As promised this week i am reviewing the Parkzone Citabria(airbatic spelled backwards) I guess the designers at Champion Aircraft Co. had a sense of humor. Over the last couple of years i have become aware of Parkzone products and for the most part, have been very satisfied with their offerings.
The list price for this bird is $199.00 but as shown on this site(GREAT JOB CHESTER!) it can be purchased for almost half that, $114.00 And it is well worth that amount.
Make sure not to damage the original packaging when opening it because it will make an excellent storage case for your airplane later!!!
My first impression of this little gem was the craftsmanship. This is a well thought out airplane. The guidance system is a state of the art- 2.4 gig spread spectrum radio and receiver, so range is not an issue as with cheaper models. I have not had a single glitch or sputter and don’t expect any in the future.
I charged the included LI-PO battery on the included charger and installed batteries in the included radio(DID I TELL YOU ALMOST EVERYTHING WAS INCLUDED?? LOL)
One piece of advise for all of you. . . Don’t use the INCLUDED AA sized batteries in your charger or transmitter, use them on something else. Use ONLY high quality batteries in the charger and radio.
Many Micro Ready to fly airplanes can and do fly right out of the box, but to truly say they fly well. . . . that’s another story. this is definitely not the case with the Citabria. I checked the C.G. and it was right about where i thought it should be. So off to the field!!
My first flight took place on a fairly calm morning, maybe 2 mph to 5 mph winds. I spooled up the throttle. and I hand launched it with a smooth toss, straight and level out in front of me, and I prepared to trim this little zipper out. . . . To my surprise no trim was needed at all. She flew level at half throttle, climbed at full throttle and was like a purring little kitten to fly overall. The turns were smooth and she had no bad tendencies that i could see. After about 4 minutes of getting to know each other, I decided it was time to wring it out a little!!! I did figure 8’s both left and right, loops are straight over the top and with a little dive to gain airspeed, no problem at all. I have read on R.C.U. and other forums that some people feel this plane is underpowered, I disagree. it flies like a Citabria should fly. this is not a fighter jet, don’t expect it to fly like one. After about 9 minutes i could feel the motor losing r.p.m.’s so i pointed my new favorite airplane back into the wind and landed at way less than walking speed. Almost a zero-airspeed touchdown. Throttle response is very good, as a matter of fact the entire radio is hobby Quality, not a toy. I highly recommend this airplane for anyone who has ever wanted a calm day or indoor flier. Although not a living room flier, if you have an area the size of a tennis court or basketball court that’s all the room you need!! Additional LI-PO batteries are available for about $8 each so i bought another one. Also the battery will fit the Parkzone Cessna , Ember and Vapor. . . . All of which I
plan to liberate from the hobby shop as soon as $$$$ become available!!
I will review each of them for you faithful readers!!. . . I hope SOMEBODY READS ‘EM. Next week I’ll review the Airhogs Gyro-Havoc!!
As always feel free to leave your comments!!!REMEMBER ” FLY SMART . . . . . SPEND SMARTER!”
One Comment
Write a Comment»I bought one a couple months ago… IT’S WORTH THE PRICE!!!
It flys great!!! I’ve waited 20 years for the technology to become available for something like this.