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AJ Acuity 62"

 - 1524mm (60") Wing Span
 - 1582mm (62") Length
 - 3180 grams Flying Weight

Out-of-Box and Build Comments

Out-of-Box:

- Very sturdy packaging what with the wooden reinforcing of the box panels.

- All components nicely held and protected in place by bubble wrap, plastic bags and tape. 

- A major negative is the rudder post which is inclined to the left by 2 to 3 degrees!! 

- At odds with the manual provided, the wingspan is 60" (1524mm) and the length is 62" (1582mm). See page 1 of the manual.

Build:

- Continuing the rudder post issue:  When the wings and stabiliser are in place and nicely parallel, the rudder post is off to the left.

- The recommended 70mm spinner is just too large for the nose! I have ended up using a 63mm spinner. This also looks a bit strange but is a lot better than an oversize spinner.

- The undercarriage hold-down bolt layout is such that on landing on a rougher field, the rear, horizontal portion of the U/C legs get forced upward due to the backward loading on the U/C. The problem would be the U/C leg pushing on the fuselage side and crushing it. Flight trials have shown that this does not happen. So, at this stage this is not an issue.

- In general, the build went very well.

- I found that the rudder required a rear located mini servo + a 40g lead weight, near this servo, to balance up the 6S 5000mah batteries I am using. There would have been a lot more tail weight added if the Pull-Pull rudder operation had been selected.

- Since our flying field is grass, small wheels and spats were not advisable. So, I installed 3" Dubro low bounce wheels on 8/4mm stub axles with no spats - see photos.

Current (2019), Successful Flying Setup

Power Considerations:

- Using the 6S 5000 40C battery, Dualsky ECO4130C-470 motor and 15x10 APC prop was supposed to yield about 1606watts at the ESC. This equates to a theoretical 546w/kg a long way past the 450w/kg considered a minimum requirement for a pattern plane. Certainly, the plane has plenty of get up and go!

- After a full 3:50 minute 15 component sequence, the plane lands with all cool components - nice.

Comments after about 10 flights:

- Even at high power the plane produces very low noise - pleasingly quiet in flight. I like calling it "quiet authority".

- The very soft, "low bounce" Dubro wheels are very quiet even on the rough grass strip! The grease and snug tight wheel collars (no play along the shaft) contribute to this quiet performance. Unfortunately the tail wheel is a little lose and rattley.

- The plane has a slight tendency to tip forward when taxiing. This is largely due to the undercarriage being well raked back, placing the wheels a bit too close to the COG. Additionally, the field has rather longish cut grass which has thickened up over the summer.

- Some teething problems with aileron servos that would not center causing an inability to maintain stable flight without rolling. Also, the servos buzzed loudly while failing to center. Turned out to be slightly long servo horn splined adapter that would bind onto the servo top casing when the retaining screw was tightened up!!

Overall Performance:

- Altogether a very nice performing plane. I am well pleased. The bent rudder post would be the only lasting negative.

- Super plane, top marks for Andrew Jesky.

Installed Equipment

Propellor

Manufacturer: APC
Size: 15x10 inch E

Spinner

Provided from my stock.
No spinner comes with the kit.
Recommended Size: 70mm
Employed Size: 63mm
White spinner with aluminium back plate.

Motor

Model: Dualsky ECO4130C-470
RPM/V: 470kv
Burst Current: 90A
Max Power: 1,800W
Shaft Diameter: 6mm
Weight: 380g

Motor Controller (ESC)

YEP 150Amp

Aileron Servos

Manufacturer: Spektrum
Size: A5030 Mini Digital
One for each of left and right ailerons.

Elevator & Rudder Servos

Manufacturer: Hitec
Size: HS-225BB mini
Both located at the tail of the craft with solid wire push-pull actuation.

Receiver

Spektrum AR8000 + satellite.
Nice, solid DSMX receiver.

Battery

Manufacturer: Gens Ace
Size: 6S 5000mah 40C
Nice quality battery.

Technical  Photos

Artistic Photos