Today I had a model rocket off unintentionally, not realizing that the DX6i has no high throttle warning or refusal to transmit when turned on in bind mode. I had become spoiled and lazy from using my non-Horizon, perfectly safe radios.
The second defect I found this morning was due to E-Flight's poor workmanship on the tail setion of their Champ 15e. Those who read the Z8RC Champ 15e fixes might remember my remark that the empennage of that plane showed crinkled covering over awkward wood work. As if to validate that superficial red flags usually indicate fundamental problems, I was lucky to discover that the horizontal stabilizer had become loose before Horizon incompetence destroyed another one of my airplanes. The two embedded aluminum tubes that accept the wooden dowels from each half-stabilizer had become unglued from the structure behind the covering. Another catastrophic quality lapse by Horizon Hobby.
The floating nature of the tailplane was very well hidden, so all E-Flight Champ 15e's should be grounded until this critical safety check is accomplished.
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| Empennage construction is lumpy and awkward. This critical flaw proves that the poor craftsmanship isn't just skin deep. |