Eagle Drivers
07-16-2018, 06:18 AM
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Eagle Drivers
Fresh from being amazed at KY Jets ( thanks everyone for taking the time to discuss options with me) I am ready to pull the trigger on an F-15. I have ;limited it down to an Avonds or Symaster (not that the other manufacturers are not also excellent)
Two questions for experienced Eagle drivers.
My plan is to keep this one simple and as light as possible so (1) Is and old style Avonds worth the extra build time for the extra wing area (I love the new all composite but $$$$$) and (2) if I go with the Skymaster would you guys just go (a) tailerons,(b) tailerons flaps speedbrake,or (c) full house. My priorities are not so much top speed but scale speed and handling and reasonable landing characteristics. Additionally; the pickings on RCU and RC Groups seem pretty thin so if anyone knows of something like this for sale I would be interested.
Thanks for all your help
Matt
Two questions for experienced Eagle drivers.
My plan is to keep this one simple and as light as possible so (1) Is and old style Avonds worth the extra build time for the extra wing area (I love the new all composite but $$$$$) and (2) if I go with the Skymaster would you guys just go (a) tailerons,(b) tailerons flaps speedbrake,or (c) full house. My priorities are not so much top speed but scale speed and handling and reasonable landing characteristics. Additionally; the pickings on RCU and RC Groups seem pretty thin so if anyone knows of something like this for sale I would be interested.
Thanks for all your help
Matt
07-16-2018, 07:53 AM
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My completely unscientific method for determining overall wing area is as follows. The Avonds jet is slightly larger so I am assuming it has a slightly lower wing loading ( weight dependent of course). Now if the flying qualities are the same the sky master may be the easier route but people rave about the avonds jet. I would love to hear from someone who has flown both. I love the full composite Avonds and it would be my first choice but it’s about twice the price all things considered.
07-16-2018, 08:20 AM
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Both F15s are great. The avonds is slightly easier to fly due it is a bit bigger and easy on the eyes.. The skymaster is absolutely great if you want to have a great looking scale jet, stupendous to fly and above all, extremely practical plane to fly every weekend without worries and without pain in the back as it is lighter to carry than today heavier big jets. Also any mid sized turbine will power it as it should on a jet fighter.
07-16-2018, 09:13 AM
#6
Fresh from being amazed at KY Jets ( thanks everyone for taking the time to discuss options with me) I am ready to pull the trigger on an F-15. I have ;limited it down to an Avonds or Symaster (not that the other manufacturers are not also excellent)
Two questions for experienced Eagle drivers.
My plan is to keep this one simple and as light as possible so (1) Is and old style Avonds worth the extra build time for the extra wing area (I love the new all composite but $$$$$) and (2) if I go with the Skymaster would you guys just go (a) tailerons,(b) tailerons flaps speedbrake,or (c) full house. My priorities are not so much top speed but scale speed and handling and reasonable landing characteristics. Additionally; the pickings on RCU and RC Groups seem pretty thin so if anyone knows of something like this for sale I would be interested.
Thanks for all your help
Matt
Two questions for experienced Eagle drivers.
My plan is to keep this one simple and as light as possible so (1) Is and old style Avonds worth the extra build time for the extra wing area (I love the new all composite but $$$$$) and (2) if I go with the Skymaster would you guys just go (a) tailerons,(b) tailerons flaps speedbrake,or (c) full house. My priorities are not so much top speed but scale speed and handling and reasonable landing characteristics. Additionally; the pickings on RCU and RC Groups seem pretty thin so if anyone knows of something like this for sale I would be interested.
Thanks for all your help
Matt
Bob
07-16-2018, 10:16 AM
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Hey Bob
I fly down at NKY Cardinals, however I am not there very often. Plan to fly this at Rams up at WPAFB initially. Good to hear there is someone else in turbines in NKY, I have many ????’s.
Matt
I fly down at NKY Cardinals, however I am not there very often. Plan to fly this at Rams up at WPAFB initially. Good to hear there is someone else in turbines in NKY, I have many ????’s.
Matt
07-16-2018, 02:38 PM
#9
I have flown and built both. As said the Avonds is a great jet and it's a little larger than the X-Treme jets. However Skymaster/X-Treme has made there kits a little lighter over the years and you cant beat the cost and details of the ARF kits. If you like building then the Avonds is the way to go and a great jet. Both fly very well and land super easy. Unfortunately they both tend to drag a wing tip on the ground if your not gentle in your taxi turns.
With the new technology and size of the turbines on the market (IE) Kingtech K120 G2 the Skymaster/X-Treme F-15 would be even better than the past ones I have flown. If you go with the X-treme make sure you get it with the speedbrake option, it helps tremendously.
PRCJ can get the you the ARF kit as well.
https://pacificrcjets.com/collection...nt=20183106566
Happy flying.
With the new technology and size of the turbines on the market (IE) Kingtech K120 G2 the Skymaster/X-Treme F-15 would be even better than the past ones I have flown. If you go with the X-treme make sure you get it with the speedbrake option, it helps tremendously.
PRCJ can get the you the ARF kit as well.
https://pacificrcjets.com/collection...nt=20183106566
Happy flying.
Last edited by Digital Pilot; 07-16-2018 at 02:43 PM.
07-16-2018, 05:42 PM
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Thanks for all the input fellas it is all greatly appreciated. Sounds like I can’t go wrong with either one. Can’t wait to get started on this one. Anyone know what the lead time is these days for the two jets? Maybe if I can get one a little sooner it would make this difficult decision easier😊. I have built mostly Arfs over the last 20 years from foaming up to 100cc, and done some of my own modifications, any comment on the difficulty of the Avonds build, I would love to look at an assembly manual if anyone might have one.
Matt
Matt
07-16-2018, 06:30 PM
#12
The avonds f-15 as I remember is a full blown foam and glass kit. Major building project.
Not impossible as a first build but not recommended. And you have to be able to glass the surfaces and of course paint the whole thing.
Have you built a foam and glass kit? Can you paint?
Not impossible as a first build but not recommended. And you have to be able to glass the surfaces and of course paint the whole thing.
Have you built a foam and glass kit? Can you paint?
07-17-2018, 04:55 AM
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That is a valid point, I have built some kits and I do like to paint, however unless I can find a used avonds I think the Skymaster is the way to go at this point, sounds like an excellent all around jet with a lot of history and support
07-17-2018, 06:19 AM
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I have an Avonds, so of course I would recommend it. It is a kit, but its probably one of the easiest jets you'll ever build. Very straight forward and Philip leaves nothing to question. Either way you'll be fine.
07-17-2018, 11:03 PM
#16
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Phillip's newest version of his F-15 is apparently an absolute work of art and 100% scale fidelity.. All composite, but there is still plenty of work to be done. Something about the finishes on the Skymaster F-15 just looked funny to me. The Skymaster does fly very well though.
07-18-2018, 05:59 AM
#17
But can you? As far as I've been made aware, BVM is the only US Jet Legend dealer and they are only selling the airplanes in their PNP (now Go Fly) packages, no kits/ARFs. But if that's inaccurate I'd love to be corrected.
07-19-2018, 01:23 AM
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I built the Avonds and it was an excellent project. The plane was the best flying F15 I have ever flown. I sold it to a friend who also has a Skymaster. The Skymaster was much more difficult to land. It was heavier and flew faster and I have seen more heavy landings with the skymaster model. The skymaster has changed hands a few times because if you not on the money with the speed when landing you will damage it. If you can build don't hesitate in getting the Avonds. The learning curve will be faster and less undercarriage repairs to complete..
07-19-2018, 08:18 AM
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So much of the info online on these jets appears to be somewhat dated. Lead time on the Skymaster (from BVM) Is 14-16 weeks ( as long as you don’t get caught up in the whole Chines New Year thing) which puts us into the less than optimum weather in this part of the world so appears no rush to order since I’ll have all winter to complete it. . I sent an email to Philip about the lead time for his jet still waiting to hear from him. I enjoy building so not completely adverse to going that route plus I would love to put electric gear/brakes in it if that’s an option and do away with all that plumbing ( and weight). In the meantime I am looking at picking up a Turbinator to play around with then swap some of the equipment over to the Eagle whenever it shows up. Seems like a really solid all around jet that has at least a smidge of scale jet appearance.
07-19-2018, 01:06 PM
#21
As far as I'm aware Global Jet Club is completely gone - their website went dead within the last year or so at some point as well.
