Wanted: opinions on the Micro Flyer

[Savagerocks90]

Any opinions on the Micro Flyer? I am considering getting one for the winter, but I want to know if it is the best choice. Thanks

[PeteSchug]

Any opinions on the Micro Flyer? I am considering getting one for the winter, but I want to know if it is the best choice. Thanks

Hi Sav,

I just got one. I haven't flown it yet and probably will not get a chance until next week. It's very windy today and I have no place to try it indoors.

It has a tiny lithium bat that takes 40 min to 1 hr. to charge. (Charging now!) The xmitter has buttons for left right and motor. Apparently the motor is either on or off and you get either full left or full right.

Basically it is rudder/motor. Aeons ago we all flew with buttons, one press for right and two fast ones for left and we had no motor control, so this is a step up from that, but for someone used to proportional it may be a little less inviting. The trick is to repeatedly click the buttons to get a semblance of proportional control.

In ancient times we used to climb, S-turning into the wind and then hold full rudder to do a spiral dive, then either give opposite rudder or just let go when we were back into the wind. Most planes would loop if you did that. I will give it a try if it gets that far.

It's a beautiful day here, but I wouldn't even fly my 1/4th scale Monocoupe under these conditions. (Well maybe, but I won't drive 40 miles to do it unless there was a picnic at the field.)

Pete (will at least report on motor run times and power even if I can't fly.)

[PeteSchug]

Hi Again,

Call me irresponsible, but I had to try it. I have flown both my Li'l' Skeeter and my Widget in my friend's back yard so why not this? Wind, that's why not! I waited for lulls and the wind was only a minor problem

I can't say how long the battery lasts except in number of very short flights. Enough to have some fun. The unpowered glide (from a deck) was in a level attitude, but with a fairly steep descent.

The motor runs as long as you hold the button down. If the plane is nose high when you let go it will stall and head straight down. No problem even on a mowed lawn. It takes two hands to fly, the left hand holds the motor button and the right does the rudder. The rudder action is just about right so that you don't have to blip too much, but you still have enough rudder to avoid the occasional hemlock or maple that seems to want to jump in the way.

I had to do some bending of the contacts to get the battery to reliably run things. The charging time is much less than I thought. There is an LED inside someplace and it glows when the battery is correctly installed. On mine I will do a bit more contact bending for reliability. I managed several nose landings (descending from a hemlock that seems to know that it's Halloween) and the battery stayed in contact most of the time.

Simple as it is, I think I am going to have fun flying this, but not in this back yard. It does look like it is going to need a small baseball field to fly in. I also think I would like to be comfortable with it before I try it in a small gym. The initial climb is fast and chopping the throttle while nose high did cause me at least one very rapid descent. I would hate to hit a hardwood floor like that. The thing is to break the climb with some rudder before chopping the throttle, but I think you have to be comfortable with the controls to think of that. It's probably almost fifty years since I flew by pushing buttons.

Pete

[popsracer]

Any opinions on the Micro Flyer? I am considering getting one for the winter, but I want to know if it is the best choice. Thanks

They actually do fly and you can pretty much make them go where you want to. The flight characteristics resemble a Bumble Bee insect.

For indoor flying, I would recommend a large area like 50' x 50' or more.

[blswinney7]

Somewhere I remember seeing an article on modifying the Microflyer into a biplane. The best I can remember, someone added a replacement wing without any stagger or change in wing incident to that of the original wing. The finished product was painted bright piper cub yellow. Supposedly the only effect upon performance was a lower flight speed that made indoor flying easier. Has anyone seen the article or know where it may be found? I have checked all of my publications and searched the internet without finding it. Any help would be appreciated in finding it to gather further information on the conversion. Thanks ahead of time.

Bryan Swinney
Native Texican & US Westerner
Houston, Texas, USA

[Mike Taylor]

I posted a link in the RCU forum that points to the RCGroups. It is on page 13 of this thread: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=247060&page=13&pp=30

[EdM]

Any opinions on the Micro Flyer? I am considering getting one for the winter, but I want to know if it is the best choice. Thanks
The good stuff is that the Microflyer handles wind surprisingly well and it flies as long as they advertise and it has a good climb rate. The bad stuff is that it is minimally controllable, however, it did better when I was using a two stick 49 mHz Tx from another toy. I tried the biplane set up with a little stagger and a little extra lower wing incidence. The result was a slower flying airplane with better small area acceptability. I can fly it in a 43'x71'x17' gym, but end up bumping into a wall from time to time.

Would I spring for $40 again - NO WAY! What am I going to do with it - I'll salvage the radio and make a better indoor model for it.

EdM from NH