Review of the Airfield A4

Airfield A4 RTF Kit

General Impression:
This kit was a great addition to my airplane fleet. I had been looking for a compact EDF that was capable of an easy hand launch, did reasonably well in the wind and would land well on grass. My other criteria was that it be able to fit a 3S 2200mAh Lipo which I have many of. This version came with EVERYTHING I needed to get it into the air. Plane, Epoxy, Battery, charger, electronics. Only thing you need is the flying skill because this is NOT a beginner airplane. They have 2 versions, the Blue Angels and the Gray. You can also get it without the Tx for $30 less. You can also get the ARF kit if you bash it in or already have the GUTS from another 64mm EDF. Often, the ESC is the hardest thing to supply because the wire lengths differ from plane to plane. If you don't have an aifield EDF already your much better off getting the Rx ready or RTF versions.

Build:
All I have to say is that Airfield did a great job in making this a totally easy build. My total build time including pre-fitting the foam wing surfaces, testing out the electronics, letting epoxy cure and adjusting the control surfaces was about an hour. Everything fit perfectly. My comment on the build is that the 2 part epoxy they give you sets up in about 3 minutes of work time. DO ONE WING at a time. Use 2x as much epoxy that you think you need because there will be very little time to mix up more once you start. YOU MUST test all your electronics prior to assembly because for example, the Elevator servo connection goes INSIDE the epoxied foam. You do NOT want to epoxy it all together then find out an elevator servo is not connected or faulty. I used scotch tape for my servo wire connections to the extensions so they don't come apart when assembling or flying. I did not have to work hard to get the wings and fins on straight. They were snug fits. I did have to hold onto the nose cone for 5 minutes as it wanted to squeeze out. Poke a hole in it so the air can escape as your pushing it onto the foam. I removed the nose wheel rods and did not assemble the drop tankes or landing gear as I was going to hand launch and belly land it. This leaves the CG a little tail heavy. With the stock 1300mAh battery, I added a little nose weight to the front of the battery for first flights to get the CG. You DO NOT want a tail heavy EDF. With a 2200mAh battery, CG was perfect with battery shoved as far up front as possible. Don't block the intake vent at the bottom of the battery. That lets air get in to cool the battery and ESC. For the 2200mAh battery, the canopy kept popping off during hand launch so I held it together with a rubber band (see video). I was lucky it popped off on launch and not during flight, I probably would not have found the canopy. I had no problems with the stock battery and the canopy.

Setup & Maiden flight:
I adjusted all the control surfaces for neutral position with the trim tabs on the Tx centered. During maiden, I barely had to trim anything. I left the clevis positions in the servo arms and control arms the way it was out of the box. The airplane had the right control movements. But make sure you are gentle on the controls. Too much in the elevator and it will snap (sudden roll) on you. Like any EDF, power is not instantaneous. You need to manage that throttle. And during flight, dont' go full throttle all the time. I suggest half throttle during level flight, a little more in the turns and full throttle on take off, climb outs and your high speed passes.

Video of A4 Flight with Hatcam
Video of A4 Review