Fun on the Water

And the space for taking off, landing, and flying is usually limitless. Even grumpy swans, which chase away every duck, come to terms with their competitors—who are far superior in flight performance—after a brief hissing match.

For some fun-filled flying with all kinds of fun flyers, the Czech company Hacker offers ultralight and very affordable floats in five different sizes. The kits—available now at www.eflight.ch, and soon at www.top-model.ch as well as elsewhere—range in price from about 25 to 50 Swiss francs and consist of ready-made floats plus a few extras. They can be built in less than an hour and are then mounted on the model in a few seconds and removed just as quickly. Anyone who follows the instructions in the assembly guide is guaranteed to end up with a perfectly functioning seaplane. For my Firehawk biplane, which weighs just under 400 grams, I purchased the medium-sized, 50-cm-long version designed for a weight range of 250–600 grams. The five

available sizes cover a weight range from 200 grams to 1,700 grams. Takeoff is done just as you would with a seaplane: slowly apply throttle and pull the throttle back moderately. Then, as speed increases, release the throttle until the floats are fully planing. After a few seconds of gliding, add a little altitude, and the “water bird” is airborne. Landing is just like on land—simply pull the control stick back slightly to gain altitude.

As for splash, it’s worth noting that only the rear section of the model got a couple of drops each time. The motor and the exposed micro-receivers and controllers (some with uncovered electronics!) mounted between the wings

(with some of the electronics completely exposed!) remained completely dry on the virtually windless and wave-free lake. However, the little bird’s aerobatic capabilities were significantly and noticeably impaired by the float unit, which weighs only 50 grams. But the incredible “fun on the water” more than makes up for it...

Have a rubber boat, surfboard, or at least a pair of swim trunks ready in case you fall in.

Well, now I wish you all a fun-filled, boozy time! Hans Jürg Baum

The “Firehawk” biplane monitors the “Champion’s” landing. Its aerobatic performance is not significantly impaired by the extremely lightweight floats. Aside from the knife-edge flight, loops, rolls, inverted flight, spins, and many other classic maneuvers can be performed without any problems. But by far the most fun comes from takeoffs and, above all, landings on mirror-smooth or even very slightly (!) rippled water...

A gust of wind caught the ultralight Champion while it was taxiing on the water and flipped it onto its back. After a quick recovery, the battery was immediately removed from the model, the entire thing was dried 100 percent (!) with a hair dryer, and only then was it put back into operation. The motor, electronics, and LiPo battery sustained no damage! Conclusion: Avoid windy conditions, and—if you absolutely have to fly—make sure to bring swim trunks or a rubber boat.