I recently finished a Balsa USA Phaeton II and it is rapidly becoming one of my favorite airplanes. Its all up flying weight is 7.5 pounds. The Saito 80 engine weighs 19 ounces, which leaves 6.3 pounds for the airframe weight with all the hardware installed.

It is covered with Sig Koverall and finished with dope. I set all of the surfaces to the plan specs, and the cg is per the plan. The only tricky part of construction was the assembly of the cabane and “N” struts. I made up a jig using dense composition board to hold things in alignment for wrapping and soldering which worked quite well. Since it is time consuming to assemble with only two hands, I made a cradle for it so I could transport it assembled in the bed of my truck.

It is almost as easy to fly as a trainer and it really looks good in the air. I am still getting used to it and haven’t pushed the limits yet, but so far I’m quite pleased.

The picture shows a Magnum 52 four stroke but I changed to the Saito 80 before the first flight. I believe the Magnum would fly it OK but required a little weight in the cowl to balance, whereas with the Saito it balanced without any.