- Aero Ace
The Aero Ace is a small R/C Ready-To-Fly plane sold by
Spin Master (Air Hogs) in the United States and Canada. The design was by Silverlit, and was originally called the X-Twin. Silverlit is a Hong Kong based company. This little radio control airplane is one of the most popular ready-to-fly toys in the US. Reasons for this include good flying time and ability to fly in a 30ft x 30ft yard. Even experienced R/C pilots love this little marvel and modify it to improve its flying characteristics.The Aero Ace is powered by two 6 mm coreless pager motors and a lightweight Lithium Polymer battery which is recharged through the built-in charger on the transmitter. Control of the plane is provided exclusively by varying the thrust of the motors.
The Air Hogs Aero Ace was originally introduced in the US in the fall of 2005 as a biplane (one of the original X-Twin styles) and was followed up in the spring of 2006 with a jet body style. Like the biplane, the jet is an unrealistic form. Some say that it resembles a "squashed F-22" fighter. The jet's electronics are virtually identical but it offers significantly different flight characteristics. Though it can still be flown in relatively small spaces, it requires a bit more room to turn than the biplane. As a trade-off, it has a slightly higher air speed, can handle a slightly stronger breeze and offers a far superior glide ratio.
In late 2006/early 2007 Spin Master introduced the Acrojet. This is another jet body style but this more resembles a civilian aircraft with canard wings and a "T" tail. While this was not labeled as an "Aero Ace" it is based on another of the X-Twin bodies and uses the same electronic and motor package as the Aero Aces. It also retails for the same price (approx. $30US). Some have reported stability issues, though simple modifications can remedy this.
In early 2007, a new Air Hogs model was introduced. This is a high wing mono plane with a rounded nose resembling a sail plane in form (though not proportion). Early reports are that this body style is highly stable. This model has been labeled the Aero Ace Sport.
The second generation of the X-Twin based biplanes hit the shelves in late January 2007. Currently available, the newest Air Hogs biplane is labeled Power Hawk. It differs most significantly from the original Aero Ace in that the rear half of its fuselage and its tail section (the
empennage ) are molded from expandedpolypropylene (EPP). The original Aero Ace has a hollow plastic straw tail boom and empennage cut from 1 mm thick depron foam. The Power Hawk also has a reshaped nose, a free-spinning nose propeller and its wings are curved from wingtip to wingtip. This model is based on the Silverlit X-Twin Classic Trainer.There are 2 other Silverlit planes on their way to America. The first one expected (and seen a few times) is a more realistic looking jet, than the previous Aero ace jet. it has "pods" on the ends of the wings. The tail section looks similar to the 1st jet, but has only 1 vertical stabilizer, allowing for easier turning. Not many flight reports have been made since they are new to Europe, and haven't "officially" made it over to North America.
The newest unreleased plane is what is really catching the eye of both hobbyist's and general flyers is the new 3 channel acrobat. Like the Jet, it has pods on the end's of the wings, but unlike any other plane made from this company to date, it has built in landing gear allowing it to roll on the ground, take off, and land. It has elevator control. The control for this function is on the right hand stick of the transmitter. It is not proportional, meaning it is either full up, full down, or neutral. for some extra lift, the neutral position is slightly upwards.
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