E-flite / Horizon Hobby Apprentice S
Take the fear of crashing out of the equation with this revolutionary trainer!
By Sam Briseno PHOTOGRAPHY: SAM BRISENO & SUSAN LEHRER T
his model airplane, Horizon Hobby, Inc.’s Apprentice S 15e, is an ad- vance in radio control technology. The SAFE™, (Sensor Assisted Flight Envelope) technology built into the Apprentice, coupled with AS3X technology, allows a novice like me to learn radio control flight without being overly concerned about wrecking the model as they learn. The claim is that an inexperienced builder
can assemble and fly this model in a short time, essentially out of the box and get into the air successfully. As the level of skill in- creases, the control settings can be ad- vanced so that the maneuvers attempted, and the satisfaction gained from more ad- vanced flying, can be experienced in the same model.
The built-in sensors and a “panic” switch are there to stabilize the plane and keep things from getting too far out of hand. The novice’s tendency to over control can be lim- ited with the simple setting of a switch. Ad- ditionally, unexpected gyrations caused by normal air turbulence are dampened auto-
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matically, allowing the pilot to concentrate on learning maneuvers and worry less about simply staying in control.
Assembling the airplane straight out of the box and flying in a very short time, like in an hour or two, is not going to be done by a novice. Everything that is in the box is se- curely packed. Just getting the model out of the box, inspecting and learning what all of the parts are will take awhile. Ideally, this entire project should be overseen by an ex- perienced model builder, an R/C pilot who already knows what to expect and can give advice.
A careful reading of the assembly manual and step-by-step assembly is the order of the day. A novice working alone will be chal- lenged by some unfamiliar techno-jargon found in some of the paragraphs. There seems to be an assumption that the novice will have help or knows more than they probably do. There are just a few instruc- tions that are wrong or misleading. One il- lustration for instance, did not show an im- portant step correctly.
AT A GLANCE Type:
Construction: Wing span: Wing area: Airfoil: Length: Weight:
Wing loading: Motor: ESC:
Battery: Radio:
Manufacturer:
R/C trainer foam
59 inches 515 sq. in. flat bottom 42.5 inches 49 ounces
13.6 oz./sq.ft.
15 size brushless 30-amp
3S 3200 mAh Li-Po Spektrum DX5e E-flite
Dist. by: Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road, Champaign, IL 61822 217-352-1913
www.horizonhobby.com SEPTEMBER 2013 15e
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