HobbyKing Coota R/C Sea Plane Plug-n-Fly

[ilan_l]

Coota



http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbyking/s...dproduct=14273

I admit, I like the water version and I want to keep it that way
So, I didn’t tested the wheels version

History
----------------------
The HOOBYKING COOTA (Foam-EPS) has a long history as ART-TECH product, still the manual on the HOOBYKING site is from ART-TECH.
The RC plane is 1/12 scale of the real coot of Molt Taylor who was an aircraft designer,
when you fly this foam rc plane you can feel the legacy of this genius man that lived ahead of his time , he invented this two seat seaplane for home build after he found out that he can't Market his Aerocar.
Video of the real one

coot builder forum
http://www.coot-builders.com/Coots_and_More.htm
Wikipedia : coot
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Coot)
Aerocar
http://www.aerocar.com/


EXPECTATION
----------------------
Seaplane, Scale, pusher (motor), not big, ,
Is there any way HOOBYKING reading minds?
A dream comes true, for years I have searched for this kind of plane, and when you understand the history of the real plane you see that it's really was a dream of genius.



SPECIFICATION
----------------------
Wing Span: 930mm
Length: 680mm
Weight: 428g
Motor: DAT-700 Brushless Outrunner 700kv
Prop: 8050 , 8*4E is recommended also
ESC: 20A , during test its reach for 12A, so
No need to upgrade for better esc.
Battery: 11.1v 1000~1300mAh (with nose weight)
Servos: 9g x 4
Receiver: 4 channels are enough, no need elevons or flaps.

PACKAGING:
----------------------
So here it is, the box standing on my desk.
The box arrives very well packed, everything well protected, no shipping damage.
Instructions are not included in the box, but you find one in the HOOBYKING site under the file section of the COOTA.




ASSEMBLY:
----------------------
I don’t know if 10 minutes of preparations is called assembly, but this is the time it needed.

No need to have any tools, no screw driver or pliers, just packing tape

Let's start …
Get rid of the extra foam on the wings and below.
(Advise) connect lead (not included) to the servo connectors and push them to the holes on the fuselage and connect the ailerons servo in order to make the connection easier later.
Glue the wings with the supplied glue (the glue is good!!!) , be aware it is dry fast ,
Mix a little amount from the two tubes together and spread it on the wing route
Open the Clevis of the ailerons and elevator, move/play the surface up and down in order to release point that the glue holding,
Then move the Clevis one hole down in order to increase the movement
Close the cowl with packing tape (don't count on the magnets).
Close any point that water can come in.




CENTER OF GRAVITY
----------------------
Check nose weight existence.
Due to historical reason this plane designs for: NI-MH 8.4V, 1000mAh Battery so this nose weight was needed.
But if your nose weight is missing don’t be upset, you can use 2200mah Battery.
Otherwise use batteries 3s 1000 to 1300mAh lipo.
Locate the batteries as far back that you can.





FLYING
----------------------

Feeling during flight
"Fall in love" will describe my feeling .
The COOTA have Wide envelope of flight, I didn’t feel that the COOTA is twitchy or on the edge, also on all of my maneuvers, I didn’t felt for a moment that I was losing control.



From the moment it laid on the water until the landing, it was just pure fun,
The plane flies great at any speed, gives me the feeling
That I really know what I am doing.

It's overpower let you clear quickly from any obstacle in the way (like trees near the pond) , Throttle Between 1/3 and 2/3 will give you (bat. 1300mah) 10min. of flight.

The COOTA handle winds up to 15 mph very well, I didn’t notice any problem that would cause me to avoid flight during the winds.

Aerobatics is not its best part, I admit, not my either,
I see people on the YouTube doing some basic aerobatics with it,
But I am almost sure that the plane told me before the flights,
"Aerobatics? With me? You see "3d" wrote somewhere on my body?"
So I leave this testing part open, kidding, I felt that the bank ratio is not
Fast enough for me to do rolls


Taking off and landing
Keeping wing level, I starting to roll on the water smoothly pulling
The up stick till it reaches my stomach
Increasing the throttle until it leaves the ground in a way that just a "scale" plane can give.



During Flight
During flights I try "slow and low", "fast passing", "emergency landing (no motor)"
Gliding*, Climbing during fast turning, all the way the plane was gentle,
As expected, and looking so beautiful in the sky,
I wanted to start the aerobatics, but I remember my promise, and so I didn’t try.

* Gliding, the COOTA have bad ratio of gliding but I don’t think it's too bad,
I don’t need gliding in this plane I want to set a point for landing and touch there
And not find myself keep on gliding until the end of my little pond

Water Landing
With or without motor,
Flies like any plane, smooth landing is guaranteed.
No something special for water landing

CONCLUSIONS:
----------------------
The best way to describe the COOTA is "SURPRISE".
Is This For a Beginner?
No!!!
But, if you have little experience, you will feel the confidence this plane can give.

Like
Simplicity of assembly.
Well packed.
"Scale" look.
Smooth way of flying.
No need for tools, just packing tape
Change of battery is easy.
Dislike
Canopy hold (magnets), without packing tape, water can enter or canopy will get lost
Batteries hold (gum) , both of them need new design
In order to secure the battery holding, new tray design is needed.




Thanks for reading.
Ilan Lachish
eFly boats forum manager