BlitzRCWorks A1 Skyraider - 63"

The Build - Warbird Series sold by BananaHobby

It's finally here! The next step up in my RC plane hobby, or maybe a leap up, it's the 63 inch wing span A1 Skyraider. This plane is huge, especially sitting next to my puny 31 inch T-28 Trojan that was my first 4 channel plane. I've jumped right to 7 channels, aileron, elevator, rudder and throttle just like before, but now with the addition of retractable landing gear, flaps and even air brakes on the fuselage.

After bringing the package inside, I quickly cleared off the coffee table and made ready my building space in the living room. The box took up the whole table! I hooked up my laptop to the TV and streamed a build video that BananaHobby had made to help guide you through the process. Builds like these aren't a race, so I took my time and really enjoyed the whole process, trying to make sure and double check all my work, especially since much of it was new to me.

I layed out all the parts on the table, taking each one out of their plastic and checked the list of included parts. Seemed like it was all there, so I started the build!

I started with the wings and began to attach all the control horns to the ailerons and the flaps. Each horn was held in place by 4 screws that pulled together the plastic sandwiching the foam between.  I did the same for the rear elevator and rudder.

Both the horizontal and vertical stabilizers are held on by screws, so no glue was required, which made it easy.

One of the trickiest parts of this build was wiring the pull lines for the rear landing gear. In order for the rear wheel to turn left and right to help you taxi while on the ground I needed to run a few long, thin metal lines from the rear wheel to the servo in the middle of the fuselage. It wasn't necessarily hard work, just a bit tedious and time consuming.

Next was the retractable front landing gear which actually not only retract, but they also rotate 90 degrees. They are locked in place by 4 screws, and layered on a piece of wood and plastic as the mount. The wheel rotates on a protruding pin from the main gear, and once closed is covered by a small door held down by some wire.

They included a pilot figurine with the model, however I had to remove the poor guy's legs in order to fit him in the cockpit. So once I finished the surgery, I glued him into the seat, and then I trimmed and glued the canopy over top. He has been give the name "Skyraider Bob".

I added the large wood spar through each wing and brought them together. With both halves of the wings together it's nearly as tall as I am!  The wing is connected to the fuselage with a few bolts, making it easy to remove for transporting since this plane won't fit in my car.

The final pieces to finish were gluing the armaments to the wings and installing the 4 bladed propeller. I have a few tweaks and modifications left to do, and then we're ready to fly!

Watch the video below of a demo of the power this plane has!

Maiden Flight Video