, making belly landings damage and worry free.
damage sustained was a scratch to the ver- tical stabilizer. Great Planes was generous enough to
supply me with two batteries for this re- view, so a another sortie for pictures was in order. In the previous flight, I found the amount of expo on the elevator to be lack- ing, so I dialed in about 20% on the elevator and immediately the plane responded bet- ter. Taking the plane up high, I purposely turned a hard right with both rudder and ailerons at ¹⁄₃ throttle. It is hard to say if the craft stalled or not, since the winds were around 5 mph gusting to 7 and 10. The plane did more of a tumble, but pointing the nose down and opening up the throttle took care of that. In short, remember this is an EDF; there is no prop to move air over the flying surfaces, so keep the thrust up in the turns and remember the throttle is your friend. Hand it to the folks at Great Planes, they have successfully introduced the first mass
produced micro EDF that not only replicates the iconic Sabre, but performs excellently as well. The plane is stable with no bad habits and anyone with some micro time with a prop driven warbird will have no problem flying this plane. Even with the choppy wind conditions, I was happy to feel just how sol- id the F-86 maneuvered. It may sound cliché but it goes without saying, that this micro jet flies like a much larger model. If it is your first EDF, just remember to
keep the speed up in the turns and allow plenty of room for takeoff as it takes jets longer to get air flowing over the surfaces. Don’t jerk the controls, make planned smooth moves and you will be rewarded with a nice solid flight. Great Planes has dealt an ace in the card game of micros and the new Anylink technology is certainly a game changer. Just as the full scale F-86 was a technological breakthrough, I believe this micro is just the beginning of Great Planes, entry into the micro world.
The business end of the warrior (above left). The speed control, battery and servos are on a shelf above the intake insuring a clean air flow and efficient performance without the need for a cheater hole. No need to
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spend hours placing these accurate decals (above right). Great Planes has done all the work for you. The decals are of the water slide type and as a result are much lighter than vinyl graphics.
MAY 2012
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