The Simprop Easy Pigeon electric glider first appeared late summer '97 and was an immediate success with modellers - so much so, that demand exceeded supply for several months. The model is supplied in ARTF form. The colourfully decorated box contains a moulded white polypropylene fuselage with Mabuchi 550 motor (c/w 8 x 4.5 folding prop), servo tray and servo push rods already fitted. The 3 piece wing (span 72 inch) is ready built and covered in a blue plastic film (of which more later). The tail plane/elevator and fin/rudder are built up structures ready covered and hinged. The box also contains 6 pages of instructions.
Completion of the model could not be simpler taking me approximately 3 hours. Drop in 2 standard servos, attach the tailplane and fin assemblies to the fuselage using the 2 long 2mm bolts provided and connect the ready installed push rods as per instructions. Installation is completed by fitting the receiver (Hitec 4 channel mini) and speed controller (GT Microstar 20) under the servo tray and battery pack on the servo tray where it is held by Velcro strip. This is a neat arrangement that allows removal of the battery with the wing in situ. I used a standard 7 cell 1700 mAH SCR battery pack instead of the 6 cell pack recommended which gives a slightly forward cg position (28% of chord), but well within the cg range given in the instructions (25-35% of chord).
How does the model fly? On 7 cells, very good altitude is achieved with 30 - 40 second motor runs and flight times of 15 - 20 minutes have been quite common under winter conditions from the 4 - 5 motor runs obtained from a 1700 mAH battery. Flying characteristics are very forgiving and the model is a pleasure to fly under all conditions. However, the absence of any motor down thrust in the fuselage design means that there is a significant difference in trim requirements between motor and glide modes, although this presents no problems using a computer radio. In the event of a 'sudden arrival,' the good news is that the fuselage appears to be very strong and the battery pack usually exits via the canopy causing little peripheral damage. However, under the same circumstances, the wing covering tends to split quite spectacularly and fall off! Note the excellent quality of the wing 'egg box' construction before covering with Solarfilm.
Overall I like the model very much. It is a true ARTF model taking 2 to 3 hours to complete rather than the 2 - 3 days of some other ARTF models. It is also fun to fly and good value for money at £70 - £75 complete with motor and prop… Peter
