Contributed by: Michael Parsons | Published: February 2005 | Views: 28422 |  Email this Article
|
E-flite Tribute
Review by: Michael "Atlantaeflyer" Parsons- email me |
|
|
E-flite
Distributed exclusively by:
Horizon Hobby
4105 Fieldstone Rd.
CHAMPAIGN, IL 61822
Support Phone:
(877)504-0233
Sales Phone: (800)338-4639
Website: www.horizonhobby.com
|
|
|
|
Packaging
Decals
Ease of Build
|
|
|
|
Landing
gear
Servo mounting method
|
|
|
|
|
E-flight
introduces the second in an exciting line of electric powered
3D profile planes. The Tribute
(another George Hicks design) was designed to appease the desires
of the ever growing group of 3D crazy ( I mean crazed) pilots.
It is quick and simple to assemble and has the ability to fly
just about anywhere.
|
 |
Kit Name: E-flite Tribute
Price: $44.99 retail price
Wingspan: 37 "
Wing Area: 374.6 sq. in.
Flying Weight as tested: 14
Airfoil: Flat Plate
Motor: E-flite 370-4100: 6.6:1
Battery used: 3s 1320 Thunderpower
ESC used: Phoenix 10
Radio equipment: JR 8103, GWS 6N RX, (4) GWS pico servos
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Packaging
|
|
 |
|
Contents
|
|
 |
|
Parkflyer
370 and CC-10
|
|
|
The
box arrived with out a scratch. The contents were in perfect condition
and in individual plastic bags. An E-FLITE Park 370 4100KV (ELFM1000)
and 3s 1320 Thunderpower (THP13203S)
lithium polymer battery is the recommended hop up from the
stock power setup and is what we are using for this RCU review.
The included 370 motor setup is to be used with a 2 cell lithium
and will provide adequate power to fly the airplane, although
3D performance will be somewhat limited.
The
included 12X6 prop pulls about 16 amps, which is above the recommendations
for the Phoenix 10 ESC and the battery pack. I prefer not to have
to watch the left stick as long as performance doesn't suffer.
I chose to prop down to a 10X8 prop. The amps sat at 8.5 and the
thrust measured at 18oz. Better than 1:1 but not enough for my
test. Next I tried an 11X8, Perfect. It gave me 10 amps WOT and
23 oz of thrust. That's more of what I was looking for.
|
 |
|
Decals
sheets
|
|
|
 |
|
Decals
complete
|
|
| The
high quality water slide vinyl decals that are provided with the
kit are flawless. The bright colors and Stars and Stripes theme
carries nicely over the plane. To apply the water slide vinyl decals,
first use a little water to wet the surface of the area where the
decals are to be applied (some builders use Windex). Once the area
is saturated, simply peel and slide the vinyl decal into place.
Once you are satisfied with the placement, use a credit card or
similar to slowly press the liquid out. Be sure to allow the vinyl
decal to dry fully. |
 |
|
Measure
for center
|
|
 |
|
Securing
the Stab
|
|
 |
|
Applying
hinge tape
|
|
|
The
horizontal stab requires you to hinge one side of the elevator
with the provided clear tape. Before doing this, you need to measure
to find the center of the stab. After finding the center of the
stab, I measured 3mm out from the center line in each direction,
as this is the thickness of the fuse. Next you need to slide the
stab into the slot and once you are satisfied with the alignment,
apply a bead of *foam safe CA to the top and bottom. Ensure that
the stab is level. Once this is complete, apply the included clear
tape hinges to the second half of the elevator.
*Important
note: Ensure that your CA is foam-safe! Using standard CA will
eat the foam beyond repair.
|
 |
|
Landing
gear sewn in
|
|
 |
|
Wheel
pants and wheels
|
|
 |
|
Tail
skid
|
|
|
The
Formosa fuse already has the landing gear block recessed into
it and holes pre-drilled to accept the landing gear. The metal
wire gear is inserted into the appropriate hole and secured to
the block with thread and CA. Drill evenly spaced holes above
the landing gear block and thread the string in and around each
gear leg on both top and bottom of the block. Line up the gear
and soak with Gap filling foam safe CA. Do not use kicker on
this step and allow for the CA to soak in and setup naturally.
**
The
wheel and wheel pants are simply pressed on and retained with
a little CA and a press on hub. The tail skid is installed by
drilling two small holes in the foam at the rear of the fuse,
applying some CA and pressing it into place.
**Note:
A sewing needle can be utilized to ease the installation of the
landing gear.. Be careful to not pull on the thread too hard as
it will rip the foam.
|
 |
|
Making
the cut
|
|
 |
|
Servo's
mounted
|
|
 |
|
Servos
arm and control rod
|
|
|
Horizon recommends
the JR241 (JRPS241)
servos with extended arms. This is to allow for the extra distance
needed once you secure the servos to the fuse using the double sticky
tape. If you are using what you have in your inventory, your servo
arms may not be long enough. If not, simply cut a square in the
same location that will allow you to drop your servo in and rest
the ears against the fuse. Use a little goop or hot glue to hold
it in place. I was fortunate enough that my servo arms reached fine
with my setup. |
 |
|
Gluing
the wing
|
|
 |
|
Aileron
Servo installed
|
|
 |
|
RX
installed and wired
|
|
 |
|
Motor
stick
|
|
|
 |
|
Motor
installed
|
|
|
The
wing is measured for center exactly like the horizontal stab and
then slid into the fuse. Using a square I ensured it was both
centered and aligned to the stab and then ran a bead of foam safe
CA on both sides of the wing/fuse both top and bottom. Again,
do not use accelerator here as you want the CA to seep into all
areas for the strongest bond.
The
aileron servos are attached to the underside of the wing via a
sticky back tape and using the provided ez-links to secure the
pushrods. You will need to cut a small hole in the fuse to pass
the wire for the opposing aileron through. Our control surfaces
are now complete.
The
motor stick is a block of hardwood with a hole drilled through
the center. This is epoxied to the CF tube that runs through the
center of the fuse. The hole is drilled true to the center so
there is no need to worry about having a thrust line issue. Once
this is installed, slide the motor and GB on the stick and secure
with the provided screw.
|
|
|
|
I
balance the Tribute with the TP 1320 pack sitting just ahead of
the landing gear plate. I increased the throttle with the nose
pointed up and away and just let go. It required no trim as it
flew out of my hand.
After
a couple of circuits around, I pulled it into a hover. It was
perfectly stable and easy to hold with little input. A little
right aileron halted any tendencies to torque roll. Next I put
the Tribute into a harrier which it held nicely with the slight
headwind.
Flat
spins are very nice with the CG moved to the rearward location.
I was having some trouble maintaining knife edge as it induced
coupling in the 5 mph wind. I contribute this to the flex in the
wings. It was creating dihedral and the plane was trying to self
correct (I had a chance to try it with a zero headwind later and
it held Knife edge nice and slow).
Upon
landing, the gear spread apart. Subsequent flights have caused
it to do the same thing. I would recommend the use a reinforcement
joint between the gear wire to keep it from spreading.
Overall a very fun flight.
See
the E-flite Tribute in action!
CLICK
HERE
|
|
|
|
|
E-flight
has another winner on their hands. This high quality profile ARF
files every bit as nice as it looks. The stability makes this
plane a great trainer for anyone new to the realm of 3D flight.
If
you are a seasoned pilot looking for a plane to maintain those
thumbs or a pilot interested in learning to do a little 3D flying
in your backyard, the Tribute would be a great choice.
|
|
|
|
|
The comments, observations and conclusions made in this review are solely with respect to the particular item the editor reviewed and may not apply generally to similar products by the manufacturer. We cannot be responsible for any manufacturer defects in workmanship or other deficiencies in products like the one featured in the review. |
|
|
EMAIL THIS ARTICLE OR CHECK OUT THESE OTHER GREAT REVIEWS! |
| |
| Photo | | Manufacturer | Product | Summary | Reviewed |
 | Minnflyer on: | Takes a CLOSER look at CA Hinges! | The very first "How-To" article I did for RCUniverse was on installing CA Hinges. The article was very helpful to many people... | 11/21/2009
 |
 | AeroWorks | 50cc Extra 300 ARF-QB | Aeroworks continues to come out with new designs in their QB series. In case you haven't heard yet, the QB stands for Quick B... | 11/08/2009 |
 | Great Planes | Sequence F3A | The Great Planes Sequence F3A is an Almost-Ready-to-Fly 50" class E-Performance XLC Series pattern ship. It features a light ... | 11/08/2009 |
 | E-Flite | Stearman PT-17 15e | The E-flite Stearman PT-17 has a light wing loading that provides exceptionally scale-like flight characteristics for pilots ... | 10/25/2009 |
 | AirBorne Models, LLC | P-47D Thunderbolt EP | Fast forward to today, and the P-47 is one of the most popular warbirds of all time in model form. While there are literally ... | 10/25/2009 |
 | HobbyCNC | Foam Cutting Machine | With a CNC Hot-wire Foam cutter you will be able to make many complex shapes including wing cores and fuselage parts quickly ... | 10/17/2009 |
 | Seagull | Decathlon ARF 120 | Since the maiden flight I have flown the Decathlon several times in a variety of weather and wind conditions (including once,... | 10/17/2009 |
 | The Wings Maker | DF-032 Panther EDF | This plane is not for the faint of heart! If you like screaming-fast airplanes, for under $80, the Panther is hard to beat! ... | 10/04/2009 |
 | ParkZone | Sukhoi Su-26m BNF | The ParkZone Sukhoi Su-26m BNF is the first 4-channel Ultra-Micro flyer to utilize Bind-N-Fly™ DSM2™ technology that will thr... | 10/04/2009 |
 | Hangar 9 | Saratoga ARF on Floats! | The design team at Hangar 9 decided they wanted a different look, drawing back to an early years racer, so they created a mid... | 10/04/2009 |
 | Fliton | Extra 260 Mini | The Extra 260 needs no introduction. Though a little old, the marketing for the Fliton mini 260 promises it to be a an airpla... | 10/04/2009 |
 | Greg Covey's | Amp'd Issue 13: Higher Power EDF's | If you want a larger model with more power or maybe a good building fix, you don't need to spend thousands of dollars on an R... | 09/20/2009 |
 | Hangar 9 | P-51 Mustang MKII PTS | Hanger 9 introduced an update to their P-51 Trainer PTS, called the MkII. This airplane is designed to be both a primary trai... | 09/19/2009 |
 | Great Planes | Reactor Biplane .61 GP/EP | The new Reactor Biplane has a 48" span, semi-symmetrical airfoil and can be powered with a 61 2-stroke, 70 - 91 4-stroke, or ... | 09/19/2009 |
 | ParkZone | P-51D PL Mustang | ParkZone has introduced a redesigned P-51 Mustang Park Flyer. This new design is made from the tough "Z-Foam™", has dual aile... | 09/05/2009 |
| |
|
|
|
