THSS REVIEWPatton Aircraft's "P-63 KING COBRA"by Steve Kimball
Specifications:
Wingspan: 50"
Length: 31"
Weight: 32 - 35 oz.
Wing Area: 414 sq. inches
Wing Loading: 11 - 12 oz./sq. ft
Radio: Two Channel, standard size
Skill Level: Intermediate
Why the P-63. I was looking for my first aileron ship, and I've always been partial to Warbirds. I wanted something that would be a good transition plane, i.e. not too fast or "twitchy", but something that would still be competitive in combat. I had originally planned on buying a DAW P-51, but most of the ones I had seen flying seemed a little too "boxy" for my tastes. I really liked the looks of the Cobra, and so even though it was a lesser-known warbird, decided to go with it. Plus Steve Patton let me fly his one day, and that definitely sold me!
Building the P-63. Construction is typical foamie... all EPP except wing spar (3/8 x 3/8), aileron/trailing edge stock, and tail assembly (coroplast). Wing is 1.3 lb. EPP and fuse is 1.9 lb. The denser fuse material will be greatly appreciated on those hard impacts! All hardware is included in the kit. All you need is glue, tape, a radio, and covering. Construction was fairly easy, although there are a few places in the instructions that left me scratching my head. Fortunately the instructions include a phone number, and Steve Patton is REALLY helpful and willing to answer any questions. Typical EPP construction techniques... cut and dig, or melt away. One trick I used is a 3/8 diameter brass tube, which I heat up over the stove and use to melt nice tunnels for radio wiring. Mark a depth gauge on the side, and you can melt side-by-side holes to quickly open up large areas for the battery, servos, etc. The only deviation I made to the instructions was to slot the wing on either side of the fuse and run 2" filament tape through and completely around the fuse. Saw this tip on the DAW web site and thought it would add some strength. Covered in Ultracoat, and added some nice WWII markings. I was very happy with the finished product!
Flying the P-63. I finished the plane and jumped in the car, headed for the hill. Lucky for me Steve Patton was there that day, so I let him check it out and give it the first test flight. He threw it out and immediately began zipping back and forth, doing multiple rolls, inverted flight, etc. Obviously it could fly.... and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the sticks! My first flight wasn't exactly pretty, but I kept it flying for quite a while. Took me a bit to stop over-controlling... this thing responds A LOT faster than a TG-3! :-) I've been flying it now for about 6 weeks, and just having a blast! It can turn on a dime when I want it to, but is very well behaved as well. It's much faster than the wings are, and seems to be more maneuverable in some aspects. I have had my share of bad landings, including a nose-first dive that took out my Rx crystal, but the plane still looks great! I've got some exponential cranked into the ailerons right now, but I expect to take that out eventually and see even quicker control response.
HOME - CLUB EVENTS - GLIDER REVIEWS - SLOPE FLYING BASICS - SLOPE SITES REVIEW - PHOTOGRAPHS - DEFINITIONS - ABOUT THSS - LINKS