E-flite Night Radian RC Glider - Flite Test 2M Glow In The Dark Powered Sailplane Maiden Flight

This is my Maiden Flight Review video for the new E-flite Night Radian RC Glider. It has Flite Test stickers and is a 2M Glow In The Dark Powered Sailplane.
Link to the Night Radian RC Sailplane:
The links in this description are affiliate links. They give me a small commission on sales which helps support the channel and keep it independent:
RC Equipment Used In This Video:
- E-flite Night Radian FT:
- Spektrum DX6:
- Enfan 3S 1500 Lipo:
- Battery Checker:
Video Equipment Used To Make This Video:
- Sony AX-33 Camborder:
- SanDisk Extreme Pro SD Card:
Thanks to John for recording this flight for me. Here is a link to his YouTube Channel:
In the video I hand launched it in SAFE Mode, flew it around on power, did some gliding, and showed off how well it loops. You will notice that it is still a little nose heavy balanced at a little more than 3" with my Enfan 1500 lipo.
Radio Settings Note: I didn't use any expo on this flight, but added 20% on the next one after John left. During this flight it seemed like more elevator authority was needed, especially to fight with SAFE. I found that 100% elevator with some expo made this handle really well. With the CG dialed in, 85% still felt great. I do not recommend using only 70% elevator for your low rates setting.
These are my review notes:
Pros
- It is a big E-flite Radian Powered Glider
- The motor is a 3S brushless motor
- Not only does this comes with lights installed, but they offer a ton of variety
- This is definitely something you can add an FPV camera to for more fun
- If you're a Flite Test fan, this plane is for you with the stickers and such
- The radio setup is easy like most Horizon Hobby products
- It comes with the option of using SAFE Select
- AS3X is nice when you have SAFE Select turned off
Cons
- The CG is printed incorrectly in the manual and may cause issues flying it. I found that a touch past 3.25" was perfect for my enfan 1500 lipo battery on the maiden flight.
- The tape provided to hold the horizontal stabilizer is unacceptable. Use quality shipping tape instead.
- Wires that connect the horizontal stab to the fuse are a free floating afterthought.
- The Servo tape that covers the wing lights underneath the main wing started to roll up after the first wing installation.
- The LED wing wires are going to be a hassle every time this plane is flown because they are about an inch and a half too short. To help with this, I added some servo connector extensions. I highly recommend this!
I got this because of its lights and because of all of the fun I had with my E-flite UMX Radian Glider. So far it seems like I will have a lot of fun with this one too!
This is how Horizon Hobby describes this Night Flyer:
"E-flite Radian motor gliders are legendary because they capture the essence of pure and modern soaring styles in aircraft that are as much fun to sport fly as they are to soar. Inspired and approved by the Flite Test (FT) crew, the Night Radian FT improves the popular 2-meter version with multiple upgrades including a programmable LED light system that allows you to fly all day and night. The horizontal tail is now fully-molded. Plus, the BNF Basic version features AS3X technology to deliver smoother flight performance in windy and high lift conditions while optional-use SAFE® Select technology makes this Radian airplane even easier to fly than it already is.
The E-flite Night Radian FT 2.0m Motor Glider combines the serenity of soaring with sport flying and incredible night flying capabilities. Factory-installed, high-visibly LED lights are recessed throughout the airframe, including in the redesigned airfoil-shaped horizontal tail. The vivid colors and placement of the LEDs offers incredible visibility and easy orientation when flying at dusk and even in complete darkness—or they can be turned off when flying in daylight. Even more impressive is that the LEDs can be programmed to display 100+ different color, sequence and timing combinations by utilizing the built-in controller. Multiple Night Radians flying together in the dark can be easily distinct. And, there’s no Hi-start or cumbersome launch system to worry about.
I hope you enjoyed this video of my new Glow In The Dark RC Plane and I encourage you to follow me on social media to keep up with all of the fun:
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Perhaps I should mix it up next with an E-flite F-16, Freewing F-18 Blue Angel, or that new E-flite P-39 lol