Product Spotlight Addiction From Precision Aerobatics.com

[wizard]

Another in our little holiday shopping guide, we have another sponsor spotlight that we know you'll all love. As you know, if not for our community sponsors, FlyingGiants would be not be what is is today, and we're proud to introduce the Addiction from our friends at Precision Aerobatics.

The Addiction is available as airframe only or available as a complete Integrated Performance Airframe-Drive System. The Integrated Performance Airframe-Drive System comes complete with motor, ESC, Prop Adapter and Battery pack.

Here is a review provided by Jason Pickering.

It was a Friday morning, just before leaving for work that the review model turned up at my door. It was highly anticipated as I had received word of its imminent dispatch some 5 days earlier and as usual, the excitement built as the e.t.a. approached. I had planned to make a start on it as soon as I got home…but now that it was here, I may as well take a peek. The box was opened and there it was……my new Addiction.

There is something very beautiful about this model and being a ‘free design’ (non scale) nothing appears to be ‘compromised’. After a quick glance at my watch, I made the hasty and somewhat unwise decision to make a quick start.…you know….to save me time tonight, after all it wouldn’t hurt if I was just a few minutes late for work……..
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</o> What You Get<o></o><o></o>

The model came as an iPAs combo deal. This means that all the running gear was supplied, matched and balanced to that plane. This makes it very easy to install and with guaranteed results. The other (and possibly more important) thing about that is the fact that you have an assurance of how it is going to perform. Prior to the arrival of the review model, I watched several videos on the PA website of this thing being thrashed around (well worth watching) and could have confidence that I could expect the same level of power to weight as it was literally the same setup.

The kit itself though was very well finished and complete. All the control surfaces were pre-hinged and gap-sealed bar the rudder. The hatch is held very securely with magnets and locating pins. Very easy to access and very nice finishing.


The hardware included in this kit is exceptional. The landing gear is CF, as are the control horns and the cowl and wheel spats are of very high quality fiber glass and superbly finished. All your penetrations are cut and completed, so there is no messy dremeling required.
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The construction method used here is the innovative (and now quite famous) PA FiberFusion™. In short, this means it has carbon rod embedded into nearly every stick of balsa throughout the entire airframe. This gives it enormous rigidity and strength without compromising on weight. The list of CF components is, as usual for PA, very extensive. If you’re reading this out loud, take a deep breath…..it has CF FiberFusion™ construction, CF pushrods, CF wing tube, CF firewall locker, CF Leading edge, CF reinforced cowling, CF CNC machined battery tray, CF CNC machined control horns, CF wing and fuselage sleeve and spar, CF pre installed elevator trailing edge reinforcement, CF reinforcement in the wing servo bays, CF quality landing gear with CF wheel axles, CF CNC machined double rudder control horn, CF anti-rotation wing pins. Yep, the wee plane is jammed packed full of it.
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iPAs<o></o>
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iPAs stands for Integrated Performance Airframe-Drive System and Precision Aerobatics website says “NO COMPROMISES, NO MODS, NO HASSLE, THIS IS THE REAL DEAL:PERFORMANCE OUT OF BOX- WHAT YOU SEE IN OUR VIDEOS IS WHAT YOU GET WITH iPAs” – what a statement..
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This is I believe the area that PA has really closed the gap. I know many (if not most) modelers that dabble in electrics end up with a setup that while may work and is adequate, is certainly not optimum. The reality is that most set ups really require some if not extensive research and testing to find an optimum performance curves. This is because not only are you trying to match airframe size/wing loading and weight with motor size, but also needing to feed that motor with the right amps via an ESC and the right battery that discharges at the right rate but and also lasts long enough without paying a huge weight penalty. That’s quite a mouthful, and while nearly any set up will ‘work’ it does take quite some engineering to get it to the optimum and then the combination really needs to be trialed in the airframe, which will in turn ideally be altered to ensure CG placement isn’t compromised. Really, who better to do that than the manufacturer of the airframe?
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There are several combo options, all featuring the same power-train, some with the inclusion of servos and CF extension arms and some even with spare batteries. All come with cost savings, so are certainly worthy of consideration.
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The two key elements to this combination are without a doubt the Thrust 20 motor with the unique RotorKool™ technology and the Quantum series 30Amp ESC. The combination has been extensively tested by the manufacturer (PA). The specs are quite an achievement and it is arguably the most efficient setup for this size available, certainly for this plane in any case. PA website offers comprehensive data sheets which show graphs of this set up in flight performance as well as bench test. The “live” results are impressive and are presented in a way that is easy to understand. Definitely worth downloading to see how thorough these guys are with their testing.
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The servos supplied are the new Blue bird BMS 373MG, and they are retro fitted with the PA servo extension arms. They are light, powerful and fast and their centering (from past experience) is rather good.
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The other great thing about these combos is their level of ‘completeness’. Even the Deans plugs and extra washers (for the servo mounts) and extension wire is all supplied. The only two things I had to outsource were the glue (I confess I used thick CA for everything….always have) and the small heat shrink for the servo lead extensions……that’s it.
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The Build.
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By now, after my perusal of the contents of this lovely model, I was definitely running late for work. As my work start time is just a bit earlier than rush hour traffic I would be stuck in the thick of it if I left now. Maybe I could leave in a few more minutes and make up time on the road.
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While contemplating the list of excuses I would use for my lateness I made yet another unwise decision. I would continue the build…for just a few minutes…after all, it would save me time later tonight. Besides, there really wasn’t much to do to get it basically together.
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I’m not usually one for really reading and following instructions….(just ask my wife!) but I was thoroughly impressed with the way this one was written. I guess it helped there being such little left to do as so much is pre assembled for you, but the methods and pictures all made sense and were very easy to follow.
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The tail plane and elevator are pre-hinged so it is literally a 2 minute job to mount that. And the rudder (the only thing left for you to hinge) went directly on after that which again was very simple as the hinge slots are already there. The control horns are the glued in CF type that PA favors and after cutting a slot in the covering and roughing up the horn with sand paper, I glued these in using thick CA. The instructions do advise the use of epoxy here but I have always used thick CA in this application and never yet had a problem. The motor box is a work of art and will only fit one way round. This is to protect the idiot (of which group I nearly joined my self) from gluing it in upside-down. It is held in by CF pins and locks into place then glued with a fillet of glue to reinforce the joint.
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The motor of course fits, being that the plane is designed for it, and all the mounting holes are pre-drilled. Just bolt it up using the screws supplied. I use blue loctite on these screws to prevent any loosening. The ESC just needs the Deans plugs soldered on and plug her in as the bullet connectors were pre soldered to both motor and ESC.
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The cowl is very nicely molded, extremely light and reinforced with CF to stiffen it. The louvers are not functional, but really do look cool. The fitting of the cowl is nothing unordinary, but I do suggest you follow the instructions with the addition of fitting the hatch on first. A small hole is drilled through the cowl and into the four CF reinforced tabs and the supplied screws are used to mount it. Every thing fits well here and there are no unexpected hurdles. It also is so nice not to have to pull out the dremel tool as all the cutouts are done. The prop was fitted and tightened using the supplied prop adapter. This adapter was supplied as part of the iPAs and is of very high quality, which is essential to ensure good centering.
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The CF undercarriage goes together very quickly and again all the holes are drilled for you as are the cutouts in the spats. These are bolted and screwed into the recessed CF plate at the bottom of the fuse.
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There is literally nothing for you to do with the wings apart from screwing in the servos, and fitting the pushrods and horns. I really should be getting to work, as I’m already substantially late, but….. if I do them now…..and literally is a five minute job….
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The wings are two piece and side over CF tubes, so once the mounting screws are fitted the wings can be attached. They are easily removed, but I think I will probably leave them permanently attached.
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An Addiction it is.<o></o>
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By now I realized that the bleedin’ thing was almost finished, and even though I was a couple of hours late for work the build was so far very speedy and easy. Hmm, may as well call in sick and finish it! After it was agreed by the office that I should stay home and nurse myself back to health, I sat down over a cuppa and drooled over my near completed model. From all angles it has an appeal and being that it is a free design and not trying to look like anything in particular, it is very easy to take it the way it is. The translucent covering with the stunning white trim is very affective and being that the graphics are a-symmetric, visibility should be quite good. The slender wheel spats also look the part.
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The other very noticeable thing about this model is the weight, or rather, lack of. It is extremely light, and that’s no small wing area on it either! This is another advantage of ‘non scale’ aircraft for the type of flying this one is designed for. Rather than take a full size design and stretch it here, shrink it there etc, the aerodynamic design parameters can be met fully with out compromise and the construction methods can be optimized without having to meet a certain ‘shape’ as well.
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Probably the most stand-out feature though is the quality. The review model was straight as a die and all the wing surfaces were without warp. The fit-ups of all the glue connections were excellent and as previously noted; the materials were of high standard.
After a few pics taken of various angles, and the dribble was wiped off, the little Addiction was taken out to the shed for the final touches……and I may as well put the battery on charge……just in case.
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The Test Flight<o></o>
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Ok so now I have this perfectly great plane, the afternoon off work, and even a fully charged battery. The wind had picked up somewhat but……what the heck.….I may as well go and have some fun. Armed with not only the 1800mah PA battery but also a few 2200mah LiPos for back up, it was off to the local park. While I do have a preference for the noise and size of gas and glow, this is one very distinct advantage of electric is that you can very easily fire them up virtually anywhere and not cause a public disturbance.
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In the wind that had developed, the extreme lightweight of this plane was very noticeable. I knew this day was not going to be the day for a good “review flight” but I was up for a bit a blast so after the usual pre-flight and range check, pointed her wind ward shoved the throttle forward. It took about 3inches of ground roll to get airborne, partly I’m sure due to the horrendous wind, but also attributed to that large wing area. The flight under these conditions was by no means “a walk in the park” but was still a lot of fun, and gave an indication of what to expect on a still calm day. The first impressions were good and even in this wind; a very small amount of space was needed to “work out” in. The maiden was kept short as fate should never be tempted and the wind was bringing in the rain as well.<ins cite="mailto:Precision%20Aerobatics" datetime="2007-10-22T10:13"></ins>
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It took a week for the weather to come right enough for a real test flight.
What a bird!! You can really have some fun with this thing. Visibility was actually very good, and it looks stunning in the air. Hovers were as easy as with any profile and pullout power was great. A bit of mixing in of some flaperon or spoileron, while unnecessary, did add a whole new dimension to the fun factor.
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There is a need to understand what this plane is designed to do. It is for the freestyle enthusiast who wants a specific platform to practice and perform 3D and associated maneuvers. Like anything designed for an extreme performance envelope, this thing will do that for which it is designed, with ease and agility, but don’t try to turn it into a pattern flyer. As far as maneuverability goes, it is extreme!! The light wing load means that recovery is always snappy and virtually instant. This brings those “dangerous stunts” closer to the ground than you may have ever dared in the past. All the control surfaces are massive and with up to 45deg deflection available, along with positive gap sealing, the response is very direct. Knife edge had some very minor coupling in the pitch but this was easily mixed out. High alpha, harrier, elevator, and any other wing dependent maneuvers were made easy due to that low wing loading.
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The power train coped well with the “abuse” it was given, and heat accumulation was not a problem in either the motor, (due to the RotorKool™ technology) or the ESC. The C.G can easily be altered for different tendencies by battery placement, and the PA 1,800mah battery performed well and was sized well to the plane. Flight times were not timed (sorry) but certainly didn’t seem short, and anyway would be impacted hugely by throttle management and flying styles.
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The over all “fun factor” was huge, and the ease of operation (being that it’s electric especially) is undeniable. Size wise, it fits in well between the foamy and the expensive 60+ incher. I would think that if added to any hanger, it would fast become the weapon of choice. The breakdown size (especially with the removable wings) makes it very suitable for taking away with you on that beach holiday and can easily be flown in any sized park.
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Overall Impressions
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I guess it’s not hard to see I like it. The quality was second to none, (something I’ve come to expect from PA) and the build is literally the easiest yet. Aesthetically it is very easy on the eye and the looks are well balanced. The built up fuse has a much better appeal than the typical profile look, and the aero foiled wing responds well in all aspects. Being so light it doesn’t hold any inertia so requires some power to be held on even in descent, but this is easy to get used to and for anyone who flies giant scale, it would be second nature already. All in all it’s a winner and is going to be the class favorite, I can tell. It’s a highly recommended purchase.
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The Addiction and all the accessories are available in the USA from www.AtlantaHobby.com In Australia from www.PrecisionAerobatics.com
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Videos:<o></o>

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Visit http://www.precisionaerobatics.com/product_item.aspx?prodID=1180 to see all the latest Addiction videos.

[wizard]

Here are some more photos.

[evan loves 3d]

I want one!

[Radio rookie]

Awesome review.

RR

[Skyking213]

Nice review Wizard!
I love my Addiction!
Put 5 packs through it this morning!
ScottB

[ChrisHays]

hmmm

[brian94066]

i can't wait for mine to get here

in stunning red

[wellskw]

Great review!

I am on the fence about getting one of these. I have a few 2200mAh lipos and a 30A ESC lying around to plug into this thing. Looking at the top view, how easy is it to swap batteries in and out of the plane? With the ESC placement and CF plate over the battery area, it seems like it might be a very tight fit.

Kevin

[leomartin6]

Ha Ha ha . Nice Post. Keep up the damn good work.