One of the sweetest flying kits around. GP Super Sporster 40. I had one in the 80's. Many of my friends still fly them. It is the benchmark to which we compare all other planes. Now , it isn't the path to 3D. It is more of the old school idea of a good honest sport plane. Light on the controls, but tracks well. A light wing loading allows instant recovery so routines can be performed on the deck. The top speed is very respectable, and yet it lands very slow. It handles the wind well. And it has a classic look.

The H9 60 Mustang seems a very honest airplane. I would be surprised if it bit anyone. Good looks and slow approach speed. I have only flown a friends a couple of times and he was having bad eingine problems. I loaped around just above an idle trying to milk that engine back around to land. The plane was rock solid at very low speeds. And it landed beautifully on the mains. I was very impressed. I am considering one myself.

I just finished the CG Chipmunk. Carl Goldberg was the master at designing kits for idiots. The kits simply cannot be screwed up. And yet the finished product is a very refined machine that handles great. Again, great tracking, yet light controls, quick recovery and good power to wieght ratio. An OS 90 with 2.8 bhp on this 7 pounder will surpass the magic 3 pounds per hosrepower to achieve a 1 to 1 T to W ratio. However, being the over the hill old schooler that I am, I enjoy flying it just as it was intended to be flown. The plane has historical signifigance since it was flown by the legendary Art Shcoll , one of the great airshow performers of his day. Again, the plane handles the wind wonderfully.

The ultimate plane for flying in the wind, ( I mention this one, because I don't know what it is like in ND ) is and always will be the Sig Kougar. 30 knots is a light breeze with a Kougar. While other sit at home and pout, you can fly to your hearts content. If you can stand up in it, you can fly in it. A foam wing , sheeted with balsa. A box fuse with a nice turtle deck give this model the look of an early era jet fighter ! Sweet plane.

As for airplanes from the great Golden Age of aviation, 1929 to 1939, ships like the Travelair Mystery ship, Vega, Gamma, Orion and the likes have never had the broad appeal they deserve. Consequently modelling one of those romantic beauties generally means buying plans and scratch building.