Bat 54 Review -- Warren Green
Speedfreeks.com (Australia)
Note from Californiasailplanes.com.... What is so good about the reviews
from Speedfreeks.com is that they are a group of guys dedicated to one thing
... FLYING FAST !!!!
I emailed Ming at Windrider advising that Speedfreeks was up and running, and to take a look at the review of the "Extreme Bat 48", which was developed after several models. Ming graciously offered to send me Windrider's new 54" Bat to review, and how could I say no after seeing the 48" Bat perform so well.
Well needless to say, the quality of the kit is simply beautiful. The molded
EPP cores are perfect (other than the small injector marks from the mold, which
can be sanded off) and come with molded servo, battery and receiver bays. The
kit also includes ALL the components required to complete the plane. Yes, EVERYTHING!
The kit includes excellent quality fibretape, spar, pre-cut bay covers &
fins, and the most impressive, linkages already cut to length with Z-bends.
It even comes with 2 rolls of coloured packing tape if you want to cover it
on the cheap.
NO OTHER KIT COMES AS COMPLETE AS THIS ONE!
Building this kit is quite easy, and I would recommend it as the perfect plane to progress from Zagi type kits to a user-friendly plank. The only issue is finding enough room for balancing weight, but this can be overcome, as described in the Extreme Bat review. The instructions, although in somewhat broken english, are quite understandable, mainly due to the excellent supporting photos. Any questions however, can be emailed to Ming at http://www.windrider.com.hk/, who provides great aftersales service.
Well the proof was always going to be in the flying, and the larger wingspan is definitely a good thing. I flew it in about 15-20 knots on both the front and back. On the front, it flew much like the 48" version, great energy retention and stability, although the roll-rate was slightly less, which was no surprise due to the extra wingspan. The one thing I noticed most was the extra speed it seemed to have. Bringing it in to land made it very noticeable as it just held its speed and glided forever before touching the ground.
DSing the Bat 54 was where the big difference was. The larger wingspan seems to give the plane less yaw (possibly due to its lower wing loading) and greater stability while passing through the separation layer. The passes were very controllable and it turned harder than the 48", although still not quite the bang of the Electron or M60. It held its speed very well, even at only 975 grams, and only started to flutter when approaching speeds of around 80 mph. This could be overcome with extra tape and possibly an alternative spar system though.
Overall, the 54" Bat is not the real winner, you are. Where else can you find this kind of versatility on both the front and DSing, with the addition of being almost indestructable, unlike other planks. This thing can really take some abuse, which makes it perfect for learning to DS! And best of all, you cant beat the price. A very sound purchase.
The Bat 54 is certainly a lot of plane for your money.