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The Lanier Pro Twister is a profile fun-fly aircraft that will streak through the skies doing loops, rolls, and inverted spins with the best. With its thick, fully symmetrical airfoil it can slow down and give an inexperienced pilot a feeling of control and make him look like he has been practicing landings for years. It allows the pilot to try new maneuvers and do them at a speed that he can follow. The kit features easy to follow instructions and AutoCAD generated plans, laser cut interlocking fuselage construction and tabbed rib wing construction. No hardware is included in the kit which allows the builder the option of selecting his own hardware. The most noticeable thing about the construction manual is the complete absence of photos or illustrations of any type but there is no reason to panic. The writers of the manual have done a good job explaining the steps that need to be taken and the plans will aid in the building process. This kit would not make a good first project but with any building experience, it should not be a problem for the average modeler. Building this kit will take the modeler one step closer to building a scratch built project. The construction of the fuselage comes as a surprise. Most builders would expect profile fuselage to be no more than laminating two pre-cut planks together. This is not the case with this one. The fuselage is built from a series of cross-braced stick balsa pieces with a 1/16" balsa sheeting on each side with reinforcing in the nose section. Although it was not what was expected, this construction resulted in a well built, strong, light fuselage. The tail feathers are built up using the stick and cross-brace method. Anyone considering building this kit should consider purchasing a good miter saw. Once again, this method of contstruction results in a set of strong, yet light weight components. The only thing deviation from the plan on this model was to replace the elevator leading edge balsa with basswood. This piece is connects the elevator halves and a little more strength is desirable. The balsa would probably be adequate but this cheap insurance against failure. The wing can be built quickly and easily. The ribs are tabbed to help keep the part aligned while the bottom of the wing is being built. This wing is unique in that the bottom is built first. The servos are mounted inside the wing with just the control arms protruding from the bottom of the wing. This system is very simple and looks nice. Once the wing is complete, it is slid into the fuselage and glued into place. This one slid into place with very little fitting. Finally, the tail components are mounted and the model is covered. The total time spent on getting this kit ready to fly was about 25 hours and it was a joy and a learning experience. The controls were set with a lot of throw; elevator - 1.25", rudder - full deflection, ailerons - 1.5". This is the first plane that gave an enjoyable maiden flight. It has a roll rate that does not allow time to blink. It will gain altitude in knife edge. Stall are straight with no tendency to snap. It will do all this at a speed that even inexperienced pilots can follow. If a little flaperon is used on take off, it jumps into the air as soon control is applied. This is not a pylon racer by any means but a relaxing fun-fly experience. It saves the best for last, the landing speed is equivilent to a fast walk. The Pro Twister is recommended as second plane and building project for anyone. |
