FLYING

Photo 51

The Taxi maneuvers well on the ground. I did add some exponential rate control to the rudder to smooth out the ground steering. Being an old single stick flyer I still suffer when using my left hand to operate the rudder. Once in the air, the Taxi is fast! The 13 X 8 prop proved just perfect! In fact, it can be flown at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle settings. The Thunder Power 3S2P 4200 Li-Poly battery provides almost 15 minute flying times.

Photo 52

Just about any standard aerobatic maneuver can be performed. When landing, you have to go out a ways and bleed off some speed before making your approach. I ended up at dead idle at about 100 feet from the runway threshold and still had trouble not floating past the runway’s far end.

 
Photo 53     Photo 54

So my recommendation is to really slow it down for landings. At 23 oz. /sq. ft. wing loading and a slightly forward CG location, this airplane does not stall easily when you slow it down. Try that at altitude some time and you will see. Final control throws were close to the Graupner recommendations: ailerons +/- 5/16 inch, elevators +/- 1/2 inch and rudder +/- 1 1/8 inches.

THUNDER POWER CELL BALANCER

Just as I was completing this review project Hobby Lobby provided me with one of the new Thunder Power Li-Poly Battery Cell Balancers. The Hobby Lobby catalog number is TPB205 and it sells for $59.90. Basically you can use any existing Li-Poly charger. This new balancer plugs into a special multi-pin connector that is now placed on many of the Thunder Power Li-Poly battery packs. During the charging process, this add-on device is able to “even out” the individual cell voltages so that at the end of the charge cycle, they are all equal or as we say, “balanced”. A balanced Li-Poly battery pack will provide more capacity (longer flight times) and will last a lot longer. It may even allow for the charging at a higher than 1C rate. I expect to have a detailed review of this product in the near future.

For those who would like more aggressive aerobatics and extreme vertical performance by all means go up to the originally recommended APC 13 X 10E prop. The AXI motor can certainly take it – no problem! But you will end up with a shorter flight time. It’s your choice!

Flying the Taxi proved to be one of the best hobby experiences I’ve had in a long time. I’ve been flying mostly small size, parking lot and indoor RC models for the past couple of years. They are certainly fun and can be flown at local fields. But there is still nothing more pleasing than flying a 600-square inch, six pound aircraft, similar to .40 glow power, except that in this case it is “clean and quiet”! This is what glow to electric conversions are all about. It is now made possible by our new highly efficient brushless motors and our high capacity, lightweight Li-Poly batteries.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Aircraft: “Graupner TAXI CUP-II”

Type: An ARF RC aircraft originally intended for glow engine power that is now being converted to electric power. Model is considered an intermediate aerobatic trainer and/or advanced sport flyer.

Distributor:

Hobby Lobby International

5614 Franklin Pike Circle

Brentwood, TN 37027

Phone: (615)-373-1444

FAX: (615)-377-6948

Website: www.hobby-lobby.com

E-Mail: sales@hobby-lobby.com                        

Wing Span – 63 inches

Wing Area – 597 square inches

Length – 45 inches

Average all up weight: 96 ounces (6 pounds even!)

Wing Loading – 23 oz/sq.ft.

Street price of the ARF kit alone (as of October 2005) - $199.00

Items you must still purchase:

Four Channel RC system with three servos (one for ailerons, one for elevator and one rudder--- motor control is provided by the ESC)

RC Equipment on Review Model: Hitec OPTIC-6 transmitter with Spectra synthesized module, Hitec Electron-6 dual conversion 6 channel receiver, three Hitec HS-422 standard servos and a 4 cell 1800 mAh NiMH battery pack supplied by Hobby Lobby (catalog number HT00925).

Motor – AXI 2826/12 outrunner type brushless motor

Speed Controller (ESC) – Jeti Advance “PLUS” 40 amp brushless “Opto” (Hobby Lobby catalog no. JESAP40P) and the Jeti Advance Plus Program Card (JESAP02)

Battery – Three cell Thunder Power 3S2P Li-Poly (total rated capacity because of parallel hook-up is 4200 mAh) (15C load capable) (weight 10.1 ounces) (Note: This battery pack has separately wired cells to accept the TP cell balancer)

Best Prop Choice– APC 13 X 8E

Motor Current – 32 amps (at start with a fresh charged battery)

Voltage (under load) – 11.15 volts

Watts – 357

RPM – 6800

Power Loading- 60 watts/pound