I've written a little on this plane in other threads, but really it deserves its own. It barely got a look-in over winter, but with some great late spring weather it was recalled to duty.
For those not familiar, the eHawk 1500 by Thunder Tiger is a pod and boom V-tail glider. The pod is fibreglass, the boom is carbon fibre and the wings and tail feathers are balsa. The kit includes a very efficient brushless motor that rapidly takes the plane skyward with the included 10x6 folding prop.
I have the... er... magenta coloured one. It attracts a lot of attention from bystanders on the ground and even more in the air if they can find it. Here's a pic courtesy of glydr:
View attachment 3538
Unlike many have done, I've left the ailerons on one servo - a popular mod is the double servo to help land the thing with either flapperons or spoilerons. Landing can be a little tricky, as it'll glide over a whole oval if you bring it in too fast, and there's a strong tip-stall tendency if you slow it down too much. But never fear. Once you've got a feel for this thing, there's little opportunity to change the battery.
In terms of flight characteristics, it's definitely a warmliner under power. The ailerons on stock travel roll it at about the same speed as a Bixler, however it rolls quite quickly initially and only starts to slow down as the wings start to get perpendicular to the ground. The V-tail gives very little rudder response, and is perhaps a little pitchy on the elevator. Inverted is good with little back pressure needed and it makes a hollow sound as the air rushes through the tail assembly.
As mentioned above, there's a reasonably violent tip-stall if you slow it down too much, HOWEVER it will happily be all but stationary when into a light breeze or in a patch of lift (thermal of slope generated). Initially I had it a little nose heavy, and it pitched down heavily when you cut the power. Moving the battery (I'm using a 1300 3s, slightly more than the 1100 recommended) back another 2cm fixed this to a large extent and has improved the glide even further.
When I first got this plane, it took a bit of practice to find and stay on thermals. Now I'm doing it with ease and keeping it up a long time even in no lift conditions.
A few product listings I've seen rate this as an intermediate to advanced glider, which with the altitude killing tip stall it seems about right. It'll reward you for good flying and punish you for mistakes. Although this was my first balsa glider, I wouldn't recommend it to others as a transition from a nice, stable foamy floater. But if you're looking for a challenging little glider with strong thermal performance, this is the one for you!
For those not familiar, the eHawk 1500 by Thunder Tiger is a pod and boom V-tail glider. The pod is fibreglass, the boom is carbon fibre and the wings and tail feathers are balsa. The kit includes a very efficient brushless motor that rapidly takes the plane skyward with the included 10x6 folding prop.
I have the... er... magenta coloured one. It attracts a lot of attention from bystanders on the ground and even more in the air if they can find it. Here's a pic courtesy of glydr:
View attachment 3538
Unlike many have done, I've left the ailerons on one servo - a popular mod is the double servo to help land the thing with either flapperons or spoilerons. Landing can be a little tricky, as it'll glide over a whole oval if you bring it in too fast, and there's a strong tip-stall tendency if you slow it down too much. But never fear. Once you've got a feel for this thing, there's little opportunity to change the battery.
In terms of flight characteristics, it's definitely a warmliner under power. The ailerons on stock travel roll it at about the same speed as a Bixler, however it rolls quite quickly initially and only starts to slow down as the wings start to get perpendicular to the ground. The V-tail gives very little rudder response, and is perhaps a little pitchy on the elevator. Inverted is good with little back pressure needed and it makes a hollow sound as the air rushes through the tail assembly.
As mentioned above, there's a reasonably violent tip-stall if you slow it down too much, HOWEVER it will happily be all but stationary when into a light breeze or in a patch of lift (thermal of slope generated). Initially I had it a little nose heavy, and it pitched down heavily when you cut the power. Moving the battery (I'm using a 1300 3s, slightly more than the 1100 recommended) back another 2cm fixed this to a large extent and has improved the glide even further.
When I first got this plane, it took a bit of practice to find and stay on thermals. Now I'm doing it with ease and keeping it up a long time even in no lift conditions.
A few product listings I've seen rate this as an intermediate to advanced glider, which with the altitude killing tip stall it seems about right. It'll reward you for good flying and punish you for mistakes. Although this was my first balsa glider, I wouldn't recommend it to others as a transition from a nice, stable foamy floater. But if you're looking for a challenging little glider with strong thermal performance, this is the one for you!
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