Drone Zone April-May 2022

ISSUE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
DRONES, QUADS, UAVS & HELICOPTERS
37

Apr/May

2022 Radio Control April/May 2022

RadioDroControlne ZoneDrone£5.50
Zone

3Is the A "Grand" EC-130
Mavic
Number
Latest prosumer model from DJI continues to impress The build of the Super Scale heli gets

completed then it's off to the flying field

Burning Nitro We test the nitro version of SAB’s
distinctive 700-size, Goblin Raw

in association with

THIS IS JUST A SMALL SELECTION OF THE HIGH QUALITY
PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTED IN THE UK BY 360 RC TECHNOLOGIES

THIS IS JUST A SMALL SELECTION OF THE HIGH QUALITY Align RC are distributed throughout the UK by 360 RC Technologies, Units Z2 & Z3 Radius Court, Maple Drive, Hinckley,
PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTED IN THE UK BY 360 RC TECHNOLOGIES Leicestershire, LE10 3BE. Tel: 01455 637151. Email: [email protected].
(360 RC Technologies is a trading name for Robbe Schluter UK Ltd).

Contents

Bring On
The Storm
Early February 2022 saw the UK weather return a couple of storms came through. This would really helis. The latter resides in a lovely part of southern Spain
to its more familiar cold and windy conditions; challenge our reviewer, Tom Stacey, who was testing so Dave usually has many more good days than bad
perfectly timed for the arrival of DJI’s Mavic 3 the Mavic 3, as we only get around ten days with DJI when it comes to sun and warm temperatures, whilst Ian
and the short period of our loan agreement. samples before the courier comes knocking and it has like myself has to put up with the often random weather
Sadly, Brexit issues such as trying to explain to go back to DJI GmbH. In hindsight though, this was that we get in the UK. As I write this editorial and look out
to the international courier company that there wasn’t a a blessing in disguise as the blustery winds meant that on another cold and miserable day, I am only just a little
receipt of purchase - because we hadn’t actually bought the performance of the Chinese brand’s flagship Mavic jealous of Mr Dijkmans’s glorious European location, as
it - delayed its delivery to us whilst it sat in “quarantine” model was highlighted in weather that you would usually you will see from his photos of the SAB Goblin Raw Nitro
in a Heathrow warehouse! Eventually, the very heavy, avoid going outside in! in action... n
Fly More Combo-package arrived from Germany Fortunately for some of our other features in this issue, the
and into our hands, just as some relatively warm and likes of Ian Peckett and Dave Dijkmans have a little more Matt Benfield, Editor
dry conditions came to an end and the remnants of time, and were able to find better weather to fly their [email protected]

e“idvBserytorhfnfealeorbIwt’evhnseit!s”
Tom Stacey”

DroneZone 4 RotorWorld

PUBLISHER Insight

Doolittle Media Ltd 8 Front Page
The Granary, Doolittle Lane
Totternhoe, Beds, LU6 1QX Breaking news stories from the world of helis, drones, multi-
copters and UAVs
Tel: 01525 222573
[email protected] 24 What’s New

www.doolittlemedia.com The latest new drones, helis, products and accessories
launched for this growing market
EDITOR
56 Coming Up
Matt Benfield
[email protected] Looking ahead to heli and drone events for the coming months

DESIGN 57 Next Issue

Alex Hall A glimpse of what’s coming in the next issue of the magazine

ADVERTISING MANAGER 60 Buyer’s Guide
Alan Harman
Our comprehensive listing of available multi-copters in all
Tel: 01525 222573 classes
[email protected]
66 Contacts & Info
DISTRIBUTION
Seymour Distribution Information and contacts that will help you get the most from
2 East Poultry Avenue your drones
London, EC1A 9PT
Tel: 020 7429 4000 Features

NEWSTRADE 14 DJI Mavic 3
Select Publisher Services
The Mavic 3 is DJI’s flagship model that once again, sees the
3 East Avenue prosumer product move closer to commercial grade equipment
Bournemouth, BH3 7BW allied by the very capable 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad camera.
With around 46-minutes of flight time, Omnidirectional
Tel: 01202 586848 Obstacle Sensing and a new advanced RTH system, we
[email protected] found the performance to be equally as impressive as the
specification
No part of this publication may be copied or
reproduced in any form whatsoever without 26 Roban EC-130 Super Scale

written consent from the publisher.This The second and final instalment of the Super Scale feature
includes the scanning and re-use of follows the fitting of the flight controller, servos, motor, and
electronic speed controller, then the all-important first flights of
photographic or written material on the the Grand Canyon-liveried EC-130 heli
internet, whether for commercial purposes
or otherwise, photocopying and information 36 SAB Goblin Raw Nitro

retrieval systems. The Nitro version follows in the wake of SAB’s Goblin Raw
The publishers cannot be held legally electric design with the same focus of making the model as
responsible for any errors in the content of light as possible. As a result, the nitro-powered heli comes
Drone Zone magazine, nor are they liable for equipped with a mix of 700- and 600-sized components for
any loss resulting from such errors, including optimisation, that the manufacturer claims gives the feel of an
negligence. Readers place reliance on the electric model. But what do we think...
information contained within at their own risk.
42 Charmouth Funfly
© DooLiTTLE MEDiA 2022
The outdoor flying season is traditionally wrapped up with an
autumnal trip to Dorset and the annual Charmouth Heli Flyin,
taking place over a long weekend in early October. But after
18 months of cancellations, the event finally returned for its
second date in 2021, much to the relief of the Association for
Helicopter Aerosports and the participating pilots

46 XLPower Wraith E 760 F3C

Designed for F3C, Tim DiPeri builds and flies XL Power’s
Wraith E 760, that was developed in cooperation with
EPRC of Japan, and flight-tested thousands of times by World
Champions

52 Heli Nationals 2021

The joint F3C and F3N Helicopter Nationals were hosted
by the North Kent Nomads located near Dartford, and
would see the teams decided for the 2022 F3CN European
Championships. In the shadow of the QE2 Bridge over the
River Thames, Julie Fisher reports on a weekend of flying for
the two disciplines

DroneZone 5 RotorWorld

DRONEZONE/ROTORWORLD

SUBSCRIPTION

Never miss an issue!
Subscribe to Dronezone/Rotorworld
and never miss an issue

from £28 for 6 issues (1 year/uk)

Issue 25 - Oct/Nov 2019 Issue 26 - Dec/Jan 2020 Issue 27 - Feb/Mar 2020

Issue 31 - Apr/May 2021 Issue 32 - Jun/Jul 2021 Issue 33 - Aug/Sep 2021

Doolittle Media Ltd., The Granary, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, Great Britain

DRONEZONE/ROTORWORLD

BACK ISSUES

Don’t miss a thing!
Find full details of all our back
issues at www.doolittlemedia.com

from £5.50 each (uk)

Issue 28 - Apr/May 2020 Issue 29 - Dec/Jan 2021 Issue 30 - Feb/Mar 2021

Issue 34 -Oct/Nov 2021 Issue 35 - Dec/Jan 2022 Issue 36 - Feb/Mar 2022

W. www.doolittlemedia.com E. [email protected] T. +44 (0) 1525 222573

LATEST NEWS...

FRONT PAGE

RC CORNwAll FlyERs NEw siTE

RC Cornwall Flyers has secured a new flying site that will also cater for many other aspects of the RC hobby.
The new site is located at the old motocross track near Nancegollan, Helston. Members and users will benefit
from a venue that will boast charging facilities, toilet, clubhouse, club aircraft, car track, rock crawling area and
camping/car park area. The club is keen to appeal to all types of RC including planes, helis, camera-equipped drones
and FPV racing drones, cars, trucks, plant machinery and even boats.
As a forward-thinking club and bearing in mind that RCCF if locates in an area with stunning countryside, they will be
installing a solar array to keep a battery bank charged and ready for on-site charging meaning visitors will never be
stuck for power.
For more information, go to https://rcflyers.webs.com/ n

ChARmOuTh
hEli Fly-iN
DisCOuNT

The Spring Charmouth Funfly is not far away sPEkTRum RC FilE shARE
so if your planning on attending the weekend,
why not take advantage of the pre-pay option The US brand Spektrum has introduced RC File Share, which is a new, continuing resource for many Spektrum
on the website to get a £5 discount. Charmouth is firmware updates and model preset downloads, located on Google Drive. This means you can download
the longest running funfly in the UK, and is run twice many Spektrum firmware updates and model presets from one convenient location.
a year by the Association of Helicopter Aerosports, RC File Share now serves as the home for essentially anything from Spektrum that’s available for downloading.
it is a great opportunity for helicopter pilots from all It’s where you’ll find Smart device updates as well as the Spektrum presets for complex transmitter and receiver
disciplines and club/sport flyers to get together. The programming to use with your favourite models. The cloud-based directory gives Spektrum a modern, convenient,
Spring event is the first of two organised by the AHA, easy-to-use method for sharing files with modelers.
and they take place on 2-3 April 2022 and 8-9 For modelers who use the Android-based Spektrum iX Series transmitters, one of the greatest advantages of RC File
October 2022 at Charmouth, located on the Jurassic Share is that you can download files directly to your radio, and a WiFi connection is all you need.
Coast close to the famous seaside town of Lyme Regis To learn about what RC File Share has to offer, head to horizonhobby.cc/RCFileShare n
in Dorset. This option is only available for the Spring
Funfly until the end of March 2022, after which you
would have to pay on the day.
For full details of this event and others organised by
the AHA head to their website. The Charmouth Funfly
information can be found at
http://theaha.co.uk/charmouth.html n

DroneZone 8 RotorWorld

Projekt HerMes Drone to rotor live
Feature renewable Materials CanCelleD

The new HerMes drone will be the result of a joint effort from UAS-manufacturer Leichtwerk Research GmbH, The organisers behind Rotor Live have been
eco-material-researcher Fraunhofer WKI and adhesives specialist Jowat SE. These three have joined forces to left with no choice but to cancel the 2022
develop the new drone, that will feature a very light structure made from renewable materials including wood event due to take place in March. They made
and natural fibre-reinforced plastics (FRP). the following statement:
The design of this model will be very different to existing ones using sustainable products rather than plastics that "Due to the changes in the Infection Protection
are energy-intensive to make and are born from fossil fuels. Act - which expresses the option of fair bans for
the countries - the implementation of the ROTOR
“Conventional FRP are virtually overqualified for all those applications in which their high specific strengths and live appears to be in danger at this moment. But
stiffnesses clearly exceed the moderate load requirements, such as for smaller UAS”, said Dr Martin Pietrek of also the developments of the Corona pandemic
Leichtwerk Research in Braunschweig Germany. “In the project HerMes we are developing a totally new approach are still very dynamic and continue to make events
to design and manufacture multicopter airframes, which are not only lighter compared to conventional FRP-frames insufficiently planned.
but also enable reduced energy and resource consumption as well as good recyclability and cost efficiency.” That is why we have now decided to cancel the
event to the coming March 2022 and postpone it
More details on this can be found at projekt-hermes.de n to 2023. Even though this step was not easy for all
organizational participants, a careful organization
and planning of the mass is currently difficult to do.
However, we are looking forward to 2023 and
seeing you again with all the "Heli-crazy" on the
Galopprennbahn Iffezheim!" n

F3C sPortsMans worksHoP

If you have ever thought about competition flying but didn't really know
where to start, then the Association for Helicopter Aerosports has the perfect
opportunity. They are holding an F3C Sportsmans workshop day on 9 April
2022 at Helipad Model Helicopter Club in Fareham. It doesn't matter what your
level of flying is, if you have an interest in competition flying this is for you. The day is designed to be laid back,
and will offer flying demonstrations, briefings on the basics of competition flying, the opportunity to chat to the
British F3C Team as well as an introduction to the 2022 Sportsmans schedule. There will also be a BBQ included,
all for £20 or £15 for AHA members. To ensure the participants get the most out of the day, there are only 15
places available. Drop an email to [email protected] if you are interested or to find out more details.
The host club's website can be found at helipadmc.bmfa.uk/ n

DroneZone 9 RotorWorld

LATEST NEWS...

Freestyle Masters 2022

Just a reminder that the Freestyle Masters 2022 will take place at BMFA Buckminster
over the weekend of 7-8 May. The competition will see two dedicated lines setup, one
each for heli and fixed wing. Although the entry has now closed for competitors, for
those not taking part, you can be sure of a great two-days of competitive flying. For more
details head to [email protected]. n

skydio 2+ For
enterprise

skydio,the Us drone ManUFactUrer

has released details aboUt its

latest Model,the 2+ that coMes

with keyFraMe and other Updates

In a statement from Skydio, we got to learn all about
their latest enterprise model and the features including
KeyFrame, that will benefit both drone photographers
and content creators. It stated that users would be able to
"design and capture smooth, complex camera moves with
just a few taps." The operator simply selects the KeyFrames
by tapping the screen and then the Skydio 2+ creates a
single camera path along them.
There is also obstacle avoidance on this model that adds
two omnidirectional external antennas, nearly doubling the
range up to 6km, and with a better battery, users will see
flight time increased by some 20 perc cent.
Skydio's CEO, Adam Bry, stated: "One of the main things
that sets professional productions apart is the motion
of the camera. With the help of cranes, jibs, and large
production crews, Hollywood productions do really
unique, interesting things. In the hands of an expert pilot,
drone footage can be very cinematic. KeyFrame makes
this capability accessible to a new wave of creators.
Hollywood quality cinematography, available anywhere,
anytime."
Naturally, the 2+ builds on the 2 model and comes a
number of updates to both hardware and software. A
press release stated, "With extended range, a more
robust wireless connection, and longer battery life, Skydio
2+ allows solo creators, outdoor adventurers, athletes,
prosumers and hobbyists - at any skill level - to get the most
out of Skydio ground-breaking autonomy." n

DroneZone 1 0 RotorWorld

Digital
Subscription

Read your magazine on your phone, tablet or computer
visit www.doolittlemedia.com for more information

Doolittle Media Ltd., Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane,
Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, Great Britain

W. www.doolittlemedia.com
E. [email protected]

T. +44 (0) 1525 222573

LATEST NEWS...

Align T-Rex T15 When a 71-year-old man was shovelling snow in
Combo bnF Trollhättan, Sweden, at the end of last year and suffered
a cardiac arrest, it was an Everdrone autonomous
The T-Rex T15 is Align's smallest and most petite 3D helicopter, but retains drone that delivered a defibrillator and helped save him.
the pedigree and design concept found in their other successful ranges. Doctor Mustafa Ali, who used the defibrillator that was delivered
It has lots of power, great flight control stability, and comes equipped by the drone takes up the story. “I was on my way to work at the
with high end components including the brand-new Align T15G flight controller local hospital when I looked out the car window and saw a man
(compatible with iOS/Android). Other features of the T15 is auto-level attitude collapsed in his driveway. I immediately understood that something
flight mode, extreme 3D flight performance, dual direct drive brushless motors, was wrong and rushed to help. The man had no pulse, so I started
and supports Futaba S-FHSS, Spektrum DSM2/DSMX satellites (optional) and doing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) while asking another
JR Propo DSM2/DMSS satellites (optional). bystander to call 112 (the Swedish emergency number). Just minutes
To complete the model a suitable radio and charger are required. later, I saw something flying above my head. It was a drone with a
defibrillator!”
Specifications: Everdrone is an autonomous drone specialist, who have operations
Rotor Blade Length: .............................................120mm for public safety and emergency response, control the drone
Main Rotor Diameter: ..........................................280mm delivery system in Region Västra Götaland, supported by Vinnova,
Tail Rotor Diameter:...............................................51mm Swelife and Medtech4Health.
Length: ..............................................................272mm “This is an excellent real-world example of how Everdrone’s cutting-
Height: ................................................................85mm edge drone technology, fully integrated with emergency dispatch,
Width:.................................................................52mm can minimise the time for access to life-saving AED equipment”, says
Weight (minus battery): .............................100g (approx) Mats Sällström, CEO of Everdrone.
“This is a truly revolutionary technology that needs to be
What's Included: implemented all over,” said the patient, who made a full recovery. n
• Align T15 helicopter
• T15G flight controller
• Two rotor blades 120mm
• T15 transport case
• Align BL15M brushless main motor (1500kV/2405)
• Align BL15 brushless tail motor (8000kV/1103)
• Two Align T15 digital servos
• Align T15T digital servo
• Flight battery 2S LiPo 7.4V 380mAh 50C
• Satellite connection cable
• Blade bearing shaft key n

HeART ATTACk ViCTim
SAVed by dRone

DroneZone 1 2 RotorWorld

Drone soccer consuMer

is Here Drones

Aiming at US school children aged 12 and Banned
older, drone soccer is one of the latest esports. ImmedIately
Now recognised as an international sport in tHe uAe
by the FAI, the World Air Sports Federation, drone
soccer, which was first played in South Korea, will After Abu Dhabi International Airport was
get an opportunity to shine in July this year when attacked by a drone in mid-January, the
it is demonstrated at the World Games, hosted by UAE announced an immediate ban on
Birmingham in Alabama. drones as well as light sports aircraft. The new
The game is played by drones complete with directives were issued by the UAE’s Ministry of
wraparound cages to allow for contact. Each team Interior, in coordination with the General Civil
is made up of five players who fly around a netted Aviation Authority (GCAA) after several cases of
enclosure and try and get their drone through a goal. non-compliance and unlawful trespassing were
Contact through ramming and blocking is part and reported. That said, those who have a commercial
parcel of the game. reason to fly need to apply for an exemption
US Drone Soccer has a number of established partners that will allow them to operate without any
in its program, with the principle that this initiative will consequences. Punishment could be anything from
help fulfil careers in aviation in the future. Students a fine through to imprisonment. n
who compete in drone soccer during the academic
year must first learn to build, program and repair their
drones as a team. The drone from iFlight RC, called
the Saker DS200 Bantam, has a carbon fibre frame,
features proven components and a moulded cage, but
doesn't require any soldering. A statement said that the
drone had to be "Affordable, durable and repairable."
“The joy of flight is real. When a student flies, but then
crashes and makes their first repairs – they’ve become
an engineer for life.” says David Roberts, President of
US Drone Soccer.
More information about this emerging esport can be
found at dronesoccer.us, and you watch a video at
https://tinyurl.com/usdronesoccer n

Leicester MAc scALe

invitAtionAL

Leicester Model Aircraft Club is holding their first-ever Scale Invitational on 18 June 2022, with anyone that
flies a scale helicopter welcome to come along and fly. The club hopes that this will become an annual event.
There will be a competition on the day for best scale model with trophies and certificates handed out to first,
second and third places. It is a free-to-entry event with a BBQ and refreshments available at a very small cost, plenty
of parking with a cut grass pit area so bring your picnic blankets and deck chairs and fold up tables (for the helis
of coarse). There are toilets on site
and a charging area if you need
to top up your batteries. Turbine
powered models are not allowed
to take part but can be entered
into the static scale competition.
This is a scale event so no pod
and booms sadly. If you wish to
attend this event contact Rob via
text on 07506 783860 or email
[email protected] no later than
30 May 2022. Full details will be
sent via email once you confirm
you will be attending. n

DroneZone 1 3 RotorWorld

FEATURE DJI Mavic 3

Next- Level

Good

DJI’s IconIc MavIc Drone evolves
agaIn, but thIs tIMe It’s easIly the
bIggest leap forwarD we’ve ever
seen.toM stacey unpacks It to
see what It’s lIke

It’s not unusual for us to be reviewing DJI’s iconic
fold-up camera drone in these pages – we’ve
featured every Mavic since the first version six years
ago. The Mavic 2 built on the strengths and formula of
the original Mavic Pro, and gave you the choice of a
zoom lens version, or a pro camera one, depending
on what your needs were. Many studios bought both
and shared batteries and chargers between them. For
80 per cent of the work that professionals needed, the
Mavic 2 was a go-to choice being smaller, lighter and
casting less shadow than something like a commercial-
spec, Inspire drone. However, it was showing its age
in a time where people want to film in 5.1K a lot of the
time and a 4K/30fps drone doesn’t give the quality that
many studios and content producers need.

As we alluded to in our DJI Air2S review, that drone
showed some of what DJI had up their sleeves ready for
the upcoming Mavic 3 (one of the worst kept secrets in
the world of UAVs), but we were not prepared for quite
the step forward the Mavic 3 is over the 2. The specs
in every single respect are out of this world and we are
really struggling here to criticise anything about this
drone, except perhaps for the price - more on that later.

DroneZone 1 4 RotorWorld

l

DroneZone 1 5 RotorWorld

FEATURE DJI Mavic 3

THAT CAMERA The battery is of a new design and access is made from the rear.
Note the USB Type-C connection that is located behind the cover
DJI drones are all about their cameras as we know
– the Mavic 2 was the first prosumer drone to move The underside features DJI’s proven
from DJI’s own (generally Sony) sensors to Hasselblad machined metal plate design that houses
ones in the Mavic 2 Pro. This new one (which actually the multiple sensors
consists of two sensors) combines a 4/3 CMOS (like
a micro 4/3rds camera) and an up to 28x zoom lens. Despite targeting the prosumer market,
The latter is mostly done with some clever software the Mavic 3 can be equipped with prop
processing, but to all intents and purposes is as guards as seen here
good, or better in the air than the old Mavic 2 Zoom,
whereas the main camera is so far ahead of the old
1-inch sensor it is beyond comparison. It isn’t just the
hardware that is much better, but the software behind
it. DJI is obviously using advanced machine learning/Ai
techniques here to get the very best from the camera’s
sensor and it really shows in the footage you get from it.
You can see some of the test shots we managed to take
in the short time we had the drone in this review (and
our centre spread this issue), but suffice to say, it not
just that it takes stunning photos and videos, as it makes
them easier to take too. The colour balance on the
photos is especially impressive – 10bit D-Log captures
up to 1 billion colours, and HDR will pull of the very
best of highlights and shadows in one shot to make for
stunning stills. When it comes to the video, the technical
specifications are again mind-blowing – 5.1K ProRes
422HQ or 120fps at 4K and an up to 1TB inbuilt SSD
in the Mavic 3 Cine version. Incredible resolution,
colour and sharpness even in low light are not bettered
by anything except a DJI Inspire 2, but again, it’s not
just the specs and hardware that are impressive. What
really makes this drone’s video capture abilities are
the way it captures video. The gimbal is so incredibly
solid, that even in significant wind, and zoomed in, the
footage is rock solid, with an especially solid horizon
when panning. Even in 2022, DJI’s competitors, whilst
putting out similar hardware, can’t match the software
from DJI and that’s what makes the shots.

UPGRADE CITY

Everything else, and we mean everything has seen
an upgrade to the Mavic 3. The only thing that hasn’t
gone up amazingly, is the weight. The new Mavic
being about 10g lighter than the old 2 Pro. Flight time
has seen a significant upgrade to 46 minutes, and the
reality of it is that hovering in place in no wind you
could easily match or even exceed that figure. With the
three batteries of the Fly More Package as reviewed,
you have 2.5 hours of flight time in a small shoulder
bag, and that really is incredible compared to what we
used to carry about with an Inspire 1 to get 4K footage
and this kind of flight time!

Range is quoted as 8km in European markets
(up from 6km), but in reality here, it seems like DJI
drones don’t hit the amazing range they once did on
our (admittedly not scientific testing) perhaps it’s the
widespread nature of very powerful WiFi being used
domestically and an increasingly congested 2.4GHz
and 5GHz waveband. If you’ve never had a drone
before, you will be amazed, but the original Mavic and
Phantom 3 and 4 had incredible range in the real world.

Other changes are abound – more gimbal
movement, better wind resistance, and an even higher
top speed (the Mavic is now not far off Inspire speeds)
which will help with filming fast moving objects like
cars or animals. One thing that we noticed is the
position seems even more locked in due to a high-
accuracy positioning system which uses even more
satellite networks and smarter vision sensors. The
vision sensors also offer smart return to home features
and 360-degree obstacle collision avoidance in
normal flight mode. Yes, this drone is a lot of money,
but you get a tremendous amount of kit in it when you
think about it and this kind of main camera sensor

DroneZone 1 6 RotorWorld

Upward-facing
photo sensors
give 360-degree
avoidance
abilities

The motors and propellers are marked to ensure you install them correctly

Forward vision
sensors are
part of DJI’s
unparalleled
ADS system

The fold out arm The amazing Hasselblad camera is well protected with a new muzzle-
design includes style of guard for storage and transportation
an LED in each
for orientation The strap secures the camera guard
as well as ensuring the blades stay
in place

DroneZone 1 7 RotorWorld

FEATURE DJI Mavic 3

in a handheld camera would be at least £1000 on Тhіѕ сuѕtоm ND fіltеr
its own. It's also worth noting you get a really high ѕеt rеduсes thе аmоunt
quality carry bag with the Fly More Combo – this kind оf lіght соmіng іntо
of camera bag is again £100 plus and looks like it thе ѕеnѕоr offering
will last a lifetime. Another thing we really appreciated mоrе соntrоl оvеr thе
was the gimbal/blade cover – yes, it looks a bit like саmеrа’ѕ ареrturе,
a muzzle, but it takes two seconds to fit and holds the ехроѕurе tіmе, аnd
drone’s sensitive bits safe and solid (and you really ѕеnѕіtіvіtу ѕеttіngs
don’t want to break that camera off by accident!) Up to three packs can be
charged at once in the Mavic 3
CONTROLLER AND SOFTWARE Battery Charging Hub

This is probably the only part where we can say The 65W
‘business as usual’. The familiar controller returns and Portable Charger
is just a much better design that the old fold-out one also has a USB
from the original Mavic drones – it holds the phone outlet
tighter and doesn’t have the delicate aerials of old.
The software has now settled on DJI Fly (so you don’t These cables
need to worry if you use DJI Go or Go 4 or whatever!) allow a range of
which was meant to be a simpler interface, but now has smart devices
got more complex, albeit. It isn’t hard to use. Again, to be used with
something we have noticed as DJI products have got the remote
more mature is that firmware updates have become controller
simpler and a lot faster, and also the download of
footage from the drone’s internal memory (8GB in
Mavic 3, 1TB in Mavic Cine) is a lot faster too, even
though the file size is larger, so they’ve evidently
increased the bitrate from drone to controller.

IN THE AIR

As we have alluded to earlier, flight performance has
been improved significantly from what went before
(and the previous Air 2S we reviewed was impressive
to say the least). In air, the Mavic 3 is quiet, fast, stable
and locked in. We recently flew a GPS single rotor RC
helicopter and that still moved around, even though the
GPS was impressive on it. This drone on the other hand
is nothing short of amazing – it barely moves in the air,
even in mild wind. And due to the clever technology in
the gimbal, even when recording in wind, the image
is completely stable. We’ve never reviewed anything
that takes the kind of low light footage that this drone
can – it is genuinely next level. The combination of a
large aperture sensor, solid flight performance and
smart software means you will genuinely get shots you
couldn’t before.

The USB Type-C connection allows the
Mavic 3 to be hooked up to a laptop

DroneZone 1 8 RotorWorld

DJI’s RC-N1 Remote For protection, the sticks are removed
Controller is the best from the remote controller when not in
in the business with use, but are housed neatly in the body
unmatched range
It is not until a
smart device is
added to the RC-N1
Remote Controller
for its full potential
to be achieved

The inluded bag can be converted
from a satchel-style into a backpack

FINAL THOUGHTS We couldn’t
wait for the
If you use a drone for work, and don’t want the bulk weather to be
and complexity of an Inspire 2, then this is without kind enough to
doubt the machine you need to buy. Even if you find out just how
currently run a Mavic 2 Pro, you’ll see differences in good the new
camera performance, flight time, and stability (and Mavic 3 was.
possibly range). If you’re a prosumer and are creating And we weren’t
content for social media, or just like flying drones for disappointed...
fun, then we would still recommend the Air 2S – this
is an amazing drone for under £1000 and still offers
admirable 4K video and sharp 20MP stills in most
conditions. The Mini 2 is an interesting offering as it
still needs a licence/registering in most jurisdictions
now and isn’t great in wind, but it is super portable,
however, we see a lot of them around, so they are
popular and have a great controller and range. But in
terms of a technical tour de force and without doubt
the most technically advanced UAV on the market – the
Mavic 3 is it, and we don’t know how DJI will be able
to improve on it – it is that good. n

DroneZone 1 9 RotorWorld

FEATURE DJI Mavic 3

Tech Specs Sensing "By far
Sensing System: Omnidirectional binocular vision system, supple- I have
Aircraft mented with an infrared sensor at the bottom of the aircraft
Take-Off Weight: Mavic 3: .................... 895g/Mavic 3 Cine: 899g Forward - Measurement Range:0.5-20m/Detection Range 0.5-200m/
Dimensions - Folded (without propellers): .......... 221×96.3×90.3mm Effective Sensing Speed: Flight Speed ≤ 15m/s/FOV:
Dimensions - Unfolded (without propellers): ... 347.5×283×107.7mm Horizontal 90 degrees, Vertical 103 degrees
Diagonal Length:........................................................... 380.1mm Backward - Measurement Range: 0.5-16m/Effective Sensing Speed:
Max Ascent Speed: 1m/s (C mode), 6m/s (N mode), 8m/s (S mode) Flight Speed ≤ 12m/s/FOV: Horizontal 90 degrees,
Max Descent Speed:1m/s (C mode), 6m/s (N mode), 6m/s (S mode) Vertical 103 degrees
Max Flight Speed (sea level, no wind):.... 5m/s (C mode), 15m/s (N Lateral - Measurement Range: 0.5-25m/Effective Sensing Speed:
mode), 19m/s (S mode) Flight Speed ≤ 15m/s/FOV: Horizontal 90 degrees, Vertical 85
Max Service Ceiling Above Sea Level: ................................6000m degrees
Max Flight Time (no wind):............................................46 minutes Upward Measurement Range: 0.2-10 m/Effective Sensing Speed:
Max Hovering Time (no wind): ......................................40 minutes Flight Speed ≤ 6m/s/FOV: Front and Back 100 degrees, Left and
Max Flight Distance:............................................................ 30km Right 90 degrees
Max Wind Speed Resistance:..............................................12m/s Downward Measurement Range:...................................... 0.3-18m
Max Tilt Angle: Effective Sensing Speed: ................................. Flight Speed ≤ 6m/s
..25 degrees (C mode), 30 degrees (N mode), 35 degrees (S mode) FOV: ........ Front and Back 130 degrees, Left and Right 160 degrees
Max Angular Velocity: ............................................200 degrees/s Operating Environment: Forward, Backward, Left, Right, and Up-
Operating Temperature:...........................-10 to 40 degrees Celsius ward: Surface with a clear pattern and adequate lighting (lux>15)/
GNSS:.....................................................GPS + Galileo + BeiDou Downward: Surface with a clear pattern and adequate lighting (lux
Hovering Accuracy Range: ..Vertical: ±0.1m (with Vision Positioning) >15). Diffuse reflective surface with diffuse reflectivity>20 % (e.g.
±0.5m (with GNSS Positioning) wall, tree, person)
..................Horizontal: ±0.3m (with Vision Positioning) ±0.5m (with
High-Precision Positioning System) Video Transmission
Internal Storage - Mavic 3:.......... 8GB (available space approx 7.2GB) Video Transmission System:....................................................O3+
Internal Storage - Mavic 3 Cine:1TB (available space approx 934.8GB) Live View Quality: Remote Controller:. 1080p@30fps/1080p@60fps
Operation Frequency:........... 2.400-2.4835GHz/5.725-5.850GHz
Hasselblad Camera Max Transmission Distance (unobstructed, free of interference and
Sensor: .................................... 4/3 CMOS, effective pixels: 20MP aligned with controller): 2.400-2.4835GHz; 5.725-5.850GHz/FCC:
Lens:..FOV: 84 degrees/format equivalent: 24mm/aperture f/2.8 to 15km/CE: 8km/SRRC: 8km/MIC: 8km
f/11/focus 1m to ∞ (with autofocus) Signal Transmission Ranges (FCC):
ISO Range - Video: .......................................................100-6400 - Strong Interference (urban landscape, limited line of sight, many
ISO Range - Still Image:.................................................100-6400
Shutter Speed: Electronic Shutter:...................................8-1/8000s competing signals):.......................................... Approx. 1.5-3km
Max Image Size: Main Unit: ...................................... 5280×3956 - Medium Interference (suburban landscape, open line of sight, some
Still Photography Modes: ........................ Single shot 20MP Photos/
Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB) 20MP, 3/5 bracketed frames at competing signals):............................................. Approx. 3-9km
0.7 EV/Timed 20MP, 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60s - Low Interference (open landscape abundant line of sight, few
Video Resolution - Apple ProRes 422 HQ: 5.1K
5120×2700@24/25/30/48/50fps/DCI 4K competing signals):........................................... Approx. 9-15km
4096×2160@24/25/30/48/50/60/120*fps/4K 3840×2160@2
4/25/30/48/50/60/120*fps Data is tested under different standards in open areas free of interfer-
Video Resolution - H.264/H.265: 5.1K ence. It only refers to the maximum, one-way flight distance without
5120×2700@24/25/30/48/50fps/DCI 4K considering Return to Home. Please pay attention to RTH prompts in
4096×2160@24/25/30/48/50/60/120*fps/4K 840×2160@24 the DJI Fly app during actual flight.
/25/30/48/50/60/120*fps/FHD 1920×1080p@24/25/30/48/
50/60/120*/200*fps Max Download Bitrate - O3+: 5.5MB/s (with RC-N1 remote
controller)/15MB/s (with DJI RC Pro remote controller)/Wi-Fi 6: 80MB/s*
*Framerates above are recording framerates. Videos will be played
as slow-motion videos. *Measured in laboratory environments with little interference in coun-
tries/regions that support both 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz, and the footage
Max Video Bitrate is saved in the built-in SSD or internal storage. Download speed may
H.264/H.265 Bitrate: .................................................. 200 Mbps vary depending on actual conditions.
Supported File Formats: ....................................................... exFAT
Photo Format: ...................................................JPEG/DNG (RAW) Latency (depending on environmental conditions and mobile device):
Video Formats - Mavic 3:............MP4/MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, 130ms (with RC-N1 remote controller)/120ms (with DJI RC Pro
HEVC/H.265) remote controller)
Video Formats - Mavic 3 Cine: ....MP4/MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, Antennas:.......................................................... 4 antennas, 2T4R
HEVC/H.265), MOV (Apple ProRes 422 HQ)
Transmitter Power (EIRP): 2.4GHz ≤33dBm (FCC)/≤20dBm (CE/
Tele Camera SRRC/MIC), 5.8GHz ≤33dBm (FCC)/≤30dBm(SRRC), ≤14 dBm(CE)
Sensor: ............................................................... 1/2-inch CMOS
Shutter Speed: .................................. Electronic Shutter: 2-1/8000s Battery
Lens: FOV: ................................................................. 15 degrees Capacity: ..................................................................... 5000mAh
Format Equivalent: ........................................................... 162mm Voltage: ............................................................................ 15.4V
Aperture: ............................................................................f/4.4 Charging Voltage Limit: ...................................................... 17.6V
Focus:............................................................................. 3m to ∞ Battery Type: .................................................................... LiPo 4S
ISO Range - Video: .......................................................100-6400 Energy:............................................................................. 77Wh
ISO Range - Still Image:.................................................100-6400 Weight:............................................................................335.5g
Max Image Size: ...................................................... 4000×3000 Charging Temperature:...............................5 to 40 degrees Celsius
Photo Format: ...................................................................... JPEG
Video Formats: ....MP4/MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265) Battery Charger
Still Photography Modes Input:..................................................100-240V AC 47-63Hz 2A
Single shot: 12MP Photos USB-C Output:
Video Resolution ..... 5V 5A/9V 5A/12V 5A/15V 4.3A/20V 3.25A/5~ 20V 3.25A
H264/H.265 USB-A Output: ................................................................... 5V 2A
4K: 3840×2160@30 fps Rated Power:.......................................................................65W
FHD: 1920×1080@30 fps
Digital Zoom: 4x Charging Hub
Input: USB-C:......................................................... 5-20V 5A max
Gimbal Output: Battery: ................................................ 12-17.6V 5A max
Stabilisation:.................................... 3-axis motorized (tilt, roll, pan) Rated Power:.......................................................................65W
Mechanical Range: ..................................Tilt: -135 to 100 degrees Charging Type:.........................Charges three batteries in sequence
.................................................................Roll: -45 to 45 degrees Charging Temperature Range:.....................5 to 40 degrees Celsius
.................................................................Pan: -27 to 27 degrees
Controllable Range: ...... Tilt: -90 to 35 degrees, Pan: -5 to 5 degrees Pricing
Max Control Speed (tilt):.........................................100 degrees/s - £1879 (Drone)
Angular Vibration Range: ..................................... ±0.007 degrees - £2549 (Fly More Combo)
- £4279 (Mavic 3 Cine)

Manufacturer:..........................................................................DJI
Website: ..................................................................www.dji.com

DroneZone 2 0 RotorWorld

retehveebr eflsot wdnro!"ne Eye in the Sky

Just some of the panoramic
views we were able to capture
whilst testing the Mavic 3

Data Transfer on the Mavic 3 Explained

With the new WiFi 6 protocol, data transmission is even faster, with
download speeds reaching up to 80MB/s. In addition, compared
to DJI Mini 2, Mavic 3 automatically selects the fastest transmission
mode based on the wireless environment without switching to WiFi
mode manually, making it easier to use.

Flight Safety and Obstacle Sensing

Compared with the previous generation, what upgrades does
the omnidirectional sensing system on DJI Mavic 3 have?
DJI Mavic 3 can detect obstacles in all directions with extreme preci-
sion. Multiple sensing cameras with a wider range of detection help
Mavic 3 respond to obstacles earlier. In a well-lit environment, Mavic
3 can avoid obstacles faster and more smoothly, capturing stable
footage safely even when flying laterally or backward.

What improvements does ActiveTrack 5.0 have compared
with the previous version?
ActiveTrack 5.0 tracks subjects in eight directions, bringing more crea-
tive possibilities. Embedded with the newest subject recognition tech-
nology, ActiveTrack 5.0 uses multiple vision sensors simultaneously to
recognise a subject, differentiate it from other objects, and lock the
subject in frame. It allows users to adjust tracking angles smoothly for
more natural results. Thanks to new environment and subject-sensing
algorithms, Mavic 3 responds earlier to subject movements and
environment information, and plans a more optimum tracking route in
advance to record smooth and stable footage.

What improvements does Advanced RTH have compared
with the previous version?
Compared to the 20 metres of its predecessor, DJI Mavic 3 has a
maximum forward-sensing distance of 200 metres during RTH. During
flight, Mavic 3 will use advanced environmental sensing technology
to determine the safest, most energy-efficient flight route to return the
drone to its home point.

DroneZone 2 1 RotorWorld

in

THIS IS JUST A SMALL SELECTION OF THE HIGH QUALITY
PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTED IN THE UK BY 360 RC TECHNOLOGIES

association with

Align RC are distributed throughout the UK by 360 RC Technologies, Units Z2 & Z3 Radius Court, Maple Drive, Hinckley,
Leicestershire, LE10 3BE. Tel: 01455 637151. Email: [email protected].
(360 RC Technologies is a trading name for Robbe Schluter UK Ltd).

NEW ITEMS...

WHAT’S NEW

BlAdE FuSioN 180 SmArT Specifications:
Completion Level: ...................Bind-N-Fly Basic
Featuring the latest advancements in Spektrum technology, the Blade Fusion 180 Smart helicopter continues the legacy Main Rotor Head Type: Collective Pitch (CCPM)
of the Blade Fusion line, with a high-performance 3D machine that targets the intermediate heli pilot. The revised Fusion
adds a redeveloped carbon fibre main frame that‘s lightweight and extremely rigid. Additionally, a belt-driven tail and Flybarless
newly developed tail case improves performance and overall durability. Hosting this belt is an over-sized tail boom Swashplate Type:............... 120-degree CCPM
large enough to eliminate the need for boom supports. Optimised servo geometry greatly reduces mechanical loss and Main Rotor Blade Length:.................... 180mm
improves control efficiency to the swashplate. A painted carbon fibre tail fin finishes the sleek styling of the Fusion 180 Main Blade Material: ............................Plastic
Smart redesigned canopy. Featuring the latest in Spektrum technology, the Fusion 180 Smart is equipped with the micro Tail Rotor Blade Length: ........................ 36mm
6250HMX Flight Controller yet remains adjustable for pilots to fine-tune to their flying style. Also, a Spektrum Avian 15A Main Motor Type: .............. Brushless outrunner
speed controller offers improved, precise head speed control for that high performance flight that doesn‘t lag behind. Main Motor Size: ..............................3900kV
Innovative SAFE technology help pilots progress from simple manoeuvres to advanced 3D stunts with confidence. Plus, Main Gear Ratio:................................... 10.4
with the inclusion of Smart technology, battery charging, and power system management is now easier than ever and Tail Drive: ....................................... Belt Drive
virtually worry free. With BNF Basic convenience, pilots simply need to add a compatible 4S 450mAh battery, bind Length: ............................................. 370mm
their 6-channel plus Spektrum DSMX transmitter, and the heli is ready to fly. Height: ............................................. 125mm
The helicopter features Sensor Assisted Flight Envelope (SAFE) technology, a revolutionary electronic flight envelope Width:................................................ 60mm
protection system that makes it easy for anyone to fly helicopters with confidence by providing flight mode versatility Main Frame Material: .........................Carbon
and Panic Recovery mode that automatically returns the heli to a level attitude. The speed controller transmits data Canopy/Body Material: ........................Plastic
straight to your Spektrum transmitter all over one wire to obtain information such as current, voltage, temperature Flying Weight:.......................................240g
and RPM. The Avian's 32-bit M4 processor produces higher resolution signal input and more accurate motor output Approximate Flight Time: ..........up to 4 minutes
for a locked in and active throttle response. Cutting-edge Spektrum technology is featured throughout this beast from Number of Channels:...................................6
3055 and 3065 servos with optimised servo geometry to the new AR6250MHX flybarless system. This new flybarless Assembly Required: .................................. No
controller features advanced adaptive flight control algorithms, forward programming, 6-axis MEMS inertial sensor, low-
latency, high-speed operation, two remote receiver ports for diversity, and a vibration rejecting aluminium lower case. BLH05850 Blade Fusion 180 Smart BNF Basic
The carbon fibre main frame is incredibly rigid to offer a rock-solid flight experience, whilst an oversized tail boom
eliminates the need for boom supports and is crowned by an ABS plastic tail case improving vibration damping and Available from:........ Logic RC
performance. The Fusion 180 Smart features a belt driving tail improving durability and tail performance. The Fusion Website: ................. www.logicrc.com
180 features an expertly painted canopy and matching tail fin that is easy to see in the sky. Contact:.................. 01992 558226

DroneZone 2 4 RotorWorld

RotoR Riot Fuel azuRe PoweR az700 and az105 Blades
Cell liPo BatteRies
French flying star, Dunkan Bossion, shared a photo of his heli
The new Fuel Cell LiPos from Rotor Riot come equipped with the new Azure Power AZ700 and AZ105
wrapped in a thick rubber matting to ensure their blades. Azure Power aims to make "the most efficient blades
durability. They come in a range that includes 4S in the market" and they are tested by the most aggressive
and 6S options, with all rated to 100C. pilots in the world such as Dunkan, Kenny Ko and Sakkarin
CD Kongthon. Here he has the new tri setup of main and tail
Specifications blades fitted to his SAB Goblin Raw.
Nominal Voltage:........................................ 14.8V
Cells:.............................................................. 4S Available from:........ Azure Power
Capacity:..............................................1500mAh Website: ................. azurepowerusa.com
Discharge Rate (Cont/Burst):.............. 100C/200C Contact: .................. Via website
Max Charge Rate: ...........................................5C
Dimensions: ....................................35x40x77mm es15 Motion ContRol eleCtRiC sCRewdRiveR
Discharge Lead:............................................XT60
Balance lead.............................................. JST-XH The ES15 is an updated smart motion controlled electric screwdriver with long working
Weight: ...................................................... 189g time, faster speed and higher electric torque. It features a built-in coreless motor with
1:64 reduction gear to ensure faster rotation speeds of up to 470RPM load-free
Specifications: and large electric torque to suit precision repair work. Equipped with SMT32
Nominal Voltage:........................................ 22.2V MCU and 3-axis gyro sensor with motion control, it enables the user to operate
Cells:.............................................................. 6S it in both directions with just a slight moment. It is powered by rechargeable
Capacity:..............................................1300mAh 800mAh LiPo battery providing up to 6 hours load-free working time
Discharge Rate (Cont./Burst):............. 100C/200C continuously. A 32x128mm OLED screen displays the working status
Max Charge Rate: ...........................................5C and standard 4mm diameter socket compatible with 4mm hex-type and
Dimensions: ....................................53x35x77mm 800-type shank precision screwdriver bits. The slim 304 stainless steel
Discharge Lead:............................................XT60 housing has an anti-slip pen-shape design so it just feels like holding a
Balance lead.............................................. JST-XH pen when you using it. It comes with 16 carefully selected bits to suit
Weight: ...................................................... 243g most electronical devices.

Specifications: Specifications:
Nominal Voltage:........................................ 22.2V Model: ES15 Smart Motion Control Electric Screwdriver
Cells:.............................................................. 6S Power Source: .................800mAh 14500 LiPo battery
Capacity:..............................................1500mAh Working Voltage:..........................................DC 3-5V
Discharge Rate (Cont./Burst):............. 100C/200C Torque: ............ 1.6kgf.cm (electric)/20kgf.cm (manual)
Max Charge Rate: ...........................................5C Load-Free Speed:.............470r/min(5 class adjustable)
Dimensions: .................................56.5x35x77mm Screwdriver Bits:.......................................................
Discharge Lead:............................................XT60
Balance lead.............................................. JST-XH PH000, PH00, PH1, U2.6,W1.5, T5, T6, T8,T9, T10,
Weight: ...................................................... 243g TR3, P2, P5, Y0.6, Y1, H1.5, H2.0, T2, T3, T4, SL1.5,
SL2.0, SL3.0, Triangle 2.3
Rotor Riot Fuel Cell 4S 1500mAh 100C LiPo Battery Overall Length:..............................................146mm
Rotor Riot Fuel Cell 6S 1300mAh 100C LiPo Battery Net Weight: ..................................................... 120g
Rotor Riot Fuel Cell 6S 1500mAh 100C LiPo Battery
Package Includes:
Available From: ....... Rotor Riot • ES15 Motion Control Electric Screwdriver
Website: ................. www.rotorriot.com • 4mm Screwdriver Set (includes 24pcs)
Contact: .................. Via website
Available from: ........ Team BlackSheep
Website: ................. www.team-blacksheep.com
Contact: .................. Via website

DroneZone 2 5 RotorWorld

FEATURE Roban EC-130 Super Scale

SIGNING OFF TH

In the second part of our scale
feature on the 800-sIze roban
ec-130 super scale,we look at
the equIpment InstallatIon,
setup and flIght test

In the previous issue, we outlined the assembly of the
Roban EC-130 Super Scale kit, and now we will be
focusing on the installation of the electronics, setup
and the flight performance of this beautiful model.
With a selection of components from Scorpion, MKS,
Bavarian Demon and OptiPower, we have everything
we need to complete the EC-130 ahead of the flight
performance test.

SERVO SETUP
Starting with the servos, we were lucky to have support
from MKS who provided a full set from their aircraft
range. We used three MKS HV777A+ high-torque mid-
speed standard-sized digital servos. These are aircraft-
specific, but have the power and speed that is perfect
for our Super Scale model. With an impressive 40.4kg-
cm of torque and a speed of 0.10 seconds at 8.2V, the
HV777A+ gives a combined total power of 121.5kg
to the swashplate. One of the critical components of the
EC-130 is the tail servo. Fenestron tail fan units require
a high-torque servo with a recommended 30kg or
above to overcome the power of the nine blades, whilst
the speed of the servo is less critical. For this reason,
we used another MKS HV777A+ servo for its holding
power and torque. The digital servo features an alloy
casing, metal gears and double ball-raced outputs.

For the flybarless controller we picked a Bavarian
Demon Axon. The Axon has a fabulous reputation
for great performance in scale models as well as 3D
machines. The super compact unit has an alloy case
that is anodised in red, then inside the case is one
of the highest specification flight controllers currently
available. With its 32-bit technology, intelligent
vibration monitoring, three switchable banking, internal
governor and IOS/Android App it really has got
everything we needed and more.

As we are using our Spektrum iX12 transmitter we
installed a AR8010T receiver. We also installed two
Spektrum satellites within the fuselage to give us the
best possible signal. This uses DMSX technology, which
is Spektrum's most robust protocol for maintaining
maximum communication to the EC-130.

DroneZone 2 6 RotorWorld

HE SUPER SCALE

DroneZone 2 7 RotorWorld

FEATURE Roban EC-130 Super Scale A full set of MKS servos were
used in the build

ULTIMATE MOTOR CHOICE The HV777A+
is a high-torque
For such a large model, the EC-130 has a tight mid-speed
clearance around the motor so it is important to make standard-sized
sure your motor choice has a can size of around digital servo
50mm in diameter or less. Scorpion kindly sent us a
HKII-4035-520KV Ultimate brushless motor. With its Three MKS
49.5mm size, it was perfect for the Roban mechanics. HV777A+ servos
To control the motor, Scorpion also sent us a Tribunus control the
II 14-200A speed controller. The Tribunus range has swashplate
amazing specifications and are highly capable speed
controllers. The 200Aunit can cope with a peak current
of 250A, and can handle between 14V and 61V 14S
LiPo input. The Tribunus 200A also has an internal BEC
from 5.1V to 8.3V at 10A.

To power our system, we were pleased to have
the opportunity to use OptiPower flight packs for this
review. A pair of OptiPower 5800mAh Ultra 6S packs
were used and these fitted perfectly in the battery
compartment with ease. With a 100C rating, the
OptiPower Ultra LiPos s will provide great flight time
and satisfy the most demanding of pilots. To power the
lighting system, we used an OptiPower 2150mAh 2S
LiPo that fitted perfectly in between the two main flight
packs. We added some foam packing to the floor of the
fuselage to hold the flight packs firmly in place.

INSTALL A mesh piece covers the air vent The same, high-spec MKS servo was used for the tail
that allows a flow of cooling air
The EC-130 is a spacious model so there is plenty of through the fuselage
room for a nice clean installation of all the electronics.
However, it is important to install and test everything
ahead of the fitting the mechanics into the fuselage. The
three MKS HV777A+ cyclic servos are mounted in a
row behind the main shaft. The servo control linkages
connect to the swashplate via 90-degree levers. The
HV777A+ tail pitch servo mounts directly to the tail
boom via an alloy clamp that wraps around the boom
itself. It is critical that this is correctly set up before you
install the mechanics as there is no way to adjust it once
installed. We chose to mount the Bavarian Demon Axon
on the left-hand carbon side frame, and this makes it
possible to adjust the flight controller to fine-tune the
flight performance once the model is finished.

We had no trouble mounting the Tribunus 200A
speed controller and elected to mount this on the
opposite side to the flight controller. We didn’t need
to mount an external BEC as the Tribunus has a high-
voltage, high-amp BEC integrated into it, so it does look
a little sparse inside.

The Scorpion HKII-4035-520KV Ultimate motor sits
proudly on the top of the airframe, bolted directly to an
alloy motor mount, with the latter featuring integrated
cooling fins to help draw heat away from the motor
itself. The motor shaft is supported at its end with a
bearing to help retain the belt tension when under load.
Both the motor mount and lower bearing mount have
slots to allow adjustment for different motor pinions.

For the flybarless The Axon flight
controller we controller was
went with a connected up using the
Bavarian Demon included wiring harness
Axon
The matching
set of Scorpion
motor and speed
controller would
provide all the
power needed for
this large scale
model

DroneZone 2 8 RotorWorld

The Scorpion motor drives the main shaft via a belt system A matching gold and black speed controller sits on
one side

The final part of the electronics package was the super-clean. Once the electronics were installed into the screws are tightened to hold it firmly in place. Finally,
Spektrum AR8010T receiver and pair of matching mechanics, we powered up the EC-130 and conducted the four screws at the bottom of the mechanics can be
satellites. The main receiver was mounted near to the a full systems check including running the motor to set an fully tightened. This part of the assembly is a little fiddly
Axon to make for a tidy installation of the wires between approximate head speed of 1250RPM. When we were and can involve fitting and removing the mechanics a
the two. The satellites were mounted as far away from happy with the setup, we slipped the mechanics into the few times to gain the best alinement of the Fenestron.
the electronics and carbon fibre components as possible fuselage and mounted them with the four screws into the Once everything is lined up and tight the assembly is
to give the clearest signal reception. We mounted these plywood base. The mechanics have to be adjusted so strong and flex free.
directly to the plywood base with double-sided tape. the Fenestron fan assembly sits centrally into its shroud.
There are various holes in both the carbon side frames It is recommended to put tape around the fan shroud to With the model build complete, we checked the
that are perfect for securing wires with cable ties, and protect the paintwork while test fitting the mechanics. centre of gravity, and found we needed to add about
the finished installation really makes the EC-130 look Once the Fenestron is lined up with the shroud, the five 800g of weight to the front of the battery tray to
achieve the correct centre of gravity.

A quick check to make sure everything was working before installing the mechanics into the fuselage

DroneZone 2 9 RotorWorld

FEATURE Roban EC-130 Super Scale

Settings Pitch Throttle Head Speed Every scale heli
Flight Mode +10 to -4 60% Straight line 1250RPM build needs a pilot!
Normal +10 to -4 0% Straight Line N/A
Throttle Hold The three OptiPower batteries, two
main packs and one for powering the
lighting system

FLIGHT PERFORMANCE
With such a large model as the EC-130, the first flight is
always going to be a 'heart in the mouth' moment. After
conducting a full inspection and completing a range
check, it was time to fit the front cockpit section of the
fuselage. This is easy to do and once lined up with the
magnets, a pair of screws hold it firmly in place, and
then it was then time to spall the EC-130 up for the
first time. We had set the head speed on the bench to
approximately 1250RPM without the main blades fitted
so expected the head speed to be lower with the blades
installed. And this proved to be the case as the EC-130
wouldn’t lift off even with full pitch applied. We used
our handheld tacho to raise the head speed until we
were set at the required 1250RPM. Now the EC-130
lifted off into a stable hover. We did notice the main
blade tracking was out a little so corrected this with
only a few turns on the blade grip linkages.

The Bavarian Demon Axon flight controller gave
great stability, and this allowed us to focus on the
tail performance. The tail did show signs of a slow
oscillation, so we landed and raised the tail gain within
the Axon flight controller. Once back in the hover the
EC-130 tail was perfect and showed good control and
holding in both directions. Now we were happy with
the setup it was time to fly some circuits for the review
photos. Lazy figure of eights were a delight and the EC-
130 looked stunning as it flew, and the colour scheme
really stood out against the blue sky.

DroneZone 3 0 RotorWorld

DroneZone 3 1 RotorWorld

FEATURE Roban EC-130 Super Scale

For a large and heavy model, the EC-130 is CONCLUSIONS Roban EC-130 Super Scale
surprisingly agile and we were able to push the EC- The EC-130 Super Scale is the latest in a long line
130 into some tight steep turns and also gentle stall of Fenestron tailed models to come from Roban. Its What’s in the Box:
turns. Pushing the nose down allowed the EC-130 undoubted good looks is equalled by its impressive • Pre painted 3-piece fuselage with pre-installed plywood framework
to accelerate quickly for some high-speed cruising. flight performance and it has received admiring • Preformed and painted metal undercarriage
Slowing the model down was drama-free and the glances wherever we have taken it. The Fenestron tail • Three 700mm main blades
EC-130 would settle back down into a stable hover. A sounds almost turbine like and this adds to the overall • Full 800-sized Super Scale mechanics
model of this size and weight can be caught out when enjoyment of owning and operating this large model. • Pre-assembled Fenestron tail fan unit
conducting a downwind turn, but with a bit of collective The fit and finish of the kit is exceptional with its high- • Full cockpit interior including instrumentation lighting
input any height loss was kept to a minimum. When quality pre painted finish and great scale detailing. The • Navigation light set
rotating the tail, we could hear the Fenestron working EC-130 is a quick and easy build that anyone could
hard to compensate for the increased torque reaction. tackle with only basic tools. What’s We Used:
The Fenestron sounds almost turbine-like and adds • MKS HV777A+ servos (x4)
to the overall effect you experience when flying the The Bavarian Demon Axon worked very well in • Bavarian Demon Axon 3-Axis Flybarless System
EC-130. When using the OptiPower 5800mAh flight collaboration with the MKS HV777A+ tail servo that • Scorpion Tribunus II 14-200A SBEC Speed Controller
packs we saw flight times of around eight minutes, and resulted in impressive tail control and authority. We • Scorpion HKII-4035-520kV – Ultimate Motor
this took the flight packs down to around 25 per cent have really enjoyed building and flying this impressive • OptiPower 5800mAh 6S Ultra Flight Pack (x2)
so perfect in terms of flight time. The Scorpion Tribunus model. Roban has again produced a fantastic model
200A speed controller and motor didn’t even break and we highly recommend it. n Product Specifications:
a sweat, and both were at a more than acceptable Completion Level:........................................................Assembly kit
temperature after a full flight. The EC-130 has a large Thanks Main Rotor Head Type:.................Collective Pitch (CCPM) Flybarless
air scoop above the cockpit that is directly in line with Swashplate Type:....................................................... 120-degrees
the motor, so once in forward flight a good amount Thanks to Michael Binder at Roban, Georges van Gansen and Tony Main Rotor Diameter: ...................................................... 1660mm
of cooling air will flow over the motor. After checking Tseung at Scorpion Power System, Nick at MKS Servos, Joachim Main Rotor Blade Length:.............................................. 700mm (3)
the flight logs from the speed controller we could see Eulefeld at Bavarian Demon and finally Chris Clark at OptiPower for Tail blades:.................................................................... 53mm (9)
very low peak amps of about 70 to 80A so we might their help and support with this review. Battery:.........................................................12S 4000-6000mAh
change the speed controller for the lower amp-rated
Tribunus 130A 12S speed controller instead. Motor Type:.................................... 700-800 class with 450-520kV
Maximum Size Motor: ............................................50mm diameter
“Its undoubted good looks is equalled Tail Drive:..............................................................................Tube
by its impressive flight performance...” Main Gear Ratio:.................................................................. 9.43
Length:........................................................................... 1760mm
Height: ............................................................................ 500mm
Width: ............................................................................. 368mm
Weight:.....................approximately 8500g ready to fly with battery
Main Frame Material:.............Carbon side frames with alloy spacers
Body Material:...............................................Pre-painted fibreglass
Approximate Flight Time: ....................................................... 8min
Experience Level: ...........................................................Advanced
Recommended Environment:.............................................. Outdoor

Contact:
Manufacturer:..........................................................Roban Models
Website: .....................................................www.robanmodel.com

DroneZone 3 2 RotorWorld

DroneZone 3 3 RotorWorld

THROUGH THE LENS

April 2022 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
May 2022 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

25 26 27 28 29 30 We used the awesome DJI Mavic 3 to take this image in the dark of a night over the Essex countryside and
23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 whilst you may think that it is, “Just another panoramic photo”, when you look at the data it really shows how
incredibly stable the drone is and the performance of the
camera and gimbal.The Hasselblad L2D-20c camera features
a 24mm fixed-length lens, that was open for a quarter of a
second to take the image in crazy wind - bear in mind you
cannot really hold an SLR camera that still without natural
body movement affecting the result. Simply amazing...

FEATURE SAB Goblin Raw 700 Nitro

TexT and phoTos dave dijkmans / aCTion phoTos andre kesel

THE RAW G

The new Goblin raw 700 niTro is The liGhTesT niTro-powered heli of iTs size from sab
ThaT The manufaCTurer has developed To feel like an eleCTriC model in iTs performanCe

With the new nitro-powered Raw, SAB alloy rotor head, and ultra-light tail case with quick other bigger boxes. All the CNC parts come protected
Heli Division has released a super-light tail fin replacement, which is similar to the tail fin of with foam trays to avoid scratching. The rest of the parts
machine, developed with the aid of the Goblin Thunder T-Line. All these new upgrades all well marked in plastic bags, are numbered and
feedback from both its customers and their own list of implemented on the Raw does not only make it easier correspond to the assembly procedure on the manual.
factory pilots. The Raw has been defined in a number than ever to build and maintain but, it also makes this
of ways, offering fans of the Goblin helicopter line machine much more crash durable and all of this with In the manual you will find included a sheet named
“More of what they love” at a cheaper price! an RTF airframe weight of just 4000g (RTF no fuel). "Maintenance" and here SAB explains some of the
key points of the helicopter where you should pay
The new fully-enclosed power train, similar to UNBOXING attention. Although helicopters are prepared today
the Raw 700 and Kraken 580, is perhaps the most for more radical 3D all have wear and require
notable change compared with other Goblins. You will The kit is presented in the usual professional manner. maintenance. You will also find a sheet marked up
notice this immediately as soon as you open one of When you open the box, the first thing you will find "Tips & Tricks" that will also help with the ownership
the smaller boxes inside the Raw box. However, there is the visually-appealing green manual printed in full experience. A true unboxing experience that you will
are other great improvements compared with the rest colour and a product card with the serial number to expect from a brand like SAB!
of the Goblin range. register your kit online via www.goblin-helicopter.com.
The rest of the parts are located in black boxes filled DESIGN
The new Goblin Raw is packed with upgrades, for with form foam, and all loose parts are nicely classified
example there is a single belt shaft for the transmission in numbered plastic bags. The canopy and boom come At first glance, the new Raw 700 Nitro doesn't look at
and the tail, which makes the build and the maintenance very well protected in a massive foam insert inside two all like any other Goblin model, which is a remarkable
much easier. It also has a new and improved ultra-light achievement, considering the previous Black Thunder

DroneZone 3 6 RotorWorld

GETS NOISY

series of 700-size helis all follow the same design. SAB to ensure that this model adapts to all the pilots. The and tail. The one-way system inside the module is very
is taking this model to another level designing the Raw dampers are composed of two O-rings (that defines reliable, and suitable for transmitting any power, it does
700 Nitro from scratch, but of course including many the rigidity) and a techno polymer damper (that sets not require maintenance and is very strong in case
original solutions found in the Goblin range. The "G" the maximum possible movement of the spindle). Using of a crash. It is possible to replace the main shaft by
of the Goblin logo is recreated by the special design of different O-rings and dampers you can achieve different removing just one single screw. The transmission module
the canopy and frames. For SAB, the search for small responses from the model. is assembled and verified by SAB so it's ready to be
details is always very important. used out of the box. My favourite little design feature
Inside, you can find every inch of this machine with the Raw is their solution to get rid of as many of the
BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED, INSIDE AND OUT masterfully engineered by SAB. There is not a single unsightly cables by using a wire support that makes it
The Raw is really a beautifully designed machine, thing that SAB didn’t think about. The blade grips are very easy to guide the wires within the main frame.
inside and out. Putting aside the F3C jokes and just made from 7075 T6 aluminium, and the blade grip
look at it. I believe that there isn’t another helicopter arms are made from 6061 T6 aluminium. This way The new canopy and boom design with the
that is this precisely engineered. The new body and when you have a crash you can bend the blade grip integrated frames are one of the new high-lights
boom design, with integrated frames are instantly arms, but you are less likely - depending on the crash - to compared to the other Goblins. As usual SAB decided
recognisable. The boom for improved crash durability damage the main blade grip. Using a M4 screw makes to go for high-end materials, the main frame uses
is a really nice feature and much cheaper, and the it very easy to replace just the arm, unlike the previous carbon fibre. At first, it looks weak, but after installing
whole thing is ridiculously amazing in flight. The Raw HPS rotor head that had the screw from the inside. the new power train its really reinforced. In the front of
allows you a very wide range of dampening setups the Raw Nitro we have the engine unit with a similar
The power train supports two shafts: there is the design of the Black Nitro and Kraken 580 Nitro.
main shaft to the rotor head and shaft to the motor

DroneZone 3 7 RotorWorld

FEATURE SAB Goblin Raw 700 Nitro

The new redesigned ultra-light tail case with quick The comprehensive The SAB sealed power train
tail fin replacement has a very simple, strong, reliable manual alongside the (gearbox) comes pre-assembled
and durable design. The receiver battery is located in distinctive Raw canopy and is filled with
the centre of the model, and this allows for an optimal grease
moment of inertia and improving the dynamics around The packaging ensures
the rotor axis! maximum protection The combined upper
for the components servo mount and
The landing gear on the Raw 700 Nitro is similar anti-rotation system
to the one from the electric-powered Raw 700 and the A full set of KST servos for the swashplate
Kraken. We think it’s the perfect landing gear because were installed using
it's very flexible and can resist very hard landings and the SAB servo horns
skid bumps. The fuel tank of the Raw 700 Nitro has (HA050 optional)
a 650ml capacity, allowing for very long flight times, The three cyclic
upwards of eight to ten minutes! servos bolted
into position
It’s very well explained in the manual where to put
which glue or threadlock, but we always recommend
that those screws threaded into metal have a little
threadlock applied to the screws. It is very important
to use it well to prevent stripped bolt heads or broken
screws. Its sufficient to apply a little on the tip of the
screw, approximately 1mm). Also we recommend to
use the best tools to assemble your model to avoid
problems such as stripped bolts, et cetera. In our case
we used a Scorpion Toolset, which we found were a
perfect fit for every screw!

Some parts come pre-assembled from the factory,
and although we always check everything to ensure
the correct assembly and ensure threadlock has been
applied, after hundreds of Goblin builds, we have
never found any mistakes on these pre-assembled parts.

Now it is time to close in the carbon fibre frame
where all the mechanics are installed including the
servos, and in this build we decided to use the well-
proven KST BLS 915 V2 HV servos for cyclic. We
highly recommend to use the original servo horns from
SAB (HA050-S or HA051-S) to get perfect geometry
and to avoid servo damage in crashes. For the record,
the anti-rotation guide is now on the front servo mount.

The Z52 main pulley is together with the front tail
belt pulley, and are the only two gears visible on the
new Raw 700 Nitro as all the other transmission gears
and parts are enclosed within the new power train.

Talking about manuals… As we all know, SAB
manuals are some of the best I've seen with very clear
and detailed drawings. Everything in the manual is
detailed, like for example on the motor mount section
they clearly give us all the information we need. It is
very important to choose the correct ratio that maximises
efficiency depending on the motor, pinion and RPM the
pilot wants to fly. As usual, and thanks to OS Engines for
the support, we opted for one of their 105HZ engines
paired with their own Powerboost pipe. We used the
pinion included in the kit, a 27T motor pulley that gives
us a ratio of 8.1 which is perfect for 1980RPM in VBar
Neo nitro governor. But if you desire you can change
the ratio changing either using a 26T or 28T pulley.

The tail is one of the characteristic items of the
Goblin. The boom has nothing to do with a traditional
tail boom from the Goblins. SAB manufactured an
oversized high-tech aluminium carbon fibre covered tail
boom which comes in black and with white stickers.
It is rigid enough so no need for tail boom supports.
Another great detail from SAB is the way its fitted onto
the frame with the aluminium boom block support.

A special tool is included in the kit that makes it
very easy to tighten the tail belt to the proper tension.
Also you can find the tail belt tensioner included which
shows the correct tension during setup.

The tail servo is mounted in the rear part of the
frame. More or less in the middle of the boom in the
lower part we can find the tail push rod guide. The tail
push rod is made of carbon fibre. A tip when building
this model is to glue them together as one of the first
steps, this ensures that the glue is dry and hardened
enough by the end of the build. We recommend to use
5-minute epoxy glue.

DroneZone 3 8 RotorWorld

A pair of carbon The power train supports two
fibre frames are at shafts with the main one for the
the heart of the rotor head
Raw 700 Nitro
Carbon fibre is used througout like here for
the throttle servo mount
A rare instance where fibreglass is used over
carbon fibre. Here it’s for a platform for
mounting electrical components

The OS engine The OS Engines This is the
alongside the 105HZ is a shroud that sits
mount, clutch proven model around the fan
and drive belt and ideal for our that helps cool
700-size heli the engine
The Powerboost
pipe from OS
Engines

The Raw 700
Nitro uses SAB’s
proven rotor
head design

DroneZone 3 9 RotorWorld

FEATURE SAB Goblin Raw 700 Nitro

SETUP The new landing gear
for the Raw 700 Nitro
The basic setup of this model used in this review is the is light weight and yet
following with a Mikado VBar Control and a Mikado very resistant
VBar Neo flybarless system in Pro Version spec. Since
this was not the first Goblin 700 we have ever built, we These carbon fibre
really know the settings that both Goblin and the pilot pieces extend down
want as a starting point, although we were aware that to sit either side of
it would need a little tweaking since it comes with new the fuel tank
mechanics. We tested various settings and this is how
we liked it the most. On the main rotor settings, we use The rubber-mounted
an Expo of 20, Style is set to 98, Rate++ to 124 and fuel tank along with
a Head Gain of 51. For the tail we set the Expo at 20, fuel pipe and hardware
Rate++ at 114 and Tail Gain is set to 50. The settings
are always a personal choice, but this is the way we
liked the model the best.

We used an OS 105HZ engine combined with
OptiFuel 30 per cent SLV fuel, the latter kindly supplied
by Chris Clark. We used the internal governor of the
Neo with an Align RPM sensor so we could set three
head speeds using the VBar Control percentage in the
governor menu. The correct ratio as previous explained
with a 27T pinion is 8.1. With this setup we can reach
a maximum head speed without governor overturn
(80 per cent) of approximately 1980RPM, this was the
range we wanted to fly this helicopter. Pitch curve have
been set in all Banks to -13 at low stick, 0 at mid stick
and +13 at high stick as a personal preference.

TEST FLIGHT The model was
built up using this
Initially we programmed in normal flying mode set of high-end
1650RPM. During hovering, the Raw remained very tools from Scorpion
stable without any wobbling even at this low RPM. With
this RPM the behaviour of the helicopter is very smooth Carbon fibre main and tail blades
and predictable. The next step was to switch to bank 2,
raising the head speed to about 1800RPM. We started The tail components including the TBS 105mm carbon tail blades. And then the
doing some fast forward flying and the heli traced a completed tail with a coloured fin to match the canopy
perfect straight line without any strange tendencies.
We really love the smooth sound coming off the Raw.
Thanks to its design and green/black colours, it has
fantastic visibility in flight in all directions. But we all
know that the Goblin designer and the pilot like to fly
at higher RPMs so we switched to bank 3. The sound
changed completely, and now it really started roaring
with perfect flight behaviour at all times! We started
with some fast manoeuvres like Hurricanes, Kaos and
then followed this up with some Tic-Toc manoeuvres
like Wheel of Fortune and the Time Machine, and the
helicopter held really well during all these moves, and
was really accurate and powerful.

The cyclic response is perfect in our opinion. The
flight characteristics offered by the brand new and
much-improved ultra-light, 7075 aluminium alloy highly
adjustable rotor head are very good with a different
feeling than flying with the HPS rotor heads on the
Goblin Black Thunder model. The Raw is extremely
agile and fast with a very aggressive flying style you
can feel the rigidity of the model in flight. The tail
performs well in all kinds of manoeuvres with Piros and
Reverses. The dynamics with the VBar Neo is perfect.

The new receiver battery case ensures perfect The all-alloy swashplate and rotor head The 650ml fuel tank sits low in the frames
centre of gravity as well as making it easy to
change or charge the pack

DroneZone 4 0 RotorWorld

The components that SAB Goblin Raw 700 Nitro
are used to tension
the belt and the tool Specifications:
to set it RTF Weight:.....................................................4040g (RTF no fuel)
Main Blade Length: ......................... 650-720mm (690mm included)
The belt tensioner is made from alloy, This neat tool allows the tension of the Tail Blade Length:............................ 105-115mm (105mm included)
and is sprung-loaded belt to be set Main Rotor Diameter: ..........1558mm (with 690mm blades included)
Tail Rotor Diameter:......... 284mm (with 105mm tail blades included)
VERDICT Engine: ................................................................... .90-.105-size
As we were reviewing the Raw 700 Nitro, I realised that I could have just re-printed an older Black Nitro review, Cyclic Servos:.................................................40mm standard size
and no-one would have really noticed because the results and feelings are so similar. SAB though has made a much Tail Servo: ......................................................40mm standard size
lighter, yet beautiful helicopter with some notable advances for the heli world. And with the low weight, once you Throttle Servo: ...........................35mm mini or 40mm standard size
switch the idle up, you unlock the potential of this machine. n Main Rotor Ratio:................................7.7-8.3:1 (27T included 8:1)
Tail Rotor Ratio:...............................5.1-4.9:1 (22T included: 5.1:1)
Tank Capacity:....................................................................650ml
Receiver Battery Size:.......................................2S 1800-2500mAh

What’s In The Box:
- SAB Goblin Raw heli kit
- SAB TBS 690mm carbon main blades
- SAB TBS 105mm carbon tail blades
- 27T motor pulley (other pulley sizes available)

What’s Required:
- Transmitter (at least 6-channel)
- Receiver
- Three swashplate servos (40mm standard size)
- Throttle servo
- Tail servo (40mm standard size)
- Flybarless system (for example MicroBeast Plus)
- Receiver battery

Equipment Used:
Transmitter:....................................................Mikado VBar Control
Flybarless:.........................................................Mikado VBar Neo
Cyclic Servo:........................................................KST BLS 915 V2
Tail Servo: ...............................................................KST BLS 905X
Battery:.....................................................Gens Ace 2600mAh 2S
Engine: ............................................................ OS Engine 105HZ
Exhaust: ..................................................... OS Engine Powerboost

Manufacturer:............................................................. SAB Goblin
Website: ............................................. www.goblin-helicopters.com

SAB States

“The power available in a nitro model is half of the
power of an electric one. The search for lightness is
fundamental... for this reason, the Raw 700 Nitro
uses a mix of solutions between 700- and 600-size,
looking for the maximum optimization of all the
parts. The result is a model of about 4kg (without
fuel) ready to fly. With this weight, the engine never
loses RPM, the feeling is like having an electric
model in your hands. Goblin Raw Nitro, the lightest
700 sized nitro from SAB.”

DroneZone 4 1 RotorWorld

FEATURE Charmouth Heli Funfly

PhotograPhy courtesy of alan robinson

Charmouth Returns

the outdoor flying season is The great thing about the event being linked with
Newlands is that the weekend can be a true family
traditionally wraPPed uP with affair, not just one where dad indulges in his love of
heli flying and the rest of the family are left twiddling
an autumnal triP to dorset their thumbs. The park has its own indoor pool as well
as a sauna and jacuzzi. It also has a small outdoor
and the annual charmouth pool, but this is usually closed when we visit as the
funfly takes place in the off-peak season, usually early
heli flyin,taking Place over a April (depending on when Easter is) and early October.
The beautiful Dorset coastal town of Lyme Regis is a
long weekend in early october. short drive away and you could walk to Charmouth
beach from Newlands where you can go fossil hunting.
but after 18 months of The Jurassic Coast has been designated by UNESCO
as an area of outstanding beauty and Charmouth is
cancellations,the event finally smack bang in the middle of it.

returned for its second date THE FERN HILL FIELD
In 2006 the running of the event was taken over by
in 2021 much to the relief of the AHA (Association for Helicopter Aerosports),
the BMFA’s specialist body representing all model
the association for helicoPter helicopter pilots. The site at Trinity Hill was used for
many years, but due to issues getting into and out
aerosPorts and Pilots of the field if the weather had been wet, and also a
not-so-friendly neighbour, the event has relocated to
The Charmouth Heli Funfly started in 1984 when Fern Hill (closer to Newlands). The main advantage
Len Abarrow, model helicopter enthusiast and of this site, other than the spectacular views of the
the then owner of Newlands Holiday Park, Dorset countryside, is that there is hard-standing along
decided to invite some like-minded friends for a the top edge of the field where cars can be safely
funfly in a local field near Charmouth. Newlands has parked without running the risk of sinking in mud. The
retained its link with the Charmouth Funfly ever since, downside is that it is a smaller field so it pays to get
with the new owners Rex and Jacquie Ireland being there early if you want a prime parking spot. It costs
equally supportive of the event offering special rates
for those that book for the ‘Heli weekend’ with a range
of accommodation options available including static
caravans, log cabins and chalets as well as pitches for
tents, touring caravans or campervans and there are
pet-friendly options too.

Gabo Szalontay’s Protos
being put through its paces

DroneZone 4 2 RotorWorld

The event couldn't take place with the support of sponsors Ethan Williams Alex Hawtin
including Midland Helicopters and AT Models

Ethan Williams flying his XLPower The SAB Raw 700 Nitro of Jim Saunders
Chris Boughton flying
his modified Align

DroneZone 4 3 RotorWorld

FEATURE Charmouth Heli Funfly

A stunning Bell 47 in action James Carter’s XCell Power Alex Hawtin’s Tron

An Align T-Rex 700 nitro A 1:7-scale Vario model of a Bell UH-IB More scale action with this Bell 222
Iroquois US Navy Sea Wolves by Glen Davis

Glen Davis is the AHA Scale Rep and here Mark Christy’s Hirobo Vertol Sea King A Hirobo Bell 206 Jet Ranger in the foreground
are just a few of his amazing scale models with a Bell 222 behind it

£10 per day to fly, but if you pre-book for the weekend been feeling generous as we had the best weather that The weekend was a great success and we have to
via the AHA website (www.theaha.co.uk) you can get a we’d had for several years. Around 40 pilots registered thank Midland Helicopters and AT Models as without
25 per cent discount. on Saturday with slightly less on Sunday. A huge variety their sponsorship of the event it would not have gone
of models were on display up and down the flight line; ahead. Thanks must also go to the AHA team who ran
The Charmouth Funfly is open to pilots of all abilities Glen Davis the AHA’s Scale Representative brought the event, noticeably Rachael Plant who single-handedly
and styles of flying; the only stipulation is that pilots along a large number of scale helicopters to add to set up the field on Friday afternoon.
must produce proof of BMFA Membership to be able those brought by other attendees so there really was
to fly. something to cover everyone’s tastes. The next event will take place over the weekend
of 1-2 April 2022 (Covid restrictions permitting) so
TRIPLE CANCELLATIONS Saturday evening saw everyone who was staying add those dates to your diary now and don’t forget
After the cancellation of the two 2020 events and also gather in the bar at Newlands to talk over the day’s to mention the helicopter event when booking your
of the April 2021 event all due to Covid restrictions, we events and make plans for the following day. With 18 accommodation at Newlands Holiday Park to get the
were excited to get everyone together for the October months since the last Charmouth Funfly, there was a lot specially discounted rates.
2021 Charmouth Funfly. The weather gods must have of catching up to do.
I look forward to seeing you there. n

David Smith’s Vario Hughes 300C

DroneZone 4 4 RotorWorld

Alex Hawtin with his Tron helicopter Scott Mayo with his trusty Align Paul and George Isaacs

Some nitro action James Carter John West

Hamish Morley enjoying his nitro-powered SAB Goblin Chris Boughton The Trinity Hill site from 2005

Jim Saunders piloting
his Mikado Logo 600

DroneZone 4 5 RotorWorld

FEATURE XLPower Wraith E 760 F3C

A Great All R

Tim DiPeri feels ThaT XlPower's 760-sizeD wraiTh moDel is
The PerfecT all-rounDer anD fleXible enough To suiT many
DifferenT DisciPlines. in This arTicle, he builDs one uP To his
own sPecificaTion anD DemanDs for f3c use

DroneZone 4 6 RotorWorld

Rounder XLPower has made a considerable splash in
the model helicopter community over the past
several years, with the company able to attract
some of the very best 3D pilots in the world into flying
the Specter 700 model for F3N.

They introduced a prototype of the Wraith in late
2019, which was a 760-class helicopter that can use
up to, but not included, 760mm main blades and
115mm tail blades. The kit comes with a stylish canopy
in the "F3C" look for a pod and boom model and can
be fitted to a fuselage, Earnest, which is a popular
competition fuselage from Japan. I hope to offer a
follow-up to this article utilising this fuselage.

For a sub-$1000 competition model (closer to
$799), I think it's a lot of helicopter for the money and
can be a very versatile helicopter allowing the user to
fly some big air, hard smack 3D or precision aerobatics
with just some gyro and blade changes.

DroneZone 4 7 RotorWorld

FEATURE XLPower Wraith E 760 F3C

CONSTRUCTION Smooth and robust rotor
head design. The pitch
One of the areas I tend to look at critically, regardless arms allow two ball link
of the flight purpose, is mechanical design of the positions depending on
drivetrain. If this is not straight, smooth and reliable, it the pilot's preference
just does not matter about much else. The rigid "box"
construction of the main frame is fairly typical. One Main gear with tail belt pulley; this
of the areas I really like is the way they utilised three is very well made and reliable to use
main shaft bearings. Two of the three are enclosed in
a precision-machined (one-piece) structure and one The massive 15mm
(bottom) is a traditional lower bearing block. These main shaft using
components and the way it incorporates attachment this well-made
to the frame structure is one of the best mechanical swash plate
supports I have seen in model helicopters. The massive
15mm hollow main shaft is captured within this
assembly and provides excellent transfer of force to the
entire helicopter during manoeuvres.

ELECTRONIC CONTROLS

For the build, I chose to use only Futaba electronics so
went with a 32MZ transmitter, CGY-760 flight controller
and BLS 272 servos. I have used this configuration in
other contest helicopters and wanted a stable "feel" for
me to compare to.

The vertical mount of all three servos is certainly
preferable to other orientations, due to the potential
to "rock" the servo under high loads in the horizontal
mount. I feel this is a big advantage for pilots looking to
get the very most from their control system.

POWER SYSTEM

I used a Kontronik Pyro 750-52 motor and matching
Kosmik 160 HV speed controller, with a pair of
OptiPower Ultra 6S 5000mAh batteries for the power
system. The 6mm motor shaft is captured within two
robust bearing blocks and uses an "X" carbon fibre
plate to assure squareness. The helical gear produces a
very low noise level, which is quite common in higher-
end contest helicopters.

DroneZone 4 8 RotorWorld

Interesting dual bearing The rotor head and tail rotor design are solid and
captured in a single package. work well. The main rotor has two ball link placement
This is incredibly robust, areas on the blade grips (for sensitivity options). My
rigid and low in weight understanding, at the time of writing, there will also be
additional damper options, but have not been shipped
yet. Since I did not install this model into a fuselage, I
did one modification to the helicopter in that I painted
the tail boom and vertical fin. The large outer diameter
tail boom shows up very well at a distance as a result
of this addition.

The biggest challenge for me, is the lack of good
English manual translations. The drawings are
excellent however, and the model can be assembled
by most people by simply reviewing the drawings.
This challenge can be easily accepted by enjoying its
features that some other models incorporate but at two
or three times cost!

The stock canopy is very attractive and shows
up well, although I found that due to its lightweight
construction, you need to be careful when taking off and
putting on the mechanics as not to tear the fibreglass.

The large-diameter
tail boom prior to
painting

OptiPower batteries fit great with room to spare. Note the elegant "Soft" landing mounts
and simple battery tray that keeps the batteries stacked, again a are normally reserved
design that is similar to more expensive Japanese contest products for Japanese models
of twice the price

DroneZone 4 9 RotorWorld

FEATURE XLPower Wraith E 760 F3C FLYING
Obviously, flying is where the rubber meets the road,
All-aluminium landing gear is very light and far more robust than expected and the very first time I flew the model I was impressed!
The helicopter is incredibly quiet and has the look and
feel of a high-end F3C model. I flew several F3C flights
on it (aerobatics and hovering) with just some stock
settings that I had used in the Futaba CGY-760, and
found it to perform in a very predictable way. I used
very old 700mm rotor blades (the model is designed for
up to 760mm). I believe that due to the light weight of
the model, 700mm blades will work just fine.

I won't mention names but I had several, very
experienced, F3C pilots try it out since I wanted to
provide a comprehensive view from a number of
perspectives. The answers were quite unanimous; the
model is a great platform to use for F3C competition as
well as any other flying! n

“the model is a
great platform
to use for F3C
competition
as well as any
other flying!”

Basic frame assembly.
Note the simple and
elegant servo mount
and location

DroneZone 5 0 RotorWorld