Eflite Leader AS3X

[imran1042]

Hi everyone!

I was thinking of purchasing a AR635 6 channel sport AS3X receiver for my Eflite Leader 480. The only reason i thought of that is because i have a AR600 doing nothing and a AR6115 currently in my leader. If i were to sell these or trade them in, with a little extra money i can get a AS3X receiver. Would that be a good decision?

Thanks

[sihinch]

Imran,

Based on the 2 flights that I had with the leader, I would say it's a very stable plane.  I didn't fly it in windy conditions however, so I don't know how much the wind affects it.

Based on how stable it was on a regular day, I would say it doesn't need AS3x.  AS3x may allow you to fly it more easily on a windy day - I tried a 3 axis gyro in my PZ Extra on a windy day and it definitely smoothed things out but it didn't need the gyro.

But a gyro may help make your aerobatics smoother - if that's what you want to do. I'm not sure how will it would do that - my Extra with the gyro was more "jerky" in a roll than without.

However, I am a sucker for new technology and I can understand people wanting to give it a try and learn about the effects.

In short I would say you don't need AS3x in a leader, but it may help with some things.

[Ededge2002]

I will admit first off that I'm against the learning to fly on a stabilized airplane concept.

Using a gyro stabilized plane at an early stage of flying will not allow the pilot to learn the corrections required to fly aerobatics properly. Sure it will allow you to do some maneuvers and have them possibly look better but in my opinion your not helping yourself improve.  Improving requires making mistakes and trying to find the correct input to get the desired output. 

Please except that this is all opinion

[imran1042]

i actually agree with you. I may get it but when i am training, learning, trying something new or practicing, i will turn it off and when i am leisurely flying on a windy day i will turn it on. If it doesn't effect flight then i will put it in another plane or keep it for the future.  Thanks for the advice!

[Bobmic]

Hi Imran,
I don't know much about AS3x but I played quite a bit with Gyros and they will definitely dampen things on a day with gusty wind, however they can also mask or exaggerate other problems if you are not used to the plane. One thing you need to make check is if your servos will cope with the system. Again I am not familiar with AS3x but when using a Gyro you have to use a fast digital servo otherwise you end up burrning the servo quite fast.
Don't get me wrong it will work with a regular servo but not for long and you can end up amplifying a problem instead of dampening.
I also played a bit with heading hold gyros which are a "no no" on planes but was nice to see the plane flying sideways and compensating for cross wind. You just need to be aware of what is going on cause when you dissangauge things can be hairy as the gyro can lock the throws in a high deflection.
Saying all that as long as you know what you are doing and know how to turn the system off it can work quite nicely once you are familiar with the plane and feel comfortable flying it.

The bottom line is just have fun with it, from what I have seen its a realy nice flying plane.

Bobby

[thehaze]

Imran,

You don't need an AS3X system. It's a neat toy but IMHO you will learn more without it and the plane will feel more natural in the air.

Plus now you have 2 receivers. Why trade them to get only one? You're going to need that second one someday. Keep it for the next plane.