Nifty 50 Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Hi, I am looking for an ARTF electric high wing trainer that can be flat packed into the boot of my car and would like to hear your experiences & recommendations. I work away from home during the week and want to keep learning to fly through the week, not just at weekends. The plane will be be stowed in the car boot along with Tx, Tx tray, flight box, clothes, food, laptop, etc. so it must be able to be broken down into the main parts (including two-piece wings) & put in the box for transport. I only have one hand that works so simple field assembly is a factor. My current planes are the Boomerang II, Super Scorpion & Bixler 3; however they all have large one-piece wings that won't fit in the car with all my other stuff. The flying sites are on the Cumbrian coast (two are the beach). The coast is known for their gentle sea breezes that will blow you away, so foamies may be too light. Research has found two planes that seem to be the closest to what I am after. They are the Seagull E-Pioneer & maybe the Max Thrust Riot. There are other models however the two-piece wings and flat pack are not obvious on most of them. What models would you recommend? Thanks. Nifty. Edited By Nifty 50 on 01/07/2019 00:25:28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangster Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Multiplex easystar possibly. Fun to fly as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Model in a Box. Hi Nifty, the Easystar (or versions of it) mentioned by others would suit this task down to the ground. Here's my same as Easystar the - 'Skyscout' by Hitec the parent company to Multiplex, all in a carry handles box. So Transmitter, charger's, 4 batteries, leads for charging from car 12v and 240v, wind speed checker, sunglasses etc, etc. I've put the wings and tailplane in 'bubble envelopes' to protect it even more. Above a box on legs for the nose to settle into, in the box batteries and tools. Below the transmitter is in the box to the left in the picture. Above instructions from manual and pictures to show the positions of packing back into the box. Edited By Mark Kettle 1 on 01/07/2019 06:59:53 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Walsh Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 The Riot may suit you. The wings are held on by three screws and large plastic clamps, easy to assemble. It's not too light and is easy to fly but turn up the control throws and you can throw it around a bit. However, to separate the wing halves you will have to disconnect one wing servo lead from the Y lead and the Y lead from the board mounted in the fuselage. Not sure how easy that will be with one working hand. And forget about removing the undercarriage on a regular basis to fit it in the car, 4 small soft screws just aren't up to regular removal. Also the battery box as supplied is very shallow, I had to cut the bottom out of the battery box to be able to fit a 3S 2200. I use a velcro strap to secure the battery and it's fiddly with two good hands. If you rely on the clips on the battery compartment door to retain the battery you can dispense with the velcro and it will be a lot easier but I would recommend reinforcing the battery bay door clips by epoxying two lengths of 1mm piano wire down the sides to stop the clips breaking in use as mine did. Hope you find something suitable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCFlippen Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 FMS Kingfisher is designed for easy assembly and disassembly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nifty 50 Posted July 1, 2019 Author Share Posted July 1, 2019 Morning all, Many thanks for the replies. The Sky Scout carry box storage idea (I like the instructions and packing photos) is exactly what I am looking for. Separating servo leads is not a problem, I have to do it now when I take the wings off my other planes. I hadn't thought too much about the undercarriage. Maybe fixing blind nuts into plywood and gluing/epoxying that to the fuselage, then use nylon bolts that will snap on hard/crash landings? Or will that just wreck a foamie fuselage? On my Boomerang, I Velcro my battery to the tray, then use a Velcro battery strap, the battery hatch bolts on and the club instructor asks for an elastic band to go over the hatch, hopefully the battery won't fall out...maybe with the Riot I can glue battery straps in place? Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nifty 50 Posted July 2, 2019 Author Share Posted July 2, 2019 Hi, Has anyone got any pictures or photos of the box that the E-Pioneer comes in that they could upload? I have worked out a way of removing the main u/c legs without disturbing them (screwed into a wooden block that bolts on to a pad glued to the fuselage underside). The nose (c/w front whee)l and tail feathers come off so I can flat pack the fuselage... I cannot find anything on the web or YouTube to see what room I have in the box for the wings, Tx, batteries and bits. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan M Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 Get a car with a bigger boot...? Okay, keep the car but, whilst I'm exploring theoretical if not entirely obvious solutions, how about finding a way to convert your Boomerang II wing into two halves, if you have the skills: cut at middle, make good the join-area with two new root-ribs and conjure up a robust joining-rod solution? I make this suggestion because I've frankly come to the conclusion (having a student struggling to make progress because his lightweight foam trainer, something called a Graduate, has spent the last few weeks being buffeted around the sky) that a larger model with presence and good wing-loading will do the job of flying properly in these normally windy islands, and in your case the Cumbrian coast's sea-breezes. And you're already used to it as your home-based trainer. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nifty 50 Posted July 2, 2019 Author Share Posted July 2, 2019 Thanks Jonathan, you have me kicking myself hard. I thought about cutting the wings before but they are epoxied together and there is only one aileron servo - that is mounted at the wing joint serving both ailerons, like this (it was a Swift 40 but the mounting is identical): Now I am rebuilding a crashed Boomerang (terminal velocity really did mean terminal) and I have a scroll saw...I have a spare aluminium tube wing spar and the wing fixing is really strong - two lugs on the leading edge and two bolts on the trailing edge. I will epoxy a servo mount to one wing. I will make the main u/c legs removeable by fixing them into a wooden block that will bolt on to a pad glued to the underside of the fuselage and then...eh voila! I have a flat pack Boomerang. I agree with the lightweight planes comment - my instructor doesn't want me to learn with my Bixler 3 as I won't know whether it is the wind or my bad flying causing problems (usually both) and my Super Scorpion doesn't have enough rudder authority for windy days either. Thanks, it was a really good thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brokenenglish Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 Honestly, and without wishing to be facetious, by far the best solution would be to change cars... One single action would more or less solve the problem for ever. Whereas the alternative is to limit your flying to small planes that have to be assembled and disassembled every time... Edited By brokenenglish on 03/07/2019 10:09:14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan M Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 Nifty, glad to be of help. BTW, this is what happened to my student's Graduate trainer on Monday evening: near the top of the climb-out a strong gust came in and the wing promptly separated from the fuselage! The fuselage then plummeted while the wing floated down on its own. It seems that one of the short lugs at the LE decided to dislocate or de-bond, thus the foam under the rear mounting-plate got stressed and completely broke away. These cheap lightweight foamies are okay for a student to practice on alone in calm weather once they've got the basics of takeoffs and landings etc nailed. But for primary training with an instructor they need a proper heavier trainer with buddy-box, else progress remains slow and intermittent, and (in my opinion) unnecessary anxieties and rubbish habits are introduced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nifty 50 Posted July 3, 2019 Author Share Posted July 3, 2019 brokenenglish - Good points however I work away, am in a bedsit Sun - Fri and the car is parked in a public car park all week. It's a bit risky leaving anything in view and my digs are small. The big car stays at home (two bl00dy great big dogs - combined weight 25 stone). Jonathan M stated the blindingly obvious and set me thinking about changing my rebuild slightly. I thought about it before and now realise I have nothing to lose if the wing cutting goes pear-shaped. When I finish rebuilding my crashed plane into the flat pack one, I will have two Boomerangs, the flat pack one will stay in the car boot and my home plane will come out at the weekends. I will upload some photos later. Jonathan M - Ouch! I know that feeling... The wing mounts look weak. The Graduate looks a bit like the Ares Crusader. My Boomerang weighs just over 6 lbs with a 4S 5000 mah battery & an 850 kV motor (no ballast needed). It handles the winds well & makes a louder thud when it hits the ground... the wings stayed reasonably well but tore out of the wing bolts, when I find the photos I will upload them. Now, where is my scalpel... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nifty 50 Posted July 3, 2019 Author Share Posted July 3, 2019 Found some of the photos. The thud... The tears (in private)... The rebuild... The nylon bolts stayed in and the wings tore out, these are balsa plugs before shaping, I will epoxy liteply on both top & bottom surfaces to make a sandwich repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Skilbeck Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 Another possibility is the MPX Funman, one piece wing but being small it would fit in a car boot easily. Single bolt fixing and big wheels, flies superbly. Also the undercarriage comes off very easily and you can fit floats. Edited By Frank Skilbeck on 04/07/2019 08:14:31 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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