Great Planes PROUD
Fast and proud, this bird is ready to turn triple-digit speeds as well as heads!
PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRIS SUSICKE & JENNIFER SUSICKE
feel the need…the need for speed.” Legendary words spoken by one of the most famous fictional pilots to ever grace the silver screen. When it comes to R/C, I cannot help but to share the sentiment. There is something exhila- rating about flying a model at extreme speeds. It tests not only your ability and re- flexes but also your fortitude to not drop that left stick. It’s the kind of flying where it takes a few minutes for your heartbeat to slow after your wheels touch ground. Enter the Great Planes Proud Bird EF1. The Proud Bird was specifically designed to be flown in the popular EF1 (Electric For- mula One) class developed by the NMPRA (National Miniature Pylon Racing Associa- tion), and adheres to all the specifications of the class. If no official pylon races are held in your area (like in my case) the Proud Bird can also be flown as a fast and precise sport model. When FM Editor and unofficial Santa Claus figure, Frank Fanelli, offered me the Great Planes Proud Bird for review I inex- plicably felt the need to go fast and turn left. I graciously acquiesced, and when the goods were in hand, I quickly put my builder’s hat on.
“I
As I got to work on the Proud Bird I was immediately impressed with the overall quality of the airframe. As with every Great Planes aircraft I have built, an extensive hardware package is included to get you in the air fast. The painted fiberglass parts in particular looked great. I did notice though that while these pieces matched the cover- ing perfectly, the molded white plastic
50
pieces were not a very good color match. The MonoKote finish was excellent, with only a few wrinkles to deal with, which isn’t bad considering the cold winter weather. The fully symmetrical wings are incredibly razor thin, indicating the Proud Bird’s speedy po- tential. Lastly, the Proud Bird comes to you in all white, with the trim scheme being up to you.
Construction begins as per usual with the hinging of the ailerons. No issues were en- countered and all of the hinge lines were perfect. This is extra important on a model easily capable of triple-digit speeds. Wing assembly continues with the joining of the halves with 30-minute epoxy. Again, the fit was excellent without the usage of sandpa- per ever entering my mind.
The ply wing bolt plate and aileron servo mount are glued into place next after cut- ting away the covering on the gluing area. The single centrally mounted aileron servo, in this case a Futaba S3117, is mounted in the center of the wing. Although not men- tioned in the manual, I found it necessary to make a small notch in the side of the ply mount for the servo lead wire to not get dan- gerously
pinched. Pushrods are then
marked, bent and cut as necessary to con- nect them to the aileron servo. The wing is then bolted to the fuse in anticipation of the next steps.
The horizontal stabilizer is now slid into the pre-cut slots of the fuse and aligned. Once square, the covering is marked and re- moved from the stab in the gluing area. Nothing out of the ordinary here if you’ve built an ARF or two, other than to be sure to
BIRD By Chris Susicke
AT A GLANCE Type:
Construction: Wing span: Wing area: Airfoil: Length: Weight:
Wing loading: Motor: ESC:
Battery: Radio:
R/C sport racer balsa
51.9 inches 388 sq. in. symmetrical 40 inches 3.2 pounds 19 oz./sq.ft.
Rimfire .15 35-36-1200 Kv Electrifly 45-amp
Flight Power 3S 2550 mAh 50C Li-Po
4-channel, 3 Futaba S3115 micro servos
Manufacturer:
Great Planes Dist. by: Hobbico P.O. Box 9021
Champaign, IL 61826 217-398-3630
www.greatplanes.com
have the elevator joiner wire inserted when applying the glue. No sanding was neces- sary for a square fit, just some masking tape to hold alignment. Once dry the elevators are fitted. I found that mine were not quite square to each other once slid onto the joiner wire, so the wire was slightly adjusted. Epoxy for the wire, thin CA for the hinges, totally standard ARF procedure.
APRIL 2013
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