Flite Test EZ aircraft are a great way to introduce students to remote control flight. With no moving parts, limited electronics, a short build time, and supporting FT STEM lessons, the FT EZ planes can bring remote control aviation into many educational scenarios that otherwise might not have the time or space for larger aircraft. They are a ton of fun to fly!
As of this writing, Flite Test has eighteen EZ aircraft models available:
- EZ First Flyers bundle
- EZ Canard
- EZ Plank
- EZ Vee
- EZ Space Shuttle
- EZ Space Flite bundle
- EZ Nemesis
- EZ Orbit
- EZ Voyager
- EZ Jets bundle
- EZ Stealth
- EZ Hornet
- EZ ME 262
- EZ Mario bundle
- EZ Mario
- EZ Bullet
- EZ Nature bundle
- EZ Butterfly
- EZ Eagle
- EZ Flying Squirrel
- EZ Fantasy bundle
- EZ Phoenix
- EZ Dragon
- EZ Pegasus
What makes a remote-control aircraft a Flite Test EZ plane? – An EZ plane is built around the FT EZ Power Pack; this is the set of electronics that can be used with all eighteen EZ aircraft models listed above. In addition to the above models, many of the members of the Flite Test community have created their own EZ aircraft designs!
What is in the Flite Test EZ Power Pack? – Here are the parts listed below:
- Transmitter – this is a two-channel transmitter (throttle and yaw, or steering) the throttle controls the speed of the propellers: Faster propeller speed increases lift as the airplane flies and allows the EZ aircraft to gain altitude, lowering the throttle decreases lift and allows the aircraft to descend. The transmitter also has two button switches to control optional LED lighting on the aircraft and a “rates” switch that increases or decreases the turning radius of the aircraft (low rates = wider turning radius and high rates = tighter turning radius). AA batteries for the transmitter are not included so be sure to have some of those on hand.
- EZ Flight Control Board – this is the stabilizing board that receives the radio control signal from the transmitter, the power from the battery, controls the two motors, and also has sockets for optional LED lighting strips
- EZ Motors – included are two motors, a left and a right. These power the EZ aircraft in flight and also allow the plane to be steered using what is called differential thrust. When one motor spins faster (producing more thrust) than the other motor, that extra thrust will propel that side of the aircraft more than the other and turns the plane toward the side with the slower spinning motor.
- EZ Propellers – there are left and right propellers and depending on where your EZ aircraft has the propellers, in the front of the aircraft (puller or tractor motor configuration) or in the back (pusher motor configuration), will determine how your propellers will be installed (refer to the specific build video for your EZ aircraft model).
- EZ Lithium Polymer Battery – this powers the EZ Flight Control board, motors, and optional LED lighting. The battery also provides the weight necessary to balance the aircraft. Changing the position of the battery in the aircraft can change the flight characteristics, too!
- EZ USB Charger – this plugs into a standard USB (not fast charge) and charges the EZ LiPo to it’s maximum charge of about 4.2 volts (don’t store the battery fully charged for more than a few weeks…for long term storage, get the voltage at about 3.8).
Building EZ Planes – I highly encourage you to build and fly the model you will be teaching your students to build and fly. You’ll discover things in the building and flying process that your own specific students will need to know. Knowing your own students, you may decide that some need to practice with a hot glue gun before they attempt to glue their aircraft; there is not much glueing required for the EZ aircraft, but using excess glue can add unnecessary weight to the aircraft. It is also important (for the best flight possible) to be intentional and build the aircraft as well as possible (symmetrical, proper angles, etc…). Encourage students to decorate their planes so they can easily identify them from all the other planes that might be in the air at the same time.
Binding EZ planes – EZ aircraft are easy to bind (establishing a radio link between the transmitter and the aircraft):
- Plug in EZ LiPo battery to EZ Flight Control board
- Turn on EZ Flight Control board on aircraft (black switch moved forward toward nose of aircraft), red LED on control board should start flashing quickly
- With throttle stick all the way down, turn on EZ Transmitter (the LED on the EZ Flight Control board should now be flashing slowly)
- Move the throttle stick on the transmitter all the way up and then all the way back down (the LED on the EZ Flight Control board should now be solid…no flashing)
- To change from the default setting of low rates on the transmitter to high rates, press the button on the top right of the transmitter (the red LED on the transmitter should change from solid to flashing). You can press that button again to change back to low rates.
Multiple EZ aircraft can operate at once, but during the binding process, it is easy for the EZ planes to get cross-bound or to bind to multiple aircraft at the same time. The transmitters can bind to any of the EZ Flight Control boards and if multiple flight control boards are “searching” for a transmitter, a student (or students) may end up bound to someone else’s plane. I have done numerous classes and teacher trainings with the EZ aircraft (the teachers tend to be the ones that don’t listen! …sad but true…) and during the build process, I instruct them not to plug the battery into the board until I tell them too. Likely, there will be someone that won’t listen and then you can use that as an example of why they need to follow directions. Suggestion – collect all the batteries so it isn’t a temptation while you demonstrate the binding process. If models get cross-bound, shut off everything involved and start over one at a time.
Out in the field – one thing I have found to make the binding process easier for a group of EZ flyers is to make yourself or a designated person as the battery and binding gatekeeper. Have all the batteries and transmitters collected so students can’t power up until they get to you. They can line up with their EZ aircraft and they can receive a transmitter and battery and go through the binding process one at a time. Have a designated launch area that students can spread out so they don’t interfere with the binding area. Make sure rates on the transmitter are set to “high” (red transmitter light should be flashing), winds should be light to none, launch into the wind, and throttle should be about half way to a little more than half. Encourage small movements on the sticks rather than moving the sticks to their endpoints. Winds at higher altitudes can be stronger and can carry these light aircraft away quickly (it can be tough to tell the orientation of these planes if they are a couple hundred feet up in the air, too).
EZ LiPo Batteries – I would recommend having some battery voltage checkers on hand; the EZ batteries can be charged up to 4.2 volts (this is what the included USB charger will charge them to), but you don’t want the voltage to get too low. Students should be able to get about 8 minutes of flight time off a fully charged battery (that feels like a long time when you are first learning). After about 8 minutes or if the aircraft gets sluggish, students need to land and unplug. If students will be flying again soon, you can recharge the batteries so they are ready for the next flight. You don’t want to store these batteries fully charged for more than a couple weeks…long term storage charge is 3.8 which is the voltage they’ll be at out of the package. You also don’t want to store them under-charged. I don’t like to let them get below 3.3 volts and damage to the battery can occur if they are below 3.0 volts for too long.
Troubleshooting – Sometimes things don’t go the way you think they should. Here are a few scenarios:
- Doesn’t fly – Is the battery charged? Try a fresh battery or check the voltage to make sure your battery is charged. Are the propellers on correctly? Is the EZ Flight Control board installed correctly? (battery wires should be facing forward, black on/off switch should be facing down, board should be installed on left side of fuselage) Are the motors on correctly? (motors housings should be parallel to the fuselage)
- Aircraft won’t climb – make sure your battery is charged. Is there excessive weight? (too much glue?) Try moving the battery back a little in the battery slot…this will change the balance of the aircraft and cause it to fly with the nose a little higher and fly a little slower. Check to see if your battery has shifted after crashing or landing. If your particular aircraft has “reflex” built into the design to help keep the nose up (e.g. EZ Plank, EZ Hornet, EZ Mario, and others), make sure you have that angle correct (refer to build videos).
- Aircraft only turns one direction – Are the motor housings parallel to the fuselage? (if one or both motors are angled or not installed straight, this can cause the direction of thrust to be incorrect). Is it windy? Light to no wind are best for flying EZ planes. Is there anything stuck around the propeller that is preventing a motor from spinning as it should? (hair, grass)
- Aircraft motors spin without moving anything on my transmitter – turn aircraft and transmitter off, unplug battery and begin bind process again…you most likely had your aircraft bound to someone else’s EZ transmitter.
Fun things to do with your EZ aircraft – LED lights for night flights, crepe paper streamers taped on to the back are fun and can slow down a plane for new pilots (take a roll of 2 inch paper streamers and carefully cut it in two so you have 2 1-inch wide rolls…the EZ aircraft can tow a 15 to 20 foot 1 inch wide streamer). Each of our EZ aircraft FT STEM lesson downloads have extension activities, in addition to the lessons, for more fun ideas.
