Electric Shock ARF

Just got the ES …. looks amazing! Nice and thoughtful engineering, great job Shaun!

The immediate impression I got was that the ES reminded me so much of a very good foamie. Oh my gawd! This plane rocks! The hovers are easy or maybe too easy! It’s very rare that I would hover low and close to me or tail touch any plane on a maiden flight but with the ES it was an exception as it was exceptionally easy to get comfortable with it in such a short time.

The hovers are so stable that hand catch could be done on demand. Unlike some other planes, where you have to work to stabilize the hover, the ES gets into a stable hover very quick and at almost no effort at all. Its like cheating! I suppose PA is quite right about not including the landing gears in the kit as the immediate impression I got was that you don’t need it if you could manage a hover (The landing gear was subsequently removed on the following day).

After so much fun I had on the maiden flight (pretty long one too), I had to stop because it was getting dark and I only had one 1000mah Lipo pack. Sigh! The ES is really addictive and if it were a drug I would sell it by the pound. Come to think of it, I wont make a bundle selling it by the pound, since PA made it so damn light!

ES executes the KE harrier with ease and the Thrust 10 gave it ample power to do a KE loop. That’s a lot of rudder!

Rolling harriers are also easy to execute and this could be safely done low and slow. Honestly I have never done a rolling harrier that low to the ground with a balsa plane before but with the ES this just came automatically because of the foamie feel that I completely forgot that it is of balsa construction and got very comfortable with it.

The both inverted and right side up harriers are flawless. Quite frankly the ES has got FUN written all over it. The only drawback is that I was having so much fun with the ES that my KM got sidetracked! Had 10 flights on the ES and only one on the KM!

All in all, the ES is certainly an excellent 3D airplane for anyone who wants to learn 3D or for an experience pilot to horn their 3D skills or just have pure FUN. It’s also an ideal alternative to 3D foamies. In whichever way the ES is a load of fun to fly and it’s worth having one in the stable.

To be frank, having owned a similar 3D balsa profile previously, I was a bit skeptical about the ES initially which was also the reason as to why I only purchased one lipo pack. Besides, also having owned a PA KM, I was not sure if PA could produce another airplane that anyone could beat to become my favorite. Now after having flown ES, I am glad I was proven wrong! It will also be very hard for me to go back to 3D foamies again, ever.

PA seems to have the neck of producing favorite airplanes and I am certainly looking forward to the next airplane coming out of PA’s stable! And by the looks of things to come, I have got a good feeling that PA planes will end up dominating my hangar.

Well done Shaun, you guys did it again! The best just keeps getting better! And in the words of Oliver Twist ”Please sir, can I have more?”
RR

The build took about 4-5 hours at a fairly slow pace I guess. But the most important thing…. it was EASY! I know a lot of people found the KM a pretty ‘intensive’ build for an ARF, well PA have made sure this one is simple. Its really just a matter of gluing the horizontal stab on, hinging the rudder (aileron and elevator come pre-hinged and sealed) and installing your own electrical gear.

I went with the PA ‘Thrust 10’ motor and the recommended 10×4.7SF prop. Servo’s are the S75’s that came with my DX6 (I’ve heard they’re not the best servo but they were there to be used), reciever is the AR6000. 25A ESC I had laying round and a PA 1000mah 3S Lipo.

I’ve had 3 outings with my ES now, and I’m really starting to love it!

Its hard to put in words how a plane flies, and I dont have a video camera, so I wont waste too much time. Other than to say this is a GREAT 3D trainer, I’ve been able to do things in this plane I haven’t in any other, its a really good confidence, and skill builder. I’ve ‘crashed’ while hovering at 1-2ft about 4 times so far, the only damage was a cracked nose, which was easily fixed with epoxy. The plane surprisingly resistant to crash damage! I also flew it today in about 15kts of wind, and it was awesome! It handled the wind much better than I thought it would, and it looked great going backwards in harriers.

It’s certainly very different from the other balsa profile park flyers that I have previously owned, sure is a cut above the rest. I was amazed at how light and strong it is.

The two piece wing makes a lot of difference in the overall stiffness of the fuse and wing area as opposed to the slip through one piece wing of the my previous profile model that tends to flex during hard rolls.

Currently in mid-build with only the tail feathers and linkages to go. The 2deg trustline offset was spot on. Absolutely no sanding required. Wow!

Found a quick and easy way to set the pushrod guides in precise alignment. Just measure and mark off a line, 6.26mm from the end of the pushrod guides. Then insert the guide into the holes in the fuse until the line you have drawn, lines up with the side of the fuse. Repeat this with remaining guides and you will have all the holes in perfect alignment and equal distance on bothsides.

Really impressed with the carbon bits and innovative construction. Man, the carbon wheels and the servo arm extensions are so kinky!

Looks like PA just raised the bar again! Great job on the ES, PA.

Hope to maiden it on Saturday for the acid test. Yeepeee

Love it already,

Simon

I’M IN LOVE!

I really have had a love/hate relationship with my ES. The build, for whatever reason, didnt go well. To illustrate, I had some CA wick over from my hinge install to my rudder control horn, which wasnt supposed to be glued yet, and it got glued in early. I was left with about an hour’s work linking up my rudder control rod and Zbend.

This thing really is spectacular. While I was testing the power system, I lightly held it upright and it just wanted to hover all by itself. My first flight went really well. It flew true and straight. Unforunately, I had to contend with quite a bit of wind on flights 3-6, but the ES handled it well.

This is just another testament to the popular opinion that everything PA makes is gold.

After several more flights, I was having vibration issues with my defective motor, so I did some testing. Knowing I should have stopped running the motor, I instead did some testing in my garage, resulting in extreme high RPM vibration and my motor,prop and front of my ES flying across my garage at about 100MPH. Repaired in 20 min.

No longer concerned about crashing my purple friend, I’ve been doing some risky flying. I have frequently put it into the ground, just to pick it up and toss it back in the air.

A few days ago, I buried it again. I ripped the nose off and snapped the shaft off the motor. Fixed the plane in 15 minutes and am waiting for a new motor.

If you’re worried about crashing, order some covering from PA and have some spare shafts in hand. Not only is this plane durable, but I have found it to be very easy to repair.

What i like most about this plane- is even in up to 15 knots of breeze you can still get out there and do fun pattern stuff with the Thrust 10 mill if you choose from altitude. Its a real crowd pleaser and you can get so close to palm fronds and stuff on a low fly through, or chase your dog with it on the hover, sheer bliss.

richie

I’m on my 3rd one now. The earlier ones taught me heaps and still could fly with a little work but are a bit battered and heavyish from prior repeated repairs. These things are so easy to fix if you dumb thumb it hard… slice the film, drip in CA, tape, and fly.

They are very strong, my current one had an aileron servo die, and cause the BEC in the ESC to shutdown. The ES spun in from about 60 meters nose first onto my gravel driveway. Surprisingly there was minimal damage… Motor mount, prop and some damage to the inner parts of the wing. Took about an hour to repair the airframe.

Luckily, my friend has the PA Electrick Shock which I have flown. There are two things that stand out about this plane that I love. The first is the durability. I’m extremely impressed with this thing. It’s easily the strongest little profile that I’ve seen. Tons of carbon fibre running throughout the plane make it extremely strong and light. The second is the design. It’s very original and I really appreciate that. I like how all the servos are on top… it’s a little different but once you see it it just makes sense for the plane. I appreciate that the thought has gone into the design… the result is obvious!

Cheryl called me to verify this is what I wanted (it was not) she helped me get this order right and answered all of my questions and needs in such a courteous and professional manner, I felt this letter was in order!   Not only do you sell the best model aircraft on the planet, you also have top notch employees and support crew like Cheryl !

Keep up the Good work,

in a timely, accurate fashion as you did.

This tells me that PA understands the value of good customer service. I will

definitely purchase my next aerobatics aircraft from PA.

Cheers,

Sincerely

Tim Parrish

I found it really enjoyable building something as precisely made and well thought out as your kits (I have an Addiction X too).  Keep up the good work!

Best regards,

Steve Condon, CAS