Countilaw and others- Frank, and anyone interested in the glo Arrow--let me tell you what I know of SkyAviations, then give my opinions for what they are worth.

First, Dieter at Sky Aviations LOVES classic pattern aircraft, and wants to produce a quality product for both European and American modelers. I have talked to him a number of times on the phone and his enthusiasm for pattern and quality is evident to me. Personally, I got one of the early Marabu models which was built and covered to a high level of quality, (see attached.) When I first looked at it when it arrived direct from the factory in China, it looked like it was primarily designed as an electric ARF. That is easy to understand due to the fact they have severe noise restrictions in Europe, the vast majority of planes there are electric. Even muffled models aren't quiet enough. I presume the Marabu and Komet have been test-flown with a glo engine, (a glo motor mount was included, but I'm not 100 certain, so I can't talk about that. Since in my own situation, I had been thinking about trying out an electric for a long time, and since the ARF looked "happiest" and easiest to assemble as an electric, I decided to make it my first electric, and it's about ready for its first flight. I look forward to flying this model that won both the 1969 and 1971 worlds. BTW--I love the realistic way the retracts I got from Dieter work, and the units appear to be rugged enough, (hopefully rugged enough for me).

Sky Aviations is a pretty ambitious company that wants a number of models for you to choose between and is constantly working on them. Now they are producing an Arrow. The electric Arrow appears to be fine, but the glo version is being re-engineered and hasn't been fully tested or flown. It looks to me like Dieter is genuinely trying hard to satisfy his primarily American market by producing a stronger, quality Arrow suitable for strong 2-strokes. Since I believe Dieter is committed to quality, he will do exactly what he says he will do, but I think he's inadvertently gotten ahead of himself a bit, and he's not there yet with the final product. Because of that, he is offering a deal for anyone who wants the re-engineered version, and is willing to wait a while for it to be finished and test-flown. It is up to the individual to either take advantage of the early production deal or not, but I have no doubt that Dieter intends the plane will be a quality product very close to the original when it is done. Like any manufacturer, areas for improvement make themselves known, and the ARF is improved over time.

Dieter--Do not become discouraged--it is not unusual for Americans to want a proven, completed plane that has been thoroughly test-flown before they spend hundreds of dollars for it. That is what we are used to over here. They are not being critical of you or Sky Aviations--they want the Arrow, but they need to be positive it will be strong enough for the powerful glo engines that will be powering this high-performance model. These things take time, and I'd advise you to offer the electric version while updating us on your progress, and the test flights. I believe that the re-engineered glo version will be worth waiting for.
Duane
Newsletter Editor
Senior Pattern Association, (SPA)