Review of Volantexrc Radio Control Glider Ranger 600

I found the manual to be clear and decently translated to English. Be sure to read the section on lipo charging to know how the lipo charger works and how to change the stabilization mode.

Charging

Follow the instructions by plugging the USB charger into a USB port. This can be on a computing device, wall charger for a mobile device, etc… The red light in the charger will be on until the battery is completely charged. Once the light is off, unplug the charger. Please practice safe lipo charging by not leaving the lipo unattended while charging.

Flight

Plug the batter into the receiver’s battery lead and nestle the battery down in the nose. The battery will “stand-up” some but that is the design of the battery compartment. With the “AA” batteries installed in the transmitter, turn the transmitter on. The plane will bind to the TX. To arm the ESC move throttle up and back down. Prior to any flight perform a pre-flight check by standing behind the aircraft and moving all control surfaces one at a time. Ensure the rudder and elevator turn the correct way based on the given input. If any needs to be reversed, hold the corresponding input on the transmitter until a beep is heard. Note: the instructions indicate to turn the plane and TX on with beginner mode selected, this is the way the stabilization technology expects to initialize.

Launch the aircraft with a slight 30-45 degree upward angle with about 50% throttle. Give yourself plenty of room and space to get familiar with the plane for the first few flights.

Being an experienced, pilot I found beginner mode to be too aggressive and limiting in the confines of my backyard. But in a larger field or baseball field this should not be an issue. I flipped to intermediate mode and felt a change in the aircraft’s behavior. In intermediate mode the aircraft is more responsive and can easily fly around at 33% throttle. I was able to reliably keep the plane in my backyard without much effort while the battery had a good charge. I did find an odd behavior with keeping the plane in a tight circle, the plane didn’t want to get out of the circle. I could have mistakenly reversed the control keeping the stick to the far end for the circle, I’m not sure. Expert mode disables the stabilization technology and I thought I would prefer this flight mode. However, the plane shows symptoms of being tail heaving in this flight mode. Elevator is sensitive and with power off the plane plops over on the nose.

Being a three channel plane, aerobatics are limited to loops, stall turns, and wing overs. To perform a decent loop with the Volantex Ranger 600; climb to altitude, dive, pull up. To help protect the battery I don’t try to fly to low voltage cutoff. Instead I limit my flights to be five to eight minutes in length. This is typically long enough for a good flight while keeping the battery at a safe storage charge between flights.

Conclusion

To be honest I had some low expectations for this aircraft. The style of airframe is a proven one given the success of the numerous similar larger models. I was expecting the stabilization technology to not work at all or to be overly aggressive. I was happy to find the intermediate mode put these concerns to bed. This aircraft is good beginner/entry level aircraft to be flown in a large open area, I recommend the size of a baseball field for the inexperienced pilot. This plane will allow someone to progress their skill sets. I recommend flying in winds no more than five miles an hour due to the size and weight of the plane. The two things to watch out for on the Volantex Ranger 600 are: being tail heavy in expert mode and getting stuck in a tight circle.

• Is the Volantex 600 beginner friendly? Absolutely
• Will someone get bored with the Volantex 600? Possibly as one progresses to expert mode, but then I would encourage the pilot to come up with new challenges to perform.
• Can it be FPV’ed? Maybe with a light weight enough all-in-one video transmitter. I’d recommend creating a platform for the canopy area that is detachable and would help secure the battery in place.
• Do I recommend the Volantex 600? Sure, if someone wants a quick little parkflyer to learn on or to have in the car for grabbing a quick flight, this plane would work.