Parkzone Ultra-micro F4u Corsair released today!

[Maladroit]

dual servo wing ailerons? 3-blade prop? Better-looking landing gear?
2 decal options?



From what I'm hearing this new, 15.9-inch wingspan, UM Corsair from Horizon Hobby is super-smooth with nice power and it just looks fantastic.

I love the paint scheme on it; with the sky-blue underbelly and Navy blue fuse!

The dual servos are wide open, which I think screams for a protective cover of some sort. I have broken the gears on these same servos at least 3 times in 2011 already.

Anyway, I bought one!
It shipped today, in fact -- and I can't wait to get this plane in my hangar!

I think this will be more popular than the T-28 or P-51!!

[Wildflyer]

That is cool

I can't help thinking what would it be like with a tiny brushless motor, but I might have to get one when I can anyway

[Maladroit]

UPS guy showed-up @ 6:30PM with my F4U Corsair from Horizon Hobby.

It was far too windy outside - could see the palm fronds bending in the wind. But I knew I'd be awake all night in typical addicted-to-UMs craving mode. So, I took it out with my Champ.

At the field, I put the Champ up in the wind and even it was struggling to go forward with a GWS 5043 prop and a Hyperion 180. And naturally, it was doin' the dolphin; up n' down, frolicking in the wind the way Champs do.

So I said, "No way am I wrecking this F4U on its maiden!"

I flew through the battery and I was about to put a 2nd lipo into the Champ I said...
"Oh, what the Hell..." (I talk to myself often...)

First thing I did was crank-in 4 rounds of up ↑ elevator so there'd be no nosing-in on the hand launch.
Then I gave it full throttle and gave it a toss. Man, did it move away FAST.
I barely had to trim it out at all, except to take 2 clicks out of the up ↓ I had already given her.

As I brought her around with the wind, this plane was shooting fast and straight like a bullet! It is definitely a glider, but it was gliding WAY faster than my T-28.
And as I gave her some left aileron to bring her around from about 60 feet downwind, she rolled into the turn (had to give a little right stick up ↑) and blasted right back to me through the wind. Almost as if the 8-10mph headwind didn't even exist.
(BTW: It would have taken the Champ about 20-30 seconds to get back to me in that wind, it took the Corsair literally about 4-5 seconds!)

I then gave it some altitude and man this plane is fast! But it just "feels" good. I never felt out of control and it was responsive to all controls.

(Note: I had 80% dual rates across the board and 20% expo dialed-in.)

Not sure how it cruises @ low n' slow, because the wind prohibited any attempt and I wasn't about to plant it in the dirt.

Landing: I simply brought her around downwind, slowed her to about 50%, then aimed her into a patch of tall green grass for a soft landing. I cut the prop when she was about 15" up and she just glided in nicely.

First thing I did was check those wing servos.
They were fine: a successful and fun maiden!

This plane is special. It is very light and looks awesome in the air. It seems "smoother" than the T-28, which is my favorite ultra-micro plane.
But I'll hold judgement on the F4U versus the T-28 until I can try it out in the calm morning air and see how she cruises @ lower speeds.

All-in-all, this plane is very nicely done and handles very well -- even in the wind.

[SHADY]

[acdii]

Well?!?!!? How is it on a calm day? I have one, got it fathers day, but haven't had a chance to try it out yet, too windy and stormy. Hoping for a good saturday morning for the maiden. Going to try out my T-28 with the 500 Lipo o it too. I wonder how the Corsair will handle the 500 on it.

[texasclouds]

Oh man nice flight report! Sounds like a fun little plane. It is amazing how light these little planes are.

[MadMonkey]

I've been wanting one of these, but this is the first I've seen about the exposed servos. That kinda makes me nervous...

[barnburner13]

If it's half as fun to fly as it's larger counterpart, I am sold. I am really getting into the UM planes

[Smaug067]

Getting goose-bumps just reading you review! Gotta get me one!

Eric

[acdii]

Well mine fly's like crap, no power to climb, and it likes to nose up with very little elevator, and then stalls madly. I heard others switched the tri blade for a Sukhoi prop and that helped with climbing. It flew so bad and hard to control I snapped a wing off trying to land it, instead it cartwheeled across the grass. Very sensitive to wing tip stall. Compared to the T-28, this thing is a static model. The T-28 can climb nearly out of my hand.

[Smaug067]

Originally Posted by acdii

Well mine fly's like crap, no power to climb, and it likes to nose up with very little elevator, and then stalls madly. I heard others switched the tri blade for a Sukhoi prop and that helped with climbing. It flew so bad and hard to control I snapped a wing off trying to land it, instead it cartwheeled across the grass. Very sensitive to wing tip stall. Compared to the T-28, this thing is a static model. The T-28 can climb nearly out of my hand.

Sorry to hear about your bad luck with this little bird... you must fly like me!!!

[xmech2k]

Also sorry to hear about the bad experience. As much as I'd like to think the PZ UM Corsair should be a good flyer(I have their 'regular' size Corsair and I think it's awesome), I've read a few posts here and there of problems with it. It may help to re-prop it. Here's a thread I saw about it:

http://z8rc.blogspot.com/2011/06/par...ht-review.html

While I think the guy does seem to hate Horizon Hobbies, and seems to translate things like how he thinks 'a plane should fly this way or that' into 'it sucks', when it's just his opinion, I also think he has a lot of good real criticism as well. My only PZ experience is with my aforementioned Corsair, and the only problems I've had were definitely pilot induced! No E-Flite electronics (In my Corsair and Apprentice) or Spectrum (Dx5e and Dx6i, as well as 4 assorted rcvrs) problems either.

I haven't tried an UM plane yet, as I'm afraid they're just going to be too squirrelly. Good luck with your Corsair.

[xmech2k]

Dropping in again! Found out the above-referenced blog is by someone banned from here! Oops! Well, he has one review of several out there, which I've been checking out, and I see mixed reviews and videos. Seems like some get good flying Corsairs, and others get dodo birds! There was one reference to a notice from PZ about the elevator control horn. Something to look into.

[earthsciteach]

I've flown a PZ Mustang a few times and it is indeed squirrelly. That being said, they are a lot of fun to fly. Very maneuverable and its power matches its size pretty well. It can do some awesome torque rolls on a fresh battery. If I had to buy one single airplane, a micro would not be it, but the mustang is definitely fun and can be challenging.

[Toby B]

oh, if you want a twitchy UM, the Sukhoi is your bird! The um p51's a peach compared to that. 75% expo and it's STILL quick to roll!

That said, can anyone who's flown both of those AND the F4U compare the 3? I do like the
Corsair's look...

t

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by xmech2k

Dropping in again! Found out the above-referenced blog is by someone banned from here!

Well, there are two sides to that story. Don't take the fact that he was banned from here as evidence of total derangement. I'd not give him a more than 51% derangement score. And he does take everything personally. His blog does contain a lot of useful information.

Remember, a forum is not a democracy. The owners and moderators have unquestioned rights of life and death for everyone who posts here. They may not be right all the time, but they DO have the unfettered right to be wrong. Since they have decided he doesn't belong here I personally wouldn't be linking to his blog.

Hey, welcome to the Internet! It works well and can you find a better forum than this one? I can't.

[xmech2k]

I understand Rockin. I wasn't trying to imply anything on anyone, I just found his reference to WF about his being banned on his blog, and I was suprised, that's all. And I hoped I'm not bristling any feathers here... I don't know the story and it's none of my business. Just happened on his blog, and while I can see he has strong opinions on stuff, I always think it's good to hear the good and bad about products. Then you can decide for yourself.

[wattman]

My Corsair needed nose weight [ a dime ] taped to the bottom front , and with the dime it now flys perfect for me here
I really like it flying .
I also added a 2 grams weight to the front of my Champ , and that made it perfect and my favorite for flying .
My T-28 [UM] flew fine with no weight added .

[Indy_Flyer]

Amen to the nose weight. I added about 8 grams of weight to the nose but I am a relative beginner (Micro F4U is my second plane after a Champ) and I'm using the stock TX. I am sure it took away some maneuverability but it really tamed down the squirrelines. I plan on reducing the nose weight as I get more stick time with it.

[Rockin Robbins]

It may not be the best flying micro in history, but there's no doubt that it's the best looking. The finish and detail are amazing! I'm afraid that will end up biting Horizon in the kiester as newbies pick up the ultra-cool looking airplane and are unable to fly it.

Of course newbies would also be unable to fly the better flying P-51 either and might even have problem with the really zippy Cub. People will buy inappropriate planes even without Horizon's help.

Doesn't that plane just BEG for a brushless motor?

[kyleservicetech]

Originally Posted by xmech2k

Dropping in again! Found out the above-referenced blog is by someone banned from here! Oops!

Problem was some of the stuff this guy put into wattflyer was simply not safe, and could hurt someone. Like saying those cheap plastic propellers with about a 6 inch diameter for slow flyer models could safely be run at 20,000 RPM.

[TopSpin]

I really love this little plane. The only thing I had to do was add a 1/2 gram of nose weight and it flys like it's on rails. It is not a high powered plane but it climbs well and has no bad habits. It is definetly a calm weather flyer and even a slight amount of wind will cause problems.

I fly mine in front of the house on calm evenings and driveway landings are a blast. It will maneuver inside a 30 foot circle and can fly a foot off of the street if I want to.

I was not too sure about it when I bought it but this is me now...

[Toby B]

People will buy inappropriate planes even without Horizon's help

Hey! That's me! Just got a Mosquito, and it's farrrrr too big to fly in here!

t

[TopSpin]

Originally Posted by Toby B

Hey! That's me! Just got a Mosquito, and it's farrrrr too big to fly in here!

t

The Mosquito is my next one. I got the T-28 last week and it is the perfect front yard flyer, better than the Corsair.