Carbon Bird or 2m Erwin

[airtime]

Finally made a decision on which 2 planes I should get but which 1. The carbon Bird or the 2m Erwin. I'm after something more for front side acrobatic, maybe a little dsing and light wind ability. strength and quality is a must for me.

Eric's told me that Sean has both these models so if he could give me some help it would be great, what servos to use etc

[Vanders]

If money was not a factor I'd go for the Erwin, I'm sure it would cover you in more conditions.

[sean]

Hi Airtime,

Now this is a question I can help you with!!

Firstly, you'd be happy with both, they're both excellent planes. The Bird is a fair bit cheaper but, if money is not an issue then the Erwin wins, I absolutely love it. Frontside aerobatics are smoother and more precise than with the Bird. It flies inverted really well whereas the Bird slows down dramatically when inverted, infact the Erwin really excels at aerobatics, it's possibly the best aerobatic sloper I've flown, though I haven't flown a specialist aerobat like the Voltij or Wasabi.

It will stay up in very light lift, not far off a 3M thermal moldie in that regard. It DSes faster for the same wind speed than the Bird, trns harder, makes a really cool noise when it's going fast, and it's extra size makes it easier to see. It's easier to land and it's super-tough, mine has survived some pretty big accidents recently. The Bird is also tough but not nearly as much as the Erwin.

This sort of makes the Bird sound like it's not that good, but that isn't the case at all. It flies brillianty as well.

Areas where the Bird is better? The smaller size makes it a little more convenient, and being cheaper you'll be less stressed about damaging it. The Erwin build is tricky. If you're not a confident builder I'd suggest getting the Bird. There is some very fine grinding/fitting/gluing work required. It took me a fair while to build the Erwin actually. In contrast the Bird could hardly be easier. The Bird has a higher outright DS speed potential, built right the Bird is a genuine 200mph+ DSer whereas the Erwin has never been over 200. The Erwin is just a touch flexier than the Bird. DSing fast in strong turbulent conditions the Erwin feels a bit light while the Bird gets better the faster it goes.

[laanguy]

Great summary Sean.

I cant speak much for the Erwin but the building of ther Bird is very straight forward compared to some other mouldies I have. Now that the Vikos is designed and flying (2.9m F3f Bird), Radek can perhaps look at a removable tail for the Bird similar to the Nemesis or Mini Nyx and perhaps a t-tailed Bird.

I think top speed for a carbon Bird is 226mph (double carbon is faster) I think the Erwin is 192mph. The 2m Erwin also has a few versions.

I have approached PCM and hope to import the Erwins in future, selling for the same retail price as SUSA. This should save the overseas freight costs.

Andrew

[sean]

Glad to hear you're getting the Erwin in Andrew.

One thing I forgot to mention about the Erwin - it needs a good radio to do it justice. Firstly the Aerofoil is designed to be efficient with camber changing, it absolutely loves snap flap (camber mixed to elevator), camber for light air and reflex for speed. Secondly the ailerons are very small and the flaps very big, so to get a good roll rate you need a radio that is capable of aileron to flap mixing. With this mix it rolls very fast and axially, without it, it rolls rather slowly. In contrast the Bird doesn't really need these mixes, it flies well with a fairly basic setup.