VQ A-24 Banshee MAIDEN FLIGHT Review

Link to VQ Warbirds A-24 Page:
EME35 Autostart engine:
Servos I used:
FINALLY! What a beautiful flyer it is! The 35 has plenty of power with a 19x8 prop, these VQ models fly so light on the sticks, they dont fly heavy or doggy like an overweight warbird! In air presence i's great, I am very happy with how this model looks and flies. It weighs RTF 17lbs 8oz.
The gear doors, I set them up pretty tight to the wing, don't do that, I made sure there was a ton of clearance between the tire and the door, but I didn't think Id need much of a gap at the wing, I was wrong. Easy fix!
My landing(s), (were bad), I set way too much expo, the initial bounce was my bad, I was feeding in elevator to flare, and nothing happened due to the expo curve. That has been fixed as you'll see in the second flight video coming soon, with a great landing.
Be sure to check out my build threads on RCGroups, RCUniverse and Flying Giants:
Thanks to GBLynden for the Video footage!
A-24 BANSHEE NEXT GEN VQ MODEL with incredible details included with ARF assembly ease and the VQ easy to fly fun engineered into this model ! Wingspan is approx 80″ . We recommend a 30cc or similar 2 stroke gas engine or equivalent electric power. Has built in battery hatch for easy radio access and battery changes… Servos, Radio Gear, Engine/Motor are not included.
Specifications:
Material: Laser cut balsa and ply
Wingspan: 80.7″ (2050 mm)
Length: 55.5″ (1410mm)
Weight: 15.0 – 15.5 lbs (6.8 – 7.0Kg)
Radio: 8 channel, 10 servos +1 for throttle (***see specs below)
Engine: 30cc gas or 1.60 glow ***
Electric: 3000 Watt brushless DC motor. (***see below)
Optional VQ Electric Retracts and Scale Struts available ***
Features:
Pre-painted pilot and rear gunner
Covered with pre-printed PVC film
Factory Painted fiberglass cowl
Fixed landing gear included
Functional dive brakes and flaps
Radial engine replica cover
WWII Bomb (fixed)
Cowl hatch for fuel tank/electronics/battery access
Cowl Dimensions:
At firewall 7-3/4″ wide x 8-1/2″ tall
At front 7-1/2″ wide x 7-3/4″ tall
5-3/8″ Deep
Build Notes:
Secure the servo mounts with additional epoxy and at least one screw through the servo cover into each mounting block
Pin all pre-hinged surfaces (2x per side)
*** Servos, radio gear, engines/motor/batteries , retractable landing gear not included***
The Douglas A-24 Banshee was the U.S. Army version of the U.S. Navy SBD Dauntless dive bomber with a few changes to suit the service. With a few revisions – namely the deletion of the carrier deck arrestor equipment and replacement of Navy radio kits – the SBD was reconstituted for the Army in the new A-24 “Banshee” form. While not the complete solution for the Army, the Banshee would suffice until a proper aircraft was adopted. The initial Army mark was the SBD-3 (SBD-3A) model of the Navy as the “A-24” and the Army order was absorbed into the existing Navy order of July 1940.
As with other American dive bombers of the period, the aircraft featured perforated dive brakes along its wing trailing edges to slow its drop when attacking. Self-sealing fuel tanks were a must as was armoring for self-preservation of crew and aircraft. As with the SBD before it, the Banshee used a modest machine gun armament as standard: 2 x 0.50 caliber heavy machine guns were fixed into the cowling for operation by the pilot and 1 x 0.30 caliber medium machine gun was added to a flexible mounting at the rear cockpit for protecting the vulnerable “six” of the aircraft. Like the SBD, the Banshee carried a crew of two – pilot and gunner. The aircraft’s bombload was set across three available hardpoints – one under fuselage centerline and one under each wing. A typical load was 1 x 500lb / 1,000lb bomb under centerline or 1 x 100lb bomb at each wing station.
A-24Bs were flown against the Japanese at the Gilbert Islands and these provided much better results than previously seen with the line. By the end of their service tenures, A-24s served in the training role for pilots and gunners and were further used as tow aircraft for aerial targets. The USAAF passed on some of its A-24 stock to the USMC who could make proper use a direct bombing platform in the Close Air Support (CAS) role. Foreign operators of the Banshee went on to become Chile (A-24B model, 12 examples), France (Free French Forces, as many as 50 examples), and Mexico (28).