Parkzone T-28 Trojan RTF

 

The T-28 is known for its solid feeling in the air; it flies as if it were on rails and goes where you point it. As I approached the first flight of the ParkZone T-28, I hoped that some of these characteristics would have carried over to the model.

The T-28 is the first ParkZone warbird with landing gear, a brushless motor and full 4-channel control that brings increased efficiency and operational flexibility to this very popular product line. It also comes standard with a 3S LiPo battery for maximum flight duration at minimum weight. These new features promised a lot of fun, and I was excited to try it out.

ON THE BENCH

Like the ParkZone warbirds that preceded it, the T-28 is nearly ready to fly right out of the box and can be ready for flight very quickly. The entire assembly process takes less than half an hour. All the equipment is included and installed at the factory. You will need to slide the horizontal stabilizer through the aft fuselage, tape it into place and connect the elevator pushrod. The wing is attached with one nylon screw, and the main landing gear snaps into place. The steerable nose gear is mounted onthe firewall with a single setscrew for the steering arm. Step 6 in the manual shows how to install the propeller, but my

model came with the prop already secured. The last thing I needed to do was to install the battery and check the CG. The battery can really only go in one way, and that established the proper CG for my model. Actually, I should say it established a CG that I thought looked good and that I confirmed with flight testing. The manual actually doesnt mention the proper balance point or recommend control throws. Horizon has since posted the proper dimension on its website, and my model balances spot-on. You want your model to balance with the CG 2.5 inches behind the leading edge measured an inch out from the fuselage to clear the slight taper at the wing root. Checking the balance with the model upside down is a lot easier than when its upright.

The ParkZone T-28 is a goodlooking replica of the popular postwar military trainer. It is constructed of durable foam and comes painted in a realistic highly visible Navy color scheme with a nice pilot already in the office. The ZX10 radio system features 3-wire servos. The best part is its flight performance. This classic offers all the thrills of the prototype, save paying the tab on the 60+ gallon-per-hour fuel burn.

The T-28 has a steerable nosewheel, and I made use of it immediately. I positioned the model on one of the concrete pit pads at the local field, and then I added a little power to taxi out. There wasnt any wind, so I lined up with the grass runway and smoothly advanced the throttle to full while holding a little up-elevator to protect the nosewheel from beating against the various bumps and tufts on the field. The model accelerated nicely, and the nosewheel soon lifted as the T-28 rotated and lifted off.

I did make my first flight with the factory control setup. The T-28 was very stable in the air, it flew smoothly, and it was easy to control. It will loop and roll from level flight, and with 4 channels of control, its fully aerobatic in an appropriate manner. By that, I mean it will not hover, it does not have unlimited vertical, and it wants to be flown in a reasonably realistic manner. Does it knife-edge (KE)? Well, yes, kind of. You can roll it 90 degrees and hold it there for a bit, but dont expect it to gain altitude or do KE loops and spins like a 3D foamie. To my eye, though, this is a model to be flown smoothly and gracefully through large loops, slow rolls, Cuban-8s, Immelmanns, chandelles, inverted circuits and a split-S or two before you set up an arcing carrier-type approach for a touch-and-go. Like its big brother, it tracks cleanly through such maneuvers as long as you maintain airspeed, and this carries right through the approach to landing. Keep a bit of power on, hold the wings and fuselage level, and let it settle in.

Flying the ParkZone T-28 shows you how the big Trojan could well equip a pilot for the big step into a postwar fighter. My preference is for pretty aggressive control throws on most models, and I have since increased the deflections by moving the pushrods in on the control horns. Even with maximum throws, I have not noticed any bad habits. Pulling hard in steep turns simply brings the nose around without a stall. If you want to depart from controlled flight though, just slow down a bit and kick in a bunch of rudder. The inner wingtip will drop nicely, and the snap roll will develop into a nice spin. Fortunately, recovery is almost immediate once you release the sticks.

I definitely appreciated the ZX10 transmitters dual rate switch. Toggling in the low rates made it easy to set up a stabilized smooth approach for a realistic touchdown.