Encanto X F5L with ballast

My first impression was the Encanto might turn out heavier than the 480 gm advertised as the main wing ribs are cut from 3mm balsa and 3mm liteply and the sub-ribs although from 2mm balsa come in pairs. The fuselage sides and bulkheads are also from 3mm lite ply and the tail boom is at least 10cm longer than most RES kits models. The actual flying weight of the model was 10gms below target. The kit is designed for 'cased' out-runner motors as there is no clearance for standard out runner motor cables. I fitted an X-Power F2307/14 but a Dualsky XM2523 is shown on the plan. The fuselage profile suits 25mm spinners. The laser-cut parts were a perfect fit. The kit comes with all the necessary accessories such as magnets and kevlar thread for binding the carbon spars at the joints As I wanted to cover the model in transparent film I spent deal of time sanding off the laser burns where they are exposed.

The model is unusual in having a dual carbon joiners (I've since learnt the Andreas has the same arrangement) but this has the benefit of having wing retainer magnets that actually pull the wings onto the fuselage. I don't know of another RES kit where the magnets retain the wings as well as these do. The rudder/elevator servos fit under the wing with a separate hatch leaving plenty of space for batteries RX and ESC behind the motor. I swapped out the supplied white plastic tube and 0.7mm wire push rods for the HyperFlight etched PTFE tube and 0.5mm wire to save weight. The spoilers deserve a mention with their multiple holes to ease landing control. Unfortunately these were discarded by the owner/pilot as not being in keeping with a smooth upper wing surface. 2/3 size plain spoiler plates were used which do an excellent job to control descent with little trim change. Note: there is only space for 7mm thick servos in the spoiler bay unless you modify the mounting.

The flight characteristics deserve special mention as despite its relatively low dihedral it has a very flat turn and this really shows in thermals. The X-power motor has a brisk climb rate on 2S lipos and easily reaches the F5L launch height in time. Using only 2S cells kept the ready to fly weight at 472gms. I have no hesitation is recommending the Encanto and will be building another shortly for myself. P.S. I have no experience of flying with Ballast (supplied by HyperFlight ) but I incorporated the 3D printed ballast boxes in the wing which make the addition of weight very easy.

Since writing the above. I have built another Encanto for myself. I used CHA DS06 servos for the spoilers and lowered the servo plate by 0.5mm to ensure they would fit. I fitted magnets to the servo arms and embed a metal strip in the spoiler blade for the magnet to act upon. This ensures the spoiler follows the servo arm and keeps it closed when not in use. The supplied multi hole spoiler blades were used which meant covering was a little tedious and I had to make a special tool from 10mm dia brass tube to cut the Oracover holes accurately. The effort paid off in flight as the spoilers are less aggressive and easier to trim. This is a very elegant design with excellent performance.