USA warehouse now open. Our USA warehouse is now open! Low cost shipping and an ever growing variety make ordering from the US warehouse even better value!
A mini Seaplane with big performance! This little seaplane took us by surprise here at HobbyKing. Once out at the test field, the transmitter was soon being passed around because everyone wanted a go! The 1200kv motor provides spirited performance and more than enough power to rise of the water with ease! In fact the only thing more entertaining than taking of was landing again! its addictive! The rear steering paddle also makes navigating the water a breeze.
Once in the air the HobbyKing Seaplane proved to be quite a show of, aerobatics and loops were no problem at all! Optional landing gear has also been included incase you dont have access to a lake or river.
All you will require to complete this model is an 11.1v 3S 1300mAh lipoly battery and your own transmitter and receiver to get the Icon air worthy and ship shape in around 30 minutes.
Hello I've been enjoying this. As a land plane, there is no ploblem. It flies well as a trainer with some acrobatics. But if you take off from the water, some problems come in. As this real plane has fascination as a water plane,to fly well from the water is important, I think.
It's fun to modify this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMCjYgNl234
When this plane touch down on the water, it doesn't run smoothly but easy to be porpoise. Even though it decrease on to the water at very shallow angle.
Yeah, in order to correct that, you will have to install flaps, but as a temporary soulution, you can take out the Y cable, and run two channels for the ailerons, and make it a flaperon setup. CrashAce has done this (but I haven't yet) and he says it works ver well.
Another thing is that this plane will "submarine" if it is even slightly nose heavy. Don't guess the COG, use a balancing jig (you can make one), and make sure it is dead on balance. The A5 tends to be nose heavy, so check it, and correct it.
EffinA, about adding flaps
Tahnk you for your kind advice. I want to see CrashAce's videos. Because I checked how flaps work and are able to slow down the plane, if he has uproaded videos.
Ahhh! Excellent! CrashAce is the best authority about this plane specifically that I know, and he helped my with mine, and I have been implementing his mods gradually. This plane is kind of strange, it likes to be even a bit tail heavy when it flies. Great flying to you, today is my day to fly, so I will get ready to go out.
Hey, It'll probably fly, but the weight will keep it from flying off the water. With 1300mA, I am getting solid 8 minute flights, even pushing it to do acrobatics. It has been suggested that 1000mA is better for flying off the water, but I haven't tried it yet. A 30A ESC is a good idea, the 20A that comes with it, will work, but is a little too small. I put in a Blueseries 30A, and that seems to work good.
Hello A5-Flyers. Does anyone nows, how to program the 20A ESC that is deliverd with the plane? The Motor ist starting suddenly and full power when I push the throttle Stick.
Hey! I went to the field Saturday, and brought up the A5. She was flying well, so I took her into some loops, and rolls. I was running WOT when the motor quit, but the other controls were working fine. I suspect the ESC overheated, and shut down. Upon inspection, it was working again. Ironically, the servos that I thought would give me trouble are not! I have a couple of 20A ESC's around here, but I am thinking that I should go for a 30A, just to be sure, and I could upgrade the motor later, if I like then!
I noticed with the stock ESC, that the low-voltage motor cut-off cut the motor power way too early. I don't recall the exact voltage but it would some times be just a minute into the flight on a fully charged 1300mAh.
That sounds like a similar experience. Mine works fine, so long as I don't push it. It doesn't matter, it is OUT OF THERE!!! I refuse to lose a plane over an iffy ESC, so I ordered a 30A Blueseries ESC to replace it. I have another blueseries 30A on my rescue boat, so I will commandeer it in the meantime. I will stick the stock ESC on my boat, it ought to be fine there, that barely draws 15A.
I have thought out a possible good mod for this plane. I was thinking to change the motor to the Funfighter motor, change the prop to 7X4 3 blade, change the ESC to a 30A Dlux, or plush, and go 1000MAH 4s. I am thinking that WOT would snap the wing or tail off, but this can be fixed with 1mm solid carbon rods. I think I will buy another one to try this, mine is flying very well. I am adding the RX3S gyro to it, to make it easier to land on water, and to keep the wing tipping down on takeoff and landing. Still loving this plane!
I think a 4-S would be a nice upgrade but the KV on fun fighter motor is probably a little too high if you plan to take-off, or touch and go from water. definitely need to strengthen the boom. I use 4 sticks of 2mm CF and it really made a difference.
I am still flying mine stock right now, but I will be doing the flaps soon. With the FF motor, my thoughts were to stay at 3s, and stick with the 1300mAH. You are right though, the boom is way too weak for this level of hopping up, so the CF would definitely be needed. I would also thing a 4mm CF rod would be needed for the wing too. I am almost ready with Rescue boat 2.0, so I will be trying the water soon!
My wings seem pretty firm but a couple strips of 1x4 CF added to the tips wouldn't hurt. I added a little polyhedral to mine so it might be tricky to tie into the main spar.
I see why you put in some polyhedral! Even WOT, it will tip a wing really fast. I don't want to lose it's scale look, so I ordered an RX3S flight stabilizer for takeoff and landing. The wing tipping is perfectly manageable, but on the water, I can see a last second wing tip as potentially problematic. The guys at my club like it, and so do I. I will take it up again Saturday.
I have an EagleTree Guardian, but I don't want to risk getting it wet. I only have one stabilizer that I use in several planes. I couldn't figure out an efficient way to waterproof it, get it correctly mounted, and make it easy to remove/replace.
The polyhedral doesn't eliminate tip-stalling but it does make it easier to manage. I don't think it distracts much from the scale look. the stickers do though.
With the stabilizer getting wet (possibly), I decided on a really cheap one. I actually don't need it, Just a little safety precaution. I have found that electronic bags are pretty good for waterproofing (and rubber bands). Not perfect, and I have only ground tested this so far, but good. Setting the gyro in place is not bad, to get it just righ (level, and pointing right, etc.), I glued 2 popsickle sticks in the back of the fuselage straight and level, with 2 rubber bands inside to secure the gyro. I will install the setup on Thursday, and fly it on Saturday, and I will let you know the gory details! Wow! I see why you don't want to get that thing wet! it was expensive! check out the RX3S here on HK, it is not the best, but it is the cheapest gyro. I have one in my F4U Funfighter, and it does a good job for being dirt cheap.
It is really cool! We have identical planes, but by changing them based on our own styles, they are completely different! I am hoping that the FAA puts in rules for commercial use of RC, so I can take (and sell) aerial photos and video of the boats and yachts in Lake Hartwell. Of course this plane is a bit small for the job, but it is a good initial test platform.
I took the A5 up today (only 1 flight, due to rain). I lost motor control, but still had everything else. The battery was OK, and I was pushing the little plane with WOT flying, rolls and loops. I am fairly sure the ESC is the culprit, and I think it is time to upgrade the ESC.
My ESC smoked after the first few flights. I put in a Trust 45amp. Overkill, but is was all I had at the time. I removed the heatshrink then secured and waterproofed the entire ESC with epoxy.
Well, I finally got my A5 together! I have been working, so I didn't get to it right away. Ok, first, it tends to be nose heavy, so I had to push back the RX, the ESC and the battery. I have it almost spot on, and it should fly. On CG, it noses down about an inch, probably fine that way. In March, in my region, it is very windy, so it was not a big deal. The LG is a bit flimsy (especially the nose gear) but should suffice on pavement. So far, I don't care for the 9g servos, they are not that great, but if they work alright, I will keep them in (I will know when I fly), if not, I have plenty of spares. I am using the Turnigy 9xr radio, the OrangeRX TX and RX, and the Turnigy Nanotech 3s 1300MAH battery. Some people said this plane is no good for FPV, and I beg to differ! The space for gear is cavernous! It is a small plane, so weight will be an issue, but I think if you mounted your FPV gear back, and use a 2200MAH battery, it should do the job nicely. I am not sure that will work, so remember that before you go buy all your stuff. There is a lot of room for a bigger battery, and a bigger motor is not out of the question.
Running a camera on this plane is very simple: just velcro it where you want it, preferably close to the body. I timed it out to 8 minutes at 3/4 throttle on the bench, The battery dropped to 11.1V. Achieving 10 minute flight times should not be a problem at all.
There are flaps molded into the wing, and it should be an easy mod to put them in. I will use 5g servos, and as CrashAce has done, I will set them about the same as he has. I ordered this plane on backorder, and they got one to me, but it has not come off backorder. I think they have been making them to order, if you are worried about it being on backorder. I will take it up soon, and I will video, and report back!
The prop is 7x6. I bought this as a spare (PRODUCT ID: H-3BP-7x6) but despite several crashes, I'm still using the original prop (plus the A5 comes with a spare.)
No doubt there is lots of room in the cockpit. The problem with bigger batteries and extra gear is weight! I'm sure the A5 will fly ok with a simple FPV set-up or a 2200mAh battery but taking off from water may be tricky at best.
Same as I was thinking. Good thing is that I have a whole summer to experiment! I am sure this will lift my 808 camera, so I am sure I can get some spectacular video at Lake Hartwell!
goodluck. My servos have held good for many flights now, including some rough landings and half submersings. I'd suggest be careful with heavy flying, mine with a 1300mah will drop a wing rather quickly if slowed down, plus it is a pain taking off water, the heavier battery causes water to flow over the side floats easier. 1000mah batteries work great for water flying. just something for you to think about.
Nice suggestions Aefer! My servos seem a bit quirky, like they don't want to center. In the simulator, it likes to drop a wing too at low speed. I will put flaps on it, to help with landings, this one likes to come in hot, according to the simulator, so I will see for myself. I might maiden it tomorrow, but I don't know yet. A 100 3s should fly fine too, i will get a couple and see.
Alright! I did a maiden flight of the A5, and she is a decent flyer. On my first flight, I nearly lost it on launch, because she likes to tip stall on a hand launch. I now let her go out a bit, and gain some speed before changing any angle of attack, and that works well. Now, with the hand launch done, she will climb nicely, and get to a cruising altitude in seconds. I have noticed that the plane likes to tip a wing (especially in wind), so you have to keep correcting roll. Not a big deal, but this plane is definitely not a trainer. It definitely will benefit from flaps, so that is what she is getting! Armed with my tools, and especially a Z bend tool, this should be a breeze! I flew 3 flights on my own, and my good friend (a much better pilot than I) flew 2 flights. He agrees that it needs roll correction all the time, and we both can fly it fine. So far the servos are fine, so no problem. I am 110% satisfied, and the plane is just what I need to fly on my lake! I will video next flights, as I was not able to fly and video at the same time this time. Thanks everyone!!!!!
I found out that any 7X6 3 blade prop will work, but it is not 100% exact. The A5 comes with 2 props, so you should be ok in the meantime. Happy Flying!
hmm that explains why it is considerably slower with a 7x4 haha. I'm trying a pusher because the left float has less foam on the bottom than the right, and its the left side that goes down when water taxiing. theoretically the torque will roll to the other side now, hopefully stopping the sinking
I am surely not ready to take her to the water yet, I want to finish my rescue boat (version 2), which is getting close now. I am going to have to do a video just on that, it is an air boat that has reverse, and a variable pitch prop. I use 3 channels right now, but I am going to make it FPV, and add some sort of cherry picker to it. This is getting to be a cool project too.
MWAHAHAHA! The seaplane has just shown in stock on my order!!!! I will have this very cool plane very soon! Again, thanks CrashAce for your help in deciding mods and answering questions for me.
Yeah, I'd say you have no shortage of water in your area. Be great to fly from a boat out in the middle.
When taking off from water, increase the throttle slowly and touch the aileron a little to counter act torque. you'll also need to input a little reverse aileron to counteract rudder on the water. CG has to be right on for a water take-off. If it's nose heavy, it will try to submarine and nothing you do will get it off the water. Dial-in a two position flap, about 15 and 30 deg. On water take off leave the flaps off- than just as it gets onto plane, flip the first position flap and you'll lift off nicely. For landings I mix spolirons with the second flaps position to slow it down (with power) and reduce tip stall.
Go easy on the glue, you want to keep this plane as light as possible. Save weight wherever you can.
Wow! You did re-engineer some of this plane! That is what German people are good about! (Sorry, that is a stereotype), like people here in the south are eating burgers, and shooting shotguns. I definitely appreciate your pics, and great ideas. The polyhedral idea is awesome! I knew this little plane had no dihedral to the wing, and this a a good workaround. I am good with the glue, and would be anyway, so that I can (maybe) FPV this plane, but at least it will ge an 808 camera (I love those little cameras)! My Turnigy 9xr will do all the mixing nicely, and I can add aileron compensation to the mixes on throttle, and rudder (on a switch, of course. Whew! My radio is going to be doing plenty of work!!
Haha! I thought your English was really good for a German! If/when you come home, I hope you can bring your planes! I was out of the hobby for 35 years, now I am back. In the files area of the 9xr, there are pictures I did to Digital camo the 9xr, I am building a cardbord RC plane from the extra large box, and put up stuff on that too. I make videos, and I want to video lake Hartwell with the A5, so I am having fun!
While we are asking questions, how are the landing gear? Are they as fragile as some are saying, or is it because this plane comes in hot? Replaceable? Can I make better ones? I would imagine CrashAce could answer this stuff for me.
I've never used the gear except for taxing around on the driveway when I first got it. The gear seems of good quality but is't scale so quite small. when I'm not flying from water, the field I use is too ***py for the small gear.
The front gear is steerable (connected to the rudder servo) and held in place with a hex screw and has a wound spring to provide some dampining. The main gear is a friction fit that slides into a plywood insert in the spontoons. They seem secure enough to me. This plane does come in hot! for that reason, and because of the small wheels I would only use the gear for asphalt. You can hand launch this plane but you've really got to lob it. helps if you have a buddy throw it for you. Belly landing and touch and go's off grass is no problem, just make a small mod (I used a small piece of plastic) to protect the water rudder from being ripped off.
Thanks CA! I intend to fly it off the water a lot, but I have a paved section at my field. Thanks for the advice on the water rudder, that make a lot of sense. Me, I have a very large lake (and several small ones) to fly from. Look up Lake Hartwell (in South Carolina) and you will see how much lake I have to fly on.
Has anyone (that has this plane) put flaps on it, and if so what size servos did you use? I see that they are using 5G servos on the ailerons, is this adequate for the flaps, or would it be better with 9G servos.
I do not have this plane, however judging by the picture, there is most definately not enough space to put flaps on. You Can try flaperons though! It does basically the same! You might want to switch up the stock 5g servos to 9g servos if u decide going with flaperons just to be sure, though the 5g servos should still do job... However if u still really want to go with flaps when though theres serioisly not enough space 5g is fine....
Wow! I already know it was designed for flaps (I did my research), I was just asking if 5g servos would be adequate for them. If you had looked at the video, the flaps are already molded in the wing, it is just a matter of adding the servos for it. No matter, I am the -1 in the stock, so I will have it in my hands soon enough, and I will be able to do my thing. Seeing the videos of this plane, and running it in the simulator, it comes in a bit hot without flaps.
my ESC is just a 2*10 ESC like the one in the pictures, I wasn't able to find it as spare part on the website...I'll try it out then I'll decide if needs to be replaced with a bigger one. thanks!
Don't forget to use the reply button, instead of starting a new thread. I usually change my ESC's to make them more reliable. I would hate to lose a plane on the lake, because of a faulty ESC.
Hi. Definitely change the ESC. The ESC mine came with could only handle about 2 or 3 seconds of full power befoe shutting down. it re-armed after throttle down though. I replaced it with a Turnigy Dlux 20A I had and now it has plenty of power
Also, I have recently had my plane nose over in the water from trying to taxi down wind. The plane went upside down but the motor did not go under. I was able to very slowly turn the prop and it slowly drove itself back to shore, no damage, no water damaged electronics. Fantastic little plane
Me, I have an air boat I made from a boogie board. It has a variable pitch prob, so it can go reverse as well. I have not needed it for any of my planes yet, but it is ready for the situation.
Hi, the ESC does have a BEC. I don't know which ESC it has, but it is 20A. I haev not received my plane yet, but I often will replace my ESC's with ones I find more reliable. I think 20A is a littl light for this plane, so I will likely upgrade it to 25A
I looked around, there is no replacement canopy available for this plane (sorry to give you bad news). Is your canopy lost, or damaged? If it is lost, you can make one, if it is damaged, you can repair it. Part of the hobby is making parts (I just made a rudder control horn for a micro Sukoi that is no longer available), so let me know, I will give you some advice based on your answer.
Observei diversas reclamacoes deste modelo, comprei um e voo ele perfeitamente. Nao eh um modelo recomendado para iniciantes mas com um pouco de treino se torna um otimo aviao para se divertir por horas. O motor tem um bom desempenho para aqueles que pretendem voos simples, o trem de pouso para terra eh extremamente fragil mas otimo para bricar na agua.
Estamos na ansiedade aqui, esperando chegar!!! algué*m tem alguma sugestã*o de upgrade ou já* sabem algo que seria bom trocar nesse modelo? abraç*ã*o a todos!!!
CUIDAR P POR A HELICE COM LADO CERTO, O MEU MONTEI COM LADO ERRADO, FICOU FRAQUINHO, E TAMBEM CUIDAR A LINKAGEM DO PROFUNDOR, POIS O MEU FICOU ENGANCHANDO. FAZENDO ISSO, ESSE AERO VOA BEM É* BALA, E NA AGUA, TEM Q NAVEGAR COM MENOS DE MEIO MOTOR E P DECOLAR, TEM Q DAR FULL E CABRAR UM POUQUINHO SÓ* E QD ATINGIR UMA VELOCIDADE BOA, MEXE UM POUCO O LEME Q ELE DESGRUDA DA AGUA, ESTOU POSTANDO UNS VIDEOS LEGAIS DESSE MODELO NO YOUTUBE, SÓ* PROCURAR POR SAULO FONSECA.
i have buy this plane from my friend,,I only fly twice only,,after that there is an audience forced me to sell it to him.,he told me to buy another.,he said he just wanted to do hanging only because it so nice plane..with it I had to order it again after this....
I't would be kinda awkward taking the plane with you to the hardware store but that might be your best (and fastest) option to ensure you have the correct thread and length.
balloon is used to waterproof your receiver. Mine was pink. I ripped it trying to fit in my 8 channel Turnigy receiver (sharp edges.) I found a bigger balloon and it worked out better. Should be ok if using a smaller receiver
A condom would probably work better. Another nice thing about using a condom is you can let everyone know that your flying safe and your plane is protected.
I found it not too bad, if you have duel rates that would help a lot as the elevator has lots of throw. Found it very easy to take off from land and water, landing is easier on land.
Good, im sure the turnigy 9x has that. im lookin at this cuz its one of few plane kits on hk that has wheels (the area we have around here to fly isnt soft ground so i'd fear for the longevity of any bare-belly plane). i'd only do the water takeoffs/landings on occasion.
hand launch it. works every time. I found the landing gear to be less than functional... This little guy like to come in hot, otherwise stalls and crashes. Flaps are a must!
My elevator servo doesn't center... Up elevator centers fine, but when I give it down elevator and let go of the stick, the servo doesn't center. Any ideas?
it is a little smaller then the Parkzone model. I've been flying it at my local pond, this plane is a blast and tough. I've flipped it and hit the water hard a few times and its still doing good.
a beginner should can handle it cause it is a high wing model. try to maiden on the ground first (take of and landing with wheels on) at lease you wont sink it. landing on water is a bit tricky and a little hard for beginner i can say.
I installed a Bluelight BL-3GRC stabilizer in mine, makes it much easier to fly even in windy conditions. Check it out. Avail from XflightTech.
Customer Reviews
Overall Rating
Pecker head
19 likes
Value
Quality
Like it?
A5 arrived today. I am very happy with the way it looks when put together. No instructions but was easy enough to work out. Will have a flight in a couple of days when I have free time, but for now I am very satisfied.
2 comments. Reply..
Overall Rating
bladeSwitcher
94 likes
Value
Quality
Like it?
Plane came packed well and in one piece.
The quality of the foam is impeccable, very strong EPO!
The landing gear is useless, and WILL break at the first landing, especially the nose wheel is flimsy and cannot be replaced once broken.
CG is on the wire groove. If using this plane for FPV, good luck :) dead weight has to be added to the tail, stock motor is useless and will not get you off the water.
Putting a 2200ma 3cell battery all the way inside the plane helps with correct cg.
The plane will get water in and you will have to stop trying to take off from water or you will fry all your electronics.
I do NOT recommend this plane for FPV at all! Or for any other purpose than to try to fly by tossing it and landing on grass. Great looking pane, and fly pretty good, stall easily though, and not for beginners.
5 comments. Reply..
Overall Rating
WylChyl
16 likes
Value
Quality
Like it?
Love this little model! Flys VERY well on a 3s/1350/40c LiPo. PLENTY of power, indeed. Only suggested mod would be to install a stronger, perhaps high torque MG rudder servo ~ the rudder servo also moves the nose wheel and the water rudder, and mine "barely" moves it. Other that that, a GREAT value, fun on land or water and looks great in the air. You'll be pretty pleased with this one. CHEERS!!!
1 comment. Reply..
Overall Rating
renegade1
9 likes
Value
Quality
Like it?
Das Modell kam komplett und ohne Beschädigungen nach ca. 2.5 Wochen in der Schweiz an. Der Zusammenbau war problemlos. Die Optik und der Schaum sind Einwandfrei, das Fahrwerk habe ich nicht eingesetzt, denn es erschien mir doch etwas schwach. Die Leitwerke (Heckausleger) sind schwach und wackeln. Habe sie verstärkt. Nicht zufrieden bin ich mit den Flugeigenschaften. Power ist zwar genug vorhanden, die Elektronik funktioniert auch einwandfrei, aber das Modell ist nicht schön zu fliegen. Schwerpunkt ist bei 4cm, EWD musste korrigiert werden. (Tragfläche vorne ca. 1mm unterlegen) Das Modell muss konstant schnell geflogen werden, Landungen sind nur mit Schleppgas (20pcnt Gas) halbwegs möglich. Neigt zu Stall, mit abruptem abkippen über Tragfläche. Vermutlich zu schnelles Profil, und zu hohe Flächenbelastung. Ich habe Pylonflieger, welche besser zu landen sind... Nur für geübte Piloten zu empfehlen!!
Copyright 2012 Hextronik Limited.
The HobbyKing.com®, OrangeRx, Turnigy, Durafly, nano-tech and other brand logos and names are trademarks of hexTronik Limited.
All rights reserved
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
