This review of the AirBorne Models TAMEcat EP first appeared in Park Pilot magazine. Park Pilot is the official magazine of the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) Park Pilot program. Details about the Park Pilot program, an AMA membership class for pilots of small electric airplanes, are available at: http://www.modelaircraft.org/parkflyer.aspx . However, space is very limited in Park Pilot and the review was, by necessity, too brief to do this airplane justice. This is an expanded version.

The TAMEcat EP meets all the aircraft requirements of the Academy of Model Aeronautics' (AMA) Park Pilot Program. The aircraft weighs less than 2 pounds (the Program's upper weight limit) and has a level top speed just, barely just, under 60 mph (the Program's upper speed limit). For complete Park Pilot aircraft details, follow this link.

The AMA Park Pilot Program offers non-AMA members the opportunity to become AMA members at a much reduced cost. Park Pilot membership includes a great magazine "Park Pilot", $500,000 personal liability insurance, $2.5 million liability insurance for the flying field owner (see insurance details) and membership in the world's largest sport aviation association - the AMA. For complete information and details about Park Pilot membership, just click here. 

Many 1.5 lb. airplanes capable of safely flying inside a small park field can be pretty boring. This is especially true if the airplane uses a flat-bottom airfoil wing for extra lift and stability. Almost all such airplanes are so tame as to be uninteresting to any but the newest Park Pilots. However, despite its TAMEcat name, this aircraft "tain't" one of them!

Based on a very original 40-size, glow-powered basic trainer design by Jeff Troy, the TAMEcat EP combines jet looks with all the traits of a good basic trainer: light weight, large flat-bottomed wing, excess vertical fin area and an overly large horizontal stabilizer, into a single aircraft that turns out to be, not a trainer, but an advanced scale airplane that can own the sky when you push it.

Unlike its larger brother, the TAMEcat 40 ARF reviewed in Sport Aviator's "On The Flight Line" section, The TAMEcat EP is definitely NOT a basic trainer. However, it is a great second or third airplane. The TAMEcat EP is exciting to fly, climbs like a rocket, flies fast enough in a small field for even the strong of heart, flies well inverted despite the flat-bottom wing and builds in an afternoon. But it also slows done very nicely, has no tricks to play, is not "snappy" even when pushed beyond the envelope, looks great in the air and lands like a trainer.

Photo 1      Photo 2

Not only is the TAMEcat EP a blast to fly, it is fun to build because it builds more easily than a trainer. The 39.5 in. wing is one piece with the ailerons hinged but not installed. That makes it easy to mount the control horns for the twin aileron servos (photo 2). AirBorne Models has already removed the covering over the stabilizer / fuselage gluing area. All three "tail feathers" utilize interlocking construction that adds strength and insures proper alignment (photo 1).

The factory bolt holes in the wing align with the installed blind nuts in the fuselage while the front hold down is part of the wing's structure. The motor mount is factory installed. Heck, AirBorne Models even drilled the control horn mounting holes in all the control surfaces. When have you seen that before?

Assembly

Photo 3     Photo 4

This is also an extremely easy airplane to build straight and fast. However, the instructions don't do a lot of explaining. There is precious little text but the photo close-ups do show everything. Study them carefully to get the parts orientation right.

But as the TAMEcat EP is almost entirely built when you open the box, maybe instructions are not all that important anyway. Note the covering is already removed from the fuselage stabilizer mount. While not shown, the covering has also been factory removed from the same area under the stabilizer.

Photo 5

Photo 5 shows everything needed to complete the one-piece wing. The aileron servo mounts were perfectly aligned with the pre-drilled control horn mounting holes in the ailerons. The aileron control rods were also factory made and fit perfectly. The original concept was to use the "Y" cord shown but that was later changed and the "why" is covered in the flight section.

The E-flite S-75 Sub-Micro servos move quickly (12 sec/60 deg.) while producing 17.2 oz. /in. torque. They were fast enough to stay ahead of this airborne performer yet had more than enough power for control.