Model construction: 2005
Features of the model:
Wingspan: 1.46 m
Mass: 2.1 Kg
Engine: AXI 2826/10
Battery: 10 elements GP3300mAh (Nimh)
Propeller: 11×11
Pre-war racers are fascinating.
B. Driot produced, for MRA, an inset plan of the Caudron 860 of very good quality, the aircraft is solid and light. Powered by a 10-cell 3300 mAh battery, the autonomy approaches 10 minutes which could be doubled with a lipo battery of equivalent weight. The current wing load of 65 g / dm2 is quite reasonable for an aircraft of this size and there is, in my opinion, no point in reducing it.
The engine was chosen with the help of Calpfon: AXI 2826/10 engine and 11×10 propeller in 10 NiMH elements
Takeoff:
Heading is difficult because the rudder is ineffective as long as the aircraft has not gained sufficient speed, its efficiency remaining entirely relative. On the other hand, the aircraft shows a very marked tendency to pass over the nose. In short, you have to pilote … only happiness.
In flight:
Once in the air the plane is very kind. Dropping out is not brutal and is easy to recover. Tight turns do not present a risk, but I have sometimes noticed a slight “snaking” can be due to excessive play in the drift due to an error in the construction of the control surface. The speed is far from being ridiculous without being too fast. The barrels pass correctly with few corrections in invertef flight with the CG position indicated on the plan. The loop passes without momentum and can be of a comfortable diameter.
Landing:
This is where things get complicated. Indeed, the plane is very thin and takes its time to slow down. It is therefore necessary to anticipate the approach and slow down very early by negotiating a long and flat approach. The plane nevertheless landed fairly quickly and again showed a clear tendency to pass over the nose. For my part, the ten flights I have made to date with this plane have not allowed me to fully master this subject …
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