The author displays the Tower Hobbies Sport GP/EP ARF.
This is a nice airplane at a reasonable price!
comfortable at both high and low rates.
I used 25% exponential on all surfaces.
Flying
I get to fly many styles of airplanes,
but it’s always a joy to find a good,
solid sport airplane for everyday flying.
The Sport is definitely one of those
models. It looked good on the ground
and I hoped it would be that way in
the air. I wasn’t disappointed.
Power and control going down the
runway were excellent and it lifted
nicely off the ground for a strong
climb. After a couple of trips around
the pattern to get a feel for it, I was
ready to see how it would perform.
The RimFire . 32 on a 4S LiPo battery
is a system I had used before, so I was
confident in its ability to spirit this
airplane around the sky.
First up was a stall test, which was no
big deal. It mushed along before finally
breaking into a stall, dropping its nose
and gently recovering when I centered
the controls. There was no tendency to
snap or break to either side.
Rolls were nicely axial, given the
Sport’s low-wing design and slight
dihedral. Inverted flight required
a bit of elevator, but it seemed as
comfortable inverted as it was upright.
Loops can be nice, big, and round,
or tightened up depending on your
preference.
Cuban 8s look great. The Sport will
make a nice aerobatic trainer for a pilot
looking to hone his or her skills. I was
happy to see that there was power
and control authority for some outside
maneuvers, too.
Landings are a breeze, and require no
special attention. It’s a happy landing
with or without power, and the model
slows beautifully. The wheels were
big enough to handle my grass field
without any problem, and ground
handling is excellent.
Conclusion
It has been a while since I’ve owned
a low-wing sport model and it was a
refreshing fix after an extended period
of flying some rather “interesting”
I always keep a trainer in the hangar,
but I’m going to expand that and
keep a sport airplane, too. It’s a great
aerobatic trainer and one that will
allow any pilot to practice precision
maneuvers without the fear of being
bitten by the model.
The Sport GP/EP ARF is an honest
flier at an incredible price point. Tower
Hobbies nailed it when the company
tacked its name on this one!
—Greg Gimlick
maelectrics@gimlick.com
MANUFACTURER/DISTRIBUTOR:
Tower Hobbies
(800) 637-6050
www.towerhobbies.com
SOURCES:
ElectriFly
(800) 637-6050
www.electrifly.com
FlightPower
(800) 637-6050
www.flightpowerbatteries.com
Castle Creations
(913) 390-6939
www.castlecreations.com
67 Model Aviation APRIL 2017 www.ModelAviation.com
