Electric powered gliders offer a completely different experience for RC pilots. Graceful, sweeping aerobatics, extremely long flight times, and virtually silent operation make smaller models park-friendly while larger sailplanes can add new excitement to mountain passes and soaring ocean cliffs. Rob and Thayer take a close look at Flyzone’s Calypso foam creation and apply the trademark 5X5 inspection…
Summary
I first saw the Calypso at the Toledo Weak Signals show. It’s an attractive, simple powered glider that offers everything you’d need for park soaring and a bit beyond. Having swept wing tips, smooth lines, and easy access to powerplant, radio, and battery components the Calypso is a no-hassle grab-and-go airplane. Our Tx-R model was an easy assembly and in no time we were up and ready to fly.
Flight testing was done in Champaign, Illinois at the Champaign County RC Club on a bright, sunny day with gentle 3 MPH winds. The Calypso easily jumps from your hand and in no time we were soaring around on a day when the moon was clearly visible, adding to the fun of climbing the Calypso far into the afternoon skies and letting it do what gliders do best: searching for any little pocket of lift to squeeze out every minute of flight. If you’ve never flown a glider before, the Calypso is a good platform to get you familiar with how much fun gliding can be. The excitement is even greater as you seek out and ride the hill, thermal, or wave lifts found by mountainous terrain, cliff walls, and even seemingly from nowhere on a warm summer day above a farmers field.
Check out the details and scoring in the review videos and see if the Calypso is the right foam glider for you!
Rob
Additional Resources
Flyzone, distributed exclusively by Hobbico, www.flyzoneplanes.com, (800) 682-8948
