Most of us in the sport knew that this was coming. Electric-power technology has been rapidly progressing the last few years. Major companies outside the model aircraft industry, and the military, have been pouring huge amounts of money into electrical storage devices (batteries) and motor systems for the last 25 years.

Cell phone, laptop computer and automotive companies have fueled rapid battery development to heights we couldn’t dream of ten years ago. Automotive, aircraft and electrical motor companies, along with the military, have increased small motor performance ten-fold or more.

So it had to happen. With that much money being put into these advances, the model aircraft industry just had to find ways to use this new stuff being developed for the world at large. But you know, that is just the kind of people we model aviation folk are. Give us a range of high performance equipment, little of it developed for models, and we will take it and make more of the technology than its inventors thought possible.

Photo 1

So someone just had to combine all this new technology and come up with a practical, Ready-To-Fly, 40-sized, 63 in. wingspan, 4-channel, 6+ lb. Basic Trainer. From the box in photo 1, there is no doubt that the Hobbico people were the folks to do it. The ELECTRISTAR Select is a true RTF, electric-powered aircraft that is identical to most popular 40-sized glow-powered Basic Trainers.

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Just from looking at the component photos above, it is not possible to see any major differences between the ELECTRISTAR on the left and the popular Tower Hobbies Trainer 40 on the right. The wings are about the same size as are the fuselages. But the ELECTRISTAR’s wing spar is light aluminum tubing instead of the glow airplane’s heavier metal rod. The wood construction is identical except that the ELECTRISTAR’s vertical fin is firmly attached to the fuselage saving the builder some time while making the airplane more durable. About the only difference easily noted is that the ELECTRISTAR is lacking that big, messy aluminum muffler.

However, the ELECTRISTAR is not just a converted glow-powered trainer. This aircraft is an original design intended just for electric power. For extra lift and strength, the airfoil (NACA 5417) was taken from the popular Hobbico NexSTAR Basic Trainer. While both aircraft pictured above look similar on the outside, they are totally different airframe designs.  

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All the hardware to assemble the airplane is included, even the Velcro strips to hold the batteries in place. Those small white “buttons” comprise a unique, and ingenious, method that many Hobbico trainer aircraft use to cover the wooden dowel ends that protrude from the fuselage. These parts will be covered later on. As is usual with most Hobbico kits, the instruction book is over flowing with helpful photos and complete, detailed assembling and setup instructions.

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Just as any RTF aircraft includes everything needed to get flying except field equipment (one exception) and fuel (no exceptions), the ELECTRISTAR package includes everything needed to get into the air except the batteries (fuel) and charger (starting equipment). The ELECTRISTAR comes without the battery pack or charger to allow the pilot to select which battery system to use. The Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) installed in this aircraft (the ElectriFly SS-45D brushless ESC) can draw power from either Ni-MH or Lithium Polymer (Li-Poly) battery packs. The speed controller automatically senses the battery type being used and adjusts accordingly.

Since the ELECTRISTAR is designed for the newest pilots, the easy to manage Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) system is probably the best starting system. Ni-MH battery packs are easy to manage and safer when compared against Li-Poly battery packs.

Great Planes offers a packaged battery system just for this aircraft. The battery packs are, 8.4-volt 3000 mAh Ni-MH packs. The ELECTRISTAR uses two of these high-capacity battery packs per flight. The packs are already wired using W.S. Deans^® Ultra Plugs™ for a secure connection and maximum conductivity. The Great Planes order number is: GPMP0355.

The Hobbico Pro Series™ Dual Peak Charger ™ (HCAP0255) will simultaneously charge both Ni-MH battery packs in about 1 hour. This charger will supply 5 amps of pulsed charging current. It is a peak detecting charger that will fully charge the batteries without over-charging. Once peak is reached, the charger switches to a pulsed “trickle charge” rate that keeps the batteries at full charge without overheating. Hobbico recommends this system for the ELECTRISTAR.

Most pilots in training will usually (this is a generalization here) fly about two flights per hour. After all, your instructor will need some recovery time too! The suggestion is that you get two sets of Ni-MH batteries. Fly with one, put it on charge and fly with the second set of packs. By the time the second flight is over, the first set of batteries will be fully charged.

The battery packs are only $25 each so you may even want to buy two more packs (3 sets in all) to be sure to average two flights per hour for several hours. The Hobbico dual battery pack charger costs $50 and works off any 12-volt source.

There is an option to install 3600 Ni-MH motor battery packs to extend flight times. These battery packs weigh 17.5 ounces each for a total weight of 35 ounces. That is a lot heavier than the two 3000 mAh battery pack’s 28 oz. weight. Using the recommended 3000 mAh battery packs, the ELECTRISTAR will fly about 10 minutes per flight at training power levels. While the 3600 mAh packs would theoretically offer 20% more flight time, their extra weight would require the motor to use more power for the same flight performance. Flight time will probably be extended by only about 10-12% in reality.

The ELECTRISTAR weighs 6lb. 7 oz. with the smaller battery packs and, while the airframe handles this weight very well, this is about all you would want to ask this airplane to carry for optimum performance. Besides, the larger battery packs cost $40 each making the total battery cost $80 instead of $50 for the 3000 mAh packs. Buying three sets would cost $240 instead of $150 for little real gain. Just an opinion here as the final battery choice is up to the pilot.

Photo 6A

The computer transmitter supplied with the ELECTRISTAR is the Futaba 4EXA. Currently, only a very few RTF airplanes are supplied with computer transmitters. But this will probably become more common in the future. Computer transmitters have become so easy to use, less expensive and just are so much more capable than analog transmitters that it doesn’t make a lot of sense to not use one. But for now, the ELECTRISTAR is one of only two RTF aircraft supplied with a computer transmitter.

The 4EXA is basically a simplified version of Futaba’s 6EX transmitter without the dual rate switches. The transmitter has memory space for 4 different aircraft while having just 4 control channels. But it does have a “wing” function that allows elevon (for delta wing aircraft where the elevators are also ailerons) or V-tail operation (no vertical fin as elevators also serve as the rudder).

Each channel has full end-point travel adjustment (easier setup) and a really great function: electronic trim memory. The transmitter remembers the trim setting of a given airplane after the flight. This allows centering the trim levers without changing the original trim adjustments and is very useful if there are several aircraft on one transmitter. There is also servo reversing of course along with the trainer function and a low transmitter battery alarm.

Of wider interest is the exponential function on the elevator, rudder and ailerons. “Exponential” is a very useful feature that is much underused in our sport. By entering exponential, the control surface (the 4EXA allows setting differing exponential for each surface) moves either less or more for a given control stick movement around the center. Setting the aileron exponential for less movement around center makes it easier for a new pilot to control the aircraft. The airplane responds more slowly for a given stick travel. The aileron still moves the same total travel but most of its movement will occur near the end of the stick movement.

This is called a “soft center” and was pioneered by competition pilots to achieve better looking and smoother flights while maintaining full aerobatic capabilities. The smoothness required for competition translates into a Basic Trainer that is less prone to over-control by the newer pilot while maintaining full control authority for slow flight and landing.

Having electronic trim memory and 3-channel exponential (throttle doesn’t need it) on an RTF basic transmitter is very unusual. The 4EXA is a better transmitter than would normally be expected in an RTF aircraft.