Which of your new Roadkill planes is easiest to fly

From : Don Stackhouse

No question whatsoever on that one, the Lockheed Model 10 Electra is the easiest. It has long tail moments, is not very sensitive to weight (Joe Hahn has his set up with a Hitec 555 dual-conversion receiver, and a 4" skydiver he drops with a third servo, and the plane hardly seems to notice all the extra weight and drag), a stabilizer that's almost as big as the wing of some of the other Roadkill Series models, and plenty of dihedral.

Its stability is "trainer-like", as is its handling if you set the control travels on about half throw, but quite nimble with the controls on full travel. It has a very wide speed range, can turn as tight as the long-wing Zero (the A6M2), but is faster on full throttle than the P-38 in case you're flying outdoors in the wind. Landing characteristics and ground handling are very tame as well. We normally cruise the Electra on about 1/4 to 1/3 throttle, which results in about 15-20 minutes per charge in still air from a 170 mah 7-cell NiMH battery.

The DC-3 is also very smooth and stable, but likes to fly a little faster than the Electra.

The Jenny is also very tame, but doesn't have as much top speed as the Electra. It's a great model for an indoor basketball court or for calm conditions outdoors.

The other good choice for something very stable and efficient but still very maneuverable when you set the control throws on full is the A6M2 long-wing Zero. It's smaller size makes it not quite as easy to see (and therefore not quite as easy to fly) as the Jenny and Electra, but for a simple and delightfully friendly sport model it's tough to beat. It does whatever you ask it to do and immediately wants to know what we're going to do next. It's fast enough to handle a surprising amount of wind but slow enough to be very comfortable indoors as well.

Joe really likes the Corsair. Its handling and turning radius is similar to the A6M2 Zero, but a little faster. Not a trainer, but an excellent sport model.

Don Stackhouse
DJ Aerotech