ameyam

I thought that AW was still manufacturing from the US. If their quality has dropped, it makes them no better than Goldwing/ Redwing and the other manufacturers whose airframes are way cheap but require a lot of reinforcing before flying. I was considering getting the Yak 90-120 QB but now I am having second thoughts....

Ameyam

Luchnia

My Feedback: (21)

I have wondered about this recently and maybe nothing to be alarmed at if they are importing and AW plans to reduce pricing to fall in line PLUS notifying the customer of the difference. I suppose I am just "old school" as I expect better quality for the higher price I pay for AW or any other vendor. When I pay 50-100 more for a 60 size airframe, I expect 50-100 dollars more quality. It should be there in glue, hardware, manual, etc.

I am one that if I buy an airframe from a cheaper supplier and then buy one from a more reputable supplier I expect to see the difference. If I don't and don't get adequate service that would probably be the end of my purchases from the quality supplier.

I mentioned in some posts that I recently bought a close-out sale from a vendor on the west coast and did not have a huge expectation. However, it was so shoddy I would not purchase from them again. I fly with a lot of guys and I can just imagine how much cost this will be to the vendor in the future since others know of the shoddy workmanship of this airframe.

I don't get it. These days it is almost like playing Russian Roulette to buy a decent RC plane!

flytreetimes

I certainly would put Aeroworks well above others like Redwing/ Goldwing in build quality. A fellow flyer purchased an S Bach 50cc, its undercarriage litterly fell apart, destroyed the entire underside of the fuselage on his second glass smooth landing. It came out twice more before he actually cut out all the crap wood and built his own from quality aircraft ply. Each of three times it took out a $80 CF prop too!
I discovered the "hot melt" only after my stupid crash, the joints pulled apart down one side of the fusleage on the Extra 300. i was able to scrape the glue off and push everything back into place, replacing only some sheeting on fuse side and reinforcing the undercarriage mounts. It likely would have lasted forever except for my stupid pilot error.
As I stated before, the only sore spot is the aluminum LG, it should come with the CF stuff, the aluminum is all but useless. Even on perfect landings, it has bent 5 out of 6 times. FWIWflytreetimes

Luchnia

My Feedback: (21)

I have noticed the crappy glue as well. I think they are watering it down so much that is does not do anything at all. If it is hot glue then it is of so poor a quality that why even put it on there? It rarely sticks. You can grab the edge of it and pull it off the wood. You know the airframe is going to fall to pieces after a short time. What will probably happen is that those that make sure their suppliers supply quality aircraft will wind up getting to repeat buyers.

I am re-gluing a brand new plane right now that has never seen the air. I had to replace all aileron hinges, repair areas that were broken or not glued. Nothing fits at all. Not one piece of hardware would work. I just thinned some epoxy and am brushing it over areas that have little or no glue at all.

When I get done I should have a somewhat decent plane, but just how much will I have in it? New hardware, new hinges, labor, etc....If you are going to get a deal and wind up spending the extra 100 or so, you could just buy something better and not have to do all the labor!

flycatch

My Feedback: (26)

I had this AW airplane and powered it with an OS 160 two stroke. I sufferd damage to the landing gear mount on a cross wing landing and ended up rebuilding the mounting assembly. This is the only damage the airframe incurred with over a hundred flights. I sold the airframe in ARF configuration and received 1/2 of its' value when new. I would say this is a fair resale value for the time accumulate on the airframe. I have stated once before that ARFs vary in quality. IMO AW and Hangar 9 are overall the best. Don't be missled by product reviews because they are usually false.

aussiesteve

Ok - you are close to fully answering your own question

Oh so many people buy on price. Not only the end users but the suppliers too.
Cut a price and something else (usually quality) must suffer - it is one of the facts of life.

Companies such as Hobbyking have a very high turnover of product - because they sell at a low price (and before the likes of Hobbyking came along, it was the likes of Tower etc that were doing it). The other suppliers need to make a decision to also sell at a low price or to let their sales volumes drop, sometimes to such a low level where the business can no longer survive.

Those suppliers have to do something to be able to drop their prices. They can choose to
1 - simply reduce their profit margin
2 - Pressure their suppliers to drop their prices or chage to lower priced suppliers
3 - hold less stock (then listen to everybody complain about poor service)
4 - restructure their business (also usually with complaints about poor service)
5 - multiples of the above.

The end result is - low priced products, a general reduction in quality of product and service, the loss of some suppliers and the list goes on.

As for Aeroworks getting ARF's manufactured in China? -
So what - There are very few ARF's manufactured anywhere else (Ok - Seagull in Vietnam and Comp ARF in Thailand being the major exceptions). Without doing a proper check on their site, I don't know they claim to be USA made.

If they have let their standards slip to the lows being discussed here (I admit, I haven't purchased one of their airframes for quite a while now), then it is a shame but I figure it will only have ben done due to the issues mentioned above.

ameyam

Well, so far I have been using Tower and Phoenix. Phoenix (atleast the older kits) are heavy builds and fairly well put together. GP are very lightly built. In either case, after a few mishaps and after reading user opinions, I began spending a lot of time reinforcing my airplanes before they even flew. My current Phoenix Extra 330S 62" 60-90 is fitted with a DLE 20 and has so much reinforcement, I had a mid air with a foamy and no damage where as the foamy got minced. However, the airplane has play in the way the wings are bolted causing it to jink suddenly. Also, I am not too happy with the Phoenix hardware whereas GP is fairly good.

Given these considerations and that I am prone to adding reinforcement- tristock, fibreglass, additional ply etc where I feel its needed, should I expect AW to be better than Phoenix and GP? Reviews of the Yak 120 on most websites are fairly good and its an older design. I have a Funtana too but I havent opened it yet

Ameyam

Hill202

My Feedback: (24)

Rant time! The blind nuts in the wings, the main nuts that hold the wings on, are bad, bad threads, glue or something in them. I'm going to have to replace 3 of the 4 of them before I can fly this POS. Quick build my _ss.


On second thought, it can't be glue in the threads because they don't put enough on them for it to run.

frank99

My Feedback: (29)

some times we must take off the gloves, all rc planes will make you take a dip of snuff tobacco , wish you could pack this up and send it back to china thanks frank

Hill202

My Feedback: (24)

If I had it to do over again, I would have waited on the 3DHS Slick to be in stock.

Hill202

My Feedback: (24)

I purchased mine directly from Aeroworks. I talked to them by phone.

v6goose

Hey Hill...

Thanks for the heads up about glue in my AW 50cc Edge thread.

Mine is the 3rd AW plane I have bought and I have had excellent performance from the previous two.

Like most, I have gone the 'cheaper' route in the past, buying Chinese ARF's up to 50cc size but spent a lot of time and money getting them up to scratch. You only have to do that once or twice to learn the lesson.

I did have to do a few things to my AW birds and even though spending $200+ dollars more for my plane (including shipping) I don't feel that is unreasonable. I have been flying for over 30 years and have never had an airframe come out of the box at 100%.

I do agree that the higher cost of the AW and similar birds should be that much better but to avoid disappointment I simply start with what I get and work from there.

Good luck with yours...

Goose

Hill202

My Feedback: (24)

You are right, none come perfect. I'm sure they'll probably fly just fine.

Good luck with yours as well.

Mark Dennis

My Feedback: (4)

Hill202,

I am very sorry for the issues that you have experienced on your airplane. Please know that our tech and warranty staff are here Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm you can reach them at 303 371 4222 they can also be reached at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

I have attempted to address your issue below, if you have any further questions please let me know. You can reach me directly at [email protected] or at 303 371 4222 Ext 105

The blind nuts can be cleaned out by running a 8-32 tap through them. Sometimes they can get glue in the threads when installing the blind nut or the plywood backing ring.

As for the glue joints, our factory uses a high quality wood glue that is designed to be used in a factory environment. CA and similar glues can not be used in large amounts due to health issues. We do recommend that the customer go over any accessible glue joint with thin CA when the airplane is first purchased. This is recommended due to climate changes from when the airplane was originally built in China to the end user. Weather conditions in China can reach 90-100% humidity for long periods of time, when the airplanes are shipped to our Denver warehouse and stored here; they typically see humidity levels in the 10-20% range. This large moisture swing can cause the occasional glue joint to loosen due in large part to the wood shrinking around the joint.

The misaligned wheel pants can be fixed easily by slotting the mounting bolt holes in the gear itself. By doing this you can locate the wheel pant where you would like it to sit and then tighten the bolts down. We try and make all of our gear as consistent as possible but it is very difficult to get these holes to be perfectly aligned each and every time.

The broken formers were most likely caused by shipping damage. The box may not show many signs of wear from shipping but they can be dropped or jarred in such a way that the fuse is compressed inside the box. We try and protect the airplanes as best we can in shipping by double boxing and lining the inner box with ¼� thick wood. Unfortunately that still may not protect it from the sometimes 20 foot falls these packages can be subjected to.

In regards to our factory and where our airplanes are being produced. We have been using the same factory since 2005 when we pioneered the entire QB concept that is so common today. Our QB lines of planes were never built in the United States and if anyone got that impression from Aeroworks I do apologize.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help you.

Thank You,
Mark Dennis
Aeroworks R&D Staff

v6goose

They sure do buddy... You'll see....

Hill202

My Feedback: (24)

Mark,

I appreciate the response. I was able to work through the problems. I do realize that all ARF's have issues that need to be corrected during the assembly. It just seems that this particular plane has had more than its share of them.

But if it flies good, the problems are easily forgotten.

Maiden tomorrow [8D]



I don't think the broken formers were shipping damage. There are no signs of damage to the covering or other wood in that area.

v6goose

Fair comment.

It does seem that your particular airframe has an unusual amount of issues given the general consensus of AW owners.

Good luck tomorrow, break a prop!

Pictures and updates are part of the rules...

Goose

Hill202

My Feedback: (24)

You got it Goose, stay tuned...

Hill202

My Feedback: (24)

The maiden was successful. I have to say its a great flying plane. The DLE 55 was plenty of power for it. I think I need to move the CG forward some as it was a little too pitchy for me.

Its a keeper, so if you're on the fence about an AW, I'd say get one and look it over real good as you're putting it together.

aussiesteve

You know the rules - video must be posted

Congratulations on the maiden. A good maiden makes it all worthwhile in the end.

Good job [sm=thumbup.gif]

Hill202

My Feedback: (24)

Thanks man!

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

How much elevator throw and expo are you running? Did you have to put in any down trim? Up trim? It may just be a matter of reducing throw and/or increasing expo. I would have set it up for the test hop with 15 degrees elevator travel and 30-35% expo.

Hill202

My Feedback: (24)

Thats pretty much where I was with it. I think I'm at 18 degrees and 40% expo. One other thing, when landing it did not want to sink. I was having to really push the nose down to get it to settle in. It almost wanted to lift when I throttled back. In other words, at about 15 or 20 feet it wanted to keep flying. I was pushing the nose down alot to get it down. ( if that makes sense). Some of the guys were speculating a thrust line issue or maybe moving the CG forward more.

I had to put a couple of clicks of down trim in it.

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

Then yes, everything you are telling me says tail heavy.

v6goose

Congrats!