Greg and I decided that our first review of an RC Airplane would be of Greg’s discontinued E-Flite Cherokee. He got that plane for his 9th birthday. The Cherokee is an all-around airplane meant for scale-like and relaxing flying, but it can also do anything from snap rolls to knife-edge spins.
Cannot say enough good things about this airplane! Great scale features such as a flying stab and a compressible nose gear. Very honest flyer, tracking and take offs are effortless, the flaps are effective for landing. Got about three dozen flights on mine with no issues. – Steve from e-Flite
Assembly and Build
Assembly was easy, and like most Horizon Hobby models, it pretty much snaps together with quick-connect wings and glue-less elevator assembly. The Cherokee did, however, come with a decently-sized dent in its left wing, but luckily this caused no inferior flight performance.
Flight Characteristics
The Cherokee is a stable flier, and with SAFE mode for beginners and panic recovery, it is a great second airplane for someone who has flown that size class before, and a good third airplane for someone used to flying planes with <700mm wingspans. During a stall, the Cherokee will lightly drop a wing but this rarely happens due to the huge amount of excess power provided by the 4S-capable motor but it is heavy, so you need to be careful at slower speeds. For 3D and aerobatics, the Cherokee will hold most maneuvers with the almost whip-like knife-edge spin being our favorite. However, the Cherokee does not like hovering or torque-rolling, making a scratchy sound from the motor when doing those maneuvers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the E-Flite Cherokee 1.3m is a solid flier that is worthy of purchase if you find one on either eBay or the updated one on Horizon Hobby.