Small plastic blocks hold the gear in place (above) for runway takeoffs which don’t require steering. The gear is easily removed for hand launch, if desired. The chart (at left) describes the programming for various Spektrum transmitters. Note that some transmitters allow only two flight modes.
A few days later a less windy day arrived with a steady wind at the 7 mph limit for the Beginner Mode. The gear was removed to try hand launching the Delta Ray and as the manual directs, full power was applied. All it took was a gentle toss into the wind and the plane climbed evenly straight ahead, with wings level.
Once some decent altitude was achieved
the throttle was brought back to half and the plane settled into cruise flight. Into the wind the plane kept climbing, but when down- wind it held its altitude. This time the plane did fly around the field without danger of be- ing blown away.
One unique aspect of flying the plane is the asynchronized sound from the two mo- tors as they help turn the plane with some asymmetric thrust. This seems to be a part of the Beginner and the Intermediate Modes, and even the Expert Mode. Finally there was a day with very light winds, the perfect time to test all the modes and determine how and how well the Panic Button works.
After the hand launch in Beginner mode, the plane climbed to a decent altitude and was put into the steepest bank allowed with the stick full over. That gives no more than a 35-degree bank. Then the elevator was held full back. Pushing the Panic Button overrode the stick input and got the plane back to level flight in a second or so. Switching to
Intermediate mode gave
more control and could put the plane in a 90- degree bank but no further, even with the stick held full over. Turns, unlike the Begin- ner Mode, did require some up elevator in- put to continue the turn. And the Panic But- ton worked just as well getting the plane back to level flight while holding full aileron and up elevator.
In Experienced Mode there’s full control, just as a regular 4-channel plane. Here’s where a pilot can do rolls and loops and some sloppy but fun hammerheads. At full throttle, full left rudder was tried but the AS3X technology thwarted any spin. One more claim for the Delta Ray is a sort of Autoland feature. Once the plane is lined
up with the runway and the throttle re- duced, holding the Panic Button is supposed to set up a stabilized glide to landing. It did work fine in all three modes. All those claims are perfectly justified.
Just an addendum at this point: The charger that comes with the Firebird Delta Ray is adequate and is specifically a 2-cell LiPo charger only. But it uses a balance con- nector only to charge the battery. It’s a slow process—at least an hour—though the bat- tery does provide a good eight minutes. If you want more flying time right away a sec- ond battery or two is a good option. You can charge multiple batteries before heading to the field and put in a fresh pack whenever you’re ready to fly.
Horizon doesn’t recommend a faster charge rate of more than 1.5C (1950mAh) for this 2S 1300mAh LiPo. If you want to use a more capable charger that couples with both the balance connector and the power leads you will need an EC2 connector, the smallest of the blue EC style. Just remem- ber not to exceed the charge rate.
PHOTOS: CHRIS D’AMATO
At full power, in Beginner Mode, and after a short takeoff roll the nose wheel lifts off the infield (at left, above). Sure doesn’t look like a trainer, does it (at left)? No steering was necessary and as claimed, the plane lifted off (above) without elevator input.
FLYING MODELS 59
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