EF 48" Laser EXP
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Doc Austin
70cc twin V2
100 Flights?
Or so. I've had such a great time with this plane that I sort of forgot to count. As seen in [B]Extreme Flight Laser__25 Raging Flights[/B] it did not take me very long to fall in love with how this plane flies.
From what I can tell, the Laser shares the same wing platform as the Extra EXP. I also held my Laser EXP over top of my Extra EXP and it seems the tail moment is fairly close to the same distance, so it was not a big surprise that the Laser EXP flies a lot like the Extra EXP in a lot of ways.
Considering how much I love the Extra EXP, that's the highest praise I can give a plane. However, some flying characteristics have been improved.
Pitch Authority
Right away, I could tell that, comparing to the Extra EXP, there is a big difference in the pitch authority. I sort of suspected this could be the case because the Laser has a larger elevator, much like the one on the MXS.
The Laser is very nearly as good here as the MXS, and it is certainly enough. The laser will pop up into a wall effortlessly from almost any speed, and you have to be careful to remember it isn't going to balloon up like the Extra will. The Laser doesn't quite throw the tail under the plane and start sinking like the MXS does when you throw it into a wall, but it's pretty close.
For parachutes, the laser is really sweet. The plane will rotate to level with a very satisfying "pop" and settle into a high speed elevator while it bleeds off speed. If you hold it like this you can add a little power and start moving it forward into a harrier, which this plane does nicely as well.
Harrier
The Laser harriers extremely well. It is almost as good as the Edge, which is as good as it gets. You can get it to rock a little if you are sloppy enough, but it is never enough to make the plane wallow off course. With just a little care the Laser harriers with the nose way up there and tracking straight.
I consider the elevator maneuver to be a harrier of sorts that is not moving forward, because you fly them essentially the same, except for the moving forward part, that is. The Laser does a really pretty elevator maneuver with very little correction. Again, not as completely foolproof and effortless as the Edge EXP, but not very far off either.
Precision
Here the Laser is very close to the precision king, the Extra EXP. She tracks extremely well, making slow and point rolls very straight and pretty. However, with the big elevator the Laser gives up a little pitch stability to the Extra, but it is not horrible or anything. The Laser is still very, very solid at high speed, just not as absolutely locked in as the Extra.
To get around this, I fly my precision works on low rate and that works very well. It is a small price to pay for the additional pitch authority I like to use in my 3D works. I should really be using rates anyway, but the Extra is so solid on high rates it has made me lazy.
Snaps, Spins, And Tumbles
And here's where we get to the Laser's really strong suit. Snaps are very clean and spins are tight. It is very much like the Extra here, which is again the highest form of praise, but when you get into the KE spin, it becomes a different game.
All you have to do with the Laser is put in the right commands and hold it there. Then it is almost like the Laser has a KE spin autopilot, and it just drops right in. I don't really do a lot of KE spins with the Laser because they are too easy, but it sure does them pretty.
Pop tops are crazy and I can get two full turns out of one. The times I hit it a little sloppy the Laser will blow out tail first and then squirt across the sky backwards. It's the strangest looking thing. You can see it at about 1:40 in the first video on this page. In the second one I simply put the sticks in the KE spin position mid maneuver and she drops right in. Too easy.
Generally Speaking
When I fly the Laser, I just fly it. It is very much like the Extra EXP in that it does exactly what I ask from it with absolutely no fuss. It's as close to a point and shoot kind of plane as I have ever flown.
The Laser does seem to fly like a conglomeration of all the other EXPs put together, but considering how well all of them fly, and how each of them has their shining strengths, this makes for an extremely well rounded airplane. Again, it is much like the extra EXP in this respect. It has very well rounded performance. The difference between the two is the Extra, while being a great freestyle sort of plane, is biased more toward precision, and the Laser, while still very precise, tends to favor being flown in a more freestyle sort of way.
Perhaps as much as I have compared it to the Extra EXP it is fitting that the Laser gets the same kind of unconditional approval that I reserve for planes like the Extra EXP.
Or so. I've had such a great time with this plane that I sort of forgot to count. As seen in [B]Extreme Flight Laser__25 Raging Flights[/B] it did not take me very long to fall in love with how this plane flies.
From what I can tell, the Laser shares the same wing platform as the Extra EXP. I also held my Laser EXP over top of my Extra EXP and it seems the tail moment is fairly close to the same distance, so it was not a big surprise that the Laser EXP flies a lot like the Extra EXP in a lot of ways.
Considering how much I love the Extra EXP, that's the highest praise I can give a plane. However, some flying characteristics have been improved.
Pitch Authority
Right away, I could tell that, comparing to the Extra EXP, there is a big difference in the pitch authority. I sort of suspected this could be the case because the Laser has a larger elevator, much like the one on the MXS.
The Laser is very nearly as good here as the MXS, and it is certainly enough. The laser will pop up into a wall effortlessly from almost any speed, and you have to be careful to remember it isn't going to balloon up like the Extra will. The Laser doesn't quite throw the tail under the plane and start sinking like the MXS does when you throw it into a wall, but it's pretty close.
For parachutes, the laser is really sweet. The plane will rotate to level with a very satisfying "pop" and settle into a high speed elevator while it bleeds off speed. If you hold it like this you can add a little power and start moving it forward into a harrier, which this plane does nicely as well.
[video=vimeo;50437451]http://vimeo.com/50437451[/video]
Harrier
The Laser harriers extremely well. It is almost as good as the Edge, which is as good as it gets. You can get it to rock a little if you are sloppy enough, but it is never enough to make the plane wallow off course. With just a little care the Laser harriers with the nose way up there and tracking straight.
I consider the elevator maneuver to be a harrier of sorts that is not moving forward, because you fly them essentially the same, except for the moving forward part, that is. The Laser does a really pretty elevator maneuver with very little correction. Again, not as completely foolproof and effortless as the Edge EXP, but not very far off either.
[video=vimeo;50275942]http://vimeo.com/50275942[/video]
Precision
Here the Laser is very close to the precision king, the Extra EXP. She tracks extremely well, making slow and point rolls very straight and pretty. However, with the big elevator the Laser gives up a little pitch stability to the Extra, but it is not horrible or anything. The Laser is still very, very solid at high speed, just not as absolutely locked in as the Extra.
To get around this, I fly my precision works on low rate and that works very well. It is a small price to pay for the additional pitch authority I like to use in my 3D works. I should really be using rates anyway, but the Extra is so solid on high rates it has made me lazy.
Snaps, Spins, And Tumbles
And here's where we get to the Laser's really strong suit. Snaps are very clean and spins are tight. It is very much like the Extra here, which is again the highest form of praise, but when you get into the KE spin, it becomes a different game.
All you have to do with the Laser is put in the right commands and hold it there. Then it is almost like the Laser has a KE spin autopilot, and it just drops right in. I don't really do a lot of KE spins with the Laser because they are too easy, but it sure does them pretty.
Pop tops are crazy and I can get two full turns out of one. The times I hit it a little sloppy the Laser will blow out tail first and then squirt across the sky backwards. It's the strangest looking thing. You can see it at about 1:40 in the first video on this page. In the second one I simply put the sticks in the KE spin position mid maneuver and she drops right in. Too easy.
[video=vimeo;50266267]http://vimeo.com/50266267[/video]
Generally Speaking
When I fly the Laser, I just fly it. It is very much like the Extra EXP in that it does exactly what I ask from it with absolutely no fuss. It's as close to a point and shoot kind of plane as I have ever flown.
The Laser does seem to fly like a conglomeration of all the other EXPs put together, but considering how well all of them fly, and how each of them has their shining strengths, this makes for an extremely well rounded airplane. Again, it is much like the extra EXP in this respect. It has very well rounded performance. The difference between the two is the Extra, while being a great freestyle sort of plane, is biased more toward precision, and the Laser, while still very precise, tends to favor being flown in a more freestyle sort of way.
Perhaps as much as I have compared it to the Extra EXP it is fitting that the Laser gets the same kind of unconditional approval that I reserve for planes like the Extra EXP.
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Steve_B
70cc twin V2
So if anyone wants to turn their laser from a superb all-rounder into a rabid foaming at the mouth beast.. you could bolt a Motrolfly DM-3615 to the nose:
Seriously though. the 3615 may seem like extreme overkill but it actually works fine in the Laser. The lightweight version of the motor picks up the stock mounting points and with it being such a short can motor length is no issue, in fact I had to use some 5mm spacers. It spins a 14x7 xoar. The only negative is that it's 18g heavier then the DN-2820 it replaced, I had to move the ESc as far back as it would go to get the CG right.
Seriously though. the 3615 may seem like extreme overkill but it actually works fine in the Laser. The lightweight version of the motor picks up the stock mounting points and with it being such a short can motor length is no issue, in fact I had to use some 5mm spacers. It spins a 14x7 xoar. The only negative is that it's 18g heavier then the DN-2820 it replaced, I had to move the ESc as far back as it would go to get the CG right.
Steve_B
70cc twin V2
Yep, I put 5 packs through it today. Top speed in level flight is similar to my old DM-2820 750kv, but it's now got unbelievable acceleration and 'punch' out of the hover (not that it was lacking before). It does seem noticeably quicker in the verticals too, with the increased speed pop-tops are brutal. I've been flying my EF Edge with a 3615 for a while and I just had to try one in the Laser, they are fantastic motors (as is the 2820).
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wedoitall
Member
opcorn:
hone
150cc
I would like to know this as well. I have the 64'' MXS and am thinking about the 60'' Laser.
