AEROWOLD

The finished plane, ready for its maiden flight.

Here is a video showing the operation of the electric undercarriage:

And here is a video of the radio compartment:

The Curare must be set up properly, and that means programming the different flight modes and mixes. On my Futaba 12FG, setup is easy and the brakes, flap mix and even crow mix can be set up using the available mixes, so the only flight modes I have are “normal” with two different high rates, brakes and flaps, and a snap roll mode which gives high rates as well as the flap mix. Here’s a video demonstrating the different mixes in action:

I have been sent a sheet of instructions from Hanno Prettner where he has written all his settings for his own Curare. They include several different rates, aileron differential, mixes and more. While the manual specifies both center of gravity and a recommended starting point for control throws, the settings by Hanno are proven to be exactly right, and are a lot more detailed. These greatly reduce the time required to achieve a properly set up model. Also included are a set of printable templates for measuring control throw! You can see pictures of them being used in the handy PDF: Download it here (in German)

The recommended propeller is an APC 11×9 or 12×7. With these propellers, you should cut the Just Engines header by at least 3,5 centimetres to achieve proper length. With this setting, you should achieve 11.500 RPM with either of these props. I have also tried 11×10, 11×12 and 12×8. Of these, 12×8 gives more thrust on the ground, but the 11×9 gives the right sound so that is what I used for the initial flights.

The Curare before it’s maiden flight

Flying the Curare is easy. With a tri-point undercarriage, takeoff is literally straight forward. Retract the undercarriage, and enjoy yourself! The first flight was spent getting the trims right, where it was trimmed for level flight, and the aileron differential was tested. After landing and adjusting the control throws and expo to my liking, I took off again and tried all the different rates, mixes, brakes and flaps. I did 4-point rolls, 8-point rolls, and loooooong slow rolls. The Curare tracks very well and does all the traditional center-maneuvers easily. Power was no problem, the .55 engine hauls it along beautifully. With full flaps and deflected ailerons, main gear landings are easy and smooth.

Conclusion

Like many others, I thought Curare, due to it’s arrow-shaped tail feathers, was named after the dart poison, but it turns out that Hanno had something else in mind when he gave the Curare it’s name:

– In Latin, Curare means to ensure, or take care of something. For the Curare, small undesirable characteristics in flight are culled by the negative angle of the stabilizer, so we can also include the second Latin synonym – to cure -, so that the Curare is guaranteed to be fun to fly, says Hanno.

Schweighofer has pulled off an incredible feat. Not only is the legendary World Champion design faithfully reproduced at a significantly lower weight. The negative stabilizers, the beautifully shaped fuselage/fin fairing and Hanno’s original color scheme are all masterfully made, so that all you have to do is add engine and radio. It’s more user-friendly, with a choice of electric or glow power, its got a detachable cowling and canopy as well as the choice of modern, easy to install electric retracts. The price of 299 EUR (+99 EUR for the undercarriage) is fair, if not cheap when you consider the quality and prefabrication. The thrill you get when flying a Curare flat out in a high speed low pass is free.