RCU Forums - What 3d foamy with 60" plus wingspan?

Hello all,

I brief, I am looking for an electric 3d foamy ARF with a wingspan of over 60 inches.

Also, where do I buy this kind of plane? I have yet to find a shop on the Internet that has a good way to search for a large 3d foamy ARF.

This is my first post here. I may as well say I’ve no point to make and nothing to debate. I’m just looking for some solid info from the good and helpful people here.

I flew a .20 sized balsa/MonoCote trainer with ailerons when I was maybe 8-12 years old.

I have again become interested in the hobby due to the existence and more recent affordability of Lipo batteries.

After some deliberation, I have decided I would like to get a big (wingspan over 60 inches) ARF foam 3d plane. I am fascinated by the simple harrier, and I would want a model that does not have a tendency to fall to the side in a harrier. Does this have to do with the kind of wing (e.g. straight/rectangular vs. tapered) or just moving the CG way back, or something else? It appears there are not many of these big foamies available, at least not as ARF’s. As far as I can tell most 3d ARF foamies are max 50” wingspan, but I would love the grace of a larger model. I would only fly outside, sometimes in a little wind.

I want a plane that can go very slow and fly in close, and I am not interested in flying fast, maybe never. I would want to use a direct drive motor (or if I have to I guess I could use a belt drive system to spin a bigger prop slowly). I know geared motors are usually considered ideal for 3d, but I am sensitive to the noise. I plan to keep the CG forward until get really comfortable flying close in and precisely before trying harriers, 3d moves, etc. I do not know what kind of foam I prefer, as I do not know nor fully understand my options. All I “know” is that EEP foam can take tons of crashing but flexes like crazy so is less predictable in flight (this can be mitigated with carbon rods, etc.) and the stiffest foam flies better but tends to break in a good crash (correct me if I’m wrong). Also, I would prefer a real fuselage, as I am paranoid about Lipos falling off in a crash.

If flights times are 7-10 minutes per charge, this would mean 6 to 8 or 9 batteries to get an hour of airtime. I assume the batteries will be the biggest investment (or maybe the transmitter is). But anyway I don’t want to buy two “sets” of batteries. I would like to stick to one power system.

So I was thinking I would get this set and maybe two or three of the same big 3d foamy, as it appears these things tend to be available for a limited time (there’s one with a 60 or 65” wingspan I found on YouTube, but I can’t remember the name or find it. Anyway it was no longer made/sold). Then I would maybe buy a trainer with ailerons that could use the same power system until I got my skills back (I don’t care as much exactly what the model would be, or even if it’s balsa or foam). Or maybe I could just practice on a simulator and skip the trainer. Just to keep focus here, I don’t want to turn this thread in to a discussion of whether a simulator is adequate for a former novice, now beginner like myself can learn to fly a 3d foamy with just a simulator. I may post again regarding that.

Many thanks for your help.