For those not familiar with the Bruce Tharpe Engineering (BTE) Venture 60 (V60), it is similar to the popular SIG 4-Star 60. Bruce, prior to his departing SIG, designed the SIG 4-Star 40 and 4-Star 120, so there is a slight family resemblance to these, as well as the SIG 4-Star 60. (The 4-Star 60 was designed at SIG after Bruce had produced the V60). Personally, I prefer the looks of the Venture 60 to the 4-Star series planes. (And I recommend the optional wheel pants to enhance the looks). You can check out the web site www.venture60.com to see how I, and others, have styled their V60’s.

I purchased the Venture 60 as my second plane, and would recommend it to others who are ready to step up from their trainers. The only way to get this kit is directly from Bruce. The purchase price is $134.95 plus shipping and handling. Check out his web site at www.btemodels.com for details. It took about seven weeks from the time of my first phone call to Bruce to get my kit. He was out of stock and making the kits when I first called.

Specs:

Wing Span 72”
Length 54”
Engine 0.60-0.65 2 stroke, or 0.65-0.80 4 stroke
Weight 7.25 lb (design)
Wing Area 876 sq in
Wing Load 19.1 oz/sq ft


If you go to the web site you can download the assembly instructions. I did this prior to receiving my kit, and was thankful that I did. The instructions have numbered steps 1 through 60, but unfortunately, you must skip around at certain points. This is a minor annoyance, as the instructions are marked as to what to do next, but the steps should be in the correct order. The plans that come in the kit consist of a single rolled sheet.

As I said previously, this is only my second plane. I built a SIG LT 40 kit, and the knowledge gained with that plane helped to speed the construction of the Venture 60. None of the parts in the kit are labeled. This is intentional on Bruce’s part, in case you want to build the plane using transparent film. There is a complete parts list on the back of the instruction manual to help identify parts. I was glad that I had the experience of building the LT 40, I was able to identify the parts of this kit more easily than if it were my first kit. For example, if you don’t know what a sheer web looks like, you might find this kit a little overwhelming at first. But if you take your time and identify the major parts up front, then anyone can tackle this kit.

It only took me 2 weeks (weekends and evenings) to complete the building and covering of this kit. Granted, there was a 3-day weekend in there, and my wife was out of town for a few days. So don’t worry if it takes longer. I deviated from the instructions in a few places. First, the kit is supplied with #10 screws to attach the wheels to the landing gear. I found that these screws were too big to fit through the standard 5/32” holes in the Dubro wheels I used. I didn’t want to risk enlarging the wheel holes, so I used bolt on axles instead. This means that the wheel pant is not flush with the gear, but it’s hardly noticeable. The second difference is that I used 2 aileron servos instead of just one. The kit includes an extra instruction sheet on how to do this. But I used a slightly different method. I have a pocket that the servo sits down in whereas the instruction sheet has the servo mounted flush with the bottom of the wing. The third difference is that I moved the landing gear forward from the recommended mounting location. The plane really wanted to nose over when taxiing and taking off. I fly off grass so this might not be necessary for you, but I don’t think it will hurt you just in case. Plus it’s easier to do before the plane is completely assembled than after.

I chose to use a Tower Hobbies .61 engine for this plane based on the favorable reviews in Model Airplane News. I am not able to get unlimited vertical flight with this engine, but it will perform any standard pattern maneuvers. I am happy with the flight characteristics of this plane. I think that it is easier to land than my trainer, as it does not have a tendency to float. I’ve been very happy with this plane and would recommend it to anybody looking for their first low wing tail dragger.

( I would have included pictures but it's a pain to resize them. I'll put them in my gallery when we get that function back. You can see them at the Venture 60 site listed above)

Kerry