| The
following is from the Model Airplane News Review of the LanierRC 17% Giles. This
was written by Jim Onorato. To read the full review, see the bottom of this section.
FLIGHT PERFORMANCE
The first test flights
and photo shoot took place on a beautiful sunny day with a moderate wind. The
control surfaces were set at the recommended "low rate" throws.
• TAKEOFF AND LANDING
My concerns about the small wheels and wheel
pants on a grass runway turned out to be justified, as the Giles took a long time
to generate enough speed to get off the ground. Once airborne, a few minor trim
adjustments had it flying straight and level. It had the feel of a much larger
airplane, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how smoothly it flew.
During the first flight, I discovered that the Giles had a tendency to snap, so
I decided to maintain a moderate speed for landing. This turned out to be a wise
decision, as the Giles remained steady all the way to touchdown and rollout.
• LOW-SPEED PERFORMANCE
The Giles is not the kind of plane you fly
around the sky in a lazy fashion. Initial flights with the Saito FA-30S 4-stroke
were a bit hairy, as the engine turned out to be too small for the Giles and,
at the low speed the plane was flying, it tended to snap when too much up-elevator
was applied. Things improved significantly after I switched to an O.S. FP .25
2-stroke, but I still don’t try to fly this one really slowly. I think the
Giles would be a real performer with a .32 to .40.
• HIGH-SPEED
PERFORMANCE
The Giles performed much better with a .25 2-stroke engine but
still snapped when entering a tight loop. I reduced the elevator throw to half
of what was recommended in the instructions, raised both ailerons about an 1/8
inch and moved the CG forward about 1/2 inch. Now the plane tracks very well and
is much more smooth and stable. I believe the most effective change was that of
the CG’s position.
• AEROBATICS
The Giles is a proven aerobatic
airplane that’s capable of every imaginable maneuver, and this one does quite
well considering its small size. Axial rolls were incredibly fast, as were inside
and outside snap rolls. Sustained knife-edge and outside 360-degree turns were
no problem. Inverted flight required a fair amount of down-elevator. The snapping
tendency was significantly reduced by the changes mentioned above. Now, loops
are big and round. | |
