Maiden - ICON and EFXtra

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bdg
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Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2012 11:59 am

Maiden - ICON and EFXtra

Unread post by bdg » Sun Apr 09, 2017 7:41 pm

I was able to maiden two planes this morning.... the ICON A5 UMX is the ultra-micro weighing in at roughly 100g and therefore is exempt from the latest TC rules, which only start at 250g. The ICON is long discontinued but I was able to find one NIB from a Freedom Hobbies in Fredericton (unfortunately not available locally). Free shipping. The link from Horizon: https://www.horizonhobby.com/ultra-micr ... y-pkzu2380

This plane flew absolutely perfectly in light winds and even in more moderate winds - where the windsock was straight out. The plane did not have enough power to slide through the wet grass (no wheels installed) but hand launched perfectly. Rolls, loops, level flight - fast and slow - it did it all very well. I was able to easily stay within the confines of the mowed area of the field but also ventured into normal circuits (closer) and could still see it okay.

I bet that the ICON would not handle any type of waves and the cover has ventilation which could also introduce water. I will be pulling the control board and will be dipping it in Corrosion X to hopefully mitigate issues with water in the fuselage.

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The other plane that I maidened today was the EFXtra. This is reputed to be quick on 4S but I was flying on a 3S 2200mAhr battery. The plane was definitely a little "squirrelly" in the air and it was not up too long. Definitely tail heavy so I need to revisit the COG. URL: https://hobbyking.com/en_us/faster-larg ... tra-1.html

Unfortunately, I brought it in fairly hard and the prop broke - apparently a fairly common issue with this plane. No other damage other than the cowling filling with mud. I thought that I had some spare props but they are reverse pitch and therefore will not work in the planned configuration with the spinner. The other props that I do have will not fit on the spinner.... but that is minor. I hope to try it again soon after I work out the COG.

Fun times :-)

See you at the field!

Brian