The canopy is removable. I epoxied small (3/4") pieces of ply at several (8) locations under the fiberglass where canopy screws needed to be. Originally I used standard #2 screws with nylon washers, but have converted to the hex head servo screws now.

The US41 pulls 16 lbs around just fine for "sport" flying. Takeoff in under 10 feet, decent high speed runs (stingers are not fast) and plenty of power for loops, rolls and the sort of mild maneuvers I prefer. Vertical is definitely not unlimited, but it starts easy, idles low enough for landing, and burns real gas.

It's a great way to find out if you like giant scale and gas at the same time "on a budget". If money isn't a problem, I would buy either a quadra 400 or a ZDZ40. They would provide a lot more zip in the vertical with less weight.

I recently installed the Quadra 400xl in this plane. Much better performance (both power and weight).

Dave