Piloto Ready to Fly Radio Control Plane
The extraordinary Piloto Radio Control Plane is for all indoor flyers!
Piloto radio control plane review page 1 page 2
Piloto radio control plane and transmitter
- Piloto Ready to Fly right out of the box
- Rugged flyer with two channel digital RF control
- Exceptionally smooth flight with cambered airfoil
- Skill level beginner to advanced; fun for all
- Flight characteristics: 9.5 out of 10
- Where to buy: Tower Hobbies mail order website, or at your local hobby shop
Piloto in flight
First Look at the Piloto
The Piloto ready to fly radio control plane, designed and produced by the folks at Revell, can be described with one word: Wow! The complete Piloto radio control plane flying system comes with everything needed for getting airborne in just a few minutes. This includes a radio control plane digital radio frequency transmitter with a built in flight battery charging system; a complete set of illustrated instructions; and a completely built foam model airplane. Final steps before flight include installing six AA batteries for the transmitter (not included) and charging the Piloto’s flight battery with the transmitter’s built in charger. You are now ready to take to the skies. Flying a new radio control plane just can’t get any easier than this.
Video of the Piloto indoor radio control plane control set up and flight demonstration
Everything needed to fly comes with the Piloto radio control plane
The Piloto radio control plane box contains three items: the completely built Piloto foam model airplane; the controller (or radio control plane transmitter); and a very well written instruction manual.
Piloto radio control plane top view
Piloto Radio Control Plane Design
The Piloto radio control plane is an interesting design. It is clear a great deal of thought and testing went into the arrangement of this remarkable flyer. The airplane is made of light weight durable foam, with a carbon-fiber frame. The Piloto uses two channels for flight control from the digital radio frequency transmitter: throttle and rudder. A normal radio control model plane would use four channels (adding ailerons and elevator) to mimic the control arrangement of a full size airplane. The Piloto is carefully designed to make full use of a two channel radio control plane scheme, and is just a ball to fly with this arrangement. In fact, the careful implementation of the Piloto’s two channel control method makes it that much easier for the beginning pilot to learn how to fly the airplane.
Note camber of wing and horizontal tail on the Piloto radio control plane
Don’t be misled by the diminutive size of the Piloto radio control plane when you first hold it in your hand. A lot of careful engineering went into this radio control plane design. All wing, tail and thrust alignments are built in and true. The Piloto uses two wings in a biplane arrangement. The wings are made of thin foam with a precise camber, or shape to the airfoil. The same holds for the horizontal tail surfaces. I cannot recall the last time I saw an airfoil shape applied to the horizontal tail in a small indoor radio control plane such as the Piloto; most designs are just a flat foam plate.
Piloto rudder and magnetic actuator
Piloto Rudder
The Piloto’s rudder is the only moving control surface. The rudder has a small amount of deflection, but moves with authority. The rudder’s small control throw is all that is needed for the balanced flight controls of the Piloto radio control plane.
Piloto switch and battery recharging jack
The Piloto has all its radio control plane electronics built into the fuselage (airplane body) and tail section. The fuselage contains the radio control plane receiver, charging jack, on-off switch, a small green “power on” light and the electronic throttle control. A very fine, lightweight wire extends from the fuselage to the tail mounted coiled magnetic actuator, which provides left and right rudder movement to turn the airplane. In addition to the receiver electronics, the Piloto has a built in rechargeable lithium-polymer (li-po) battery that powers the onboard electronics and electric motor.
Piloto radio control plane electric motor and geared propeller
Electric Motor
The Piloto’s tiny radio control plane electric motor is mounted behind the top wing in a pusher set up. The geared motor provides a surprising amount of thrust, plenty for any maneuvers desired by the aspiring Piloto pilot. The location of the engine behind the wing and above the carbon-fiber tail boom virtually guarantees that there will be no damage to the propeller or motor gear train in the event of a crash or bump into a wall. This is a very good deal that ensures your Piloto radio control plane remains undamaged and ready for flight at all times.
Piloto transmitter - throttle on left, rudder on right
Transmitter
The Piloto’s radio control plane controller, or transmitter, has two control sticks. The spring loaded left stick operates the throttle, with “up” being full throttle and “down” reducing thrust. The left throttle stick turns off the electric motor when lowered all the way. The spring centered right stick moves left and right and controls the rudder to turn the Piloto. The transmitter has a built in charging cord and jack to recharge the Piloto’s radio control plane li-po battery. In addition, the transmitter has an on-off switch, and colored, easy to see LED lights that clearly indication the transmitter and charging status.
Pilot rudder and tail surfaces
Piloto Tail Controls
There is no elevator control for the Piloto radio control plane. The elevator would be used to make an airplane climb or descend. The use of two channels is a common arrangement with this class of indoor ready to fly radio control plane, and helps keep prices low on these unique flyers. Other examples of the two channel motor throttle and rudder control arrangement include the Palm Z and the Havoc Cyclone. As described with the Aero Ace ready to fly airplane, the throttle control is used to gain or lose altitude in place of the elevator, and is easily mastered for full control of the Piloto radio control plane.
Pilot instruction manual
The supplied Piloto radio control plane instructions provide a complete, illustrated and easy to follow series of steps to get your Piloto charged and ready for its first flight. It is always important with these small, lightweight indoor radio control plane to ensure you are using fresh batteries in the transmitter, and that the Piloto’s built in li-po flight battery is fully charged. The series of steps in the instruction manual that merit repeating is the sequence that must be followed for turning on the transmitter and Piloto to ensure the electronic speed control will allow the motor to start.
Piloto transmitter charging jack
Turning On the Piloto
As described in the Piloto instructions, the following steps must be followed in order. Ensure the transmitter throttle control (left stick) is in the full down, or OFF position. Turn the transmitter power switch to ON - the green power-on LED on the transmitter will illuminate. Next, turn the ON/OFF switch on the Piloto radio control plane to the ON position. Note that nothing will happen with the motor, as the throttle control on the transmitter is in the OFF (down) position. However, by following this sequence of steps, the motor control is now armed, and the propeller will turn the moment the transmitter throttle control stick is moved up. The rudder will move left or right, as well, when the right transmitter control stick is moved.
Piloto radio control plane review page 1 page 2
Radio Control Plane