Anyone fortunate
enough to witness the demise of Jan Hansen’s F3F record in Wales on 5 March 2000 may
well have come away from the event feeling perplexed. Although the then prototypical Pike
clearly offered increased acceleration and straight-line speed, it seemingly maintained
the benign handling for which the earlier versions were so renowned.
As we all know, in
terms of design ethics, everything is a compromise, so how had such an apparent
improvement been achieved? Simple, take a proven and well established design, modify it on
the recommendation of one of the UK’s finest F3F pilots, throw in a shed load of
Welsh updraught and voila a new world record is born.
Of course, in
reality the events leading to Kev Newton’s 32.7 second F3F run are by no means this
simplistic. Much head scratching, mould making and model testing preceded this
groundbreaking flight. Such was the commitment to the project that the manufacturer agreed
to provide the newly designed tips prior to the production of the final moulds. In this
way a true flight evaluation could commence, rather than a hypothetical reliance on
projected performance. The beauty of this approach was that the conversion from Pike
Extreme to Pike WR became a simple task of plugging on the replacement parts. The downside
was the fact that the new model became the preserve of the designer himself. It was not
made available to the general F3F populace…until now.
It’s with some
excitement that I approach this review and with some trepidation too. Can the finalised
design possibly live up to the early promise and, more importantly, can the rest of us
garner similar performance to that of Samba’s works pilot?
First Impressions
The benefit of
committing to two identical WR’s is that assessments can be made on both the standard
of workmanship and uniformity of quality. A prerequisite of any F3F model is that of
interchangeability (trust me, it is a word; I checked! KN) of parts. In the case of my
Pikes (numbers 9 and 10 from the moulds), all components can be mixed and matched at will,
without impacting on the tight rigging standards bespoke to each individual model.
On to the goods
themselves, lets start by looking at the fuselage. Early examples of Pike fuselages have
shown a moulding that tends to veer towards the safer side of minimalist design. The boom,
for instance, is a little wider in diameter than most, with plenty of room appropriated
for radio installation. The net result of this is that the fuselage exhibits substantial
strength and stiffness. Samba has embraced this further by utilising a hybrid twill in the
lay up of the moulding. For the uninitiated this fabric comprises both woven aramid and
carbon fibres. Theoretically, the fuselage should benefit from the tensile strength of the
former and rigidity of the latter. Regardless, it feels incredibly solid, and at only
14ozs is certainly light for its comparative strength. Finish, as expected, is flawless
with good depth of colour and lustre.
The wing
centre-section abides by conventional wisdom externally, but not internally. A peek
through the servo-wells shows a wing that has been clinically produced. The cloths, sheer
webs and spar caps exude a uniformity of bond rarely seen, even in the best moulded
models. The key features here are the skin composition and spar size. Other than the
surface gelcoat, finishing glass cloth and balsa insert, the skin is constructed entirely
from 90 gram carbon fabric. Two layers have been pressed either side of the 1mm balsa
skin, which provides the meat of the sandwich. The spar caps have also been subject to
change. Needless to say they have been beefed up too, with an estimated 25% increase over
and above the standard Pike construction. Anyone with a penchant for squeezing moulded
surfaces will be in for a shock. Even when subjected to substantial pressure, the wing
skins refuse to flex. This bodes well for resilience against prospective hangar rash. More
importantly, it also means that the huge flight loads incurred from F3F flying can be
better accommodated without the wing flexing.
In terms of shape,
the only real deviation from the status quo is that there is a very slight dihedral built
into the panel. Unusual? Yes, but in my mind totally vindicated. The reason for this (I
think) is that it allows for a very stable airframe to be constructed without the need for
a large amount of tip dihedral. This, in turn, leads to improved roll response, which
decreases deflection drag, and so on…phew.
The surface finish
is impressive to say the least, being blemish free and resplendent in a very high and
colourful gloss. The airbrushed logos complement the already professionally finished
panel, and with free and easy integral hinging, it becomes difficult to fault the
component.
The wing-tips
present the most radical departure from the earlier Pike. Gone are the round tipped
originals. Instead we are provided with a very aggressive looking pair of multi-tapered
alternatives. I anticipate that the design philosophy went something like this; create a
panel that takes advantage of Schumann efficiency, slim the tip section slightly to reduce
parasitic drag, and finally kick the trailing edge forward at the tip, to up the
aspect–ratio. Whatever, it has certainly worked. The cumulative effect has been to
increase the wing loading slightly (remember the design reduces the overall wing area) and
as such the models cruising speed. The model also operates more efficiently at higher
angles of attack, thanks to a reduction in tip area, and yet still manages to provide a
degree of safety when pulling through very tight manoeuvres.
Like the centre
panel, both tips feature carbon-balsa-carbon construction, and are finished to the same
high standard. Interestingly, on the review model, the small holes drilled to take the
threaded horns were missing. This was easily rectified with the help of a fine drill and a
steady hand! (Samba have apologised for this, the holes should have not only been there,
but also ready to have the horns screwed straight in. KN)
I was delighted to
see the fruition of more labour-intensive effort at the rear of the model. The large
tailplane has now been split into two plug-in units. The execution of this amendment is a
joy to behold, and provides a slop free transportable alternative to previous options.
Additionally, Samba has thoughtfully provided a very neat rear cone to shroud the ungainly
drop arms from the V-tail. If you are looking for a model with attention to detail,
you’ve found it.
To finish off an
already excellent package, we also get a comprehensive accessory pack. Included here are
the sundry items so important to the finish of the model. Four wing shrouds, a tail cone,
horns, wing bolts and allen keys come as standard. Ballast slugs are available on request,
and baring in mind the work saved, really are a worthwhile purchase.
Rigging and Installation
As I am sure you
have all read countless times before, it really is important to provide a model of this
calibre with quality servos and radio gear. For the purpose of this review I have chosen
to install both models with the excellent Multiplex Micro MC V2’s. Whilst by no means
a cheap servo, potent performance is assured thanks to their rapid response times and high
torque characteristics. Ideal then for fast flying and punishing landings…
The inner nose
moulding of the Pike needs careful finishing if an accurate and secure installation is to
be achieved. The material in this area is substantial, so I chose to create the desired
aperture by drilling rather than cutting the glass plate. Having marked the area for
removal, drill at 3mm intervals along the inside line, taking care not to bury the bit
into the bottom of the moulding. Once achieved, simply join the holes (a diamond tipped
power tool is ideal) and remove the offending material. All that remains now is to file
the rough edges smooth. Throughout the installation, it’s important to keep all the
edges of the new cut-outs well rounded. Failure to do so may well result in unwanted
stress cracks forming at the first occurrence of a scuff with terra firma.
It’s at this
point that battery pack sizes and specs can be decided, and in line with the old adage,
bigger is definitely better (damn!! KN). With space aplenty I opted for a five-cell pack
comprising of 1400mah cells. With this arrangement, and a standard sized receiver, only
5oz of lead were required to achieve the desired CG position. Not bad given the added
complexity of the structure at the tail end. Wing fitment was similarly uneventful. With
the double carbon skins, it really becomes overkill to apply another layer of
reinforcement cloth to the wing wells. Nevertheless I still found myself tailoring balsa
ribs to consolidate the top and bottom skins. For a detailed account of this methodology
refer to the editors article on servo mounting in QFI 35.
Having committed
the cardinal sin of sawing off both servo lugs, all that remained was to bind the servos
with masking tape and spot glue them to the wing. A mixture of Devcon 5-minute epoxy and
micro balloons saw the task completed. Incidentally, should anyone adopt a similar choice
of servo to myself (i.e. mini rather than micro) don’t be surprised to find a little
surgery necessary around the servo wells. I found this to be unavoidable if a truly
parallel alignment is to be made between the servo top and surface horn. Only 2-3mm of the
lip need be removed to achieve this end, something easily achievable with a flat-sided
file and invisible once the cover is in place.
In order to
minimise the risk of servo glitching, care was taken to avoid an excess of servo wire in
the wing. The harness needs to be designed to provide slop free cabling without straining
the delicate soldered joints. Samba has kindly drilled an exit hole for the wiring at the
root of the centre-panel. This however demands careful filing if a standard block
connector is to be fitted. Be aware, there is simply not enough material between the hole
and main spar to allow the D-connector to be bolted to the wing! I chose to spot glue the
socket directly to the skin instead, which in practice has worked well. Similar work is
required at the wing seat of the fuselage, though it is advisable to leave this connector
loose. It helps avoid the associated difficulties of mating two fixed connections when
aligning the wing. It’s worth mentioning that the required fuselage aperture is by no
means easy to create. Careful measurements must be made to ensure sufficient clearance for
the D-connector, and yet maintain the rigidity of the wing seat.
On the review
model, I found it necessary to remove part of the rear plywood retention plate in order to
expand the pilot hole. This was a little alarming initially, but having spoken to several
Pike owners, I understand that this is common procedure. For me this was the most arduous
part of the building routine, and certainly provided unwanted scope for error. That said,
the end result does allow for quick and easy field assembly, something not to be
underplayed for those planning to practise during the winter months.
For access to the
tip connectors it is necessary to slot both the centre and tip panel end ribs. It’s
important to maintain accuracy here. I went to the trouble of creating a ply template to
ensure uniformity across all panels. There’s nothing worse than drilling all four end
ribs only to find that no two holes are positioned the same. Horns and servo covers fitted
easily without event, only leaving a final assembly necessary to establish the correct
balance.
The wing joiners
accurately fit the joiner boxes, perhaps too much so. The model rigs perfectly in a cool
room temperature. However, up the heat a little and it’s a struggle to push the
joiner any more than half way in to the panel. A quick tickle with 600 grit wet and dry
soon put matters right, and negated the impact of temperature change. On the subject of
wing joiners, it was good to see that Samba have avoided the trap of producing a component
with a truly square cross section. Instead the joiners are rectangular, being deeper than
they are wide. The result is to provide a structure capable of absorbing extreme bending
loads, and yet offering the required degree of fragility necessary to break on impact.
Incidentally, for
those fortunate enough to have web access, a very useful set of building instructions can
be found at www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~knewt/ These offer detailed information on the
construction and set-up of a Pike Extreme, but also provide a suitable reference for WR
owners. I used them throughout the build of the review model, and found them to be
excellent. Having set the model up to the softest of the recommended throws, it only
remained to position the aerial and check the lateral balance (which turned out to be spot
on!). Given the inordinate amount of carbon present within the airframe, I couldn’t
help but tape the aerial to the underside of the fuselage. This was relatively simple to
achieve, thanks to the hole made for tow hook placement. In practice, this methodology has
worked well, with no signal spatter to be seen. Amazingly, it only took a matter of
fifteen hours to ready the first of the two Pikes for its maiden flight.
Flying
After endless
missed opportunities, time, wind and semi-dry weather finally converged to allow the first
flight to commence. The location for the event, somewhat unexpectedly, turned out to be
the westerly face of the Long Mynd in Shropshire. Although a favourite amongst scale
enthusiasts, the slope’s shallow gradient and lack of perceivable ‘lip’
conspire to reduce any hope of prolonged high speed flight. For the purpose of the opening
flights, this was no bad thing. Importantly, the air available ranged from light slope
lift to pleasingly mild thermal activity. This combined with the intermittent squalls and
showery cloud formations presented interesting if not spectacular conditions.
A gentle push from
the slope edge saw the Pike easing its way into the smooth lift. With the increased aspect
ratio and a slight positive camber, the Pike quickly attained a respectable altitude. At
height, the stability of the model showed through. Certain airframes, especially the more
slippery designs, often veer off from their intended flight path the moment the pilot
looks away. The Pike, however, remained rock solid and, coupled with the bright orange
underside, cut a very distinctive shape in the fading light conditions. Why do the words
"Dartmoor" and "Two-Day" spring to mind? (For readers outside of the
UK, there is a famous annual two-day cross-country competition at Dartmoor. KN)
The wind, which
barely topped 10mph, provided sufficient updraught to allow for the use of half-ballast.
Although slightly heavy in this trim for the conditions, the model remained supremely
effective, offering formidable acceleration and crisp handling. The overwhelming
impression was one of immense energy retention. Although to the positive side of neutral,
the balance allowed for prolonged spells of inverted flight and plenty of aerobatics.
Outside turns, rolling turns, stall turns (positive and negative), loops (round and
square), hesitation rolls (4 and 8-point), bunts etc were all easily completed and gave a
fair indication of what could be expected once stronger lift conditions prevailed.
Inevitably,
comparisons are always drawn between current benchmark models and any new toy, and the
Pike is no different. Looking back on the first outing, I cannot help but think that this
model offers the fastest straight-line speed of any I’ve previously owned. It
certainly looked to be faster than my Cito 3 and indeed the V-Ultra too. It’s also
right up with the best of them in terms of control definition. Roll, pitch and yaw are all
responsive without being twitchy. The increased tailplane area offers beautifully straight
tracking across the entire speed range, ironing out the much seen fishtailing catalysed by
turbulent air. In terms of agility, the Pike represents a quantum leap over the earlier
F3F/F3B designs. No matter how close the model is flown to the ridge, or in what air, the
pilot knows that instant recovery is only a nudge of the sticks away. It certainly
encourages aggressive flying. The ultra stiff surfaces help in this area too. Diving from
over 500ft across the ridge shows no signs of fade in control authority, or overt twisting
of the surfaces. Likewise, pulling tight, square manoeuvres at speed failed to induce any
flex, leading me to believe that this really is the strongest model currently on the F3F
circuit.
The braking system
is equally impressive. The flap hinges allow for huge downward deflections, and the
ailerons are sufficiently large to maintain a safe amount of roll response once the system
is deployed. Landing is by no means one of my stronger points, but even I found the Pike
to be smooth, and ultimately predictable throughout the final throws of the approach.
Subsequent outings,
in windier and more turbulent conditions have been a revelation. The Pike positively
carves through the turbulent air on the edge of the slope, and with careful flying retains
its initial energy surprisingly well. The turn performance is excellent by anybody’s
standards, though a little coaxing from the pilot may aid performance during the lighter
conditions. Ultimately, the model is a joy to behold, offering simplistic, predictable
handling for the sport flier, and oodles of performance for those wishing to investigate
the spectrum further.
Conclusion
So to return to the
original question, yes the model has met my initial expectations (and believe me they were
high!). I also think that it is possible to attain a similar level of performance to that
of the designer. Note the word "similar". A world record is the culmination of
immense skill, huge air and a state-of-the-art design. Although the latter can be
purchased quickly, obtaining the first and second parts of the equation demands hours of
practise and a fair degree of good fortune.
The quality of the
product has never been in doubt, and certainly sits alongside the very best offerings from
the Eastern Block. Assembly is quick and easy, with plenty of space allocated for the
moving parts. Strength wise, its fair to say that you are buying in to what is arguably
the strongest model on the market, so if dynamic soaring is your thing, look no further.
In terms of design,
the WR offers an evolutionary rather than revolutionary slant. Not only is Samba building
on past glories, but also giving the current user-base the option to upgrade. Of course
it’s the refinements that really make this model what it is. Stronger construction,
optimised tip design, two-piece tailplane etc. The attention given to transforming an
already excellent design into a world beating one is commendable. It’s this approach
to production that makes the Pike so effective, and it’s for this that Samba should
be applauded. Essential hardware.
Contact Soarhigh for current pricing (starts at around
£500), availability, colours etc. 01888 560446 or in the USA Composite Specialities, 2195
Canyon Dr #D, Costa Mesa, CA 92627, USA 949-645-7032, tom@f3x.com
http://www.f3x.com
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