Best Flying Sport Plane??
01-09-2020, 06:33 AM
#128
One of the best flying airplanes I've ever had was the top flite Tauri designed by Ed Kazmirski. Kited by top flite in 1964. A club member let me fly his one time . I was new to the hobby then with little experience and couldn't believe how smooth it flew. I get the plans and built myself one. Scaled it up a little . It's considered a trainer but is very capable of doing a lot of maneuvers.
01-12-2020, 06:08 AM
#129
carl
01-18-2020, 03:30 PM
#130
thats what is wrong today with old kits, people are paying outrages prices for them, the older kits that cost 50- 90 dollars new are now going for 2 hundred and up. some of these I have built and they are not that good of quality, wood is heavy, some is warped, instructions are sketchy and most times there was hardware missing. why would you pay 300 dollars for a low quality kit that worth only 70-100 dollars. Just because it is old don't make it worth having. I guess as long as there people willing to pay those prices people will ask for the price.
01-18-2020, 07:04 PM
#131
My Feedback: (1)
thats what is wrong today with old kits, people are paying outrages prices for them, the older kits that cost 50- 90 dollars new are now going for 2 hundred and up. some of these I have built and they are not that good of quality, wood is heavy, some is warped, instructions are sketchy and most times there was hardware missing. why would you pay 300 dollars for a low quality kit that worth only 70-100 dollars. Just because it is old don't make it worth having. I guess as long as there people willing to pay those prices people will ask for the price.
I have a giant PA GeeBee Y NIB on RCGs for $500 with Robart struts, I have $680 invested in it, I can't sell it, shipping is the killer
Jim
01-20-2020, 04:50 AM
#132
My Feedback: (3)
thats what is wrong today with old kits, people are paying outrages prices for them, the older kits that cost 50- 90 dollars new are now going for 2 hundred and up. some of these I have built and they are not that good of quality, wood is heavy, some is warped, instructions are sketchy and most times there was hardware missing. why would you pay 300 dollars for a low quality kit that worth only 70-100 dollars. Just because it is old don't make it worth having. I guess as long as there people willing to pay those prices people will ask for the price.
Nothing wrong with $300. I gave up my collection and I'm glad I pulled in $8000 to distribute it to other closets. If you really want new, find one from one of the remaining kit makers or get one just recently discontinued from Great Planes for example that hasn't become vintage yet. The best part of building a classic is the superior flight characteristics it has, or living again the first time you built that kit and flew it. I enjoy the maiden flight and then I'm pretty much down with it. Anyone want a X Ray Amco kit? I have one built with a HP 40 and two new in box kits. If you're interested in new balsa, just ask for the plans. They're very easy to build, Lou Andrews design. Just an example of a $29 kit that now goes for $150. $29 in 1968 is $214 in today's money by the way. Hope that helps you understand the money aspect also. It's not today's $29 that bought the kit so long ago.
01-20-2020, 08:16 AM
#133
thats what is wrong today with old kits, people are paying outrages prices for them, the older kits that cost 50- 90 dollars new are now going for 2 hundred and up. some of these I have built and they are not that good of quality, wood is heavy, some is warped, instructions are sketchy and most times there was hardware missing. why would you pay 300 dollars for a low quality kit that worth only 70-100 dollars. Just because it is old don't make it worth having. I guess as long as there people willing to pay those prices people will ask for the price.
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06-25-2020, 06:10 PM
#136
Best all around flying sport plane I've flown would be the old Goldberg Tiger (now available from Great Planes). Did what you wanted it to do with great slow speed characteristics.
Sure miss that plane(loss due to a head on collision with a super chipmunk). Oh it doesn't fly well with half the wing missing!
Sure miss that plane(loss due to a head on collision with a super chipmunk). Oh it doesn't fly well with half the wing missing!
Last edited by cfoxtrot; 06-26-2020 at 06:40 AM.
06-26-2020, 04:24 AM
#137
The very best flying sport plane is any present day lightweight aerobatic precision/3D airplane setup for mild aerobatics.
Bob
Bob
Last edited by sensei; 06-26-2020 at 04:26 AM.
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07-01-2020, 07:25 PM
#138
Join Date: May 2005
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Over a hundred posts and not one mention of the Goldberg Super Chipmunk. None of the 40 or 50 planes I've flown over the years handled quite as well or looked as good doing it. The Super Sportsters (Had one of each size) were easy to fly and could do just about anything you asked, but weren't as quick as the Chipmunk.
07-02-2020, 05:24 AM
#139
Over a hundred posts and not one mention of the Goldberg Super Chipmunk. None of the 40 or 50 planes I've flown over the years handled quite as well or looked as good doing it. The Super Sportsters (Had one of each size) were easy to fly and could do just about anything you asked, but weren't as quick as the Chipmunk.
07-12-2020, 01:31 PM
#143
Thoughts are that this has got to be one of the all time great designs of form following function - the original .40 size Hots made good pilots even better and lousy pilots like myself think they were making a good impression for others with their throttle on a toggle switch.
Dan Santich sure knew how to make a very basic boxy structure and constant chord wing look absolutely awesome - thanks for sharing.
08-06-2022, 07:37 PM
#144
Member
What a great discussion group
What an interesting thread!
After building over 225 models and flying 500 or so, I would suggest that there're several "best sport model" ever.
All the folks picking the Kaos and Ultra-Sport are onto a great design that might have actually started with the Daddy Rabbit series. The designs are rock solidbut I can think of better designs that fly fast, but have a much larger performance envelope at slower speeds.
For my money, three designs have consistently stood out. All three can turn inside out, but allow themselves to be saved easily.
1) A well built and light Goldberg Ultimate Bipe 300 can do a lot. It'll groove like a pattern ship, roll better'n a Kaos, knifedge forever, but do slow snaps and soft entry spins predictably.
2) Several people listed the 4-Star series and Sportsters. Of the genre of low wing taildraggers that are simple to build, the best might be from a former Sig designer named Bruce Tharpe. His Venture 60 is the simplest to build, strongest, and most potent of all listed above.
3) The Morris Hobbies, Jerry's Big Boy can do more than enough inside a small size box. With a powerful but light piped motor, it'll make hacks lookbrilliant (isn't that what sport flying is, anyhow?).
But anyday I come across the following kits, I'm on them like white on rice:
1) A .60 sized Goldberg Tiger
2) The .60 and .90 size, original Ace Cloud Dancers
3) Sig Astro Hog. Like a good woman, she'll never let you down
4) XL+2
5) A good Uproar built lightly with a piped .32 on it will cause painful grinning!
6) The .60 size Hots
7) any scratch built project using Ringmaster C/L wing platform!
After building over 225 models and flying 500 or so, I would suggest that there're several "best sport model" ever.
All the folks picking the Kaos and Ultra-Sport are onto a great design that might have actually started with the Daddy Rabbit series. The designs are rock solidbut I can think of better designs that fly fast, but have a much larger performance envelope at slower speeds.
For my money, three designs have consistently stood out. All three can turn inside out, but allow themselves to be saved easily.
1) A well built and light Goldberg Ultimate Bipe 300 can do a lot. It'll groove like a pattern ship, roll better'n a Kaos, knifedge forever, but do slow snaps and soft entry spins predictably.
2) Several people listed the 4-Star series and Sportsters. Of the genre of low wing taildraggers that are simple to build, the best might be from a former Sig designer named Bruce Tharpe. His Venture 60 is the simplest to build, strongest, and most potent of all listed above.
3) The Morris Hobbies, Jerry's Big Boy can do more than enough inside a small size box. With a powerful but light piped motor, it'll make hacks lookbrilliant (isn't that what sport flying is, anyhow?).
But anyday I come across the following kits, I'm on them like white on rice:
1) A .60 sized Goldberg Tiger
2) The .60 and .90 size, original Ace Cloud Dancers
3) Sig Astro Hog. Like a good woman, she'll never let you down
4) XL+2
5) A good Uproar built lightly with a piped .32 on it will cause painful grinning!
6) The .60 size Hots
7) any scratch built project using Ringmaster C/L wing platform!
For most advanced sport flying let's remember the Extras, Edges, Sbachs and Lasers. Someone mentioned the World Model Sky Raider II, we used to buy those cheapies with a .40 and common fuel and pylon race them and have fun sport flying them.
But my all time favorite was my Giant U Can Do with a Moki 2.10 followed by by Goldberg Wild Stick 120 both with crow set up, you could easily land backward in a stiff wind. Lastly lets not forger the Telemasters!
Thanks for all the memories, hope I stirred a few more for the rest of you.
