Funny thing is that no matter how many times we hear about "bring it high", "3 mistakes high", etc. Newbs like myself feel more secure if we can see them closer and get faster output from our commands, if that makes sense.!
You guys are awesome! I'm really glad to have discovered this channel - not only is it informative, it is also very well produced and presented. Finally something on RU-vid that's worth watching!
Finally found a great explanation of the differences between these two planes! Of course, I knew the Radian Pro had ailerons, but I had no idea about the flaps, reflex, camber and crow features. THANK YOU!
I just flew my Radian Pro for the first time. I am a beginner sailplane flyer. I have no idea what people are talking about concerning lack of thrust and poor propeller, as it climbed out at 45 degrees as high as I can see and has plenty of power to climb. It flies easily and is a joy with no bad habits that I could see. Just pure fun in the sky. I mixed Crow on my Hitec Optic 6 with Optima 6 Rx. Next comes Reflex and Camber.
I maidened my Pro today,after removing the top decals,covering the entire plane in clear shipping tape,and switching out the Spectrum system to my 72 MHz reciever.I also taped over the fuse onto the top of both wings to add a bit of security-AUW,2.25lbs.With a 10 MPH wind,I took it up to about 400 feet and chopped the throttle and left it there-20 minutes later,I landed in the grass,right at my feet.I'm hoping for a bit more wind soon...I really need a reclining lawn chair,or a neck brace...
It's so awesome that u mention a gentle lady. I learned on that as my started plane and progressed to the Goldberg sky tiger and the sig komander which is obsolete but to me, one of the best airplanes ever!
Brilliant Vid as usual, just bought a Radian today and had a great first flight. As a newcomer to the hobby it's great to have someone explaining all the tech stuff in such a clear manner. Thanks Guys :) and keep em coming.
Beginners should start with a regular Radian between the two. You will crash less and when you do - because you definitely will - you can break the nose, prop, motor, etc. since it's all there on the front of the plane. There are other motor-gliders, such as EasyStar or Bixler that have the motor mounted above the wing, which is gets it off the very vulnerable nose. That type of plane may be better for complete beginners.
This takes me back to the early 80's when I was designing and building balsa/foam gliders - though mainly aerobatic slope soarers - but I did have a 3 metre thermal glider which I loved (though I was not so good a thermal pilot).
"takes a lick'in keeps on tick'in" is from a timex watch commercial in the 50s and 60s. They would attach a watch to some mechanical device and beat the crap out of it. then they pulled the watch off and declare "takes a lick'in keeps on tick'in". I remember they attached the watch to a blade of an outboard engine stuck it in a barrel of water and cranked it up. "takes a lick'in keeps on tick'in"
These guys are awsome, they are the Top Gear of the model RC plane world. The most informative and entertaining on the internet bar none. We'll eventually lose them to bigger and better things I think, TV etc.
@FuttFel - It's called comedy relief. Listening to people rattle off tech tips is boring. These guys have great dialog and balance their videos good for newbies and the experienced.
Great video. Good definition of 3 channel flight/polyhedral & inherent stability, but don't forget the main reason rudder alone can be used to control/change heading. Yaw induces roll, one of the main principals of flight. Good job.
In a turn, the rudder turns the outside wing into the wind so the outer panel "sees" a wing at a higher aspect and there fore more lift which banks the plane into the turn. when rudder is relaxed the high wing effectively gets "shorter" in terms of lift and lets it drop back level. To visualize it, hold your arms out with your hands at a 45 degree angle up and turn your body. You'll see that one hand is facing the direction of flight and generating more lift. Hope that helps.
The Radian is fun, for a little while, 15-20 flights or so, and then it quickly becomes the same thing, over and over. I still fly mine but not nearly as much as I used to. It is a great trainer, no doubt, as it is very forgiving and puts everything into slow motion mode.
Seems like the obvious answer is to modify the wing- the stock receiver is a 5 channel so you can add flaperons just by some cutting and adding servos, or if you swap receivers you can go flaps and ailerons and mess with everything the Pro will do... (I realize that it's been 5 years since you left the comment but in case someone else is looking)
What is the difference between applying camber and deploying the flaps? It seems they both slow the plane down while affording it a bit of extra lift, but you demonstrated them as distinct settings.
I fly my Radian Pro in the desert where there is literally nowhere to land. I bang it into shrubs rocks and cactus (watch the thorns they stick to the plane) and use box tape to put the control surfaces back on. The leading edge of the wing is pretty tore up but the plane is unstoppable. Z-Foam --- Perfect for adverse conditions! PS the servos are amazing in this plane. One crash landing the aileron had slipped the gear so when the servo was centered the control surface was 45 degrees up. I just grabbed it zipped it centered again. Perfect! Wala the thing flew great!
Try adding packingtape to the leading edge on the next set of wings you get! Also you should attempt to learn how to catch your "baby" ( it's easier than it looks)
ThePGPguy packing tape, good idea! I can catch my baby but the wind speed is insane where i slope and slowing it down enough to actually catch it is tough. But ill give it a try next time!
I've bought 3 radians! Got my original radian rtf about a year ago, flies awesome. Bought my dad the newly redesigned E-flite radian for an early Christmas gift, flew great until he somehow had complete power loss in the plane & it flew away! never found it, so I replaced it with a radian pro. he loves the 5 channel version. only issue we've had with both planes is the wings can flex when its windy & cause the plane to stick in a dive. happened to me twice so far, but I had enough altitude to recover. happened to my dad on a landing approach & drove him into the ground. little bit of glue & she still flies like new.
I suspect you'll love it. I've had mine for a couple of years, and it flies SO nicely. Hint: make sure you fasten in the elevator- it's just sort of friction fit in there, and a bit of glue will make sure it doesn't slide around in flight. I almost lost mine this way. :-) Have fun!
Why on earth is this video age restricted? I just want to rewatch an old episode coz they are all fantastic but it appears I cant watch this video due to it being "age restricted". What? I have seen this before though.....oh well, fantastic video as I recall! :D keep up the good work promoting this amazing hobby!
Hi Folks! If you don't like the Propeller-Blades to hang loose, just desassemble the propeller, drill tiny holes in the bow of each Propeller-Blade put a Rubber-Rope in between with enought tention to fix the Blades when fipped back an program the ESC to BRAKES on to stop the propeller in horizontal position when the blades flip back with the Rubber-Rope-Assistance...
I wish horizon sold the Radian Pro still. I love my night radians. I suppose the Conscendo Evo is the closest thing to the Pro but it’s still a little different.
@WarbirdFan66 If you go to the SpektrumRC site and look up the DX8 product page there is a DX8 Setup Downloads entry under Manuals which contains a number of setups for Parkzone aircraft for the DX8. Hope that helps.
If your foam is warped try removing your electronics and dipping the warped parts in very hot water. Do a search in you tube and you will see videos of people doing repairs on foamies by using hot water.
hey, guys. would you possibly be able to post a video on how to set up the reflex and camber? and if it's possible, add in how to sync the flaps with the ailerons too? Thanks, Dylan
Excellent review, well done guys :-) I have the radian, caught my first ever thermals with it, I'm now going to use it as a night flyer and getting the Pro for daytime :-)
Outstanding as always lads, was wondering if you could do a flying tutorial for an absolute beginner, for a first time flyer like myself. Simulators are great but not like an actual lesson, with a cessna or something like that. Thanks :o)
Hi i have the dx8 and dx6, i fly my radian pro with dx6, i have 2 way flaps sets through my mixing, thats all you really need, its a superb aircraft, i use it for aerial photography, ps , make sure you buy spare propeller blades! ive had two mid climb failures, enjoy this aircraft
Ok, the wingtip on the outside is angled, reducing lift, the wingtip on the inside is almost level, increasing lift. (thus self leveling) I think that's right. ( I hope that's right ) ;)
The heat in chinese factories can cause this when they are in storage, just use a hair drier ( I did on a bixler and a few other EPO planes) Some people use hot water, just becareful and take your time. I used hot water to remove glue and nose weights from EPO planes as well
I just got my first rc airplane, a used Radian Pro. It fell apart during my first run, but i got it put back together and am doing FPV with it!. The body is warped, hella janky and won't fly straight but even so it is some of the most fun I've had! I'm looking now for an ARF that I can put a 12in prop on, and do FPV. Does anyone have any suggestions?
@xxgg the radian is a good starter if you have a little experience (flight simulator or if you have some one to help you with you first flight) .But i would recommend the super cub lp for a first plane if you don't have any experience. Hope this helps! :)
Who can answer this question - how much drain does it put on the battery when you are only using controls and no motor (how much longer can you fly) .....like when you are getting good lift from the wind and have your motor completely off ??? For example - today I set my timer for 7 min on my Umx Radian - with only 1 min left I then caught a good uplift and turned off the motor.... so the only current I used was in turning etc.... how long would a battery last doing that ? I stayed up about 4 or 5 min after that and then came down and had 3.7v left on the 1 cell. Could you stay in 1/2 hr if you wanted to ? Would the battery last that long ...etc...
Just got the Pro. Reflex and crow require ailerons to be mixed but on the five channel version, both them and the flaps are on Y cables. Five channels of the six are used. No mixing when whatever you do is transmitted to both. Yet the video shows reflex and crow with a five channel. I'm using a DX9 and there isn't a profile for it as yet but talking with HK, the online help chat guy recommended going to an 8 channel. Can this be done with the 6 channel that comes with it?
Is this right? The bigger the glider the more lift (stronger thermal) you will need to stay aloft ? So if you only have weak uplifts then the UMX Radian would sail better than the heavier larger radian ?
I have a Radian pro and a DX7 radio. I am having trouble with things like crow, reflex, and camber. Could you make a video about how to put those things on your radio? Thanks.
good video... 1 question please... with a 6 channel & wing mixing & programing. Is it possible to make the alerions also function as flaps? on a plane that doesn't have flaps of course. Can alerions be set... to... act as flaps with the flip of a switch...and still also work as alerions when switch isn't activated??? Thanks
Hi FliteTest. I just bought a Radian Pro today but when i came home and unboxed it, i saw that my ailerons are warped and it´s quite a bit, specially in the left side, almost about half an inch. It could properly be because of the packaging but is there a way of fixing this? any way of correcting the foam to where it is suppose to be? i will not fly it before i know that it is perfectly straight all over.. have you got any tips on this? it might be on other planes too? Thank you :)
I fly the Radian Pro and would highly recommend it due to the flaps and the mixing you can do with it for thermal flying. Has lots of power to launch and have about 45mins flight time with little wind or thermals around.
andgate2000 As long as you have the sun shining you will get lift no matter what the temperature is.I have flown hand launch free flight wooden gliders in sub zero snowy conditions and lost them in a thermal!
