The two dudes were thrilled and excited to try out the step-brother to the beloved Telemaster. The RCM Funster was built with the concept to use the same wing designed for the Telemaster but as a low wing sport plane.
Out of the box the plane was beautifully built and very well constructed. The iron on covering was the perfect Red and Yellow combination. We did however replace the stock white spinner with a matching yellow one. A pilot was also added for a more finished look. Both dudes agree, the look of a plane is improved with the addition of a pilot, it just seems wrong to be flying a plane with an empty cockpit.
Assembly of the Funster was straight forward and had no flaws. The instruction manual was all of seven black and white pages (including the cover). If this is your 1st ARF you should not have any trouble building this plane as the parts list is very small and even though the manual is thin, it is detailed enough to make assembly easy for all skill levels.
The two part wing does make for easy transportation and storage. However, this is still a good size plane. The Funster fuselage measures in at 53 inches long and the permanently attached rudder and elevator are large. Transport to the flying field does require for the rear seats in the car to be folded down to accommodate the plane and field kit.
The big day had arrived and we had perfect flying conditions for the maiden flight. The wind was blowing down the runway at about five MPH, weather was warm with the sun high in the sky. Field assembly of the Funster was little effort, plug the wing servo extensions to the receiver, two screws to attach the wing to the fuselage and secure the battery. A quick preflight check and the Funster was ready for takeoff.
The Funster, on its tricycle landing gear, advanced down the dirt runway slowly gaining speed. As the wheels lifted off the ground, the plane pulled slightly to the right only a few clicks of the trim was needed to compensate. After a few passes, it was obvious the Funster would perform much better with more power. The dudes would later experiment with different prop sizes to get more power of out the Funster without overpowering the battery.
The Funster flew straight and true. The giant wing provided a tremendous amount of lift. The large size of the plane made it easy to track through the afternoon sky. Landing however did take a few tries. Lift from the big wing would cause the plane to float down the runway. By the time you burned off enough air speed to set the Funster down you would run out of runway and be forced to abort and try again. This took about five attempts before the Funster was able to safely put all three of its gear down for a clean landing. The trick was to not take such a steep decent on the final leg to base and to start the landing about 20 yards sooner than my usual landings.
The dudes tested many props while carefully measuring the current on the volt meter before settling on the 13x8 prop. Later flights with this new power system proved to be much more satisfying. The Funster was also more responsive and gave the pilot more control during flight.
The Funster is quickly becoming the “Go To Plane” for a fun relaxing flight.
