CONTROL THROWS
AILERON:
ELEVATOR:
RUDDER:
GEAR USED
RADIO:
ENGINE: Magnum XL. 52 RFS 4-stroke
( hobbypeople.net)
FUEL: Morgan Cool Power 30% Heli
( morganfuel.com)
PROP: APC 11x7 ( apcprop.com)
KYOSHO CURTISS P- 40 WARHAWK 50
or using thread-locker for setscrews and
other fasteners.
The retractactable undercarriage is
already installed and only requires hooking
up the linkages to the retract servo. As far as
setting up retracts, it doesn’t get any easier.
Each wing half houses an aileron servo
mounted to a ply hatch. The flaps are actuated with a single center-mounted servo
and an included dual-pushrod setup. All
the flying surfaces have the hinge slots cut
for the included CA-style hinges, which
must be glued in place. The wings are
joined with a plywood joiner and epoxy
and form a sturdy one-piece wing.
After hinging and making sure the alignment is perfect, the built-up tailfeathers are
glued into precut slots. Mine required a
small amount of sanding of the slots to get
it just right. The included pushrods make
setting up the controls surfaces a snap. The
pushrod appears to be a composite material
In the Air
Typically, a warbird adds to my pre-flight jitters, but having
flown the similar-sized Kyosho Spitfire 50, I was confident that
the P- 40 would handle nicely. Due to the small wheels and
retractable undercarriage, the plane needs a relatively smooth
grass or asphalt runway. It has a slight tendency to nose over,
so I held full up-elevator while taxiing and during the initial
ground run. During the first flights, I left the flaps up on
takeoff until I got used to the plane. The Magnum . 52 and
APC 11x7 prop got the plane to takeoff speed quickly and
proved to be a good combination. For a taildragger, the ground
handling is excellent.
GENERAL FLIGHT CHARACTERISTICS
Stability The Curtiss P- 40 has near neutral stability and is very
solid. It feels like you are flying a much larger model. The model
has no tendency to snap out of tight turns or at the top of a loop
like some other warbirds of this size. I believe this is due to the
forgiving semi-symmetrical airfoil and enlarged tail feathers (as
compared to a true scale model). I would gladly sacrifice some
scale fidelity in order to have a sweet flying warbird and not worry
about it snapping at any moment.
Tracking The plane tracked true on takeoff and was easy to keep
on track with the rudder. In the air, it tracked like a great flying
sport plane. Although not needed, a small amount of rudder
during the turns added to the realism.
Aerobatics I found the ailerons to be a bit too mild and increased
the throws slightly for a better roll rate. The P- 40 can do any type
of aerobatics short of 3D. Loops can be large or small and the
rolls are fairly axial, but not super fast. Stall turns, inverted flight
and combat-style maneuvers are fun to do. Of course, the low,
high-speed pass and pull-up into a victory roll are mandatory
maneuvers for this plane.
PILOT DEBRIEFING
While the P- 40 is not blindingly fast with the Magnum four-stroke, it
is plenty fast for scale realism and also sounds good (I like my
warbirds to make some noise!). The retracts worked flawlessly, as
did the flaps. The plane likes to glide, so adding flaps helps you hit
the intended landing spot. The P- 40 has a menacing appearance,
but underneath, it’s a pussy cat. I highly recommend this no-fear
warbird to anyone with intermediate or higher flight skills.
