Venus .40 first flights
It was about 30 degrees, and the wind was blowing about 20 mph and gusting, but we went for it anyway. Because of the wind conditions, it was impossible to identify details about the model's tracking, etc.. But...
Right off the building table, the model required no trim adjustments at all. That's not as common as most people claim, and proves to me that Great Planes built this model straight. Using an OS .46FX and APC 11-7 prop, the plane has great vertical performance, (but not unlimited) and does all the standard aerobatic maneuvers well. I looped, rolled, snapped, lomcevaked, etc.. It also loses energy quickly and lands well.
The most surprising moment came when I attempted my first knife edge pass, and applied too much rudder. The Venus simply pulled around in a knife edge loop! It takes very little rudder, and only about 1/2 throttle, to fly a nice knife edge.
Great Planes has a winner here, in my opinion. The constuction of the model is nice and strong, yet very light. (I haven't weighed mine yet, but it should be about 9 ounces or more lighter than an (original) Ultra Sport, for example... about "4.8 to 5.3 pounds", according to the book.
Nice!