yeah it would hover on that motor, and vertical was unlimited. For me on that airframe the 180 seemed to like the 17x6 better than the 16x8. What I remember about that airplane was how well it would harrier. I'm not a huge fan of the Saito 180, all my experiences were real inconsistent. Constant needle chasing and one day it would pull that cap like gangbusters, the next day it would just keep crawling vertical. If I had that airframe and choice of any engine, I would go Moki 180. MUCH more power and stone reliable. I personally feel this plane is a shade small for gas.