Megatech A7 Tornado
The Megatech A7 Tornado (no longer made, try eBay?) brings flying a simple rc jet within easy reach of novice model pilots, and is the lowest priced electric ducted fan (EDF) Ready To Fly radio controlled jet available to date.
Up to now, flying an rc jet powered by an electric ducted fan motor was relatively expensive and meant either having to buy a semi-complete ARF model or building a kit from scratch.
But thankfully Megatech have seen good to introduce the simple A7 Tornado at a very affordable price and, while it is only a basic model airplane, it definitely gives the right feel of controlling a jet - and it looks realistic enough too!
A ducted fan is a small unit powered by an electric motor that is housed within the jet's fuselage. The blades of the fan spin round at very high revs per minute (RPM), sucking in air through the front intake of the model as it flies. The air moves through the ducted fan and is pushed at great speed out the back of the fuselage, pushing the model through the air. The picture to the left shows the A7 Tornado's ducted fan in action.
The most unrealistic feature of these motors is the sound - a high pitched whine is created from the spinning fan but in a small model like the A7 the noise isn't obtrusive.
The Megatech A7 Tornado comes with everything you need to fly, including a 15 minute quick charger for the motor battery pack, and 2 channel radio transmitter to control rudder movement and motor on/off.
Having just the two channels makes the A7 Tornado very straightforward to fly, even if you've never flown a rc airplane before, and the detailed instruction manual sets out all the steps that you need to take to ensure a safe first flight.
The model is made from tough foam which makes it very durable, and any minor damage can be easily repaired with clear tape.
You'll need to buy AA batteries for the radio control gear and a small screwdriver to attach the wings, but apart from that you won't need any additional items. Just attach the wing, charge the motor and fly!
Search for the Megatech A7 Tornado on eBay, it is no longer manufactured.
Related pages
RC jets - read about more complex jets, including turbine models.
