FlyingMonkey

This one looks cool...

http://cgi.ebay.com/2008-RAFALE-EDF-...QQcmdZViewItem

firemanbill

looks nice but I hate those palces that make product look cheap then charge $50 for shipping on top of it.

Still, a nice looking plane though.

herk_1

I agree; and I'd rather pay a bit more and get it from Hobby-Lobby (recently released -- link) than take a chance on a place like that. (scroll down and check out their "terms"...)

fossoman

I bought mine from hobby lobby. Very nice looking plane flys nice. Not a real sky scorcher but flys at a respectable speed. Crashed mine and repaired it with expando foam and gorilla glue.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nikz5hUCIIU

firemanbill

I just saw one of these flying tonight. It was really cool! Nice flying bird. Handled very well at slow speeds as well as burning up the sky.

I was impressed.

max2112

Bill,
Did you see whether the guy hand launched his or ROG? I bought one of these during the Labor Day sale at HL and it is on the way.

The only bad thing is it's supposed to be my Christmas present and I won't be able to build it until then!

I can't wait to do a flight report for you guys!
Thanks in advance.
John

Angler-Hi

HMMMM. Maybe some "donated" parts might help with the scheduled maiden

firemanbill

ROG on this one John. It would roll fine and takeoff on a softball infield. blowing up dust clouds behind it.. pretty cool.

He could not get it to ROG in the grass though.

max2112

Mike, You KNOW I'm not too proud to turn down donations!

Thanks Bill.

When the box comes I'll have to system check everything just to make sure there are no factory defects. Hopefully soon I'll have a post up on overall quality etc. and maybe even a static test of control surfaces and motor/fan!

Angler-Hi

Well good luck John.

pj48965

Just got mine, HL had a big sale over the Labor Day weekend. Got the RTF (that was the one on sale), I've already replaced the single conversion receiver with a Berg 7.

Have not flown it yet, I checked it with a watt meter, and with everything stock (except the receiver) the motor was drawing 28-29 amps at full throttle. After a 10 second run to give the meter a good run (high reading was 29.4A) the stock 25A esc was VERY warm... Will replace it with a 35A Waypoint I have hanging around doing nothing and check it again.

Other issues, the right elevon servo hangs intermittently and two of the canopy magnets have fallen off the fuselage. It's a sharp looking jet - I especially like the panel lines, etc. molded in the foam, and the paint job is really sharp - but the hardware seems to leave something to be desired.

fossoman

I agree that the electronics on the Rafale are not very high quality but they did put the quality into the fuselage and the control surfaces have good quality hinges. But the Rudder control horn on the rear is JUNK. I replaced mine after a rough landing sheared it off. there is a motor that is available which can be used to Get over 100MPH from this thing. http://donsrc.com/cart/index.php?act...d&productId=52

pj48965

Well, you're way ahead of me. Still haven't flown mine, I decided to replace the elevon servos, waiting for those to come in. Not gonna think about upgrades till I see how it flies with stock setup.

I did e-mail HL's tech support about the fact that the motor in mine is drawing 29A. Been a week and no response. To be fair I have not followed up but I know they got it, got an auto response with a case number from their system.

Paul

Angler-Hi

So do the ailerons work as elevators? If so, why would they put a rudder on a jet? That looks so dumb.

pj48965

Delta wing aircraft - like the Rafale - don't have a separate horizontal stabilizer like more traditional aircraft, so the control surfaces on the trailing edge of the wings have to serve two functions - ELEVators and ailerONS. As for the rudder, in theory I guess no R/C aircraft actually requires one, except maybe for steering a tail dragger on the ground. In reality, a rudder is very useful. It performs a very different function from the ailerons, which provide roll control - tilting the wings and spinning the aircraft on it's long axis (nose to tail). Rudder controls yaw - it allows you to swing the nose from side to side, without tilting the wings - at least not to the extent the ailerons do.

Some manuevers, like the knife edge pass cannot be done ( for long) without a rudder. In a knife edge, the aircraft is tilted on it's side, with the wings vertical. In this case, the rudder performs the function of the elevator - it pitches the nose up or down. Rudder is also very useful at low speeds, as in landing. It allows you to change the aircraft's heading, again, without tilting the wings into a full fledged bank.

Hmm, I'm getting a bit carried away. I seem to have gotten a bit off topic for this thread, so my apologies to the moderator.

Paul

pj48965

Finally got replacement servos in for the elevons and flew mine for the first time. After a long take off roll, I slowly added elevator, and the plane finally took off at a fairly steep angle, which I was expecting. The main gear are quite a ways back from the CG. Needed a few clicks of up trim, so maybe I can move the CG back a bit more. This thing flies well, it's very solid, goes where you point it. Wind doesn't seem to bother it either, no bouncing or rocking. Speed is very acceptable with stock motor and battery, although I think this is a good candidate for a Don's wicked motor. Only surprise was on landing, I nailed the approach, good altitude and airspeed (or so I thought) and instead of coming down, it just sailed right by me about 10 feet off the ground. After 2 go arounds, I got it a little too slow, and it came down rather hard. Landing gear held up well though. Any advice on how to land this?

Paul

phillipmorris

Just ordered one of these puppies, on my docile Stryker B, definitely not the same plane here tho is a delta, I deadstick and simply drop the nose slightly to keep airspeed as it comes in and flare at the last moment, not sure on the one your speaking here hopefully other more knowledgeable replies, hardly wait to get mine, fighting a ThunderBat jet at the moment has a gyro for the ailerons too keep more stable as very short wings, but very responsive, is still alive and loads of fun with only 8 flights, the gyro lets it land nearly by itself but touchy and rolls and zips down with authority, easy to overcontrol, sorry getting off base but loving these jets...<>...BEST ..<>..

Huffy01

I think I have just purchased the same model posted number #12.
Mine has plain two tone grey paint ,same decal's and canopy.
Came with 30a ESC and is the RTF version but I've taken out the Rx and put in an AR500 .Hooked it up to the DX7.
The kit cost me $260 AUD.
I don't know what brand ?
Can anyone one give me the c.g., it's been removed from the my copy of the instruction.

pj48965

If yours is the same one that Hobby Lobby in the U. S. carries, the instructions don't show the cg location. That seems to be typical of RTF's. I checked mine before modifying or replacing anything, it is 5 1/2 inches (140 mm) back from the leading edge at the root. I think I said in an earlier post that this could be moved back just a little. Be careful playing with the cg on delta wings, they can get really nasty.

Paul

Huffy01

It looks to be the same. It has a picture on the side of the box that is in the same colour scheme as post#12. The rudder pushrod/wire has to be fed through the tail stabilizer before it is glued to the fuselage. It has a paper thin strip of moulded plastic on the bottom of the fuselage that covers the wires and vent for the ESC.
I would post a photo but for some reason I can't upload one.

pj48965

That does sound like the one I have from Hobby Lobby.

Huffy01

I check one of the Australian distributers but it doesn't mention who make's them.
I just about ready for a flight .I've got to stick that plastic strip down and the Rx .
Just waiting on the weather. Middle of winter!

pj48965

I'm wishing it was winter here in South Texas . Good luck to you. The takeoff is a little tricky, give it a good long run to build up speed, as when it pops loose it will go almost vertical. Be ready to give it some down to level it off. Not sure why it does this, I suspect it's because the main LG are too far behind the cg. It's very stable in the air, performance is better than adequate, but nothing to write home to mother about. Landings are a bit tricky too, it tends to stop descending and start to float when about 10 feet off the ground. You need to force the nose down and then quickly be ready to flair for the landing.

Paul

Huffy01

I haven't put the landing gear on. I don't fly at a club and the property where I live has no smooth ground so it going to be hand lauch.
I wish I could remove the steering link but it's glued ,I'm afraid it might catch on something when it lands. On a plus side the field where I fly has been sown for hay and it's coming up already.
It's my first EDF and my 3rd aircraft. I got a eflite blade mcx and a Parkzone Radian sailplane. Just had to get something faster!

pj48965

Uh, don't know if I'd recommend the Rafale as a first powered plane, but sounds like it's a done deal. Leaving the gear off is certainly an option, it should improve performance a bit. As for the nose gear, mine has a 2 piece strut, held together with a long collar, with setscrews near each end. If you remove that collar from the upper strut - the one that goes through the bottom of the fuselage - you should be able to pull the upper strut out from inside the fuselage. You'll need to remove the servo arm as well.

For hand launching, get someone to help with that, especially the first flight, when you're going to need to trim it. In addition, there's no place to comfortably grab hold on the bottom, especially one handed. You might want to consider building a bungee launcher. Here's a picture of the one I use.