Great Planes / Electrifly Reactor Bipe

[Jason Noll]

Hello Everyone,

This will be the first of many mini threads I will be starting on various new and different airplanes from Great Planes / Electrifly that I have ordered personally for myself to fly. I thought I would share what I do and don't like about the ARF's. These are only my opinions of the airplanes and of how they come out of the box and their flight performance. I will have these airplanes with me at all the events I attend so everyone is more than welcome to tug on the sticks.

The first Project I would love to share is a SWEET airplane I have been excited about for a while called the Reactor Bipe. The intended design of this airplane is a crossover between 3D aerobatics and precision aerobatics.

I would like the share what my initial thoughts are out of the box.

Could improve a bit:

1) The edges of the covering are not completely ironed down on the corners, trailing edges, etc... This is not a big deal, but myself being a Monokote perfectionist, it's a pet peeve of mine. This is a quick 5 minute fix.

2) The holes for the servos are not pre-cut in the Monokote and ironed down inside. Again, not a big deal and a 5 minute fix.

3) The surfaces are not all pre-hinged. Not a huge job for the factory, but can be a bit of a menace for the builder sometimes. Most ARF's now-a-days are pre-hinged.

4) Not to crazy about the white spinner. It's great that it comes with a spinner, but it would be nice if it was painted up to match the color on the cowl. With that being said, I also understand that it's no easy task to paint on plastic successfully.


Really Liked!

1) I really liked the fact that the tail surfaces and most other surfaces that need to be glued are pre-striped of the covering!

2) I'm definitely a wheel pant nut. The wheel pants that are supplied with the Reactor Bipe are AMAZING. They're like mini GIANT scale pants. Made of fiberglass and even recessed for the composite gear to key into them. This keeps them straight and aligned with one another. Did I mention they were fiberglass?!!!!! Not the plastic, open bottom imitation wheel pants that drive me crazy!!

3) I like the fact that the slots for the control horns are all pre-cut and ironed down inside on all the control surfaces. Not a big deal, but very time consuming!

4) The cowl ring and the magnets supplied are all pre- installed so the hassle of trying to align your cowling up with the spinner is GONE! Wow, can that be frustrating. One of the cool features about this and many previous airplanes from GP lately is the magnetic cowl system that GP has adapted into the electric ARF's. No screws, no glues, just get it close and it locks right into place!

5) The cowling, landing gear, wheel pants and the upper wing pylon are all very nicely fabricated fiberglass!

6) I like the smoked canopy. I'm not too crazy about the silver stripe around it, but I like it.

7) The magnetic hatch on the bottom is great! It all allows for easy access before and after the flight for batteries. And it's lightweight!

8) I love the pre-laminated spars that are supplied. The spars are laminated on each side with 3mm flat carbon. EXTREMELY STRONG!

9) The sticker sheet is all pre-cut!! Each logo is pre-cut so there is no need for scissors and eliminates the possibility of serrated edges that can catch dirt and eventually peel. Nice!

10) The entire bipe looks like it has been looked over with a fine toothed comb for weight savings!

11) The landing gear is composite! This allows for a slight airfoil shape and great paint! In addition, it's very strong and doesn't bend all the time!

12) The CG stand is a nice touch. The stand might be considered a bit over kill for my standards, but in any case a nice addition to the ARF.

Stay tuned for build and flight reports!

Best Wishes,
JN

[pitviper51]

i seen it in my latest magazine, looks badazz!! wish it was red.. lookign forward to your review
mike

[bigal422]

subscribed

[Xpress..]

Hmm, I am also looking forward to a review by you.

[Uncle Brett]

Looks great Jason. I have one ordered and will be doing a FG Product Perspective on it in the near future.

[MadMonkey]

Now if they would make a .60 size and a 50CC size.... I'd be set for life

[keneindorf]

what equipment are you going with your set up?

[Uncle Brett]

I just finished building mine last night and I gotta say, this is one cool looking little Bipe. The weatherman says rain for this weekend so I probably won't maiden it untill next week sometime, I can't wait. If it flys half as good as it looks, it's going to be fun.
After building the Reactor I can tell you that Great Planes' design team really thought this one out. The instruction manual is excellent with very comprehensive text and many detailed photos. It took me 3 nights of building to complete and that's with stopping to take photos along the way. Included with the plane are two really cool features: Plywood jigs that slide over both wings that make it a breeze to set up the push rods and keep the ailerons perfectly level; and a plywood CG doohickey to take the guesswork out of achieving the proper CG, which can be a pain with Bipes.
I'll have a full report after I write up the review and get some video. In the mean time, here's a few pics.

[pitviper51]

i still wanna see one is red or something other then blue,, hasnt anyoned learned, yet blue is the color of the sky.... why make an airplane blue....
mike

[sun.flyer]

Brett,

The bipe looks great!! Let us know how the maiden goes for ya.

I do wish that GP would install a parkflyer style tailwheel as the ply plate that they put on the back of these airplanes just doesn't last very long on pavement.

Tim

[RC_Kid]

Subscribed!

[ben_beyer]

Anyone flown theirs yet?

[keneindorf]

I do enjoy mine even though the wind has been howling for a long time and have not been able to get a ton of stick time. I fly without the landing gear and used the stock power set up. Rim Fire seems to perform as good as I could possibly immagine. Elevators on the plane are very effective. There is some coupling on the KE that takes some mixing out, but harriers, hoovers are all a blast and really easy to do. I was suprised how well this plane harriers and how stable it is. Looks are very forward thinking as well, and it is very visual in the air. I am vey happy with the purchase.

[Wayne]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Jason Noll
	2) I'm definitely a wheel pant nut.

Really??
Never knew that.

[G_Rod22x]

	Quote: Originally Posted by keneindorf
	I do enjoy mine even though the wind has been howling for a long time and have not been able to get a ton of stick time. I fly without the landing gear and used the stock power set up. Rim Fire seems to perform as good as I could possibly immagine. Elevators on the plane are very effective. There is some coupling on the KE that takes some mixing out, but harriers, hoovers are all a blast and really easy to do. I was suprised how well this plane harriers and how stable it is. Looks are very forward thinking as well, and it is very visual in the air. I am vey happy with the purchase.

Im am very happy to read that you are pleased with the Reactor Bipe and the perfomance of the Electrifly power system.
I have a lot of respect for the opinions of the FG community...and this feedback is most welcome.
cheers!