E-flite P-47D Thunderbolt 400
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The E-flite P-47D Thunderbolt 400 is an intermediate to advanced electric-powered almost ready-to-fly foam park flyer-class airplane designed, manufactured and distributed by E-flite, a division of Horizon Hobby of Champaign, Illinois, USA.
Introduced shortly before the 2005 holiday season, the P-47D is E-flite's first scale warbird. Injection molded in CA-compatible EPS foam, the subassemblies of the P-47D are fully painted and decorated as is a pilot figure. Injection molding allows for deep, crisp, prototypically correct panel lines; an assembled P-47D makes an attractive static model when not in use. An interesting detail may be observed around the engine cowl. Speckles of aluminum-colored paint represent the chipped paint often seen on the prototype. The aileron servos and their wiring harnesses are hidden from view by vacuum-molded covers attached with Velcro and simulated machine gun barrels come pre-installed on the leading edges of the wing. The paint scheme with its distinctive yellow and black checkerboard pattern represents an actual aircraft flown in the spring of 1944 in Foggia, Italy by flying ace Lt. Cecil O. Dean of the 317th Fighter Squadron/325th Fighter Group of the Fifteenth Air Force. A similar plane, number 11, was flown in that same squadron by Herschel Green (1920-2006), another of World War II's greatest aces.
The model is designed for easy and quick final assembly. Control surfaces come pre-installed as do a carbon fiber wing spar, the pilot, the canopy, motor mount, all decals and control horns. Pushrods are precut with Z-bends and pre-installed clevises. Landing gear wheels and tires are pre-mounted as well; Horizon Hobby claims that the P-47D can be assembled and flight ready in two to four hours. Several propulsion setup options are discussed in the instruction manual and the plane can be built with or without the included landing gear and simulated, wing-mounted bombs and pylons. Because of the various propulsion options available, a stick of modeling clay is included to help weight the nose in order to achieve the proper center of gravity. The balancing points are clearly marked with the letters "CG" on top of the wing. The rudder, horizontal stabilizer and fuselage are molded as a unit and requires the rudder be cut from the tail, then trimmed and hinged in order to make it functional.
The recommended setups and their catalog numbers are:
- Use of the brushed 480 and gearbox included with the kit
- 4200kv E-flite Park 400 inrunner brushless motor (EFLM1100) with a change from the enclosed 56-tooth spur to a 65-tooth spur (EFLM243), 10-tooth pinion (EFLM1951) and Park 400 heat sink (EFLM1912)
- 920kv E-flite Park 400 outrunner (EFLM1305)
- 890kv E-flite Park 450 outrunner (EFLM1400)
An adapter to allow use of an outrunner is included with the kit. Use of the included 10x8E propeller is recommended for all but the geared 4200kv setup for which E-flite recommends the use of their 11x7 slow-flyer prop (EFLP1170, sold in packs of two) and enclosed large-to-small hex adapter. A 5/32" drill is required to ream out the propeller. Should one wish to use an APC-styled prop with the supplied gearbox, a suitable adapter is provided although the manual makes no mention of it.
[edit] Glossary
- APC: Abbreviation for Advanced Precision Composites, a brand of composite model aircraft propellers
- Brushed motor: An electric motor through which current is applied to the motor's commutator via the use of molded, soft metallic devices called "brushes"
- Brushless motor: An electric motor which relies on rapidly switching electromagnets to spin the armature
- Inrunner: An electric motor whose moving parts and magnets are contained within its shell
- Kv: A term applying primarily to permanent magnet DC motors (both brushed and brushess) and which refers to RPMs per volt. For example, a motor rated at 920kv simply means that the motor will spin approximately 920 rpm at one volt (slightly less, due to resistive losses in the motor)
- Outrunner: An electric motor in which the outer shell rotates around the fixed inner shell. A motor found in a CD-ROM drive is a good example of an outrunner
[edit] Specifications
- Wingspan: 39" (990mm)
- Length: 32" (813mm)
- Wing area: 260 sq in (168 sq cm)
- Flying weight: 21–26 oz (595-737g)
- Stock propulsion: Geared 480 with 10x8E propeller
- Radio requirements: Three-channel or greater; at least four-channel if rudder is used
- Recommended servo: E-flite S-75 7.5-gram sub-micro (EFLRS75) or equivalent; a 6" Y-harness (JR JSP98020 or equivalent) is required to operate the aileron servos via a single channel
- Recommended ESC: 20-ampere brushed (Castle Creations Pixie-20 CSEP20P or equivalent) or 20-ampere brushless (E-flite EFLA311B or equivalent)
- Recommended battery: 2100mAh 3S lithium polymer (Thunder Power THP21003SPL or equivalent) or nine-cell 1000mAh nickel metal hydride (ParkZone PKZ1027)
- Catalog number: EFL6000
- Average price: US$79.99
