UMX or fms 800mm

[T.A.]

As an insurance agent I travel a lot to customers or meetings and love to pull over and fly in between appointments. I love all my Horizon Hobby airplanes but the ones that I have had a hard time getting used to are my UMX or other micros. They seem too small too light and even with as3x need almost to perfect calm weather as they max in weight around 70 grams but on average are 50 grams. Looking at the FMS 800mm they seem to be the perfect fix they are not too light at 450 grams and are not too small at around 31 inches. Anyone that has flown the umx and 800mm I would love to hear what you think.

[Rocketeer]

Re: UMX or fms 800mm

Greetings T.A.,

The 800mm series of warbirds from FMS are awesome.

I own and fly just about all of them. Admittedly, they are CG excentric!!
But, once they're dialed in they fly well and for their size give a great scale appearence.

For affordability and portability and as grab-n-go planes they're great. I can get 4-5 in the back of my Jeep.
The Corsair is my favorite to fly, followed by the T-28, the Mustang (watch for slow-speed tip stalls) and then the P-40. I have finally to come to terms with the A1 Skyraider but for whatever reason flying that one at first seemed to be a chore as did the P-47 but they both came around. In my opinion the toughest of the lot is the A-6 Texan.

Take your time with these birds, be sure their balanced at CG and you'll have a blast.
Not to mention that the batteries for these planes are peanuts compared to others.

Clear Skies

Bill L.
in Okla.

[Loneflier]

Re: UMX or fms 800mm

I also have many both the UMX planes from Horizon Hobby, and the at least 8 of the FMS 800 series. The UMX are much easier to fly, but as you noticed, they will not tolerate much wind. The upgraded 2 cell UMX planes, such as the Pitts Special and Icon A5 are much better in the wind than the 1 cell UMX models.
As Rocketeer noted, the FMS 800 planes are very sensitive to CG, and also torque roll on take offs. But, once mastered, they are great fun to fly and will definitely handle more wind than the UMX planes. They are relatively inexpensive, and the batteries are pretty cheap too. My favorites are the Zero, the T28, and the Mustang. I had an early version of the Skyraider that had the CG placement incorrectly shown in the manual, and it was not a good maiden flight. However, after some epoxy, CA, and research on the net to find the CG, I had no problem with it after that. It looks rough now after all the crashes, but flies well now.

One other option you might consider is the new Flyzone Aircore series. Also inexpensive, one powercore can be used for all the planes, and in terms of difficulty to fly, they are in between the UMX and FMS. They hand launch easily, and also handle wind really well. I have all of them except for the Principle, and have been very happy with them. MRC also carries this line.

Good luck with whichever you choose.

[brick47]

Re: UMX or fms 800mm

FMS 800mm T-28 <smiley image="smiley_good.gif"/>

[Konrad]

Re: UMX or fms 800mm

I fly many 2 cell UMX with AS3X gyros in winds that keep a lot of FMS 1400mm (non Gyro) warbirds grounded.

The UMX bi-planes aren't that fast and are easy to keep in close. I love the Beast and the Pitts. Actually the Pitts is a bit better as she has a bit more power for verticals

I have a none AS3X Sukhoi Su-26m (single cell and with brushed motor) that is now a kick to fly with the new 45c 150 mAh batteries. While she won't take the wind the 2 cell models will, she will fly well in 5 mph winds.
http://www.parkzone.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=PKZ3580

This battery really woke up all my single cell ships even the helis. It is also great to get a cigarette jack charger for your single cell battery.
http://www.e-fliterc.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFLB1501S45

An added benefit to the UMX planes is that they fit back into the carrying (shipping) box for that all important protection against hanger (car) rash!

I like the EPO foam of the FMS 800mm warbirds. But they are a bit heavy and as a result need the strength of the EFO foam to survive those cross wind cart wheels we have on landings.

All the best,
Konrad

[FLTRI]

RE: UMX or fms 800mm

As an insurance agent I travel a lot to customers or meetings and love to pull over and fly in between appointments. I love all my Horizon Hobby airplanes but the ones that I have had a hard time getting used to are my UMX or other micros. They seem too small too light and even with as3x need almost to perfect calm weather as they max in weight around 70 grams but on average are 50 grams. Looking at the FMS 800mm they seem to be the perfect fix they are not too light at 450 grams and are not too small at around 31 inches. Anyone that has flown the umx and 800mm I would love to hear what you think.

How about in-between? The 650mm series (E-Flight, Tex, Weekender, Aircore) are perfect for travel. Small 2S batteries, great flight times, and with a stabilized Rx, they can handle a breeze...