FMS 980mm P-39 Racing High Speed PNP with Reflex V2

Flys fantastic on 3S. Super strait and level at 1/2 throttle. I think it flys even better than the 980mm P40 on 3S because the math says the wing load is the same, flying weight is identical and the main wing surface area seems even A bit bigger

Beyond easy to take off and land due to the tricycle landing gear. Flaps make a huge difference to slow the plane down coming in for a landing and the plane can fly pretty darn slow without dropping a wing on the final

Super tame to fly with the reflex and 35% expo. Fast as it gets on 4S and a 2 blade high pitch prop

I like a yellow plane because they are easy to see.
This plane is lots of fun. It is easy to take off and land. The GPS max speed with no wind was 77 mph. It has a lot of capability with unlimited vertical. I am very pleased. The reflex works great and is easy to use.

I already have the E-Flite P-39 1.2 m but wanted to get the 980 mm FMS version and I was very pleased I did. The assembly was straightforward but in order to adjust the control clevises, it was necessary to use a pair of pliers to turn them-they were super tight and I did not want to break them. However, once they are turned and loosened, it's easy to turn them by hand.

The build quality is superb, with lots of attention to detail and authentic paint scheme and livery, unlike some of the E-Flite planes that have fictitious liveries.

Settings and CG are according to the manual, at 65 mm from the leading edge of the wing. This is easily achieved by placing the 4s 2200 mAh battery so the edge closest to the front of the plane is even with the front most battery strap. I also added a Velcro strip to that area of the inside of the fuselage to provide an even more secure battery placement.

I also added Velcro to secure the ESC. Since I did not want to cut the ESC wires to adapt them to my EC3 batteries, I bought an adapter that plugs to the ESC.

I removed the Reflex gyro since I like to fly my planes 100 percent manually. This also made more room for my AR620 Spektrum receiver and all the servo wiring. It is a very tight fit and I needed all the space for could make.

This plane needs no gyro at all. Even with the Reflex system removed, the P-39 flies rock solid even in moderate wind, and tracks straight and true. Takeoffs and landings are a nonevent-tricycle planes are easier to takeoff and land than taildraggers-and it really slows down for landing with the flaps fully deployed. Even so, this plane is not for beginners. It is VERY responsive to all inputs, and it can get away from you very quickly. You need to be 100 percent attentive when flying it. Warbird scale aerobatics are done with ease but speed needs to be kept up-it is rather heavy for its size and therefore the wing loading is considerable. I use 30 percent expo on ailerons and elevators, and 10 percent on rudder. In order to get used to the plane, fly it on low rates. After a couple of trimming flights, use the high rates. I fly on high rates all the time.

One thing of concern would be the nose gear. It can bend if landings are not properly done. It is very important to land this plane line the real thing: land on the mains and let the nose naturally drop on the runway.

It is a great plane and is compact enough to fit in the trunk of a car without having to remove the wing.