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This item is discontinued. GREAT PLANES SIMPROP ALBATROS PARK FLYER ARF 
INTRODUCTION: Certainly the flagship of Great Planes ParkFlyers ARF's is the Albatross biplane by Simprop. Constructed of pre-painted molded foam components, it is attractive and lightweight. Its multi-toned paint and detailed decals make it a show stopper anywhere. While the majority of most current park flyer offerings resemble the rubber powered ROG's of the past, the Albatross takes exception. It is close enought to scale to satisfy everyone, except the micrometer crowd. Great Planes says of the Albatross: "Gives new pilots plenty of time to react-and onlookers a good look at an authentic WWI craft." Let's take a closer look at this attractive bipe and see what it can deliver to a park flyer pilot looking for realism at the local schoolyard. ASSEMBLY: When I opened the box I was blown away! The quality of the molded fuselage, wings and stab is great. All of the components are fully painted including the wing, cabane, and landing gear struts. Decals are of high quality. Wheels, dummy Mercedes in-line engine, pilot, and spinner are vacuum formed plastic. Assembly is facilitated with a four page booklet of instructions, along with two pages of full-size drawings to aid in cutting struts to length, and two pages containing 46 pictorial line drawings. The actual assembly (and there is quite a bit) of it is straightforward. Make sure you double check the diagrams as they are exact and must be followed as same. (I made a couple of mistakes by not double checking the diagrams!) In the fifth through eighth steps you must choose which balsa battery box to assemble. Selection A is for 7-8 cell 270-350 single-row batteries recommended for indoor flying. Selection B accomodates 7-8 cell batteries of 500 mah as two- row packs. I used selection B as the battery box was larger and allows greater flexibility for various battery configurations. For assembly I used Cyberbond odorless CA, five-minute epoxy, and RC 56 glue. Special care is needed in positioning the formers as they have slots to align and accept various struts. If you follow the instructions EXACTLY, things fit very well. I really liked the (supplied) cardboard fixtures for aligning the top wing, cabane and wing struts. In order to complete assembly you will need an electric motor and gearbox as they are an integral part of the unique spinner on the Albatross. These are not included in the kit. I selected the Ecodrive 300 gearbox and motor available from Great Planes. The Ecodrive features a 5:1 gear ratio and comes with a 10X4.7 APC prop. (Great Planes Brochure #GPMZ1161 recommends a 9X6 slow-flyer prop.) The instructions supplied with the Ecodrive 300 are in German but the exploded diagram is adequate for assembly. Care must be exercised in the assembly. The end of the pinion should not press against the end of the rotating internal gear. You can control the clearance by how much the motor is pushed into its holder. Slight ajustments are also possible by removing a small amount of plastic from the end of the plastic propellor shaft. I noted a chart in the instructions which called for using up to 9 cells of the 270 size with this gear-drive and the supplied 10X4.7 APC propellor. For motor control I used a Great Planes C-10 Micro ESC with BEC. This is a high quality ESC rated at 12A continuous and weighs only 8 grams. The unit has the safe-start feature I've raved about before. In order to arm the unit, you must first move the throttle stick to the high position and then back to idle. After this procedure, you'll hear a "beep" from the unit which indicates you're ready to fly. For rudder and elevator control I selected Hitec HS-55 servos and a JRR 610M-FM micro 6-channel dual conversion receiver. I sometimes fly indoors in a sports dome, which has some "weird" glitch spots and a flight line which frequently has several pilots. The JR R610M dual-conversion receiver is a good insurance policy. I've been flying a couple of these receivers in everything from an indoor Pico J-3 to my two-meter Aspire EP without any problems whatsoever. After all, with a plane as "cool" as the Albatross why take chances? I know I can count on this receiver and at .39 ounces you can have dual-conversion safety without a weight penalty. Finishing touches to the Albatross mean applying the water-slide decals. These are very thin and require a deft touch. I wiped the foam surface (before applying the decals) with a 1:4 solution of white vinegar and water. This really helped them "stick". I didn't use the red outlining decal strips for the horizontal stab and vertical rudder. Instead I hand painted the red outlines using acrylic craft paint. (I used this for the red wheel discs as well). Incidentally, when I looked at the Great Planes display of the Albatross at Toledo this year, I noticed they had painted their outlines as well! Don't omit increasing the wing dihedral, using the technique described in the directions! This contributes greatly to the excellent turning ability of the Albatross. After balancing at 40 mm back from the leading edge of the top wing we're ready to fly! FLYING: First flights used eight and nine cell 270 mah Nicads for power. The plane is actually quite easy to fly. The Albatross flies as though it is in slow motion and requires full throttle to stay in the air. The take-off is sedate, with the tail lifting first and the plane taking off in a level attitude. The climb rate is slow with the Ecodrive 300. It's best to keep all maneuvers on the gentle side. Landings are done with power on as this plane has a lot of drag. Landings are very realistic as they must be done "wheel" style with power. A smooth surface is a must, and the take-offs and landings are great fun. A word of caution... because of the limited power, do not attempt to fly this plane outdoors unless you have ZERO wind. Trust me, I'm making this statement from first hand experience! SUMMARY: The Albatross is a wonderful model for the builder who has some experience or the help of someone with experience. The kit is of the highest quality and assembles into a beautiful model you can be proud of. The Albatross never fails to solicit positive comments wherever it is displayed. It is incredibly docile in its flight characteristics, and is truly a "slo-flyer" in all respects. It delivers scale like performance. It is not a model you can "horse" around, due to its modest power. RECOMMENDATIONS: After a good deal of experimenting I've settled on a 8 cell NiMH battery (3.6 oz.) for flying. Stay away from 7 cells. I've also had good luck with 8 and 9 cell packs of 270 NiCD's. (3.4 and 4.0 respectively) The Great Planes GPMP-0070 350 mAh m Sanyo NiCD's would be a good choice at 3.8 ounces. DEFINITELY get one of those little Great Planes ElectriFly Peak Chargers. This little gadget which plugs into an automobiles cigarette or auxiliary 12V power receptable is a dandy. With the ability to charge 6-8 cells and two charge rates of 200mA and 600mA (switches to 15 mA trickle after charging) you can't go wrong for a street price of $29.99! (With an optional adapter you can also charge your transmitter.) I tried several different APC slo-fly props and found the supplied 10X4.7 worked fine as well as their 9X6. Power increased significantly when I increased the end-play clearance of the plastic propshaft in the gearbox. I did this by removing about 1/32 of an inch from the end of the threaded propshaft. The gearbox is actually "sloppy" but works fine. I also lubed the gearbox with white lithium grease. Because the landing gear is primarily constructed of balsa it breaks easily. It would be a good idea to replace the gear struts and crossbar with material from popsicle sticks or tongue depressors unless you plan on flying entirely indoors. When flying the Albatross you need full power and landings must be done carrying almost full power as well. You'll be rewarded with the neatest "wheel landings" you've ever seen! If you're interested in a more powerful motor-gearbox combination I would recommend the the AcroDrive 350+BB (GPMG0250). With this drive, Simprop recommends 7-8 N500AR NiCD's. Keep in mind this will increase the all-up weight of the aircraft however. Finally, keep this plane out of the breeze, use it to enjoy those calm evenings at the local schoolyard, but be cautious of the crowds your Albatross will attract! SPECIFICATIONS: March/April 2002 R/C Excellence Editor: Fran Smith
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