Great Planes Factor 3D
By trimming a small piece of the rudder control horn (above left), maximum rudder throw can be achieved without binding. The Factor 3D comes ready to accept the Rimfire .10 (above right). With just four screws and a piece of two- sided tape or hook and loop, the motor and ESC mount in just a couple of minutes. The tailwheel design (below left) is very strong and puts no stress on
the rudder. As stable as the Factor 3Dis in slow flight, it’s very easy to land on the tailwheel first. There is plenty of room (below right) for whatever receiver you choose. By mounting it as shown, no extensions are necessary for the aileron servos. It is easier to plug all the servo leads in before installing the two nylon wing screws.
point and the entire load is carried on the fuselage, not on the rudder. The steering is actuated by a thin metal bar that extends back to the rudder. As lightly built as this airplane is, this design detail was a nice de- cision to protect the rudder.
Up front, the Rimfire motor simply attach-
es to the firewall with four screws and lock washers, while the ESC can be fastened to the underside of the battery tray with hook and loop material. I looped a battery strap around the battery tray and ESC, then glued the strap on either side of the tray. There is just enough slack so that the ESC could be re-
moved without ungluing the strap. The Futa- ba R617FS receiver resides just aft of the bat- tery tray on the clear covering material. It should be noted that the Factor 3D looks very well built, however there is a penalty in keeping an airplane so light. Ex- tra care needs to be taken with this airplane
The ElectriFly 3S 2200 mAh battery fits with plenty of room to spare. A larger capacity battery would fit, however the recommended pack (at left) gave plenty of flight time even with some 3D flight. The very large side profile of the Factor 3D (above) indicates that this airplane will fly on its side quite well. The transparent covering is attractive but can be a little stealthy in certain conditions.
42 APRIL 2014
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