activates a 3D mode in which the receiver lights
flash more rapidly. This explains the reason for
the clear cover over the receiver bay. In 3D
mode, the AS3X system is active and all the deflections are increased to 150%, making the VisionAire capable of extreme 3D manoeuvres.
The C of G is located 115mm back from the
leading edge of the wing at the fuselage. This was
achieved by strapping the supplied battery pack
bang in the middle of the hatch area. Flying weight
worked out to be 1250 grams with the battery installed. At wide open throttle, the motor delivered
480 Watts whilst pulling just under 40 Amps from
the 3 cell flight pack. With a static thrust on the
ground of 1.8 kilo’s , Park Zones new VisionAire
definitely has some impressive numbers.
Flying
I have to admit after seeing the promotional
videos for Park Zone’s latest plane I couldn’t wait
to take it to the field. About an hour from initially
opening the box, the VisionAire and I were off for
a test fly. I don't think I've ever gotten a plane
ready so quickly.
After arriving at the field the VisionAire quickly
became the centre of attention. I couldn’t wait to
show it off so in went the supplied 3 cell pack.
After the usual confirmation beeps and a 5 second calibration period I checked all the deflections in both low and high rates. Just when the
crowed thought they had seen everything, a flick
of the retract switch turned on the 3D mode to
see the deflections greatly increase.
Now for the fun part, cameras were at the
ready as the VisionAire was set down into the wind
on the runway. With everything on low rates and
3D mode off, the throttle was advanced to see the
plane airborne in about 10 metres. Very little trimming was needed as the powerful 3 cell set up saw
it climb with authority. Its behaviour was not unlike
a sport trainer, not exactly fast but very stable in
flight. Low rates were more than adequate for a
leisurely fly as the usual rolls and loops were performed. Inverted flight saw no noticeable trim
changes needed so the C of G was pretty much
on the money. Onto some fun stuff with a few
snaps both at high and low rates; very nice. Pulling
into a hover the VisionAire easily maintained its
height and at 3/4 throttle the aircraft hovered motionless and began to torque roll... nice! Levelling
out for some slow flying, it was freaky to see how
stable Quique’s latest creation is. There was no
sign of a stall, indicating that landings could be
nice and slow. From here I performed for the camera, first some fast passes then low and slow, but
I couldn’t resist trying to hover. As you can see by
the photos, the plane made me look good! On high
rates you have an aerobatic performer with
enough power to archive anything you wish.
Snaps, rolls, even flat spins all failed to test the VisionAire. A knife edge down the full length of the
strip was breeze, both with and into wind. The
transmitter started to beep and vibrate indicating
it was time to land. As usual, a low shallow approach with a reduced throttle resulted in a perfect
landing. Taxing back to the pits was easy thanks
to the large wheels and steerable tail wheel.
With a second battery pack, the VisionAire was
taxied out and this time 3D mode high rated was
selected. The throttle was punche