Parkzone Ultra-Micro P-51D Mustang
Posted on October 10, 2009 by aaronredbaron
Parkzone has had micro warbird fans on their toes since the announcement of the new Ultra-Micro P-51D Mustang. With the lineup of Ultra-Micro airplanes from Parkzone (Cessna, Citabria, Ember, Vapor, and Sukhoi) already proving exceptionally popular, the choice for their first Ultra-Micro warbird was obvious; the classic World War II fighter, the P-51D Mustang. During World War II, the Mustang was a symbol of America’s air war, and the P-51D varient was outfitted with the powerful and high altitude capable supercharged Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12 engine. Mustangs later became a staple of air racing, and will be forever known as one of the finest single seat, piston driven fighters ever built. Parkzone had an uphill battle to produce a tiny warbird which is manageable to fly. Micro airplanes are usually slow speed flyers which don’t fly fast, and Mustangs are commonly known as “heavy-metal” warbirds with less than forgiving flight characteristics, so the idea of a tiny Mustang with full 4 channel control which can be flown around the neighborhood seems almost too good to be true!
Opening The Box
Upon breaking the seal and opening the box, the reality sinks in, this tiny warbird really does look as good up close as it does on the box! Its not as detailed as a plastic model, but its got the character. All too often Mustang models miss the mark and don’t capture the Mustang’s appeal. Not Parkzone; the Ultra-Micro P-51D looks fantastic, and invokes child-like daydreaming of being an ace fighter pilot shooting down Nazi scum! Before I got too carried away with the fun, I took the time to shoot the contents of the box. I purchased the full package with radio for $130. It is also available for $99 without the transmitter if you want to use your own Spektrum radio. My package included the following; a generic “video game type” Spektrum DSM2 transmitter, a charger which runs on 4 AA batteries, a 120 mAh single cell LiPo battery, velcro for extra batteries, a manual, and 8 AA batteries. My Mustang arrived in great condition without damage.
Airframe
Every part of the airframe, with the exception of hardware and landing gear, is made of lightweight foam. Parkzone has pre-painted the model and even put all the stickers on for you. Its undercambered airfoil is meant to help retain the Mustang’s good looks and provide better lift for slow speed handling. The tail section is made out of a foam similar to Depron; its very light and susceptible to damage, the wing is a little tougher, but similar material. To access the radio or motor, the entire top of the fuselage can be removed by cutting through the stickers, after accessing the inside of the fuse, you simply hold it together with clear tape. Parkzone used Spektrum’s AR6400 receiver, making the Mustang compatible with any Spektrum DSM2 aircraft radio. The AR6400 has an integrated speed control for a brushed motor and two jack-screw servos which operate the rudder and elevator. A separate SPMAS2000 jack-screw servo takes care of the ailerons with the help of a bellcrank, which offers two input options for slower (this is how it comes shipped) or faster roll rates. All up, the 15 inch wing span airplane comes in at 1.2 ounces, or 34.6 grams, including the battery.
Test Flight
I was fortunate the weather was good when I picked up the model, as soon as the studio pictures were done, I had to get some flights in! By the time I was done with the pictures the battery was charged, and I walked a block to the neighborhood park. The included radio offers dual rates, and I took the manuals suggestion to use low rates for the first flight. I was immediately impressed with the airplanes ground handling abilities. A little bit of right rudder is required to keep it going straight like all tail draggers, but it can taxi very well on smooth surfaces and does not yaw hard with throttle. Once in the air, I added a few clicks (beeps?) of trim, a little down elevator and a little right aileron. Its quick, fairly nimble, seems to have decent power, very stable and its…. oops, its stuck 15 ft up in a tree…. I have done this before, and have this all worked out. An extendo-pole and 5 minutes later its out of the tree with only a few scratches and back in the air.
Flying
- Take off, Landing, and Slow Speed - With just over 1/3 throttle, the little Mustang is getting light. It is happy to fly around under half throttle, and is very forgiving. A stall is mild and controllable, with no signs of snapping or going in to a spin. With no wind to correct for, I was able to put the model in a nose down decent and leave it hands off until I flared for landing. It flies best with coordinated inputs; you should use rudder to keep the nose pointed into the turns.
- High Speed Flight – Surprisingly, this is one aspect where the Mustang is quite adept. Its not FAST like bigger, heavier models, but for something with a 15 inch wing that barely weighs over and ounce, its pretty quick! You can fly the Mustang around at full throttle and really turn and burn! It can handle power on dives with abrupt pull outs with only a little flex of the wing. At speed its stable, doesn’t snap out of turns with full elevator, and penetrates a mild breeze with a little bit of authority.
- Aerobatics - Anything with the exception of high alpha and 3D flight is within the Mustang’s capabilities. It can loop easily from level flight, perform rolls well enough to do rolling circles, and flies well inverted on high rates. It does require a significant amount of down elevator and some corrections to fly inverted due to the under-cambered airfoil with a bit of dihedral, but it works out pretty well. There is not enough rudder to knife edge, but this is a warbird, and it flies like a warbird should. Its immensely well suited for the quintessential strafing pass with the pull up into a victory roll! For faster roll rates, I moved the aileron input in on the bellcrank, as indicated in the manual, to increase aileron travel.
Durability
During the first flight, I got the Mustang stuck in a tree and it survived that encounter without incident. Shortly thereafter I flew it directly into the trunk of a tree, resulting in a bounce and again with no damage. I dragged the belly on the ground during a “high speed pass” with the landing gear removed, and found that unless you catch the model or land in grass, it only makes sense to use the wheels. Although flight performance is just about the same with and without the wheels installed, the wheels work remarkably well and keep the belly from getting chewed up. Overall, the Mustang is pretty darn tough; I wouldn’t recommend it as something that can be crashed under power, but if you cut the power before it hits the ground it can’t hardly hurt itself.
Conclusion
Parkzone will be making little kids out of umpteen World War II airplane buffs. They have captured the character of one of America’s favorite fighters in a micro scale that can actually be flown around any neighborhood in light winds. It is affected by wind, but it does incredible considering its size. A good pilot can enjoy the model in up to a 5-8 mph breeze; constant winds are tons of fun and turbulent winds are bit dicey. It would be a bit touchy for a rank novice, so my recommendation is to hold off on the Mustang until you are comfortable with ailerons; anyone who can solo a 4 channel trainer should be able to handle the Mustang. This one ounce warbird can handle aerobatics, handles well on the ground, and looks really sleek in the air. For young and old alike, the Ultra-Micro P-51D Mustang from Parkzone is perhaps the ultimate neighborhood warbird.
