Smaller, Ready-To-Fly (RTF) airplanes have become fairly common in our sport these days. Most are electric-powered and fly fairly well. But most of them look something like a Lake Amphibian with a pusher motor mounted on the rear of the top fuselage with some kind of “boom” extending aft from there. These aircraft are excellent for their purpose, teaching new pilots to fly in less than formal, i.e. RC airfields, environments.

But once a new pilot has gained some experience, that nagging desire to fly something more “real” always surfaces. By “real” most of us mean “scale”. Scale airplanes are miniature versions of a full size airplane. And for some of us, scale airplanes mean Warbirds. There are many Warbirds, even including Cessnas and Piper Cubs. Military Cubs flew artillery and passenger service in World War II. Cessnas did that and flew target Identification missions in Vietnam. Imagine going to war in a Cessna 172 the O-1 or a Cessna 337, the O-2 while getting shot at by heavy AA batteries? They built real pilots in those days!)

However, Military scale also means WW II fighters. In fact, to many new pilots the “Heavy Iron”, as these fighters are called, are what attracted them to model aviation in the first place. But building even Almost-Ready-to-Fly (ARF) Warbirds requires work and building skills. Most WW II fighters are outside the realm of Park flying, requiring a regular RC airfield for safe flight. These ARF’s are also on the expensive side meaning that a new pilot risks extra time and money to fly his favorite fighter.

But Cox has a better idea. How about a truly Ready-To-Fly small electric fighter requiring nearly nothing to get flight-ready and costing under $90? In fact, Cox has six small ARF and RTF fighters ready to terrorize most any park or school yard. Three are ARF-only aircraft (for only $20) including the Japanese Zero, the Me-109 and the FW-190 (see http://www.coxmodels.com/products.asp?dept=79) while three others are either ARF or RTF airplanes.

Photo 1             Photo 2

The Curtis P-40B Warhawk of Flying Tigers fame, the fast Chance-Vought Corsair and the rugged Republic P-47D are complete RTF airplanes. In fact, these three Cox airplanes are about as RTF as RTF airplanes can be. Totally pre-built and including the radio and charging systems, either aircraft requires only about 5 minutes for assembly.

Photo 3 shows the P-47 as it is packaged. The vertical fin and horizontal stabilizer are already attached to the fuselage and all control surfaces and rod linkages are connected. As can be seen in photo 4, only the propeller needs to be attached. Cox also provides an extra propeller but we found that the first one has proven, so far, impossible to break even on a paved surface. Even if accidentally bent, the propeller is easily straightened by hand

Photo 5 above gives an idea of the Cox P-47’s size. The picture shows it resting on the 81-inch wing of a Hangar 9 150 Thunderbolt. The Cox P-47 may look a little small in comparison but then it can be flown in small fields, parks or at just about any location while the big P-47 must be flown at a large RC field and preferably with some assistance. The Cox P-47 is just ideal for flying from very small areas. In fact, this small fighter can even be flown from your driveway if there are no trees or other houses, except yours, in the vicinity.

The little fighter is now ready for its first charge. Once the charger’s red light blinks, the battery pack is ready to go. Disconnect it and check out the control surfaces. The elevator should move 3/16 inch, both directions while the rudder should have 5/16 in. movement. Make sure the clear hinges are in place and secure. If not, use 1/2 in. clear packing tape to repair any damaged hinge sections.

The Thunderbolt’s 130-size brushed electric motor is quiet and fairly powerful. Its power is supplied by a 6-cell, 7.2 volt, 220 mAh Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) battery pack that allows about 8-10 minutes flying time after about 5 flights for break-in. The ESC is set to shut the motor down once the voltage drops to 0.9 volts per cell (4.8 V total) to allow full radio control for a safe landing. The normal servo voltage supplied from the ESC’s Battery Eliminator Circuit (BEC) is 5 volts which provides the tiny servos with constant output speed and power during the entire flight.

The 5-amp Electronic Speed Control (ESC) is built into the Cox ICON receiver and has an on-off switch located next to the charge jack under the canopy. This switch is a necessary feature since the battery to motor ESC is hard-wired into the receiver/ESC. As the battery remains always connected to the ESC and motor, there is a very small, but constant, current drain. If you are not flying the P-47 often, it is a good idea to charge the battery about once every two weeks. This protects the battery from being overly discharged during storage.

The Cox P-47 is constructed from a hard, durable type of molded foam. It has held up well during repeated flights and a few “hard” takeoffs. While speedy in flight, the airplane lands so slowly that it is impossible to have a “hard” landing with it.

The 17.75-inch long fighter has a 20-inch wingspan. While fairly quick in flight, the airplane can slow to a fast walking speed (about 8 mph) for landing and spins. Its very light weight and under-cambered airfoil wing makes this slow flight possible.

The two Cox ICON-RC servos weigh only 6 grams each, installed, and have a 10 in. oz. output. With the combination ESC-receiver and such light servos, it is no wonder that the entire P-47, ready to fly, weighs just 4.9 ounces.

The Cox ICON 72 MHz FM transmitter is a 3-channel unit with the throttle control located on the transmitter’s rear case. It is in a good position and easy to reach. The single control stick on the front manages both elevator and rudder. These two channels feature servo reversing but there is none for the throttle control. The transmitter also has V-tail mixing for aircraft equipped with a “V” tail like the old Beechcraft Bonanza. It is not used on the P-47 but could be useful if the radio system is eventually transferred to a V-tail glider.

While set up for 8 “AA” alkaline batteries, the transmitter may also be powered using 8 rechargeable Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries. The transmitter has a connecting jack for a Ni-Cd charger. The pilot will have to supply the 8 “AA” Ni-Cd batteries (available at Radio Shack type outlets) and the 9.6-volt charger. Unless you plan to fly the Thunderbolt many times a week, using the alkaline batteries is probably OK. After a month of flying, this P-47 is still on its first set of alkaline transmitter batteries.

The transmitter has three indicator lights on the front case. When all three lights, red, yellow and green, are lit the transmitter has full power. Yellow and red lights only mean it is time to change or charge the batteries. A red light only means no flying until the batteries are replaced or charged.

Charging the Ni-MH flight battery takes about 15 minutes using the supplied 12-volt peak detection charger. The charger works only from a 12-volt source using the traditional “car plug” connector. If you want to charge the Thunderbolt at home, you will need a portable 12-volt power source like the one in photo 7.