flyinggreek
Member
See the youtube video here:
https://youtu.be/RrG1L6L38C4
The Flying Greek takes on the Flite Test “Super Bee”
Flite Test keeps hitting it out of the park and I keep getting sucked in with a new model. Lets not talk about my FT3D, My FT Versa, My FT Arrow, My FT Racer, My FT Mini Cruiser, or my FT Bushwacker. Lets talk about another Bix/Sponz mash up called, “The Super Bee.”
Before I get into this hot rod, let me say that I have yet to find an FT design that I don’t like. So far, every one I have built has maidened as advertised by Josh and the guys. I mean it, EVERY ONE. But most of you already know this about the FT products.
Now, I know the Super bee has been around for a while, but for any of you that have looked at the Super Bee and went, “Eh, Maybe some day” well, “Eh, How about today?” You don’t know what you are missing.
I scratch built mine off the FT downloadable plans and did not like how the first one went together so it turned into a chuck glider for the grandkids, but the second one, (two dollars in foam later) went together perfectly. I watched the build video so many times, I memorized the verbal mistakes Bixler made in the video.
I decided that the standard “A pack” would not due. Oh no, not for this one. This one had to be boarder line “Irresponsible”. Or at least what I thought would be. So, RS2205 Red Bottoms it was.
After watching the videos on the Super Bee about 100 times, I was confident that it would be exactly what I expected. With the Red Bottoms, 30 amp BL heli ESC’s, a 4s 1350 60C, two 5Gram and one 9Gram servos, and the 6054 3 blades, she was ready to maiden. So Out to the flying field we went with 3 maidens and 1 mainstay, (more on the other maidens later) and the hope that the walk of shame didn’t lead me into waist deep thistles, because So Cal legs in shorts don’t like those things.
Oh by the way, I like running 9 Gram servos for the elevator so be prepared to add a little nose weight or move your battery forward to compensate for the extra few grams in the tail if you do the same.
I plugged in the battery, did one final check of the controls and motors, dialed in half throttle and gave it a stout toss. As soon as I released the pint sized rocket, it was gone, climbing its way to about 200 ft in the matter of about 5 seconds. I was amazed that I didn’t need to fly it as it climbed, (thank God because I actually had to catch up to it) so I slowed it down to about 3/8 throttle, leveled it out and literally added one click of up trim and there it was, locked in like it was on rails.
Oh, Did I mention that the wind was about 8 knots at this point with gusts to 13? After a few go arounds I realized exactly why Josh flies the Super Bee with expo, a little twitchy to say the least, but that aside, it flew phenomenal even in the wind! Tracked like it was on rails and it was fast. I don’t mean like “My plane does 70 mph” fast, I mean, ‘its half the size of your plane and goes 90” kind of fast. Although it was hard to get real numbers because of the wind, the average was indeed in the 90 MPH range. A little tweeking here and there, I believe that it could be capable of 100MPH as Josh had publicly hoped for. (just remember these words, “Low Rates are your friend”
Landing the little rocket proved to be as easy as flying it at full speed. It remained very docile even at what I considered to be right at stall. As the speed bled off, just a touch of throttle and a touch of up elevator brought it in at a very controllable rate.
2nd flight. Yeah, I got brave and started pushing it and pushing its maneuverability. The roll rate is insane at speed with high rates, and the roll rate in low rate setting wasn’t really much slower, but it was, again, locked in and controllable. I did however have to take a trip through the thistles to retrieve the Bee, well, because I got a little low and caught the tall grass (Grass stains for proof) and shoved it in at a high rate of speed.
I honestly expected some kind of damage, after all, I was wide open with the throttle when it went in. As I approached the spot I thought it went in, I saw the tunnel it burrowed as it chopped the grass on the way down. There it was, buried in the grass. As I retrieved it and started removing the grass that got wrapped up in everything, I was shocked, No Damage! Besides the weed eater stains, it was good to go! After extracting myself from the foliage, and removing a few field bugs and thistles, I throttled it up and tossed it! Off it went! I was having so much fun, I flew through the battery alarm until she was dead. Yes, a short walk of shame, this time on the road and not in the thistles.
Battery #3 was a 3S 1350Mah, a bit slower but still a blast. In fact, I handed it off to Eric, (another FT enthusiast) and he instantly found out what I meant by this thing being an Expo ship. He flew it for better than 2 minutes and handed it back with an ear to ear grin on his face. (Mission accomplished)
The speed difference between the 3S and 4S is considerable. But I have to say this, it is as locked in as any airplane I own now or in the past. It is docile, amazingly controllable and predictable, so don’t be afraid to have this as your first twin. The “A” pack would be a perfect twin trainer for someone that has some experience but wants to step up to a twin that is able to take upgrades down the road.
I have had a few people ask about differential thrust. At first I just had the throttle channel joined and was running both motors off channel one, so the differential thrust was not activated. So after a few flights, I mixed the Throttle and rudder , and gave it a toss. After a few times to dial it in to my preferences, it became even more controllable, and way more fun. When you hear Bix and the guys laugh with the differential flat spins, that is an uncontrollable reaction. (I must have looked like a mental patient, standing in the middle of a field, looking up to the sky, laughing out loud to myself.) Anyway, It just happens, get used to it.
All in all, the setup was very straight forward. Make sure you use the motor pods for the Super Bee as they have down thrust but no yaw thrust. I started with a little nose weight thinking I would move the weight back, but it flew so good, I decided to leave it. Square up the controls, dial in the 12 degrees suggested for low rates, add 30% expo and toss it. You won’t be disappointed.
Whether you buy the Flite Test Speed Build kit (please do so you can support our friends that make all this possible) or Download the plans and scratch build it, this intermediate build will indeed be the star of your collection when it comes to all out fun. Fly it fast or slow, the little Super Bee will be on your short list of planes you want to fly each weekend.
If you want to try any of the FT designs I have, come grab one and go fly it. The best part is that if you drive it into the ground like I usually do, it’s ok, I can afford the foam and the two hours to build another.
Thanks for reading along and look for other reviews coming in the near future.
Until then, “Go fly something”!
https://youtu.be/RrG1L6L38C4
The Flying Greek takes on the Flite Test “Super Bee”
Flite Test keeps hitting it out of the park and I keep getting sucked in with a new model. Lets not talk about my FT3D, My FT Versa, My FT Arrow, My FT Racer, My FT Mini Cruiser, or my FT Bushwacker. Lets talk about another Bix/Sponz mash up called, “The Super Bee.”
Before I get into this hot rod, let me say that I have yet to find an FT design that I don’t like. So far, every one I have built has maidened as advertised by Josh and the guys. I mean it, EVERY ONE. But most of you already know this about the FT products.
Now, I know the Super bee has been around for a while, but for any of you that have looked at the Super Bee and went, “Eh, Maybe some day” well, “Eh, How about today?” You don’t know what you are missing.
I scratch built mine off the FT downloadable plans and did not like how the first one went together so it turned into a chuck glider for the grandkids, but the second one, (two dollars in foam later) went together perfectly. I watched the build video so many times, I memorized the verbal mistakes Bixler made in the video.
I decided that the standard “A pack” would not due. Oh no, not for this one. This one had to be boarder line “Irresponsible”. Or at least what I thought would be. So, RS2205 Red Bottoms it was.
After watching the videos on the Super Bee about 100 times, I was confident that it would be exactly what I expected. With the Red Bottoms, 30 amp BL heli ESC’s, a 4s 1350 60C, two 5Gram and one 9Gram servos, and the 6054 3 blades, she was ready to maiden. So Out to the flying field we went with 3 maidens and 1 mainstay, (more on the other maidens later) and the hope that the walk of shame didn’t lead me into waist deep thistles, because So Cal legs in shorts don’t like those things.
Oh by the way, I like running 9 Gram servos for the elevator so be prepared to add a little nose weight or move your battery forward to compensate for the extra few grams in the tail if you do the same.
I plugged in the battery, did one final check of the controls and motors, dialed in half throttle and gave it a stout toss. As soon as I released the pint sized rocket, it was gone, climbing its way to about 200 ft in the matter of about 5 seconds. I was amazed that I didn’t need to fly it as it climbed, (thank God because I actually had to catch up to it) so I slowed it down to about 3/8 throttle, leveled it out and literally added one click of up trim and there it was, locked in like it was on rails.
Oh, Did I mention that the wind was about 8 knots at this point with gusts to 13? After a few go arounds I realized exactly why Josh flies the Super Bee with expo, a little twitchy to say the least, but that aside, it flew phenomenal even in the wind! Tracked like it was on rails and it was fast. I don’t mean like “My plane does 70 mph” fast, I mean, ‘its half the size of your plane and goes 90” kind of fast. Although it was hard to get real numbers because of the wind, the average was indeed in the 90 MPH range. A little tweeking here and there, I believe that it could be capable of 100MPH as Josh had publicly hoped for. (just remember these words, “Low Rates are your friend”
Landing the little rocket proved to be as easy as flying it at full speed. It remained very docile even at what I considered to be right at stall. As the speed bled off, just a touch of throttle and a touch of up elevator brought it in at a very controllable rate.
2nd flight. Yeah, I got brave and started pushing it and pushing its maneuverability. The roll rate is insane at speed with high rates, and the roll rate in low rate setting wasn’t really much slower, but it was, again, locked in and controllable. I did however have to take a trip through the thistles to retrieve the Bee, well, because I got a little low and caught the tall grass (Grass stains for proof) and shoved it in at a high rate of speed.
I honestly expected some kind of damage, after all, I was wide open with the throttle when it went in. As I approached the spot I thought it went in, I saw the tunnel it burrowed as it chopped the grass on the way down. There it was, buried in the grass. As I retrieved it and started removing the grass that got wrapped up in everything, I was shocked, No Damage! Besides the weed eater stains, it was good to go! After extracting myself from the foliage, and removing a few field bugs and thistles, I throttled it up and tossed it! Off it went! I was having so much fun, I flew through the battery alarm until she was dead. Yes, a short walk of shame, this time on the road and not in the thistles.
Battery #3 was a 3S 1350Mah, a bit slower but still a blast. In fact, I handed it off to Eric, (another FT enthusiast) and he instantly found out what I meant by this thing being an Expo ship. He flew it for better than 2 minutes and handed it back with an ear to ear grin on his face. (Mission accomplished)
The speed difference between the 3S and 4S is considerable. But I have to say this, it is as locked in as any airplane I own now or in the past. It is docile, amazingly controllable and predictable, so don’t be afraid to have this as your first twin. The “A” pack would be a perfect twin trainer for someone that has some experience but wants to step up to a twin that is able to take upgrades down the road.
I have had a few people ask about differential thrust. At first I just had the throttle channel joined and was running both motors off channel one, so the differential thrust was not activated. So after a few flights, I mixed the Throttle and rudder , and gave it a toss. After a few times to dial it in to my preferences, it became even more controllable, and way more fun. When you hear Bix and the guys laugh with the differential flat spins, that is an uncontrollable reaction. (I must have looked like a mental patient, standing in the middle of a field, looking up to the sky, laughing out loud to myself.) Anyway, It just happens, get used to it.
All in all, the setup was very straight forward. Make sure you use the motor pods for the Super Bee as they have down thrust but no yaw thrust. I started with a little nose weight thinking I would move the weight back, but it flew so good, I decided to leave it. Square up the controls, dial in the 12 degrees suggested for low rates, add 30% expo and toss it. You won’t be disappointed.
Whether you buy the Flite Test Speed Build kit (please do so you can support our friends that make all this possible) or Download the plans and scratch build it, this intermediate build will indeed be the star of your collection when it comes to all out fun. Fly it fast or slow, the little Super Bee will be on your short list of planes you want to fly each weekend.
If you want to try any of the FT designs I have, come grab one and go fly it. The best part is that if you drive it into the ground like I usually do, it’s ok, I can afford the foam and the two hours to build another.
Thanks for reading along and look for other reviews coming in the near future.
Until then, “Go fly something”!
