The SR22Tcan be powered by either electric or glow. For the purpose of this review, Hobbico sent an O.S. 55AX two-stroke (above left). The engine later proved to be more than sufficient to pull the model along. A nice added scale
sembly of this model and gained more valu- able experience in using hand tools and how to properly set up an R/C model. My only “hands on” work on this model was to per- form the actual drilling and mounting of the engine. Chris did the rest. This attests to the well planned assembly sequence and the de- sign of the model.
Hardware supplied with this model is typical of most high quality ARFs on the market today and is well sized for each pur- pose. The only problem we had with the hardware was when Chris stripped the threads on one of the wheel collars for the nose gear assembly. I think this was due more to his inexperience rather than the quality of the part.
I’ve saved what I think is the coolest scale feature of this model for last. The navigation and landing lights on this model are pre- wired and installed at the factory and can be plugged into a separate receiver channel. This allows the lights to be switched on and off at any time during the flight from the transmitter. They can be easily seen in bright sunlight but really stand out at dusk. To date, we haven’t quite gotten the nerve to fly in total darkness, but it is a comin’. The manual states clear instructions on the flight setup and control throws for the
bonus is the addition of the navigation and landing lights. The lights can be set up to turn on independently on a spare channel and are easily seen (above right) in the daytime as well as in the shop.
plane and these must be followed closely. For my initial flight, I chose to fly on the low rates as outlined within the manual and as a result was rewarded with a relatively un- eventful take off and climb out. A couple clicks of up trim on the elevator and a click or two of left aileron had the plane straight and level at three-quarter throttle. A word about the first takeoff; during the initial acceleration the plane didn’t want to rotate at first and subsequently jumped into the air. This was due to the fact that I was flying off a grass surface and the wheels are fairly small. Combined with the wheel pants and the tall grass, this allowed a bit of drag on the main gear and was forcing the nose down during acceleration. An addition of about 15 degrees of flap during takeoff cor- rected most of this tendency. Takeoff from a hard surface or really short grass should eliminate this tendency.
Once trimmed the plane was very easy to fly and Chris had no trouble with basic ma- neuvers. The Cirrus SR22T is a very clean model and really wants to move out at full throttle. Go for it! One item I noticed at full throttle was a slight tail wiggle especially into the wind. This had no effect on the over- all performance of the plane. In fact the plane showed no bad tendencies at all. I
think this might be due to the very high as- pect ratio wing, but again had no effect on the overall performance. The Cirrus SR22T is a very clean design
and wants to keep flying even at slow speed. The high aspect ratio wing and generous washout in the upswept wing tips make this plane a pleasure to land and if you’ve never flown with flaps before, then this is the per- fect model to learn with.
When slowed down to landing speeds, there is no tendency to balloon up even with full flaps applied. With full flaps the model can be slowed to almost walking speed with no tendency to tip stall.
There is just no drama associated with any part of the flight envelope. It’s just im- portant that you remember that the SR22T really moves at full throttle and that left hand stick doesn’t have to be pushed all the way forward!
From the initial box opening to the flight line, the model was ready in less than a week of evenings, with much of that time spent instructing Christopher on how to properly use tools. The Cirrus SR22T is an excellent choice for the intermediate builder and pilot and should be considered a solid consideration for the new flier’s next plane. Safe flying!
PHOTO: SAL CALVAGNA
Now that is a smile of accomplishment! Chris (at left) had a lot of fun doing the assembly of the SR22T, now he is ready for the maiden flight. Once in the air (above), the model SR22T behaves much like a sport plane without any bad habits.
FLYING MODELS 45
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