VOLANTEXRC Ranger 2400 5 Channel FPV Airplane with 2.4 Meter Wingspan and Multiple Camera Mounting Platform (757-9) PNP
The Ranger 2400... one of the most awaited planes this year... although little was know about it before it was released... and it was only unveiled shortly before that release! What an amazing machine indeed! The plastic fuselage definitely gives me that confidence, that no matter what happens... at least that part of the plane will survive, because it always has... in the past!
To further sweeten the deal, as it turned out, the stock motor and prop (after very slight balancing) work exceptionally well on 4S, and are quite efficient, which was definitely a surprise! I would venture as far as to even say that it is the better bigger brother of the Ranger 2000, because... it is bigger... and it was made bigger in the correct way - it glides better and for longer... you basically load the same stuff you would in the 2000... but here you have 40 more cm of wingspan, which DEFINITELY shows as the plane feels exceptionally light in the air! I had the same feeling when I switched from Phoenix V2 to Phoenix 2400... the latter felt like it was floating through the air... not just flying! Don't get me wrong... the Ranger 2000 and the Phoenix V2 are still awesome planes, but the 2400 series are just bigger... and in this case this makes them better... apart from storage and transport... but the difference really is small once you remove the wings!
SPECIFICATIONS of RANGER 2000
Wing area: to be determined
WHAT I LIKE
Well... this plane is pretty much the same, in terms of design and looks, as the Ranger 2000, and I already did like that one quite a bit! Difference is... the 2400 is a bit larger overall!
It is even sporting a larger motor as well, the same 4023 1050Kv one that was in the Phoenix V2 and the Phoenix 2400 (before I replaced it with the 850Kv one). The motor angle is about as mild as that on the smaller Ranger, which means that take offs with not be an issue here as well!
The locking mechanism for the wings is the same as on the other current Volantex models of this type, but the wing itself is larger, not only in length, but chord as well!
Nose is the same... slightly wider, because the hatch opening is also a bit wider! Do appreciate the air inlets though, will be useful in the summer!
There is also one of those behind the motor, to improve its cooling efficiency, although I've not noticed a problem with this one, being run on 4S - nor on this plane, neither on the Phoenix V2.
THE VERDICT
Well... the Ranger 2400 definitely did not disappoint! Despite its... reduced versatility compared to the Ranger EX, it still proved that it is an outstanding flying machine, and an impressively efficient one, especially considering that we are talking about the stock motor and prop! Stock servos... not really... those went out the door immediately, and were replaced by my trusty Corona DS929MG servos, which I use on almost every plane I have... especially the big ones! The flaps on these wings work exceptionally well, and make landing this thing a real challenge... because it just refuses to come down! You think it is going to touchdown at your feet... and then it keeps going another 50 meters... at least!!!
Good news is the single wheel landing gear works like a charm, keeps the bottom of the fuselage clean, and just like I said above... makes the other landing gear almost completely obsolete! I definitely appreciate Volantex making such a large horizontal stabiliser, and even though it makes the plane a bit more tedious to transport and store, it does help improve flight stability on the pitch axis, and it is noticeable! Overall the combination of a huge tail and these larger wings is awesome and makes both the Ranger 2400 and the Phoenix 2400 outstanding and efficient flyers.
As a beginner plane I would say the Phoenix 2400 is a lot more suited to the task, this one might be a good idea to have after you've gotten some experience flying... a front mounted tractor prop configuration is always a better choice when you are still taking your first steps in model planes!
But seriously... there isn't anything really bad that I can say about this plane... it doesn't stall, it is impressively efficient, staying in the air for 98 mins, on a tired 4S 10000mAh pack, running the stock motor and prop... I mean... what more could you possibly ask for?! I might build a LiIon battery pack for it further down the line, and that will surely put it over the 2 hour mark, and rightly so... this plane deserves it! I remember the days when I barely made my FPV Raptor V2 fly for 90 mins... and it was an outstanding achievement... but it took a lot of work... a lot of testing, a lot of gear swapping, plane modding, etc., the Ranger... it just does it out of the box with the stock gear!!! Furthermore, can't really fault a plane that can draw so nicely in the sky... and all of that while flying beyond LoS, with no working video on the ground!!!
