KF700 J-20 RC Plane with Vertical Hovering Capability

The new KF700 J-20 is a 4-channel radio controlled jet-based aircraft, powered by two brushless motors each mounted on the trailing edge of each wing. Although a jet type aircraft, it is propeller-driven with both motors being in a 'pusher' configuration - this simply means that the motors and props face backwards as opposed to the more common 'tractor' configuration of the motor(s) facing forwards.

Both motors control speed and yaw (rotational control) and they work in conjunction with the pair of elevons found on the rear of the tailplane. Elevons are control surfaces that combine normal elevator control with normal aileron control. In other words, the elevons work together (i.e. both up and down at the same time to control pitch attitude) and also opposite to each other (i.e. one up, one down to control roll attitude).

The KF700 is small in size with a wingspan of just 300mm and an overall length of 370mm. It weighs in at just 140 grams, well below the 250g limit that triggers certain legal registration processes, depending on which country you live in.

The KF700 is based on a modern stealth fighter-jet type design and is a good looking plane. As with other RC aircraft this size, it comes Ready To Fly; the only thing you need to do is clip the two tail fins into place, charge the battery and insert 4 'AA' size batteries into the transmitter, and you're good to go. (Transmitter batteries are not included so buy some good quality ones separately).

The flight battery pack is a 2-cell ('2S') li-po pack and is charged with the supplied USB charger - from my experience the pack takes around 40 minutes to charge. A single red light on the charger indicates charging, and the light goes out when the pack is fully charged.

The pack fits comfortably into a hatch on the underside (belly) of the plane and there is a small on/off switch immediately in front of the hatch. I found the switch a bit small and stiff, but younger and smaller fingers won't have too many problems! On that note, the KF700 is an RC toy aircraft and carries a "14+" age rating on the box. That said, I'm sure younger pilots should be able to fly it, under close supervision of course.

Along with the plane, transmitter, battery pack and charger, also included in the box is an instruction manual and a bag containing two spare propellers and clip-in undercarriage. I recommend using the undercarriage so long as you have a smooth surface to take off from. Otherwise you'll probably need to hand-launch the plane, which is easy enough. To do a hand launch, simply hold the transmitter in your right hand so your thumb is on the elevator stick, and set the motor power to about half to three-quarter power. Hold the plane in your left hand, gripping it at the very rear above the two dummy jet exhausts. I found this is the safest place to hold it, well away from the spinning props.

 

 

Push the plane into the air, keeping it fairly level, and it will get away cleanly.

Flying the KF700 around in a normal fashion is very easy and it responds well. The stabilization works very well, fairly commonplace now on this kind of RC toy aircraft. Pre-programmed aerobatics are a cool function of the KF700, and are performed by pressing the aerobatics button on the transmitter (it will beep) and then moving the relevant transmitter stick. To do a roll, move the aileron stick left or right after the beep, or to do a loop pull back on the elevator stick. You can only do one stunt per press of the button.

Rolls and loops aside, the real fun with the KF700 comes when you press the Flight Mode button.

Make sure you have the plane flying straight and level on about half power, press the button and the plane will suddenly go into a vertical, nose-up attitude and hover there! Quite an amazing feat of the flight control programming, I would say!

The stability in the vertical hover is very impressive, and by moving the appropriate transmitter sticks you can make the KF700 rotate about its vertical and horizontal axes. The downside to the vertical hovering, I have found, is that you need to do it quite early on in the flight before the battery pack voltage starts to reduce. Doing it later in the flight means that motors don't really have enough power to keep the plane at a constant height, and it will slowly descend into the ground.

To return to normal flying from the vertical hover, simply press the same Flight Mode button and the plane will adjust its attitude and resume a straight and level flight path.

In normal flight mode at full power the KF700 is quite fast, so if this is your first RC plane or you have only flown slower planes, do beware of its speed. Despite its small size, it can eat up quite a lot of sky so do bear this in mind when choosing your flying area.

 

 

The KF700 RC aircraft really is great fun and you'll love flying it and messing around with the vertical hovering capability. Treat it with respect when handling it and be very mindful of those two relatively big propellers, as always with any RC plane.

It's a great looking plane and affordably price, and is available from kidstoylover.com

Happy Landings!