Having been awhile since I have flown radio controlled planes, I decided to pick back up with the HobbyZone Aerobird 3. While this is not a direct beginners plane it does have a similar feeling to it in sport mode. This plane has both great features and major drawbacks. Further into the review I'll cover these aspects. The Aerobird 3 is a 3-channel electric V-tail style plane.
The Aerobird 3 In and Out of the Box
Everything that is needed to start flying your plane is right there in the box. There is HobbyZone's unique ZX-10 3 channel transmitter, the battery pack for the plane, and a set of batteries for the remote. Included as well is a car charger to allow you to fly your plane at the park and not have to go back home to recharge. You also get a manual, an instructional video cd, rubber bands to hold the wing on, and a set of streamers for more advanced flying. Finally, once you dig deeper into the box you'll see a very distinct and bright orange plane.
The transmitter that comes with the plane is designed to make learning to fly the plane an easy task. If you are upgrading from one of the Hobby Zone beginner planes then going from 2 channels to the 3 channel controls should be a challenge and a treat for you. With the additional control, aerobatics and maneuvers that you can achieve will be quite a bit different from a beginner plane.
Preparing to Fly and Launching the Aerobird 3
Having charged the batteries the previous night, I put the battery pack on one more time to allow it to peak the charge. Once I got the wing attached to the fuselage I was amazed at how large the plane actually is. The Aerobirfd 3's wingspan is 42” in length, with the plane itself being 31". After doing my preflight check and ensuring all my surfaces were not damaged, off to the field I went.
When I arrived at the field I decided to do a hand launch, seeing as how there was not any smooth ground suitable for a rolling takeoff. This is the point where I tell you the plane flies quite well. This is also where the trouble starts. With the help of a friend, we launched the plane easily at full throttle like the manual recommends. It immediately started to climb.
Flying the Aerobird 3
After circling the field a couple of times I thought it was getting too much altitude. Even after cutting to half throttle it was still attempting to climb. At this point I decided it would be best to bring the plane back in. As it was starting to come back around I had to start bringing the throttle down to almost off in order to get any altitude to bleed off. Once it started to come around for the landing and with the throttle almost completely off, I discovered how unstable this plane is even in light 2-3 mph wind. A nice little breeze took the tail of this plane and put it vertical.
If you have ever had a plane go down due to reasons that seem rather ridiculous, then you know where this story is going. At a complete vertical pitch and being at a lower altitude to land, there wasn't enough recovery time available to pull out of the dive. The plane hit with such force it drove the motor and all electronics forward in the body. It broke the tail boom where the control rods exit the boom. The wing also impacted to the point of rippling the leading edge. Needless to say the plane was a complete loss.
Aerobird 3 Track Record
Aerobird 3 On Its Ill-Fated Maiden Flight
© J.JamesAfter doing some research and looking at the experience of other flyers of this plane, I decided it is very hit or miss aircraft. The Aerobird 3 will fly great for some and be a total nightmare for others. It does have a tendency to like to climb on its own even after adjusting the tail, (if you can get it to land without being catastrophic). It also has a very poor survival rate in any crash. You can expect most of the electronics to be damaged in different ways. One common complaint is the fact that it launches the battery pack quite frequently even on just rough landings.
As far as recommending this plane to anyone -- I wouldn’t. Being hit or miss you may get one that flies very well. On the other hand, you might get one that suffers the same fate as mine and is irreparable short of buying a complete new plane. My advice would be to avoid the HobbyZone Aerobird 3 unless you're just feeling very, very lucky..
However, not everyone has the same experience. Read what others have to say about the Aerobird 3:
