Poised for its first flight, the Extra (at left) looks ready for action. Jim having some fun checking the Extra’s roll rate (above).
sides of the stick. Check the fit before you glue the wedges in place as I didn’t and had to do some delicate sanding to get the plastic motor mount to slide onto the stick. With the motor in place all that was left was to install the remaining electronics, the ESC, receiver and battery. I mounted them as shown in the manual. I secured the rear servo wires with clear tape in the slot pro- vided in the bottom of the fuselage. I bun- dled the excess ESC and motor wires with a small electrical tie. With everything assembled the system was fired up, the controls checked and the throws set per the manual. One final check of the CG and the Extra was ready for flight. One advantage of using the recommended components is that with everything in its place as shown in the manual, the CG is gen- erally where it needs to be. That was the case with the Extra. If there is anything I hate it is adding lead to an airframe to make it balance.
As with all the reviews I’ve done for FLY-
ING MODELS, I headed up to the FM com- mand center to lure the crew away from the office, do a little flying with the new plane, and go to lunch afterwards to socialize a bit; always a pleasurable experience. Thayer Syme, the new FLYINGMODELS editor got the call to take the maiden flight photos, a task previously performed by Frank Fanelli. I was honored that Frank still came out to join the fun. Moral support was provided by Maureen Frazer, FM’s Production Editor and the real brains behind the operation. The weather on maiden day was beauti- ful; sunny, with a moderate breeze just strong enough to test the little Extra’s met- tle in the wind. The ball field at the local park was chosen as the flying site as the in- field provided a smooth surface for ROG takeoffs. A power check showed 210 watts. That works out to 159 watts per pound; cer- tainly enough for decent 3D performance. After the obligatory range check, and set- ting the dual rates on low, I pushed the throt- tle forward and the Extra jumped into the air
after about a three-foot roll. No shortage of power here. One click of down trim was all that was needed for hands-off level flight. The first thing I noticed was how light on the wing the Extra felt. Extremely slow fly- ing was a none-issue with such a low wing loading. In fact, I could almost stop the Ex- tra in the air with the breeze. Loops, rolls, snaps, hovering are all within the Extra’s flight envelope, and landing can be accom- plished with almost zero rollout. On low rates, it’s a fun, very responsive sport flier. On high rates, this is truly a 3D machine. My only comment is that with the low Kv motor and the rather large 12x6 prop, the spool up of the motor was a bit slower than my personal preference. Adjust- ing the throttle curve should help that. All in all, I have to say the E-flite Extra 330SC BP ARF delivers. Easy to assemble, with flight performance on target, it’s a per- fect plane to keep in the car and sneak in those “Extra” flights whenever you get the chance. Highly recommended!
PHOTOS: THAYER SYME
Former FMEditor Frank Fanelli holds the Extra 330SC (at left) for Jim during preflight preparations. The Extra showing off (above) with a slow speed, high alpha photo pass.
FLYING MODELS 49
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