It's aerobatic. It's 2.3m. It's got a coveted TP section. It's got RDS.
And... it's a moulded prototype that might just make it into production and that might be quite soon. Watch this space...
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Monday, 7 March 2011
Sunday, 6 March 2011
Extreme
Video and review of the Extreme from www.sloperacer.co.uk
I saw an early Extreme in Slovakia a couple of years ago. It's been one of those planes that whoever flies it loves it but for some reason they have never really caught on in a mainstream way, a bit like the Sting.
I was lucky enough to win the one that SlopeRacer donated for the Welsh Open raffle last year. What tends to happen in situations like that is the winner normally quietly sells the plane on. However once you start fondling an Extreme and then talk to existing owners it kind of sucks you in to building it.
Quality
This was possibly the biggest surprise. I was expecting it to be good but each new bit you work on reveals another sweet touch or crisp bit of moulding that makes you feel the way you do when you're wearing a nice watch or nestled in an expensive car. I keep trying to find a reason not to say that the Extreme is on a par with the best as it just sounds trite but the reality is it's bloody close. To quantify that, if Baudis and VV are 10, I'd give the Extreme a 9 to 9.5; which really is high praise.
Design and build type stuff
Excellent ballast tube arrangement. The pull for up elevator linkage is really well executed. The pre-installed servo tray is really neat. The nice long nose has plenty of room for lead. Fitting a switch is a bit of a squeeze but I managed it after a little head scratching.
The only development that would have put the cherry on the cake would have been the addition of RDS. I did think about doing it myself but time got the better of me. Whether RDS or the standard set up is used the MKS DS6125 wing servos from T9 are simply fantastic.
Flying
I just got the CG from the internet, measured up some sensible movements and chucked it off the Ice Cream Slope at the Bwlch. The first flight is in the video, all the was needed was a tweak of the differential. I'm sure there's more optimisation I can do with the snapflap and elevator but it's already turning very, very sweetly.
The Extreme inspires confidence like nothing I can remember flying before. I don't think I've ever had another first flight where I'd be more than happy for the second flight to be in an F3F competition, at an level. Whether screaming around or balanced on a wingtip sitting in a thermal it is so smooth and settled it's almost like mind control.
Such is the confidence it is a great tool for practicing the French style of turning where getting the exit a few degrees wrong is very bad news. For aerobatics it works really well too. The video camera I used is too wide angle to use the footage of the multiple rolling circles and eights but they were an absolute doddle.
Flying it back to back with the Ceres is interesting. I rate the Ceres as the best all round F3F tool out there (of course that's not to say I'm right!). I reckon that the Extreme is a pretty close match. When conditions are really good it possibly hasn't quite got the ultimate pace of the Ceres but it's so tame that a less experienced pilot is more likely to be able to make the most from the performance available.
May be, a bit like the Sting, the reason why everyone isn't flying one is that they just go about their business in a calm and reliable way without all the flamboyance of other models that attract the crowds by getting a bit lary when pushed to the limits.
The bottom line is that I simply cannot think of a better package of pace, aerobatics, performance in all conditions, very potent cornering, quality and price.
I saw an early Extreme in Slovakia a couple of years ago. It's been one of those planes that whoever flies it loves it but for some reason they have never really caught on in a mainstream way, a bit like the Sting.
I was lucky enough to win the one that SlopeRacer donated for the Welsh Open raffle last year. What tends to happen in situations like that is the winner normally quietly sells the plane on. However once you start fondling an Extreme and then talk to existing owners it kind of sucks you in to building it.
Quality
This was possibly the biggest surprise. I was expecting it to be good but each new bit you work on reveals another sweet touch or crisp bit of moulding that makes you feel the way you do when you're wearing a nice watch or nestled in an expensive car. I keep trying to find a reason not to say that the Extreme is on a par with the best as it just sounds trite but the reality is it's bloody close. To quantify that, if Baudis and VV are 10, I'd give the Extreme a 9 to 9.5; which really is high praise.
Design and build type stuff
Excellent ballast tube arrangement. The pull for up elevator linkage is really well executed. The pre-installed servo tray is really neat. The nice long nose has plenty of room for lead. Fitting a switch is a bit of a squeeze but I managed it after a little head scratching.
The only development that would have put the cherry on the cake would have been the addition of RDS. I did think about doing it myself but time got the better of me. Whether RDS or the standard set up is used the MKS DS6125 wing servos from T9 are simply fantastic.
Flying
I just got the CG from the internet, measured up some sensible movements and chucked it off the Ice Cream Slope at the Bwlch. The first flight is in the video, all the was needed was a tweak of the differential. I'm sure there's more optimisation I can do with the snapflap and elevator but it's already turning very, very sweetly.
The Extreme inspires confidence like nothing I can remember flying before. I don't think I've ever had another first flight where I'd be more than happy for the second flight to be in an F3F competition, at an level. Whether screaming around or balanced on a wingtip sitting in a thermal it is so smooth and settled it's almost like mind control.
Such is the confidence it is a great tool for practicing the French style of turning where getting the exit a few degrees wrong is very bad news. For aerobatics it works really well too. The video camera I used is too wide angle to use the footage of the multiple rolling circles and eights but they were an absolute doddle.
Flying it back to back with the Ceres is interesting. I rate the Ceres as the best all round F3F tool out there (of course that's not to say I'm right!). I reckon that the Extreme is a pretty close match. When conditions are really good it possibly hasn't quite got the ultimate pace of the Ceres but it's so tame that a less experienced pilot is more likely to be able to make the most from the performance available.
May be, a bit like the Sting, the reason why everyone isn't flying one is that they just go about their business in a calm and reliable way without all the flamboyance of other models that attract the crowds by getting a bit lary when pushed to the limits.
The bottom line is that I simply cannot think of a better package of pace, aerobatics, performance in all conditions, very potent cornering, quality and price.
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