Cobra Racer Review
Posted by Mike Furcolow on Apr 12, 2003, 22:57
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I just finished building the Cobra Racer kit that I got a couple of weeks ago. I think it turned out beautifully, and I have enclosed a couple of pictures that you can use on your website if you like.
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| Mike's new Cobra Racer |
I just completed my first test flight, and it was probably the best "test flight" that I have ever had! I set the control throws just like you said in the instructions, with the CG just a little forward of the dihedral brace. And it rips! The wind was a stiff 25 mph, and it flew with only a few trim adjustments. I had no ballast aboard, so it got knocked around a little, yet would still penetrate well even at the light, 20 oz build weight. It cuts the turns like a cat, and it's so clean that it maintains speed well across the sky. During construction, I was concerned with the amount of flex in the wing, but the light build weight keeps g-forces low in the steepest of turns, and the flex was hardly noticable. Control was smooth, yet quick when needed.
The next day, winds were very light, at 7-10 mph. I launched the Cobra, and it floated up like a swallow! Turns were gentle and easily controlled, and even at light weights, will build speed quickly when the nose is dropped. Practicing race turns, the quick-turning nature of the Cobra made it a blast to carve the corners, and the smooth handling minimizes pilot input errors. It flies in light lift very well, and adding 10 degrees of flap to camber the wing makes chasing a thermal easy,as you can float the day away.
Aerobatics are a blast at speed, and easily controlled, even with half-rates. Rolls and loops are a little slow, and ask for a higher entry speed (or more weight) to be crisp. Inverted flight seems natural and effortless. I'll tune in more aileron and a little more rudder, and that will speed things up a little.
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| Cobra Racer in flight |
The Cobra should be a great race plane, due to it's quick turning nature and clean profile. It carves the turns cat-like, crisp and clean, and flies smoothly and under easy control. But it should not be overlooked as a great sport plane, due to it's wide range of flyability, in wind conditions from brisk to bold.
The included building instructions were a bit of a disappointment and somewhat confusing. (At one point, it says to make a cut "parallel" to the trailing edge, when it means the opposite, "perpendicular".) It would have been a difficult build if I did not have experience with several other foam kits. Better diagrams and more concise instructions would be a big help.
Mike Furcolow
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