52” OMP Fusion X3D

Wow. The 52” OMP Fusion X3D is a very nice plane. It builds fast and strong yet stays light. With its large wings it also flies real light. The sweep of the wings helps with the precision flying while the large flight surfaces let it keep its 3D heritage. Low rates for precision flying. High rates for 3D. Who says you cannot have it all.

I used all the stock OMP hardware except the tail wheel. I swapped in a Sullivan tail wheel with the light spring to get the loads from our bumpy runway off of the rudder. It works well. And saves wear and tear on the rudder and tail. Bumps and jolts get to the spring, but not the rudder. At least that’s my theory.

I was not sure of the gray clevises, but they seem strong and secure when using a large rubber hose for a safety keeper. The rudder servo arm keeper came loose on the first flight. Later inspection showed my large Dubro servo arm was pushing the servo keeper off at extreme throws. A few minutes with a Dremel tool narrowed down the arm on the offending side, fixing the problem. I did the same thing to the other servo arms while I had the Dremel out, just for peace of mind. Problem solved.

I mounted my engine last to balance the plane without adding weight. There is a large range of positions available on the 3 ½ inch mounting rails. But, the engine mount rails were a bit too wide for my Thunder Tiger 46 Pro. The bolts just catch the edges of the rail. I used larger engine mounting bolts and one bolt went thru the side of the rail. My bad. Should have used the included smaller engine bolts. Or a bigger engine maybe, but I wanted to keep the engine weight down. I muffled it with a Tower Hobbies muffler. Great combination for power and reliability. Throttle response is silky smooth, with good power.

Out of character for keeping this plane light, I did use some heavy servos on the flight surfaces. Hitec 625MG servos feeding on a 6 volt battery. Double ball bearings for speed, good centering and longer life. This combination puts out almost 95 ounces of torque per inch at a fast .15 seconds for full travel. Faster than my thumbs. Not quite up to digital servos, but as close as you can get. No surface blow back seen, at all.

I did keep the throttle servo light with a Hitec HS81 micro servo. A mini but no slouch with 42 ounces of torque and .09 seconds for travel speed. Nice set up for 3D throttle response.

I also included a VoltWatch meter to keep an eye on the battery levels.

I trimmed the solid yellow 52” OMP Fusion X3D for visibility in flight. Red and white stripes running along the wing and stab leading edges. Red on top, white underneath. This is to help with orientation on landings. The dark red is visible while the Fusion descends. The white when you flare. Under the wings and stab I used black checks and black stripes, to keep the underneath darker than the top. Its nice to know which way is up. I ran a large and small dark blue stripe along the bottom of the fuselage to help with side on orientation and inverted flight. I also used a few of the included stickers on the ailerons, fuselage and tail. It makes for a good looking Fusion.

The 52” OMP Fusion X3D all up weight is a breath under 5 pounds, dry. Given the dimensions of the plane and the heavy servos I was pleasantly surprised with the low weight. Put the Fusion on a diet and I am sure you could easily reach 4 ½ pounds.

The Fusion transports easily. I am sure better pilots than me would enjoy the Fusion as a great practice plane. I keep the wings on and she easily fits into the back seat of my Extended Cab F150. Taking one wing off would help it fit into just about any backseat.

First flights used an APC 12X4. Now using an APC 12.25X3.75 and liking it. Nice thrust on uplines and in hover. Pull out from hover is strong. Verticals right out of sight.

A few years ago no planes claimed to be 3D AND Pattern. Are you kidding. People on the forums said it could not be done. You would have to compromise one or the other. Wrong. The 52” OMP Fusion X3D has a flight range that goes from Pattern through to 3D. No compromises. This is not a 3D beater.

I am still flight trimming the Fusion, taking my time and enjoying the process. I know in the end I will have a neutral flying plane.

This is what I have found so far.
- The recommended throws are a good start. I used my 3 position switch to set up 3 flight modes. Pattern, aggressive aerobatics and 3D. Still making some adjustments here. 3 flight modes work for me.
- Down lines are straight.
- COG at 5.125 inches feels good. On a 30 degree inverted climb out the nose drops slightly. Upright to inverted only requires a slight forward pressure to maintain level.
- A small amount of right thrust is needed. As suggested in the manual.
- I set up the ailerons before mounting the wings, using the wing center line to align the surfaces. This worked very well. I have no differential, but honestly, I have not checked this trim, yet. Soon.
- The plane tracks well in knife edge, with no rolling out. Left knife edge required no mixes. Right knife edge fell off to the belly ever so slightly, easily fixed with a very small mix.

The 52” OMP Fusion X3D is pure pleasure to fly. One flight can start with precision flying, transition into aggressive aerobatics, with a 3D finale. What is not to like. I hope to grow my flying skills with the Fusion. I love my Fusion and would replace it in a heart beat. But I will take care of this one and treat it better than the other 3D beaters I have had. The Fusion goes with me to the field now, every time.

Jack Skip
Pro Bro #1208

Sweet. The plane is awsome.

Dude posted a couple of videos on RCU

This thing rocks.

http://www.hiddenhangarrc.com/video/vinny/FusionX3d.wmv


http://www.hiddenhangarrc.com/video/...onVanHalen.wmv

Nice videos.

How far back is your COG?

hey, they were my videos.

i have the cg at 5.75. perfect. stupid winter.. now i just sit around looking at the fusion while its all windy and cold. stupid, stupid, stupid, sick of simulator!!!!!