GBLynden

I just got this new E-flite Night Radian RC Glider and decided to review it for you guys. It has Flite Test stickers and is a 2M Glow In The Dark Powered Sailplane.

In the video I unboxing it, go over the parts and pieces, show you what it looks like after assembly, provide a light demonstration, discuss the radio setup, and provide my review notes at the end.

In this video I hand launched it in SAFE Mode, flew it around on power, did some gliding, and showed off how well it loops. You will notice that it is still a little nose heavy balanced at a little more than 3" with my Enfan 1500 lipo. When I moved the CG back to a little more than 3.25", it had a perfect balance almost 1" off of what the manual recommends.

Here are my review notes:

Pros
- It is a big E-flite Radian Powered Glider
- The motor is a 3S brushless motor
- Not only does this comes with lights installed, but they offer a ton of variety
- This is definitely something you can add an FPV camera to for more fun
- If you're a Flite Test fan, this plane is for you with the stickers and such
- The radio setup is easy like most Horizon Hobby products
- It comes with the option of using SAFE Select
- AS3X is nice when you have SAFE Select turned off

Cons
- The CG is printed incorrectly in the manual and may cause issues flying it. I found that a touch past 3.25" was perfect for my enfan 1500 lipo battery on the maiden flight.
- The tape provided to hold the horizontal stabilizer is unacceptable. Use quality shipping tape instead.
- Wires that connect the horizontal stab to the fuse are a free floating afterthought.
- The Servo tape that covers the wing lights underneath the main wing started to roll up after the first wing installation.
- The LED wing wires are going to be a hassle every time this plane is flown because they are about an inch and a half too short. To help with this, I added some servo connector extensions. I highly recommend this!

MaxSouthoz

Thanks, GB.

Others have complained about the CG in the manual being wrong. It should read 3" as a start point.

I ordered mine in early September - expected delivery sometime in November.

So much for shopping locally.

Cheers
Max

GBLynden

You're welcome Max and I hope you have received yours by now! I took mine out flying in the dark with a buddy that has one too and it is a ton of fun!

Here are two things to keep in mind while flying at night with this:

• It needs light in the nose to help with visibility when flying at you, so try to fly at yourself with an angle so you can see it better.
• Light motion actually helps you see it better. I thought it would be the opposite, but I was not correct.
• Red, white, and green combos are the easiest to see from what I can tell.

I hope this info helps you and others!

MaxSouthoz

Thanks again, GB.

I've just discovered that it's against the Law to fly RC at night in Oz - so that could be interesting.

I've given up on any Australian dealer having stock any time soon, so I've ordered mine direct from Horizon.

Cheers
Max

GBLynden

Oh man! I suppose it will probably be that way here soon too, but this is still handy just before the sun goes down

cress

cress

MaxSouthoz

We had a night fly for our Christmas party at our field. Our club Boffins discovered a loop hole.

Not sure what it is - even after they explained it.

GBLynden

Great idea!

GBLynden

This is my first flight on video at dusk with this:

pyroloc

Dang is it really banned to fly at night in Oz? i need to warn my buddy...

GBLynden

I would check that out to be sure. There is no point in letting your buddy get in trouble by not following the laws.

TacticalKarma

Indeed it's great that there are such things

GBLynden

It is a cool plane for sure. My latest glider checks more boxes for me, but for most people, this will do the trick!

LLRCFlyer

I bought a Night Radian (Plug & Play) with the intention of flying it at night. I installed a Lemon receiver (without SAFE). It is a real hoot to fly after dark when all the LEDs are flashing different color sequences,... much brighter than I expected, looks like a Las Vegas bill board flying overhead and it drives the neighborhood dogs nuts. Since the light patterns are constantly changing, it is sometimes hard to tell which way it is turning when flying at a distance. This is when the SAFE mode feature of a Spektrum receiver would be helpful as the rudder could be held full left or right without overbanking the model. My one caution is to absolutely use a flashlight when plugging the LED circuit into the balance plug of the battery to insure the polarity is connected correctly. If you get the polarity reversed just once, even briefly, it can fry the LED circuitry. That happened to me when I was trying to plug it up in the dark and now the lights will run for a minute or so when first turned on, and then start going out. Can't fly at night if the LED's are not up to snuff. Bummer! I replaced the LED controller, but that was not the cause of loosing the lights. It is still a fun daytime flyer though and it can stay aloft for 20 minutes in dead air on a 1800 mah-3S battery when flown at minimum required throttle settings. It is a utility type sailplane and can climb in decent thermals. When lift is weak, running the throttle at 15%-20% makes it feel like a higher performance sailplane while hunting thermals. Definitely a fun motor glider.

GBLynden

These are really good points! I described it back when I first got this the same way, Las Vegas in the sky or something like that.

I always recommend getting the BNF's over the PNP for the very reason you sighted there and the SAFE receiver is about 1/3 of the cost too.

GB