All the bipes that I had owned had seriousstability issues associated with slow invertedharriers and elevators that caused them to beprone to unpredictable snaps and uncontrol-lable spins. This phenomenon even extends tothe pure 3D version. Having said that, bipesdo have many attractive advantages over themonos and to actually find one that has goodtraits in all aspects of 3D/Freestyle/IMAC fly-ing could very well be worth its weight ingold. With the excellent past track record ofPA, I was excited to add the AMR to my fleetand see if they deliver what they promise.

First Impressions- Double or Nothing

My Ultimate AMR arrived intact neatlypacked. I carefully removed the top wingfrom the box and visually checked things out.All carbon fibre (CF) wing mounting tabswere already pre-glued in place. I placed thewings onto a flat glass surface to check forwarps and twist and there were absolutelynone and were amazingly spot on. Theaileron hinging is done in the factory and issimilar to the ones used on top dollar com-posite giant scale models. I was astonished atthe amount of precision that went into themanufacturing of these top quality wings.

Removing the one piece canopy revealedthe internal structure of the fuselage. Itspeaks volumes about the extent PA’s design-ers have gone to, to achieve the unbelievablelow wing loading figures without at all sacri-ficing structural integrity or rigidity. This as Iobserved, is achieved with the well thoughtout use of carbon fibre reinforcements andthe elimination of any non-structural materialconsidered unessential, that if retained,would otherwise be unnecessary deadweightthat degrades performance.

The second box also revealed to whatextent PA went to with the carbon fibre bits,and PA’s text on their website about the exten-sive use of carbon fibre was really an under-statement for this model. This model, as I dis-covered later, had the most extensive use ofcarbon fibre, far beyond what is available onits predecessors. For starters, the centrecabane, wing mount, control horns, aileronganging horns, control rods, wing leadingedge, elevator joiner, main landing gear, fuse-lage stringer reinforcement, fuselage cabanebase, motor box front plate, battery tray, land-ing gear bay, fuselage cross beams are justsome of the carbon fibre or FiberFusion® com-ponents I could identify at a cursory glance.

The tail feathers revealed the massive butlightweight air foiled shaped vertical stabilizer

and rudder and a massive flat horizontal sta-bilizer, already pre-hinged and sealed at thefactory. Interestingly enough, the flat horizon-tal stabilizer as I later found out after research-ing on the full scale Ultimate, is a standarddesign feature found on its full size counter-part. A closer look at the elevator tape hingesrevealed the rational behind its implementa-tion in-lieu of familiar traditional CA hinges.The reason became apparent when I foundembedded carbon fibre running the entirelength of both the elevator’s leading and hor-izontal stabilizer’s trailing edges. This designmeans that the AMR will pull a perfect verticalhard “wall” without inducing an unwanted rollto one side. The motor mount appeared sub-stantially beefed up on the AMR, hinting at theanticipated performance the Thrust 40 motoris capable of delivering.

The AMR’s airframe structural design is rad-ically different from other contemporary main-stream models out there. The design primarilyfocuses on achieving the lightest possiblewing loading without compromising the over-all structural integrity of the model. Thedesign of the AMR clearly shows the amountof thought, time and effort PA expended asopposed to merely regurgitating existing“standard” design elements seen on so manyother model aircraft.

The Build- Nut Screws Washer & Bolts

The most important tip that I could providein the build section is to manually read themanual! It is jam packed with step by step pic-torial tips and detail explanations that evenextend to the programming of radio mixes. It isextremely important to follow the buildsequence as described in the manual to ensurea proper and accurate build and do not attemptto skip ahead. PA deliberately arranged thebuild sequence to ensure accurate alignmentand wing incidence (already pre-set at the fac-tory) are maintained throughout assembly.

The assembly starts with making the requiredopenings in the fuselage and wings to accommo-date the servos, landing gear, cooling vent andhorizontal stabilizer. The carbon fibre landinggear, wheels and wheel pants are then assembledto the fuselage. The AMR’s painted fibreglasswheel pants have a moulded relief that ensuresprecise alignment and centring of the wheels. Atthis point I dry fitted the lower wing, canopy,motor mount, cowl, rudder and horizontal stabi-lizer just to check the fit without committing any-thing to glue. Everything fitted perfectly andappeared to visually line up without a hitch. Theonly work I needed to do was to lightly file theslots on the firewall in order to easily insert themotor mount without forcing.

The motor mount was the next componentto be installed. I opted to use waterproof PVAglue which was generously applied to all jointson the motor mount and to the contact surfaceon the firewall. Three carbon fibre pins werethen inserted and glued to lock the motormount in place. This maintains a precise thrust

angle while the PVA cures and provides addi-tional structural integrity to the assembly. Themotor mount firewall is pre drilled in the facto-ry ready to install the T40, just bolt it on andsecure with thread lock. The Thrust 40 incorpo-rates an updated version of the Rotorkool®design that now employs curved impellers for amuch improved cooling efficiency.

Next came the installation of the cowl. Sinceflying the Ultimate without a spinner will impairthe scale look, I used the recommended PA carbonfibre spinner. I was happy to note that the cowlaligned perfectly with trim on the fuselage. Allfour Voltec VTS 70MG servo cables extended usingthe optional PA lightweight solder-on servo exten-sion cables which were then cut to length and ter-minated with JR compatible plugs. The four servoswere then installed into their respective bays. Theoptional carbon fibre extended servo arms werethen installed over the stock plastic servo arms toattain the design control throws and geometry.With the servo plugs inserted in to the appropriatechannels, the Spektrum AR6200 DSM2 receiverwas then installed in its tray and strapped down.

The aileron carbon fibre control and ganginghorns were installed as per the instructions andwith the ailerons taped in the neutral positionand servo arms precisely perpendicular to thecontrol rods, the CF pushrods were then assem-bled. The step by step pictorial guide greatlyassisted the assembly of the rods.

The AMR comes with a separate bag of nutsand bolts intended for the CF cabane and wingstruts. I spent a few minutes organizing the relat-ed hardware, arranging them in their respectiveplaces alongside the cabane and strut members.This proved to be a time saver when the wingstruts and cabane were assembled piece by piecein the correct manner. The wing struts are specif-ic to each side and thus not interchangeable. Assuch it is very important to note the orientation ofthe insignia “AMR” prior to assembly. With thecabane, lower wing and wing struts installed; itwas now time to install the upper wing.

With both wings now installed and all boltssecured with thread lock I could immediately feelhow rigid and solid the entire assembly was. Allfour ailerons were taped in the neutral positionand it was time to assemble the carbon aileronganging push rods to gang both ailerons. The hor-izontal stabilizer was installed next by slipping theassembly through a slot previously cut in the fuse-lage. Alignment is visually done by referencingthe wings. A quick reference against both wingsrevealed that it lined up perfectly and was thenglued. The slot at the rear of the fuselage wasthen resealed with the supplied balsa block, sand-

ed flush and re-covered to maintain the look.For the CG location, I opted to use the rec-

ommended 59.5mm CG location for the “sweetspot” and measured accordingly. The setting ofthe CG was to my astonishment a pretty easyprocess by merely measuring the CG lengthfrom the leading edge of the top wing tip. ThisCG location is achieved when the PA 2200 V2Lipo pack perfectly lines up with the front ofthe battery tray as mentioned in the manual. Acaveat to this easy CG only applies when therecommended Precision Aerobatics iPAs (inte-grated Performance Airframe-drive system)setup is used. The great thing I got out of it wasthat it was so precise that I get consistent resultsin the air every time and it’s a matter of poppingthe battery in, line it up, secure the Velcro strap,plug the battery and off you go on the perfectCG! How much simpler can this get? In the caseof the AMR, I religiously followed the recom-mended radio setup including the throws andmixing and only deviated by setting up threerates tied into my flight mode switch for whichthe highest rate set was zero expo while the restset at a lower exponential value than recom-mended as a matter of personal preference thatI am used to.

The Check Ride- Putting the Art into Aerobatics!

I finally mustered enough guts to bring myAMR out for the maiden flight. With all the pre-flight checks done I switched to high rates, acti-vated the timer and prepared for take off.

The take off was short and the AMR wentstraight up into a stable hover, did a few torquerolls and then a slow vertical climb out into a

beautiful slow spin. I was immediately amazedat how incredibly easy it handled and all priorfears and shakes were now gone. What a hugerelief it felt and I was really stoked now to trysomething a little more aggressive!

Advancing the throttle beyond 3/4, the AMRfelt very quick in the air and I felt confidentenough to try the Lomcevak. It looked beautifulwith lots of energy and momentum and I wasalready grinning from ear to ear after seeinghow aggressive it was. Pushing to full throttle Icould see the AMR accelerating vertically veryquickly. Wow, the Thrust 40 motor had plentyof power. After a few high energy snaps andtumbles, I slowed her down for a set of rollingharriers. They were smooth, axial and felt veryconsistent. I then made a few fast straight andlevel flights and proceeded to make trim adjust-ments and all it needed was a little down ele-vator and proceeded to try the knife edgemanoeuvre which required a little up elevatorand opposite rudder correction on the sticks.

The first impression from the maiden flight,everything just seems to flow smoothly from onemanoeuvre to another without the usual abruptstop. The AMR was exceptionally exciting and aneasy aeroplane to fly. The KE (knife edge) spinsand blenders were simply insane while the snapsand Lomcevaks very aggressive especially on thelarger but higher thrust wooden 14 X 7 prop.

I only activated the recommended KE mixafter the fourth flight and the KE was now cou-ple-free and only required holding the rudder tomaintain a straight line down the runway. I foundit very easy to do a range of KE manoeuvres fromfast straight and level KE, descending KE, KE cir-cles, alternating KE to slow KE. I had 20 mindblowing flights over the weekend and subse-quently totalled 75 by the time of this writing.

After flying the AMR for sometime, I discov-ered quite a few new unique manoeuvres it’scapable of doing beautifully. Its handling in theair is so predictable that I became comfortableright off the bat. I believe that most advancedbeginners who have already nailed their takeoff and landings will have absolutely no prob-lems flying the AMR on low rates because itfeels so predictable and stable.

Hovers are simply out of this world; the slowrolling harriers are simply excellent - very wellbalanced, axial and coupled with the responsiveaileron authority allows a multitude of variationsto the rolling harrier manoeuvre; e.g. hesitationand four-point rolling harriers. As a matter offact only I learnt the hesitation rolling harrier onthe AMR during the course of this review.

The Thrust 40 motor on a wooden 14 x 7prop is simply awesome on the AMR as it givesit almost unlimited performance to execute fastaggressive aerobatics. Stick bangers out therewill simply love it and yet it has surplus thrustand punch to execute the slow 3D stuff. Thefact that the AMR excels in both fast and slowmanoeuvres is really mind blowing to watchand is exceptionally good fun to fly. With theperformance I have experienced, I am totallybaffled by the fact that this incredibly light-weight AMR is flying on only a 3S setup, yet ithas the momentum and energy to carry throughthe insane tumbles and spins that rival my heav-ier 54” Hyperion Yak 54 running on an over-powered 6S setup. I am totally dumbfoundedthat it feels much closer to flying on a 4S pack,especially on the wooden 14 x 7.

ConclusionOn the recommended CG, the AMR allows

the modeller to switch between precision IMACto insane fast high energy manoeuvres (match-es a considerably heavier model in terms ofaggression, energy conservation and rotation

rate) and then throttle down to get into slowgraceful 3D without ever having the need toland and readjust the CG. This by itself opensup a whole new dimension to the mix of aero-batic manoeuvres that could potentially be doneon the fly. The extreme agility, versatility andsuperb handling make it an excellent candidatefor competition level freestyle flying or just hav-ing pure fun.

The iPAs setup for the Ultimate AMR is perfectand really the best option to consider in gettingexcellent performance out of the box. I am still fly-ing on stock setup, i.e. CG, throws and mixes andI did not feel the need to change anything yet.

I will give a standing ovation to PA for, in myhumble opinion, producing one of the bestdesigns I have ever come across to date; a totalsynergy of form and function transformed into abeautiful engineering art piece. If I am ever askedto write a slogan for the Ultimate AMR, I willhave to say, hands down it has only to be “PAUltimate AMR: The ULTIMATE Ultimate!”

This model and accessories are available bothretail and wholesale directly from the manufac-turer. Website is www.precisionaerobatics.com orcall 02 9558 0443.

Or visit www.ultimateamr.com for videos andtestimonials. Good if you’re considering pur-chasing the aeroplane or just like to watch.