Greetings fellow Flite Testers!
I very rarely post but I had to make this one to show off what I think is just an awesome plane.
I have always had a soft spot for twin engine planes because they sound so great in the air. I also happen to think the Bronco it is a really sexy plane. So I decided I had to build one and see how it flew. There isn't a whole lot of reviews or YouTube videos of the FT Bronco but I decided to go for it anyway because how bad could it be????
I originally printed all the tiled plans, taped them together, and starting cutting them out with an X-Acto. Before I was through the first sheet I realized how much I hated building from plans so I ordered a kit from Flite Test and of course it showed up in just a couple of days, their customer service is definitely top notch.
It took me three evenings to assemble the basic kit and I have to say even in just bare foam it looked super sexy! It is a really easy model to build and any questions you might have are very clearly answered in the YouTube build video.
I decided to power it in the following manner and it is probably WAY overkill:
Flash Hobby D2830 1300kV motor x2
Generic 30A ESC x2
3300 mAh 14.8V 60C 4S battery
9x5 Props
I used a very basic Spektrum 4 channel radio so no differential thrust. As such I added rudders to the plane but honestly it probably doesn't even need them. It works fantasticly well as a yank and bank model! The rudders definitely work but I find myself using them sparingly.
I am not a huge fan of wings rubber banded to the fuselage so I decided to slightly modify the build to accept nylon bolts to hold the wing on. I think it looks much cleaner this way. I also took inspiration from www.broncodemoteam.com for my color scheme. I love their planes and the way they fly them so this is my tribute to what they do!
Here is a shot of the Bronco beside my Stick. As you can see they are very similar in size. But the power and speed difference is staggering. When you pour the coal to the Bronco it is shockingly fast and climbs like a rocket. This thing would probably make a fantastic combat plane if you wanted to. And before anyone says anything, yes my Stick has the wing rubber banded on. I hate it haha. I just haven't gotten around to retrofitting it to a bolt on wing yet.
And finally a video of the maiden flight with this thing. It was taken with my very low tech GoPro head mount. Unfortunately the wind kicked up not long after I took off. This is the most interesting parts of the 9 minute maiden. With the 3300 mAh 4S 9 minutes was nothing, it could have gone 3-4 minutes longer at least. This plane requires very little power to stay airborne and WOT is really not needed, at all! Most of this flight was 1/3 to 1/2 throttle. The plane is shockingly powerful with this setup!
It has an absolutely beautiful and realistic look in the air that is incredibly pleasing, to me at least. The sound of twin props is something I just love and of course this plane doesn't disappoint, it comes through quite clearly at several points in the video. This entire video is shot with the throws set to low. I have yet to find a need for any more throw than what I have in this video. The surfaces are VERY effective. I don't fly with any expo so it might be less twitchy if I did but that is how I like to fly. Vertical performance with this setup is nothing short of astonishing, the plane will easily climb out of sight straight up at WOT in just a few seconds, it is amazing. I ended up balancing the plane about 1/2" further forward than the recommended CG. It was very tail heavy in this video and moving the CG forward made it far more user friendly, at least to me. Anyway enjoy my Bronco maiden flight!
So that is it. I highly recommend building one of these babies. I have no idea why it isn't more popular. Maybe the Sea Duck outshadows it? I don't know, but for the 40 dollar kit price it is really hard to beat, I love mine!
I very rarely post but I had to make this one to show off what I think is just an awesome plane.
I have always had a soft spot for twin engine planes because they sound so great in the air. I also happen to think the Bronco it is a really sexy plane. So I decided I had to build one and see how it flew. There isn't a whole lot of reviews or YouTube videos of the FT Bronco but I decided to go for it anyway because how bad could it be????
I originally printed all the tiled plans, taped them together, and starting cutting them out with an X-Acto. Before I was through the first sheet I realized how much I hated building from plans so I ordered a kit from Flite Test and of course it showed up in just a couple of days, their customer service is definitely top notch.
It took me three evenings to assemble the basic kit and I have to say even in just bare foam it looked super sexy! It is a really easy model to build and any questions you might have are very clearly answered in the YouTube build video.
I decided to power it in the following manner and it is probably WAY overkill:
Flash Hobby D2830 1300kV motor x2
Generic 30A ESC x2
3300 mAh 14.8V 60C 4S battery
9x5 Props
I used a very basic Spektrum 4 channel radio so no differential thrust. As such I added rudders to the plane but honestly it probably doesn't even need them. It works fantasticly well as a yank and bank model! The rudders definitely work but I find myself using them sparingly.
I am not a huge fan of wings rubber banded to the fuselage so I decided to slightly modify the build to accept nylon bolts to hold the wing on. I think it looks much cleaner this way. I also took inspiration from www.broncodemoteam.com for my color scheme. I love their planes and the way they fly them so this is my tribute to what they do!
Here is a shot of the Bronco beside my Stick. As you can see they are very similar in size. But the power and speed difference is staggering. When you pour the coal to the Bronco it is shockingly fast and climbs like a rocket. This thing would probably make a fantastic combat plane if you wanted to. And before anyone says anything, yes my Stick has the wing rubber banded on. I hate it haha. I just haven't gotten around to retrofitting it to a bolt on wing yet.
And finally a video of the maiden flight with this thing. It was taken with my very low tech GoPro head mount. Unfortunately the wind kicked up not long after I took off. This is the most interesting parts of the 9 minute maiden. With the 3300 mAh 4S 9 minutes was nothing, it could have gone 3-4 minutes longer at least. This plane requires very little power to stay airborne and WOT is really not needed, at all! Most of this flight was 1/3 to 1/2 throttle. The plane is shockingly powerful with this setup!
It has an absolutely beautiful and realistic look in the air that is incredibly pleasing, to me at least. The sound of twin props is something I just love and of course this plane doesn't disappoint, it comes through quite clearly at several points in the video. This entire video is shot with the throws set to low. I have yet to find a need for any more throw than what I have in this video. The surfaces are VERY effective. I don't fly with any expo so it might be less twitchy if I did but that is how I like to fly. Vertical performance with this setup is nothing short of astonishing, the plane will easily climb out of sight straight up at WOT in just a few seconds, it is amazing. I ended up balancing the plane about 1/2" further forward than the recommended CG. It was very tail heavy in this video and moving the CG forward made it far more user friendly, at least to me. Anyway enjoy my Bronco maiden flight!
So that is it. I highly recommend building one of these babies. I have no idea why it isn't more popular. Maybe the Sea Duck outshadows it? I don't know, but for the 40 dollar kit price it is really hard to beat, I love mine!
