Are you a beginner like me? If you are, than this is a great plane to learn with especially if you are afraid of crashing and desroying an all wood trainer. This plane builds easily, flies simply and resists crashes like no other. The Airplane costs very little, only $49.99USD and with an engine, only $99.98USD.

Construction

This airplane is neither classified as a kit or an ARF, but definately swings more to the ARF side. The wings are pre-made out of molded foam. The fuselage is PVC plastic(very little air friction). The tail feathers are plain balsa that is solid. The airplane builds relatively quick with no experience in modeling needed. The Instruction Manual provided is clear and simple with no big issues. For cutting the slots on the leading edges I recommend the Great Planes Hinge slot cutter. This is the best tool I have ever used. When you get to the part where you have to install the fuel tank, you really have to squeeze it in because there is not a lot of room for the foam and the tank, it will fit, just be patient. Installing the engine is simple, just place it inside the mount and align the holes. Although, there is one problem, the screws are not long enough to clear the mout itself, therefore get some longer ones and also, get some locktight nuts to put on the ends of the screws. The contol link-ups are quite different from the other trainers i've assembled. This one does not use pushrods, but tubes in their place. This method gives way more flexibility to the whole ease of the project that I am even considering using this method on future planes. The servos are simply taped in place(very different), and the same goes for the reciever. The wing tips can be glued in place and the trailing edges too. The next step in to cover the plane, for begginers this is a tricky task, but this airplane has relatively easy to cover sections and the job is not so bad.

*One major problem that occured is with the aileron linkages. The design that connects the pushrods is very bad and results in the torque rods bending when the servo is turned. This problem was corrected by a little engineering and you can click here for directions on how to fix it.

Flying

This airplane has only been flown once by me, but it seems to fly very well. On takeoff, only a small amount of elevator is needed to lift it off the ground and the roll is perfect. Banking is smooth and decending is slow and responsive. I flew this airplane in the winter on skis and am waiting for the spring to compare results. *More on this when the weather clears

Conclusion

This Airplane is great for the learning pilot. If you are attempting to learn to fly on your own this airplane will take a beating and still continue to fly. Even if you know how to fly, this airplane can let you learn basic aerobatics while you prized possession waits in the flight line. I would reccomend this plane to all pilots.