I have been putting several test flights on the Vector in recent days. Up until today I've been running two 3s2100 packs hooked up in parallel to provide the motivation, and using a 3020-12 (old style nomenclature--kV~1090 rpm/volt).
Results have been a little surprising. Yesterday I made my first full pattern flight--taking it easy on the lower pullouts. What is surprising to me is that the Vector seems to less draggy that the Nobler was. By this I mean that I am flying 4.8 and 4.9 laps and using about the same power as the Nobler. Now I am running a higher rpm---8200 rpm than the Nobler (~8000 rpm), but using the same 12-6 prop. I was assuming that the slightly heavier Vector (~48oz with the 2 packs on board vs 44 oz for the Nobler) would require more rpm just to keep up the level lap time (I am using exactly the same lines as I was using on the Vector). The Nobler was flying 5.0-5.1 laps.
Other observations--boy does the Vector corner and just stay there! That's good. However it does seem lighter on the overhead maneuvers than the Nobler did. However with the light winds of the last few days, even the light tension was fine for all needed maneuvering. I am guessing the lighter tension may be due to the slightly heavier airframe and the tighter maneuvers----I may be bleeding off airspeed in the much smaller maneuvers that I am doing with the Vector.
Today I simply setup the Vector with the Nobler "guts", a 3020-16 (kV=880rpm/volt) and my standard 4s2100 "Nobler Pack". This lightens the load ~4oz over the two 3s packs. I setup for a 5 minute flight with rpm=8200. I decided to skip some of the level laps after takeoff and the inverted flight --"just in case". Well I needn't have worried--as I pulled out of the bottom corner of the first loop of the square eight, the spinner-prop-collet came flying off the plane! As Fred points out, if it was going to come off, that was a good place for that to happen!
I just looked at the truncated data, and indeed it looks similar to the 3s pack flight data I already have. I am trying to get it setup for Sig, and it certainly will be a race to get there.
I have ordered some ThunderPower Prolite 4s2600mAh packs since I think eventually I will want to lengthen the lines, and maybe "splurge" a little (like Crist
) on the power. Fortunately they seem to only be an oz heavier than my 4s2100 packs--a good tradeoff, even if they cost ~50% more ($99 vs $63). The question is whether they will be here for Sig or not.