RE: jerrys big boy by morris hobbies
Hi Suit,
I've had the US 120 in Lite and regular weight and also a US 60 with a Saito 100. While these are great airplanes and they do fly extremely well on the four strokes I feel like I can smoke my 15 year old and his flying ability with a JERRY'S BIG BOY equipped with the smaller Saito 100. I wasn't really keen on the idea of this BIG BOY early on because it just looked like every other boxey Stik-ish plane on the market. I've been fun flying for over 40 years and I know when something comes along that is radically different in the flying department, all the guys at the local field all of a sudden WANT one!
As far as someone wanting to stick a G-23 or G-26 on this airframe, I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised. It is built like a brick outhouse and I think the only mod you'd want to incorporate is some sort of 4-40 (Dubro) wire tail-bracing to combat the extra shake of a gasser. I've got a little over two hours of flying time on this second ARF and the first one is getting a new home. I'm liking the snaps off the deck on take-off. Point the nose up 10 degrees or so and do the snap in either direction. Flying inverted is easy but don't drag the rudder on anything but really closely mowed grass....... The counterweight on the rudder can snag the longer grass and might ruin your flying session! The gear on these two appears to be glass bead blasted so primer and paint will keep oil/fuel from staining the metal. The Saito 100 is swinging an APC 15-6 and pulls the plane in the 85-90 mph range. (Not broken in, either) I'll keep posting as I find new things to do with the JERRY'S BIG BOY. I've got one guy training with this plane and after a few flights he is doing very well. His previous (first) plane was a Thunder Tiger 40 Trainer. He feels comfortable already and likes the extra horsepower on the front end.
Happy Flying,
Terry