Well Mark,

This may not make your decision any easier but here are a couple pics of my BTE Venture 60. It is a very smooth flying plane. One thing I really like about it is it has very little rudder coupling which makes it very easy to hold a bunch of rudder during landings and use the ailerons to side-slip and quickly bleed off altitude without gaining a lot of speed. This looks really cool!

It's best maneuver is probably the outside snap while in a high-speed upline. Doing this will send it into a weightless tumble that is loads of fun. The wood in the kit is simply perfect and the way the parts are manufacturered is actually superior to lazer cutting. Not a single burnt edge to sand. Sig kits are very nice but Bruce's quality is even better!

I did do a few mods on mine which include clipping the wing one bay (I wouldn't want my wing any longer after flying it for a few months.) You'll also notice from the pictures I made a custom fiberglass cowl for the nose since this was the one area where I wasn't crazy about the looks.

If you will be flying off of grass, definitely move your main gear a bit forward from the stock location. Mine is very light in the tail while taxiing. It is easily managed by holding up elevator but it is a little too light in the tail for my tastes. I will probably move the gear a bit forward when I find the time. I think Bruce now even recommends this on his web site.

Good luck!

FlyerBry