FlightLine Spitfire Mk.IXc vs. E-flite Spitfire Mk.XIV

[Westsider]

Following up on the Grossman56 post earlier on the FlightLine Spitfire official announcement thread. I was hoping to read other pilots input on a head-to-head evaluation of the two birds. I'm an intermediate pilot, and prefer the 980mm to 1200mm size for ease of transportation. I would agree with his evaluation, as I have found the Ef Spitfire slightly but noticeably quicker than my Ef Dallas Doll. The Ef Spitty can't touch the FL stock motor configuration, however, and I have yet to put the motor upgrade into the Fl Mk.IX. Flying the FL with Spektrum AR610, i have found no need for AS3X or other gyros. The Safe Select is cool for beginners I'm flying with, or rough wind conditions if my confidence is shaken or shattered. Nice option. For my current ability, however the performance of the FlightLine model is superior to me. Thoughts?

[Westsider]

Should mention I'm a forum novice, so if I breached some chat etiquette, my apologies.

[Grossman56]

Hey Westsider, welcome to the forum!! Don't worry, most of us can't even spell etiquette let alone follow it!
Pretty much anything goes on the forum except bad language and disrespect. We have a great bunch of guys here and a wide open forum as well and we plan to keep it that way.
As I mentioned elsewhere, I was interested in some side by side comparisons, so thanks for the information. The two planes are really aimed at different experience levels, with the SAFE mode selectable with the E flite, and your choice of receivers for the Flightline. I've never really had a plane with AS3X in it before so I was curious as to where this would fit in on the experience level ladder. It's right where I figured, a plane that is a great progression for someone coming off an Apprentice or a Pandora and wants to get into a warbird but is worried about it being a huge jump.
So, I thought I'd try it and see.

One thing I haven't mentioned before is that it trims out differently with SAFE on than with it off. I can get her trimmed up on SAFE and then when I switch if off I'm trimming again. I don't fly with it as a general rule, but I did try it out with the idea that when Diane is ready to retire the Apprentice, she might want to try the Spit.

My question is whether, down the road, it couldn't be swapped out with a different ESC/motor combination, say the Flightline Spit and be a great plane all over again.

I tried fitting a 3600 4s battery in the hatch and it will fit, albeit on its side, so the logistics say it would be possible, although, it adds to the overall price of the plane.
So, in your opinion, would this be a good step in order to build confidence before getting the Flightline Spitfire?
Curious...

Grossman56

[Westsider]

I think an experienced Apprentice pilot would have no trouble with the Eflite Spitfire. I put the Apprentice Safe receiver into a RocHobby Waco for a trainer and it worked fine ( a little slower than Eflite D.Doll and the E Spitty). Something else to consider, prior to the jump to warbird. As far as replacing the powertrain on the Eflite, I don't see why it wouldn' t work, other than issues with the AR636. I'm no expert, just experimenting, but I'm not a big fan of programming that receiver, however. If you get to the point where you want to replace the ESC/motor with something stronger, you probably won't need the Safe receiver anymore.

[Grossman56]

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking, I have 5 1400mm Warbirds and don't have any worries about flying them, so I'm thinking that, at some point, I'm going to want to bring her up to par with the others. I think I'd probably swap out the receiver as well.

Grossman56

[Grossman56]

I actually managed to get an A3L into my RocHobby Waco, it worked great!

Grossman56

[Flygirl]

Bet youre good at packing a car too Dan.... LOL! Tight squeeze!

[Westsider]

You're all over it. Top shelf.

[Grossman56]

Actually, when it comes to packing, I tip my hat to the wife, no one can jam more planes in a truck than she can. I thought it was tight going to Nefi with five planes, including the Pitts that doesn't come apart, but then we came home with six, so go figure!!

Grossman56