Sbach 342 3D
180 mAh 2-cell flight battery located in the forward position (above left) per the instructions. This is for the “Precise Flying” position and is also the one recommended for the first flights putting the c.g 33 mm behind the inboard leading edge of the wing. 180 mAh 2-cell flight battery located in the rearward
servos as are used on the ailerons and can be seen mounted just behind the receiver board in tandem, each hooked to its control sur- face. The use of these beefier servos was nec- essary because the activity put upon them by the AS3X system would wear out the ear- lier design servos much quicker. It is instructive to take a look at the Sbach 342 3D and another offering that for the most part is nearly the equivalent of the Sbach in size and other characteristics—the Parkzone Sukhoi 26M of only a few years ago. It was among the first 4-channel aero- batic aircraft offered in Micro R/C size. As can be seen from the accompanying
table on page 53, the models are about toe to toe except in two areas. The first is the weight difference. The Sbach has a little greater wing area, but it is almost twice the weight of the Sukhoi 26M (better penetra- tion in turbulence).
The second is the available power from the propulsion unit. The Sbach has four times the power available to it as the Sukhoi, which is where some of the addition- al weight comes from. So according to the “King Kong” theorem of aerodynamics if the
position (above right) per the instructions. This is for the wild and crazy 3D flying position and is not recommended until you have had some experience as it increases the maneuverability of the aircraft substantially by putting the c.g. 38 mm behind the inboard leading edge of the wing.
lower powered model was able to fly (and it does) than the higher powered model will also be able to fly even better (if you are up to it....).
One final note is that while the Sukhoi 26 has 360 hp (268,560 Watts) available on the full size aircraft the.0513 scale model should have about 8.21 Watts of power to be proper- ly scaled so this model is lacking by one-half, but makes up for this by being one-quarter the weight of a truly scaled full size aircraft. The Sbach with its 315 hp (234,990 Watts) on the other hand should have about 10.79 Watts available at the .0576 scale. So the model at this scale has about two times the power it should have to be scale. Now that the model has been bound to the transmitter and we have a fully charged bat- tery and some idea of what this model might be capable of, it is time for the first flight. A nice calm day out of doors in the middle of winter here in Kansas to start with. One variable at a time please. I also wanted both hands on the transmitter for this plane. The lesson learned from the Sukhoi 26M being that hand launching should be left to a later date when the model is better understood.
While on the subject of the first flight, it
should be noted that the instructions give two different battery locations corresponding to two different c.g. locations for two different types of flying. I chose the more forward loca- tion for the first flights as this should provide the greatest stability in the model and pres- ent the fewest surprises.
The second location further back is for the
“Wild and Crazy” type of flying that will give the best 3D performance. Again, this is made possible by the AS3X system and like the modern day fighters with a fly-by-wire flight control system, this is the c.g. location that will give the greatest maneuverability. Be- fore you go out and fly for the first time it will also be a good idea to warm up on a plane similar to the Sukhoi if you have one. It will also give you a “reference” to compare for your new plane.
First flight for me ended up being delayed by 20+ to up to 35 miles per hour winds that started about the time I got the aircraft bound to the transmitter and lasted for about a week here in Kansas (some days at well
below freezing temperatures). Al- though an indoor flight was a possibility for
With battery charged and transmitter programmed (above left), you are ready to bind the model to the transmitter. Plug in the receiver first and when the LED on board the airplane begins blinking rapidly start the binding procedure according to the transmitter instructions. The binding on this model/transmitter
54
combination took only about a minute and required no servo reversing at all. Peanut Scale D17S Beechcraft Staggerwing(above right) (August 1980 FLYING MODELS centerfold plan) alongside Sbach 342 3D. For those who like to fly scale models and to fly them in a realistic fashion, both are very satisfying.
MARCH 2013
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