IT WILL GLIDE WITH THE POWER OFF, AND HOLDING A LITTLE UP;ELEVATOR GIVES IT A NICE APPROACH TO LANDING.
;e field at which you fly should have a smooth surface to take
o; and land on, but it can be as small as a baseball diamond or
basketball court. You can easily hand launch the model as well; just give it a gentle toss with
the nose pointed a little up past the horizon. At half throttle and with up-elevator, the model
will float away like it’s on a mission. ;e S. E.5a performs best in still air. Turns are sharp and it
didn’t require much to make direction changes. Dual rates are recommended. Since the model
is rudder and elevator only, I relied on my habit of using rudder for turns. ;e S.E.5a needed
rudder input before it would change course. When flying at more than half throttle, it needed
a few clicks of down-elevator to keep it from ballooning up, and with a few clicks of rudder,
it flew straight. Ground handling is limited, so point it in the wind and hit the throttle to get
rudder control.
GENERAL FLIGHT PERFORMANCE
Stability: ;e S. E.5a wanted to settle down without inputs on the stick, but was fast
responding to movement, so go gently and it flies the same.
;ere is access to the battery via the bottom of the
fuselage; the pack is held in place with hook-and-loop fastener.
Tracking: ;is little plane is solid and continues on the same path lap after lap until a breeze or
input changes.
Aerobatics: Loops and spins are all I have tried so far and three-foot-diameter loops are
snappy with full elevator. ;e wing wanted to dip if the rudder wasn’t completely centered or if
the wings weren’t level on entry.
Glide and stall performance: It will glide with the power o;, and holding a little up-elevator
gives it a nice approach to landing. During a stall, it will drop its left wing and nearly do a
wingover if you don’t add throttle.
PILOT DEBRIEFING
I took it into a large indoor space later that day for its third flight and got it to climb and
descend without elevator input. I just used throttle and put it into a shallow left-hand turn,
using the trim, just to see how long the battery would go. It was almost 10 minutes with a
couple of touch-and-gos and this battery may give it longer flights since it hasn’t completely
cycled yet. ;e Flyzone S. E.5a has great flight characteristics, so it’s well-suited for a
beginner or rookie pilot, and it’s relaxing and fun for experienced pilots as well.
;e brushed geared motor comes installed. ;e scale
dummy engine is a nice touch!
UNIQUE FEATURES
;e pilot figure is in the box and not attached
or painted, so you can personalize your plane
with a custom pilot. It should only need some
acrylic paint brushed on; spray can thinners
might attack the foam, so unless you know
the paint is EPS safe, don’t use it. You’ll need a
brown color for the leather jacket and hat, flesh
tone for the face, and lucky for me, this one has
goggles, so a light silver or gray—and it’s ready.
