December 2005 — Vol. 22, No. 12 - RC Soaring - RCSoaring.com

found that Hitec hardware is
durable and comparable to
other big brands in value.
Initial Test Flying
I first tested the Bat using a
bungee launcher in a soccer
field.
I had a little trouble at first
because of the great speeds that
occur during bungee
launching. I found that the Bat
would flip violently when I
attempted to bring her up into
the air.
After a few tries it became
apparent that I simply needed
to apply less movement on the
control stick of the radio. Once
I eased up on the stick I was
able to guide the Bat in fast,
graceful arcs after the release of
the bungee.
I attribute this instability to the
lack of a swept-wing design.
The Bat has less stability than
other planes because it has a
relatively short tip to tail
length. This is analogous to the
wheelbase design on a
motorcycle; a very short
wheelbase results in an agile
and flickable bike with less
stability at speed, while a
longer wheelbase is more
difficult to steer in tight
corners but has a greater
overall stability.
Slope Flying
At Cape Cod this October the
Bat got its first real taste of
slope-soaring action.
Nervously, I threw the Bat in
very heavy winds and low
light. There were a few reasons
for my apprehension; the wind
was very powerful, it was
almost dusk, the Bat had never
been flown off a slope before,
and the dunes were almost
two hundred feet tall, thereby
guaranteeing a long hike if I
lost control. The wind was
moving at thirty plus m.p.h., a
little heavy for any foam plane.
Still and all, I was able to keep
it aloft and get a taste for the
way that it handles. I say a taste
because I was afraid of losing
the plane before I really got to
fully test it, so I landed and
hoped for wind the next day.
The next day we woke early to
find the wind coming straight
into the hill by our hotel, the
Seascape Motor Inn in Truro,
Massachusetts. Wasting no
time, I grabbed the Bat for
some early morning gliding.
The twitchiness was still there
but the Bat performed
beautifully, exhibiting good
stability, excellent handling,
and good aerobatic ability.
Loops and rolls were
performed easily and although
I’m not much of an inverted
flyer I believe that in the right
hands the Bat could easily
handle this as well. Because of
its weight, the Bat is not the
best plane for very light winds.
So there you have it, a well
designed plane that flies well in
all but light lift.
Suggested
Modifications
Nobody’s perfect however,
and here follows the list and
explanation of my complaints
about this kit.
First and foremost is the lack of
quality of some of the kit
contents, specifically the
control linkages and the
covering materials.
Dave Garwood photo
December 2005 33