Sorry about the low quality video but I was flying the plane to fly rather than video it and with the amount of zoom needed there was no point in making it a higher resolution.
Not one for the beginners and I'd wager it's also not one for basic radios. At the speeds this is capable of reaching, easily I might add, expos or the ability to tone down or turn off the ailerons is almost a must. Expo doesn't quite cut it on the stock throws (after my first flight I increased elevon throws, decreased aileron throws and added a mix to turn ailerons off altogether).
As soon as I put on the KF2 airfoil the ailerons became VERY responsive at anything over half throttle. Beginners should probably side with the Mig 29 v2 instead. Alternatively a Microjet V3 or 2208 2600kv and a 1600mAh battery with no ailerons is about as complicated as it would be wise to go for this one. This will keep the weight down a little and take some of the responsiveness out of it.
This plane is very responsive and ailerons have the potential to cause issues for beginner builders too. Even slightly out they will give the plane some pretty hefty roll as soon as you hit about 20 mph.
It's a small plane so the stall speed will also be quite high for heavier setups (feels like launching a v1 sized plane on a 3s).
Still, it flies well at half throttle on my setup and will inside loop and roll well (doesn't like an outside loop at 1/2 throttle though). At under 1/2 throttle it does start to want to tail drag though... It's simply happier at higher speeds even though it remains fun and precise at lower speeds too.
The surprise is it still does everything at WOT without complaint though, as below, I have an odd feeling I'm going to snap my elevons sooner or later if I push it that hard when that fast.
Speed guys are going to love this one. It's deceptively quick on even this middle-of-the-road setup so I see bright things in it's future for the megajet/2836/NTM Propdrive 2700kv crowd.
It's also surprisingly precise at just about any speed until you get going fast enough for the ailerons to make it rather twitchy (turn them off and it stays precise on elevon only too). I imagine it's less than the F-18 V3 but it's still good enough to be impressed with.
So what did I think while I was on the sticks?
Well, fast isn't really my thing as many can tell by my previous videos. I like slower with lots of throw on the elevons so the basic thrust vectoring of these planes bosses them around. It's why I just don't fly my T-50 Version 1 anymore. It's a great plane and I loved it while it lasted but it's now only flown really to blow the dust off every once in a while.
Despite this the Mig 29 v3 has captured me. It still maneuvers well at high speeds which was more than enough to keep a smile on my face. It's happy just eating up the sky in any serpentine pattern you choose to drive it in. I don't think I'll ever make any decent videos of it because, simply put, flying this plane in a way that's conducive to video would just feel wrong. Low and slow just isn't really it's thing with this much power at it's disposal. Perhaps if I'd built simpler and with a lighter power plane... shoulda, woulda, coulda, didn't.
It's a great plane and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to the guys who decide to dump in a Megajet or NTM Propdrive 2836.
Regards,
Grey.
