35RCM&E Autumn Special

words: David Ashby | photos: Jane Ashby

DAVID ASHBY GIVES MAX THRUST’S NEW SPORT LINER A DAMN GOOD THRASHING. DON’T SAY WE DIDN’T WARN YOU!

Lightning 1500

Like the popular Riot sports trainer, the Lightning has been designed by Mark Tilbury at Century UK, and follows fi rmly in the tradition established by models such as the Blizzard and Blaze in that it’s a ready-to-fl y (RTF) all-rounder, combining the abilities of a sport aerobat with the traits of a good warmliner. I call the results of this mix a ‘sport liner’, though I can’t

seem to persuade anyone else to do the same. Anyway, in RTF form, the Lightning only requires a receiver and a 3S 2200mAh LiPo battery; those who’d prefer to fi t their own bits, can buy it in kit form.

QuickieThe fi nish of the model is superb: the moulded fuselage, wing, and stabilisers are crisp, with a beautiful, glassy smooth surface. The extent of the prefabrication is very high, too: a power system and servos have been fi tted, and the spinner and folding prop’ have been added, too. Assembly is ridiculously quick – the all-moving stabilisers simply slot into the carbon tail spar where they’re retained with the turn of a screw. Similarly, a carbon

main spar supports the two-piece wing that’s secured using a couple of bolts. The instructions are good and, well…that’s all there is to it.

Closer scrutinyI’ve fl own and tested a good number of hotliners and warmliners (both foam and fi breglass) over the years, including the two mentioned above, and it’s good to see that the Lightning is clearly the result of quite a bit of thought based, no doubt, on lessons learned from the aeroplane’s predecessors.

For a start, it’s strong and - no less importantly - it’s rigid. Control surface blowback has been the bane of some of the Lightning’s peers, so it’s good

KIT REVIEW: Lightning

All done for you: the spinner and folding prop’ come ready fi tted… …as do the power system and servos

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36 RCM&E Autumn Special

KIT REVIEW: Lightning

to see carbon being used to reinforce the ailerons, with another carbon spar alongside the main spar in the wing, and internal carbon fuselage stringers.

The tail is another area where both stiffness has been added and drag reduced thanks to the all-moving stab’ mechanism and internal rudder servo connection.

At the front, a plastic skid protects and adds strength under the nose, while the cooling of the motor, ESC, and battery is helped by a spinner that’s designed to channel air over these components and down the fuselage to an exhaust.

A metal prop’ hub, digital metal-gear servo for the elevator, tail bump, locking

Stiffness has been added to the tail, and drag reduced thanks to the all-moving stab’ and internal rudder servo connection

Thoughtful touch: the wire-reinforced tail bump is just one of a host of detail features…

… that are evidence of careful design such as the wing-tip skids…

…and this ventral aperture, which exhausts the air used to cool the motor, ESC, and battery

canopy hatch, and wing-tip skids are other areas where the Lightning reveals thought and care on the part of its designers.

Powering upThe power system measurements come in at 330W and 28A peak static, which are well within the ESC’s 40A rating. Speaking of which, the ESC in my model defaulted

THE MODEL IS DESIGNED TO BE SMOOTH, RESPONSIVE YET PREDICTABLE, AND IT’S ALL THAT

to brake ‘on’, too, which is important: models such as this need a braked prop’ as, without windmilling blades to add drag and reduce their speed during power-off dives, they’re able to fl y faster and carry more inertia into the next manoeuvre.

My model required no setting up or pre-fl ight alterations other than to adjust the aileron quick links to centre the control surfaces. I set the all-moving stabiliser parallel to the grove that’s moulded just above it on the starboard side of the fuselage, and the model balanced at 50mm with a 3S 2200mAh LiPo in situ, 50mm being at the forward end of the CG range.

Blasting a trailControl throws aren’t specifi ed in the manual but, for intermediate pilots, this

I call the combination of a sport aerobat’s ability with the traits of a good warmliner a ‘sport liner’ buy I just can’t seem to persuade anyone else to - not even Jane

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37RCM&E Autumn Special

words: David Ashby | photos: Jane Ashby

FOR A START, IT’S STRONG AND - NO LESS IMPORTANT - IT’S RIGID

With the brake applied and the prop’ folded, the Lightning is able to carry more inertia into manoeuvres

is a safe aeroplane to fl y at the default settings, though the Lightning will benefi t from some fi ne-tuning of the rates and expo’: models of this type move fast, so they’re reasonably sensitive, but because they also fl y well, time spent honing that sensitivity is time well spent.

After several weeks of test fl ying my rates look like this:

Ailerons: 12mm +/- (30% expo)Elevator: 8mm +/- (20% expo)Rudder: 12mm +/-Spoilerons: 8mm up

At the lower end of the speed range, the Lightning fl ies really well, refusing to deliver anything worse than a mushy response when a stall is provoked. This benign handling helps when, for example, a touch of spolieron is deployed to kill a bit of speed for landing: although the nose comes up, I haven’t felt the need to dial in any compensatory elevator input because I know that I can simply let the speed bleed off with no risk of the model fl icking out. As an alternative, you can spool the motor on approach to help slow the model down.

Much as I hate the cliche ‘fl ies on rails’, it’s one that applies in this case: the model is designed to be smooth, responsive yet predictable, and it’s all that. In terms of sheer speed, it sits fi rmly in the warmliner territory occupied by ST’s Blaze; in other words, it’s no slouch, and

delivers a performance that’s impressive enough to keep both experienced and intermediate pilots engaged and smiling.

Increasing the default aileron rates delivers a smooth axial roll (I’ve never bothered with dual rates for models like this, tending instead to add as much movement as I can at the control surface, and then make the stick centre more comfortable using expo’). The Lightning also spins and fl icks a bit better than the Blaze, and perhaps the model’s shorter span helps here. Inverted fl ight needs a little forward stick pressure at a 50mm CG, but the model fl ies comfortably enough. Endurance from a 2200mAh 3S pack comes in at a very respectable 10 minutes if it’s fl own conservatively, and perhaps seven to eight minutes if the red mist descends.

Lightning strikesGreat, I’ve nothing bad to say about Lightning: it’s thoughtfully

Name: LightningModel type: RTF sport gliderManufactured by: Max ThrustUK distributor: Century UK www.centuryuk.comRRP: £129.99 (kit airframe £79.99)Wingspan: 1500mm (59in)Fuselage length: 1020mm (40in)All-up weight: 1045g (2.3lbs)Power system: C2415 1150Kv outrunner,

40A ESC, 3S 2200mAh Li-Po battery, 10 x 6in folding prop

Functions (servos): Ailerons (2), elevator (1), rudder (1), throttle (via ESC)

Required to fl y: Receiver and 3S 2200mAh Li-Po

designed, strong, well-made, and good in the air.

All in all, then, the Lightning is perfect for those moving up from their fi rst low-wing model, or anyone seeking a grab ‘n’ go machine with a bit of zip.

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