AtomRC Penguin

[@bonafidepirate]

Neat little plane! I like seeing it cruising around flying nice and smooth. Looks like it could be fun for a variety of flying styles.

[@AndrewNewton]

Yes it's quite well behaved. Would need LiPo to push it hard

[@GroundControlRC]

Very nice flight demonstration Andrew! I'm glad it is Drama Free ;-) I have one on the way! Looks like a very nice sport flyer as well as long range and FPV. See you in the Air!

[@AndrewNewton]

Excellent, it does have a wide flight envelope and no surprises.

[@jonoedwards4195]

Great review young Andrew. This winter has been punishing to state the least! Your airspace looks unreal. Beauty Matie!

[@AndrewNewton]

Thanks Jono, summer is coming

[@rjung_ch]

Nice flight, flying to the island could have it's risks of the battery running too low on high winds. Thanks for sharing Andrew! 👍💪✌

[@AndrewNewton]

True, would need to pick a light headwind day

[@theresnobodyhere5778]

Andrew please do, you said it now you got a challenge 😂

[@AndrewNewton]

@@theresnobodyhere5778 Only 2km to the far side of the island, but I would never post a public video of such a flight.

[@theresnobodyhere5778]

@@AndrewNewton ahh yeh thats right i remember now ,no incriminating evidence as such

[@SezPilot]

It reminds me a bit of the old Obelix slope soarer.

[@winder6]

Great review, really nice-looking plane thanks for sharing 👍

[@AndrewNewton]

Thanks for watching!

[@alasdair4161]

Interesting plane indeed. I wonder just how slow and low the current draw could get while avoiding the perils of a gust induced stall, and just how recoverable it would be, especially with that short tail. A deep spin would be an interesting test as well. I have one in mind for a future buy, I just have to think of a need to validate the purchase to the minister of finance... Cheers, and great work avoiding those legendary offshore winds there.

[@AndrewNewton]

I'll try some stall testing, but there were no surprises on this flight. Probably would want to load it up too much

[@ApappieK]

Good review Andrew. I have now 16 flights with the Penguin and can agree on all your remarks. Now I'm trying to find the optimal max rates, the stalled elevator in loops and tight turns seems now the limit. My FC board was also slightly off center-angle mounted when it arrived. But this is easy to correct, just change the 180 degrees board alignment in INAV a few degrees. Looking forward to your INAV setup.

[@AndrewNewton]

Oh thanks, great to get your confirmation with more flights.

[@ApappieK]

@@AndrewNewton Just counted in total 27 flights with the Penguin, average 25 minutes, average speed 55 kmh and each flight average 1 km ascend and so 1 km descend in total. That's around 27x25= 675 minutes = 11.25 hours x 55 kmh = 619 km horizontal distance + the 27 x 2 km vertical distance = total 3D distance of 673 km's.... And that all around our small flying field...

[@AndrewNewton]

Amazing stats thanks. You would be the world expert on this plane now!

[@ApappieK]

@@AndrewNewtonIt just shows how much fun this plane is. A "hot doggie" and different design as you mentioned in your review.

[@dallasb7117]

​@ApappieK What packs are you running ? Have you changed anything from stock ? Thanks for stats !

[@The_Pub_]

That was a great video Andrew, takes me back when you were in Djilang doing flight reviews. Scenery here is way much better though. And the poor lad that assembles these planes has only one eye mate, don't be too hard on him. Yes the last bit made me sick, thanks...

[@AndrewNewton]

Haha, apologies for the queasy cam

[@offaxisfpv]

awesome flight and vlog. thanks! looks great

[@AndrewNewton]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Bellairvideo]

As always , very nice flights #1

[@AndrewNewton]

Thanks Noel

[@flyingark173]

Excellent video as always Andrew! Thanks for the review. Can I ask, what was the km/h value in the lower right hand corner of the FPV view?

[@AndrewNewton]

Thanks, that is the estimated wind strength

[@flyingark173]

@AndrewNewton I thought it might be, but didn't get the relatively quick but very small changes. The arrow did make sense as you were turning, but I didnt know what was sensing wind, is that GPS data?

[@AndrewNewton]

Ground speed comparison in different directions. GPS data

[@EnglishTurbines]

Very good at slow flight, just as well with those very low pitch props....Could be good for small field use, like mine....😳😳😳🙄🇬🇧

[@ashb1433]

can u put a ZOHD Kopilot in this ?

[@AndrewNewton]

Yes, would work well

[@dallasb7117]

Can you please tell me where I can buy a Kopilot ? (I can't find any)

[@dronepilot260rc]

@@dallasb7117banggood used to have them

[@allrcflyingisfun]

Don't know about the penguin,But I tried to order the Atomic Dolphin Kit from Atomic @$89.90 US, and though the freight seemed reasonable at $20. US the exchange rate that they used (and I know that our dollar is shit) but they came up with a rate of .57cents which against Paypals rate of approx.67c I thought was really a sad rip-off. Pity because all of there planes look really great,but double the dollars really makes them expensive.

[@dallasb7117]

Excited to fly this one (mine arrived today) would you put it in the same league as a Dolphin (which seems to be a benchmark for folks).

[@AndrewNewton]

Very different planes but they are both good

[@dallasb7117]

@AndrewNewton Thanks! Very excited to get it in the air. I happen to really like it's looks except for Teal ESC covers lol..gonna be black on mine.

[@AerialWaviator]

Nice fun review. Looks great, flys great, and is well designed for FPV. For a while as watched, was thinking this might earn a "suitable for beginners" rating, given the good launch, slow stable flying and good stable handling characteristics. The complexities of validating an INAV setup and large default control throws would make it a poor choice. Maybe as PNP edition without flight controller, and setup with tamed down throws? Then again the Penguin might too small for beginner LOS. Maybe the Swordfish is better suited, but with a V-tail setup could be a beginner hurtle? Guess my point is, there seems to be a lack of good fun beginner PNP model planes these days. Both the Bixler and Volantex Ranger style models have been out of stock.

[@AndrewNewton]

Yes I agree, neither are the best beginners model. This is the best I have come across (as the Skysurfer X9) www.modelflight.com.au/prime-rc-t1400-electric-glider-pnp.html

[@AerialWaviator]

Thank you for sharing the link. This a good alternative.

[@BrainDeadEngineering]

I need a no drama plane lol you may of sold me on this one. . what vtx was you running ?

[@AndrewNewton]

Eachine TS5823L 200mW. Usually performs better than this.

[@designaddict101]

750gr and 750ish wing, it must be the wind over the wings allowing it to slow down hey...

[@AndrewNewton]

Deep chord and lifting body to light wing loading

[@designaddict101]

@@AndrewNewton I meant the props in front of the wing give immediate lift at low speeds more than the shape of the wing..

[@AndrewNewton]

@@designaddict101 Oh right. Yes that probably contributes

[@designaddict101]

@@AndrewNewton Read an article about WW2 planes using that effect : )

[@IanF-FPV]

Now why is it Reptile Tech can’t be as consistent with their designs as AtomRC?

[@migalito1955]

Interesting. I stepped out of the hobby 12 years ago after starting in 78. Then, FPV & conntrollers were at infancy. I had bought an Immersion uno5800 and while it is Ok when connected to a monitor and analog transmitter the Fat Shark goggles I had spent around $300 for suck at providing a decent resolution. The goggles were so poor at resolving an image that I found using them was incredibly disorienntating and barely used them. Anyway, controllers peaked my interest again so I have regained a few planes and may eventuslly give FPV a go, but the amount of options and range of prices is a bit of a mess to sort thru. If you have a suggestion for, camera, goggle combination in analog & HD I would love to hear it.

[@AndrewNewton]

Any HD will blow your mind. I'm using DJI V1 goggles. Analog I use Runcam Phoenix 2 camera and Aomway Commander V1s goggles

[@Videolinquency]

Outward rotation is perfectly fine as long as both motors work as they should. If one fails, outward will make your life a bit harder because the roll torque of the remaining motor adds to the yaw asymmetry instead of counteracting it, as it would with inward rotation. It's as simple as that, all the talk about arcane airflows is just mumbo-jumbo. And a motor failure is pretty unlikely these days, so you should be OK until the cows come home!

[@AndrewNewton]

I have my Albabird programmed up to test this theory. Throttle cut on two buttons, one for each motor. This may end badly but will be interesting to test.

[@Videolinquency]

Nothing beats a good experiment. Fingers crossed!@@AndrewNewton

[@TakeItToTheGround]

Voice sounds a bit rough. Get well soon.

[@AndrewNewton]

Thanks for noticing. Could be renovating dust or just old age.

[@robertbrander2074]

Thanks for the Review ! ... I'm not impressed ... It Flies too fast , and with the short wingspan , all the video wobbles ... The Video is not very good , and the FPV is Low Quality ...... I would rather fly that foam DW Eagle or DW Lightning or My wonderful DJI Mavic Mini ! ...

[@roge8152]

your coment is " not very good" and defintiely "low quality". You clearly have little to no idea what are you talking about.

[@theresnobodyhere5778]

right from the start and repeated again he using analogue vtx cam and a very cheap one at that ,perfect for a first flight test its all about the plane your choice to go dji digital and smash it all up with an unknown flyer

[@dallasb7117]

You're kinda Clueless and quick to criticism bud...Mentioning a Mini 2 in the same context as this craft makes Zero sense.

[@atw98]

ATOMRC, why are they able to make such cool quiet planes when most others sound horrible? So is it as good as the swordfish?

[@wateringcan2]

Since their planes are twin-engine designs with good aerodynamics, they can still get enough thrust with low-kv motors, which are quieter. At least I think that's why :)

[@AerialWaviator]

Inefficiency is the noise you hear. A lower noise signature is a sign of a more efficient flyer. If a propeller is needing to make less thrust, the propeller disk load lower, and so to the noise. AtomRC seems to have matched required thrust to propeller size, pitch and motor size, kV. Propeller size and RPM also determine frequency of sound. Lower frequencies then to be more pleasant than higher frequencies.

[@atw98]

@@AerialWaviator not entirely sure that correct but thanks for the reply. Just an example is the Parrot disco which is very efficient but just sounds like a truck flying over you. This was strange as flying when switched from fuel to electric motors in the 90s and even those where not as noisy

[@AerialWaviator]

@@atw98 Fundamentally noise is energy. The Parrot Disco is a pusher design, and the propeller is in turbulent airflow, and is located between the elevons. Propellor profile can make a difference too. A bull-nose prop has a more harsh sound than an tapered tip prop. A good example is Huey helicopter with wide square tips, vs. Black Hawk helicopter with curved reflexed tips.