Silverlit Palm-Z Mini RC Indoor Airplane

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Julie

October 29, 2007

In the past 12 months, HobbyTron has sent me several RC helicopters to review, but today I'm going to tell you about something a little different. HobbyTron has a new offering; the Silverlit Palm-Z RC airplane. Silverlit is the same company that created the tiny PicooZ helicopter.

Package Contents

Palm-Z Mini Plane
2 Channel Infrared Control
3.7V Li-Poly Rechargeable Battery Pack in Plane
Wall Hook
Instructions

The only items not included with this kit are four AA batteries to power the handheld remote control.

The Palm-Z airplane is made of EPP Foam. I'm not sure what the differences are between EPP foam and regular styrofoam, but like styrofoam, the Palm-Z is very light weight and fragile feeling. It's really stronger than what you would think though. I've been having a lot of fun with this little plane and have crashed it numerous times without any breakages so far (fingers crossed).

The Palm-Z is small. It has a wingspan of only 8 inches. This will allow you to fly it in small rooms without difficulty. The most fragile part of the plane in my opinion is the small tail rudder piece. It's made of the thinnest material. I guess that's the reason why an extra one is included with this plane.

As you can see in the image above, there is a small propeller located behind the top wing. This propeller is powered by a very small Li-Poly rechargeable battery pack that is located in the body of the plane. Recharging of the battery is done through the handheld remote control.

The remote has several controls, including a throttle slider, Left / Right steering slider, trim control, power / charging toggle switch, and channel switch. LEDs indicate charging and power on status.

If you look at the top of the remote control, you'll see a small socket. You can plug an IR booster pack into this socket, which will give you more range between the controller and the plane. As is, the controller has a range of approximately 15 feet.

The remote control requires 4 AA Alkaline batteries (not included) to power the controller and charge the battery in the plane. To charge the plane, you plug the plane's connector into the top of the controller and turn the switch to Charge.

The charging light will glow Green while the battery is charging, and will turn off once the charge is complete. Charge time is about ten to twelve minutes and will give you flight times of up to seven minutes.

To fly the Palm-Z, you flip the switch on the bottom of the plane to the On position and push the throttle up on the handheld remote. The propeller on the plane will turn and you can then give the plane a gentle toss like you would a paper airplane and away she'll go. It takes a bit of practice before you'll be able to make turns and landings, but flying this plane isn't very difficult at all. Since this plane is relatively fragile in construction, it's probably better suited for older kids and adults. That said, it makes a wonderful play thing for rainy days or any day for that matter.