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FMS RANGER PNP
The horizontal stabilizer needs to be attached with two screws, and the elevator
linkage is the only hardware you have to install.
The battery compartment allows easy access for quick pack changes.
The main gear from flying off terra firma is made out of aluminum and is attached
with a molded-plastic fairing and four screws.To go with my Spektrum DX8e transmitter, I installed a Spektrum AR6210X
receiver. It is held in place with a strip of Velcro tape.provide extra strength for the wings. The
tricycle landing gear makes ground handling
a breeze, and the molded-plastic nose gear
is spring-loaded and, so far, has held up
nicely on our grass runway.
The model comes with the propeller,
motor, speed control, and servos installed.
The horizontal stabilizer is a separate piece
and must be screwed into place with the
included hardware. The ailerons come with
the linkages already installed, as does the
rudder pushrod. All you have to do is connect
the elevator to its tail-mounted servo.
The Ranger comes equipped with a
3136-1200Kv outrunner motor and a 20A
Predator speed control; together, they
provide more than ample power. The Ranger
also comes with two sets of landing gear: a
standard aluminum main landing gear (the
nose gear comes attached to the fuselage)
and a pair of floats with the water rudder
already attached to an integrated servo. The
wing is one piece and comes with internal
reinforcement for a very stout arrangement.
All of the hardpoints for the attachment
areas (tail and wing) are molded plastic.
The tail and landing-gear hardpoints have
threaded brass inserts, and the wing has
two key/tab attachment bolts. Simply insert
the bolts and twist them 90 degrees to
lock them in place. The battery hatch has a
molded cover with a snap latch at the front
to hold it in place. Velcro fastening strips are
included to hold the battery pack in place.
Although the instructions recommend
3S 1300 to 1800mAh LiPo packs, I easily
installed a 2200mAh pack in the space
provided. Using the larger pack for longer
flights requires positioning the pack farther
aft in the fuselage to fine-tune the center-
of-gravity balance, but the combination
works well.Since I received the plug-and-play model,
I used my Spektrum DX8e transmitter with
a Spektrum AR6210X receiver to control the
Ranger. Y-harness servo leads are included
for attaching the aileron servos to the
receiver, and if you plan to install the floats, a
second set of Y-harness leads are included
to connect the water rudder to the rudder/
steering servo.IN THE AIR
The FMS Ranger is easily transported to
your flying field fully assembled, and with
2200mAh packs, you can expect to get a
good 10 to 12 minutes of flight time of sport
flying. For our tests, we went to a local
school yard and took off from the baseball
field.GENERAL FLIGHT PERFORMANCE
Stability: For a standard PNP, all-foam sport