I also discovered I'm still very rich on the top-end compared to what most people state ... I am at 4 turns out, I have seen people quoting from 1.5 to 2 turns out once fully broken in. It is very cold here though which requires a richer setting and the Saito threads seem very fine so you're not really moving the needle much. I am at 2 turns on my low/transition needle which is in the ballpark. According to Horizon you should be able to turn a 15x8 at 9K RPM's on a fully broken in engine... but that was an APC... the Zinger probably has too much bite since the blades don't taper... I'm going to get a spinner that fits the APC and try a 15x6 which will also help slow this rocket down a bit

I built a Balsa belly pan last night. I have little building experience but I managed to do an okay job with some hardwood rails and balsa sheeting. Covered it with Ultracoat true red and it's a near perfect match for the vinyl. The pan attaches with a dowel in front and 2 x 2/56 screws into blind nuts in the back. It worked out very nicely for a 1hr "hack" job Much better than the plastic one for durability. Now that I've done it once I know what to do when I have time to build a perfect one.

Stripped down the plane and checked everything over again last night and found no issues so I should be good to go again weather permitting. I'm getting surprisingly good run-time from my 1100mah pack too. I should be able to make quite a few flights before charging.

Oh yea - I found the stock landing gear more than adequate... if I blow a few landings I may change my mind but based on the maiden this baby touches down so soft that the gear won't be an issue. I think the key it to get it right down on the deck like 2 or 3 inches up and just let it run as long as it needs too slow down. We have 2 runway approaches where I can do this... but in the wind if I have to make one of the short approaches it's going to be more of a challenge... then again, the wind should help it slow in those situations

Cheers,
Chris.