That's a vast, and indeed varied, collection.
Have to admit the helicopters and quads do nothing for me, but each to their own... That's a nice collection of planes, some of those I really like and I've tried to find an Archer myself.. They're discontinued and I can't find one anywhere.
I think I'm heading towards a biplane next - with a similar span to the others, it's a nice size to transport and fly.
The only comment I have to make about the sportsman with GPS is 'why?'. I just don't understand.
That would seem to take all the fun and skill out of it. Holding pattern and auto land? I don't get it. Is this really how we want the technology to get people into flying? Seems to be a sure fire way to encourage people who don't want to learn to think its easy to fly anywhere and give the pastime a bad name. The same kind that are getting drones into the news for ask the wrong reasons.
i understand your point and I get it, but
Sham i had one reasoning to buy the Sportsman S+ and that is the one new technology I really hope works correctly and that is the Virtual fence
My limited field and it's location to that major Interstate always poses a constant worry. I have not even tried some models because of that fear
With the new technology having that system that will stop that plane from getting away onto that Interstate is a Big plus for me
I have allowed planes due to wind to get behind me ....this eliminates that possibility.
And when it hits that virtual fence it automatically goes into a holding pattern which is 120 feet and a few feet in front of the take off point
and it circles until you take control again
as far as the Autoland function goes it would be great for someone learning to be able to line their plane up and watch how the plane works so they could do it
themselves...one can alter the planes path in that function...also will save allot of repair on damage done mostly by poor landings
BUT at my location the Autoland will not work
It says it goes to 65 feet and then out to over 490 feet downwind to set it's approach...that is to far out in my location, that puts in into the trees
This is the largest plane in my hanger now. It is very large .
My Super Cub pushes the boundary of my field at times and i will probably have to search for a larger field to try the Sportsman in first
and see how the plane handles before trying it in my smaller location
In my own opinion I think at times the GPS system can be a friend to the pilot.
But to me anything that helps in my safety and the safety of others, be it SAFE-GPS-whatever is a Plus.
The problem is the issue is how it is Advertised. It is being pushed as if all you do is buy it and allow it to do it's own thing while
you watch. They make it sound so easy. People then learn the hard way, that is Not the case at all.
The many new pilots who bought SAFE planes and have destroyed them in crashes and get discouraged ( much like the balsa folks of old-like me )
It helps and it is a good thing to have the ability to get help without paying XYZ hundreds of dollars to wait until they can help you as so many
clubs have done. ( not all by no means )....
......and yes they have sold the idea and as we all read, the idiots who do the dumb things they do with quads and
other things all over the news that pose a threat to our hobby.
But one can not blame the technology for some goof's stupidity.
technology is only going to get better and better until one day ( and they already do it ) some of these foam planes
will be flying themselves with little help from us.The Sportsman S+ will in Holding pattern right now
many fly to way points programmed into the controller and they fly autonomous to each point and back again
many commercial companies are mapping and things all autonomous....millions of Airliners over our heads all day long
do the same thing . Many do not realize that.Real auto Pilot is flying a plane while Mr Pilot is chatting or with a steward
I wonder about them more than i do someones foam plane or tiny quad .
But everyone does what they do, If it helps to learn to fly and someone enjoys it, to me that is all that matters
I believe it assist in helping people learn to fly
One Gentleman has put E-Flite SAFE Receivers in a multiple group pf planes he has no skills to fly that allows him to fly them
everyday and in less than a year has flew them all. It has helped him learn the skills and trial and error in how it all works
that is a good thing, I think.
So far they have placed that E-Flite SAFE Rx, in over 100 type pf models and some of them are jets
Models most would not be able to fly without it.
Add a possible GPS Boundary so they can't get away...well that would be the perfect combination and the Sportsman S+
seems to be the beginning .
