Allen,

Thanks for the advice. I had already planned on putting the 1/8" tube over the rods to stiffen it up. It's stiff now, and probably doesn't need it, but I'm going to do it anyway as it's almost no weight at all like you pointed out. Once installed, the rod doesn't look out of place at all really, and only somebody who is familiar with DEPS would notice anyway... and if they are familiar, they likely understand why you did it.

The AXI... there are a few threads about the new AXI on the electric pattern forum. I have about 70 flights with the AXI 5330/F3A motor and cannot say enough about it. The power is amazing, and the system that I have been running is simply bullet proof so far. I hope to fly my Genesis with the AXI next week or soon after and am expecting a great combination. The only downside with the AXI is it's weight, about 4 ounces heavier than the Hacker, but with the right battery combination that's not a problem at all.

I'm not a big fan of Chip's airplanes either, but the Genesis looks to me more like a Columbo design than anything that Chip has put out previously. The Eclipse is a great airplane, had one for about a year and loved it, and I'm not expecting anything less from this plane either.

T