Let's start with some general building notes.

Wood: This is one area you simply cannot compromise. Get the best 4-6lb hand picked balsa and the flattest ply you can find. Trust me, good wood makes building this beast a pleasure. Bad wood will turn it into a flying brick, and make your build that much harder. Don't skimp; get the best. You won't regret spending the money and effort.

Fuse jig: Gotta have one. They aren't expensive, but they are necessary. You can build one yourself if you have the patience, or gator RC sells one like I use. You'd need one set of rails and 2 sets of stations. I have made a couple of modifications to mine and I'll show those when I get to the fuse assembly.

Flat table: Gotta have one, unless you get someone else to do your sheeting.


Wing and stab tubes: PBG Carbon fiber, no question. They are the lightest and strongest, and the difference in cost from aluminum tubes is WAY more than worth it.

Landing gear: The prototype was built with retracts; but the 4 I'm building currently have ES fixed gear. Fixed gear is lighter and infinitely less trouble, but it DOES require more trimming and mixing on your part. Most people don't even bother, but it's definitely worth the effort. If you use fixed gear, put in the time to trim the plane correctly. But this plane can be built either way, and both are shown on the plans.

IC or electric: One nice thing about this plane is it's low weight for it's size. Of course this only applies if you listened to me about the wood. (hehe). I'm currently building 2 with OS 140s and Hyde mounts, and 2 with Plettenberg Xtra 30-10 outrunners. The difference in construction of the 2 planes is fairly small. But with the correct technique, making weight should be no problem with this plane. So electric is definitely a viable option.

It's 2:30am here, so I'll write more tomorrow.

-Mike