Now this would not come as a major surpriseas we all typically fly the same style models forone very valid and logical reason. The full-sizedversions are at the top of their game, so if the fullsized aircraft is the must have aircraft, then awell-designed, miniature, radio-controlled versionmust fly just as well. What a lot of us tend to for-get is that just like the major unlimited aerobaticcompetitions in full-scale, our RC world has beenflying these for decades, and, when looking atarguably one of its purest forms, F3A, we havebeen able to pioneer an airframe configurationnot seen in full-size as the pattern aerobatic F3Aaircraft belongs exclusively to us modellers!

What Is F3A?F3A is the international designation given to,

in effect, pattern flying. For your chosen air-frame to qualify, it needs to fit into a square nomore than two metres by two metres and weighless than 5,050 grams (or 5.05 kilograms). Thereare many ways to get into flying F3A but mostcan be very expensive, costing many hundredsof dollars to build... and to be honest, if you’reserious about competition, you are going toneed a backup plane as well, just in case.

As a rule, these planes have long fuselages andpurpose-designed wing styles as these greatlyimprove the way the aircraft tracks. You start offin the basic category, moving onto sportsman,then advanced. These are set routines, consistingof some of the manoeuvres you already perform,like Immelman’s, split S manoeuvres, snap rollsand loops... but are all bought together to formyour set category as outlined above. If this soundsexciting but you don’t have the time to drivearound the state or country to compete, or per-haps do not have the available outlay for a pair ofcompetition planes, or like us Park Pilots, simplyfly smaller lighter electric models, rest assured thatas the all-new second generation Vanquish Mk11has landed in Australia, this is one model, no mat-ter what you fly, you just need in your fleet.

Vanquish Mk11 OverviewExtreme Flight is an American company that

in North America needs no introduction as theyare extremely popular. For us pilots this side ofthe pond, the smaller electric range has neverbeen previously available. Luckily, DesertAircraft in Queensland are now the exclusiveAustralian distributors of both Extreme Flight’sextensive range of airframes as well as theirpowerful, silky-smooth running torque brush-less motors and Airboss ESCs.

So What’s In The Box?Popping the lid revealed the entire sub-assemblies individually wrapped and very well

packed, which prevented any damage. After removing the wrapping, I was really blownaway by the quality of the build. I admired the colour scheme, which was very well-designed to give you the pilot, clear orientation when going through your F3A repertoire orjust your sports flying manoeuvres. The second thing I did was put my pre-heated coveringiron away as it just wasn’t needed... try as I might, I could not find even one small crease!

The next thing you will notice is just how light and rigid the airframe is. Full-lengthcarbon rods run down the fuselage and add to the rigidity of the overall design. Have aread through the 13-page assembly manual as it holds some useful information and is verywell laid-out. The manual covers the assembly of the original Mk1; and although therehave been some nice refinements (as opposed to improvements) in the current MkII, theseare not covered in the manual but they are very self-explanatory. The manual claims theentire process can be completed in one evening and provided you have all the equipmenton hand, this is definitely possible. Having said this, I finished mine over a few evenings,as it was a fun build and I wanted to take my time and really enjoy it.

AssemblyThe first part of the assembly, and it really

was just that as opposed to a full build, was tofit the lovely carbon fibre landing gear bybolting them into the pre-drilled blind nuts.Add a little thread-lock to keep the screws andwashers from loosening. The carbon gearshould be mounted with the gear raked backtowards the tail. This really looks fantastic.Next, fit the axles and wheels. Something Idislike about a lot of designs is the need toline up wheels pants then drill the holes.Extreme Flight approaches this cleverly. Thewheel pants are pre-drilled; so when you fitthese through the pre-drilled axle holes andtighten the bolts, simple pressure holds thewheels pants in position.

Next up, fit the ailerons with the suppliedCA type hinges. Be sure to drill a small holewhere each hinge is located as this helps thethin CA (pink) to wick completely into thehinge slot. Once completed, you can choose tocomplete the rest of the fuselage or now fit theaileron servos. I kept on moving down theassembly process and fitted the wings in thecarbon fibre wing tube before then trial-fittingthe stabiliser. Measure twice and glue oncehere... as by definition of the style of plane weare assembling, we really want as straight anaircraft as you can manage. I managed to getmine down to 0.5 of a millimetre!

Prior to fitting and gluing the stabilizer, Iinstalled the CA hinges on each side of theelevators and glued these in to one side only.After the stab was measured and glued, Iapplied CA to the hinges and permanentlyattached the elevators, ensuring - like theailerons - that full travel range was achieved.After fitting the rudder the same way it wastime to fit the gorgeous carbon fibre tailwheel assembly. I really like this design as it’sstrong, easy to install, light and adds thatextra bit of ‘bling’ we all now love.

The Business End As previously mentioned, Extreme Flight

manufacture their own lines of brushlessmotors and electronic speed controllers(ESC’s). I highly recommend you use these asthey have been designed especially for theseVanquish airframes (although they would obvi-ously be perfect for any other similar-sizedmodel) and bolt right onto the pre drilled fire-wall. The hardware pack includes some laser-cut wood parts that form a motor mount exten-sion. Build this using thin CA then mount themotor on its X mount. In addition to this wasan air deflection vent for motor cooling, thatneeded to be built up and glued in place.

A feature I’m sure will be popular is boththe speed controller and motor bullet connec-tors come pre-soldered and fitted... there iseven a ‘kill’ switch built into the ESC! There isa cut-out in the right side of the fuselage forthe switch. Remove the covering and install it.The kit doesn’t include a spinner but a Dubrospinner is a fairly good fit. If I was to be picky,the colour match is slightly different but thiswould be expected, as red does come in manyshades. Nevertheless, it’s a very good compro-mise. I really was very impressed with what istruly a ‘plug and play’ solution, yet anotherreason to purchase the complete package, sav-ing you time and guaranteeing you have amodel that is up to the high performancedemands that a true F3A model requires.

Airborne The Extreme Flight Vanquish looks a million dol-

lars just sitting in the pits awaiting its first flight.After bolting in the wings with the anti-rotationscrews, I opened the canopy hatch via its lockingpin, a very nice item that gives peace of mind. Thereis plenty of room inside, so fitting your LiPo is easy.Although the Vanquish is a 48” span model, it isdesigned to be flown on a powerful 4s 2200 LiPopack. Ground handling is superb but that is notwhere the fun is. I lined it up into strong wind, slow-ly ‘poured on the coals’ and was impressed by thesheer acceleration. Rollout was swift and straight.

First thing you’ll notice about flying a pattern shiplike this is the climb-out; more gradual than an all-out3D model. By the downwind leg, I already knew thismodel would stay in my hanger for quite some time.I noticed my CG was nose-heavy so I landed to adjustit. Second flight and I had it trimmed out perfectly...now it was time to see just how good the Vanquishis. Roll rate on the recommended aileron settingswere just about right - fast and perfectly axial - andthe Vanquish would stop exactly where you ask it to.Point rolls really bought a smile to my face: they wereso easy to perform and looked just beautiful.

There is plenty of power for unlimited verticaland this plane really groves! I noticed almost nil cou-pling in knife edge (KE) flight and was extremelyimpressed with high alpha KE passes. These couldbe slowed right down to jogging pace and werealmost hands-free. Snaps rolls were very quick andonce again, the guys at Extreme Flight really have gotthis right as the Vanquish snaps inverted, upright andback to level flight with ease. One of my favouritemanoeuvres to fly with the Vanquish is a snap rollinto KE flight, followed by point rolls to continue. Itmakes me smile every single time! Full throttle pass-es show just how quick the Vanquish will fly on 4s2200 30c packs... and whilst it is a very strong, well-made aircraft, it is important to use proper throttlemanagement. The manual even specifies no fullthrottle dives so I adhered to that. I found that theVanquish will fly inverted just as well as upright andthis really adds a lot of fun to performing my chosenaerobatic repertoire. I did explore the basic 3D flightenvelope and found hovering quite stable, as well asharrier’s with minimal ring rock, none whilst invert-ed. Rolling circles just seem like child’s play and youcan really see its competition heritage shine throughon each and every manoeuvre on the Aresti chart.

What’s nice with the Vanquish is it really adds adifferent element to the normal 3D flying I tend todo. I have even downloaded some Aresti charts to

take to the park with me! Extreme Flight hasreally got a winner here. It’s is my newfavourite plane in a park friendly size that willbring hours of challenging flying and sheerenjoyment at a very affordable price. Do your-

self a favour and experience flying one. Iwould also highly recommend using ExtremeFlight’s own torque brushless motor andAirboss 45 amp ESC. All available exclusivelyin Australia through Desert Aircraft.

Questions and feedback to parkpilot@live.com.auPhotos by Eden Connell at

www.zoominwitheden.com