50 ModelAirplaneNews.com
FLIGHT TEST“Showcasing the pride and precision of today’s Air
Force”—that’s the motto of the United States Air Force
Air Demonstration Squadron, better known as the
“Thunderbirds.” Based at Nellis Force Base near Las
Vegas, Nevada, the name is derived from local Native
American legend of a mythical bird that creates
thunder by clapping its wings and shoots lightning
from its eyes.
The first time I saw the Thunderbirds in person,
they were flying F-4 Phantom II fighters. I was just a
wide-eyed kid at the time, but when the four planes
of the diamond formation lit the afterburners to take
off, there was no doubt that they lived up to their
namesake. Even today, the sight of the Thunderbirds’
six-plane formation doing a flyover with smoke
on gives me chills and makes me proud to be an
American.
The aircraft of choice for the Thunderbirds since
1982 is the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and E-flite recently
introduced the 70mm EDF F-16 in both Plug-N-Play
(PNP) and Bind-N-Fly (BNF) Basic with AS3X versions.
The F-16 is constructed out of injection-molded EPO
foam, which is both light and easy to repair. The model
includes retractable landing gear, a 12-blade 70mm
electric ducted-fan unit with 70-amp speed control,
and six 9g servos. The BNF Basic version also comes
with a Spektrum AR636 AS3X stabilized receiver and
requires only a 6S battery; the PNP version requires
both a battery and a 5+-channel receiver.
The F-16 is easy to assemble, and while it’s easy to
fly for a jet, it’s still a jet and requires intermediate
airmanship skills.
E-flite/Horizon Hobby
F-16 Thunderbirds
70mm EDF
Affordable airshow performance
in a fantastic color scheme
TEXT & PHOTOS BY ANDREW GRIFFITHWHAT WE LIKEHigh degree of
prefabrication equals
fast assemblyTop-mounted hatch
allows easy battery
access- Includes aluminum retractable landing gear
AT A GLANCE
MODEL
F-16 Thunderbirds
70mm EDF BNF Basic
w/ AS3X
MANUFACTURER
E-flite (e-fliterc.com)
DISTRIBUTOR
Horizon Hobby
(horizonhobby.com)
TYPE
Foam electric jet
WINGSPAN
32.1 in.
PILOT SKILL LEVEL
Intermediate
ASSEMBLY TIME
2 hours
RADIO REQ’D
5-channel DSM2/
DSMX-compatible
POWER REQ’D
6S 3200 to
4000mAh LiPo
PRICE
$299.99 (BNF Basic w/
AS3X); $269.99 (PNP)