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The test flight of the P38 took place
on one of the few dry but windy days of this summer.
To present the model in its most economical form it was
decided to equip the P38 with ordinary stock motors,
leaving the option to upgrade to expensive brushless
motors at a later date if needed.
Although the model comes with a tricycle
undercarriage to make landings on the grass easier this
was removed for the test flight, this also allowed us
to see the model in its best light with no wheels hanging
down. So with the battery charged and a range test performed
it was time for one final check of the control surface
before getting ready to launch the P38 into wind. A few
brisk steps forward followed by a firm hand launch saw
the model climb smartly away, and despite the 15mph wind
it was very steady in climb out. Evident that it had
more than enough power with the twin brushed motor set
up, the contra rotating props smoothed out any of the
asymmetric thrust problems that many twin engine models
suffer from. Loops, rolls, and typical warbird manoeuvres
were all performed with ease and the landing approach
and subsequent landing was equally impressive with no
tendency to drop a wing or stall. With sensible power
management the flight duration was some 10 minutes.
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