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This plane, regardless of its quality, performance, durability, or value, was guaranteed a prominent spot in my long-term memory, as it was the first model aircraft I ever bought. Acting off of a tip from the forums, I figured, "What the hey, it sounds fun and it's only 30 bucks." As you'll see in the photos below, it didn't take me long to buy another, and another, and another...
Presentation & Assembly
First off, make no mistake about it, the Aero Ace is not sold as a hobby-level product. I found mine in the toy section at Target. It's also sold at Wal Mart and Toys R Us.
When you open the box, you're presented with a fully-assembled plane, a controller, a decal sheet, and an instruction sheet. All you need to do to get going is to put 6 AA batteries in the transmitter, plug a charging jack into the plane, and then wait for a green LED to go out.
Design
The plane has a wingspan (width) just under 8 3/4", and it's 9 1/4" long. The fuselage and main wings are made from a very pliable styrofoam called "EPP," the tail boom is plastic, and the tail surfaces are made from the same type of material used in supermarket meat packages. The materials have a very cheap look & feel, even for a toy, but at least the flexible material can handle a crash without breaking or even permanently bending.
 Side profile |
 Aero Ace on the ground |
 Front view |
 Tiny motors & props |
Thrust comes from two pager motors (the size used in 1/64th scale Bit Char-G & Microsizers cars) mounted under the upper wing, each with a "pusher" prop (facing backwards and pushing air away). Disassembling the fuselage involves a very long, slow process of pulling major foam structures apart at their joints, sealed with a very sticky, elastic gum adhesive. I don't recommend actually trying this disassembly, but if you must, know that inside you'll find a surprising little gem, a lightweight lithium polymer (LiPo) battery. This may be the most inexpensive product ever to ship with LiPo power. This plugs into the tiny integrated circuit board, just over 1" x 3/8", which contains the 27mhz receiver, dual speed controls, and LiPo charging circuits.
 Convenient charging |
 Charging jack |
Speaking of charging, the bottom of the plane has a tiny charging jack and an on/off switch. To charge the plane, you turn off both the plane and transmitter, open an access panel on the controller to pull out a tiny connector on a wire tether, and plug this directly into the plane. A green LED comes on and you wait anywhere from 15 to 40 minutes, depending upon the state of charge of your plane and the transmitter's own batteries.
So far, I haven't mentioned control surfaces like moveable ailerons and elevators. The Aero Ace doesn't have any of those; not even a rudder. Instead, to gain & lose altitude, you use the left transmitter stick to change the speed of the motors. With the downward-facing props pointing towards the horizontal stabilizer, more thrust makes the plane pitch up. To turn, you use the right control stick, which accelerates one of the motors to push the plane around. (If you're already at full thrust, it is smart and slows down the opposite motor.) Thus you have, in theory at least, all the control you need to go anywhere you want.
Flight
My first Aero Ace flights were a handful of impatient glides through the living room in which I determined that 1) it's really smart that they made it out of impact-resistant foam, and 2) a living room is not a large enough space to fly the Aero Ace. After that, I took the time to put on my shoes and drive a couple blocks to the nearest empty parking lot. I gave it full throttle and with a flick of the wrist, it was airborne -- headed sky-high, actually. Within a couple of seconds, it had stalled and entered a dive, only to just as quickly level off and repeat the same thing. I quickly learned that somewhere around 1/3rd throttle was the sweet spot for level flight. Turning was the easiest thing ever. You just tell it which direction to go, and it goes. There was no sense of panic, no careful control input required. It was like driving a slow RC car that just happened to be floating on air. Mind you, I've never flown a plane before. The Aero Ace made it as easy as pie.
 Trim tabs |
Over time my confidence only grew, and I got a chance to really observe its flight characteristics in detail. The plane is definitely tail-heavy, so it's quick to go into a steep climb. This can lead to the stall & dive I experienced my first time out, a sequence which can repeat itself for as long as you can hold the throttle all the way forward. It's called "porpoising," after the leaping & diving that dolphins (sometimes mistakenly identified as porpoises) tend to do in the open sea. When this happens, you simply have to ease up on the throttle. If the problem is too pronounced, it may help to adjust the trim tabs on the horizontal stabilizer to face slightly downward. Similarly, if it turns more in one direction than the other, play with the vertical trim tab and also the "steering trim" knob on the transmitter.
The plane actually rolls into turns, which makes its flight extremely scale-realistic to watch, but it can start to lose altitude when it does this. When turning, it's best to give it some extra throttle to keep it at a level height. To land, you just take it down to minimum throttle and feather it in to land on its belly. For a fun and spectator-impressing challenge, you can fly it towards you and catch it in one hand.
Now, the Aero Ace is small and very light (around 20 grams), so it can be dangerous to fly it outside if you have any wind -- you might lose it. It's best to fly anything like this it in a wide open space on a still day, or indoors. An ideal flying space is at least 50' square, like an empty two-lane street (with parking lanes), or just about any field or parking lot. Flight time on a single charge will vary depending upon how fast you're trying to fly and how often you change altitude. In my experience, it generally comes to 15-20 minutes.
In Summary
It may not look like much, but once you get it in the air, the Aero Ace is a bucket of joy. From the first one that I bought, there are now five between me and my girlfriend, and coworkers and friends have bought another four. Each has required just a small bit of trimming & adjustment before launching into hours of trouble-free flight. They're cheap and addictively pleasant to fly. The only negative I can come up with is that the center of gravity should be slightly farther forward, but if this bothers you too much, you can tape a dime or washer under the nose.
It is rare that I really push a product, I can honestly say that if you have any interest in RC planes, whether or not you think you could really get into them, get an Aero Ace. If you wish you could fly a plane but think you don't have the time to learn or the complex hand-eye coordination needed, get an Aero Ace. If you have a family member or significant other who you're having trouble getting to understand why you like RC, get two Aero Aces, one for each of you (they're available on three different frequencies).
I am absolutely convinced that this is the best $30 I've ever spent.
