The Maiden Flight of the Aussie Flight Catalina
Well now that the build was complete, it was time to take her down to the field and see if she will fly. However, before we get into that, I would like to take the time to reflect back on the build and summarise on the pros and cons of this aircraft.
Firstly I would like to say that I am pleased at the outcome. The build was relatively easy (I have had harder) and the finish of the aircraft itself overall is good. There are some nice inclusions like the ply subframe inside the fuse, the locating nodules on the tail section and the pre-hinged ailerons. During the builds of my other aircraft I have always made a note of what the manufacturer could do better, and I did the same in this build. Thankfully there is not a lot of comment here. Yes, they could have supplied some better instructions on the motor wiring. (some beginners may struggle here)... Yes they could have included a better setup for securing the pushrods to the control surfaces and they could do something better the battery box. These are no biggies as you get these sorts of issues on other models, and you can't please everybody. However, the manufacturer must lose points for not having anything in place to accommodate the cables from the motors and aileron servos. This is actually a serious omission. A beginner would come unstuck here, and I believe the the RTF model would have the same problem. If it was just because they would look untidy, I would not care that much, but the fact that you would not be able to mount the wing, is something that needs serious attention. Other than that... a great model to build. But will she fly!!
Down at the field I prepped her for takeoff. I checked the COG - perfect!! It had been raining this particular morning so I knew the grass would be slippery. I decided to launch her from the grass for the first maiden as I did not want to loose $300 worth of electrics if she crashed into the water on takeoff!
I set all of the control surfaces to neutral and opened her up. She slid across the grass with ease and before I knew it, she was in the air. This is when I noticed that she needed some serious trim to the right. Later I would discover that this is due to both motors spinning the same direction causing a torque roll. It is nothing to be too concerned about and does raise its head when on the water, but more on that in a bit. One thing I really want to comment on here is that the COG was so perfect that she required NO elevator trim at all. That is quite staggering considering that I am not running the recommended battery, and have added tape etc. in fact, I tried different sized batteries and it is very forgiving. Another plus for this aircraft. After a quick flight, getting her down was almost too easy! She just glided in nicely and a perfect powered landing was had.
The next challenge was to get her on the water and see if she will do what she was built for. One of my main concerns was how much, if any, water she woudl take on board. I took her down to our large dam and started with a few taxi tests... all good. A little water in the fuse, probably coming through the join in the fuse, which runs right down the keel. After I was confident that she wouldn't sink I taxied around again, and that is when i noticed the full effect of the torque roll. When you first power up, she wants to turn constantly to the left. you need full right rudder to even begin to get her going in a straight line. I have done some research and by reversing one motor and using a reverse pitch prop, you can remove all effect of this torque roll.
As you open the throttle on the surface (and like most sea planes, you must do the smoothly) she stoped pulling left and was up onto her stepped hull with ease. Then before I knew it, she lifted off!! Again after a few circuits, I prepped for landing. Always a scary thought on any maiden, but the thought of doing it on water was a bit freaky. I should not have been concerned though, the Catalina performed flawlessly! She glided in beautifully and she touched down with grace!! After a quick check I have come to the conclusion that I need to seal the keel seam with Epoxy Resin. No big deal.
So there you have it! A great build, a great maiden, and all in all a great plane. She has her little down sides - All models do, but they are not big enough to warrant overlooking this unique beauty! On a closing note... like most foam aircraft, she will suffer from a bit of hanger rash. She may fair worse than others as she comes totally pre-painted - Again, not something to worry about.
My thoughts...Go and grab one now!!
Aussie Flight
http://www.aussieflight.com.au/shop/
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Woodsy and Aussie Flight for giving me the opportunity to review this aircraft. Having a bird with the history of the Catalinas is fantastic.
I hope you enjoy the maiden flight video below.
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