This first video shows the maiden flight of my Thunderbolt, after a short taxi test just to make sure that the undercarriage was up to the job. A combination of forward cg, a need for lots of down trim and down rated elevator travel meant that the first few circuits were a bit of a struggle and, as soon as I'd got it reasonably trimmed in both clean and flapped configurations, the model was brought in for a landing.

A second flight that day, with an ounce of lead on the tail and full elevator travel was a much less stressful experience!

This onboard video was shot with an 808 #16 keychain camera, mounted on the top of the tailplane. It was a gusty day, and I was worried about the effect that the tail-mounted camera might have on the handling of the model. I was also by no means certain that the camera mount was secure, so it was a short and rather tentative flight.

I'm quite pleased with the quality and viewpoint though, so will have another go sometime, maybe with the drop tank in operation!