http://www.piedmontmodels.com/news.htm

hey gang,

there is a picture of a finished temptation on the piedmont site. great looking plane! Ive decided to hold out for one instead of another focus. cant wait to hear more news.

Hubb

Another plane I want but can't have-This is bloody great!!!

Hi, I'm new here.
Yep it looks nice. Nice to see some body making the access through the canopy instead of the pipe tunnel... mind you I made this modification to my Hydeout a couple of years ago. Told Lee about it, he seemed mistified at the time...seems he's had time to think it over.

What do you think your Focus. I'm still making judgement. It's using exactly the same wing and stab as before mentioned Hydeout, interchangeable actually...but they're a lot heavier. Having problems getting the CG where I like it. I'm just behind the wing tube on the H.O. but am at least 1" behind on the Focus and still going. The wing is set a little further forward than on "Chips best" and this is having a great effect on (my) CG position.

Anyway, nice to see somebodies talking about serious aeroplane in the site.

Will it be available ARF?

I reckon not... but you could always pay DG to do a one off custom job. Have you seen the finished proto? Yikes, it's bloody marvelous.
Mind you, it's looking more and more like a Hydeout everyday. Same canopy...as is the Focus by the way.

For an airplane of this caliber, I would not want an ARF. Even though there are some relatively nice ARF's out there, pattern planes are meant to be precise, and that really can't be done in a factory in Taiwan where the people building it know nothing of airplanes, or really care. There is the Focus though, and it was intended to be an affordable plane for anybody wanting to try pattern and I think they did a good job with it.

bla, what engine do you have in your Hydeout? I have one with a Webra 1.45 and it flies great. I love it!

Ryan...
on the Hydeout I have the tha standard YS 1.40L: APP performance header and an 8" teflon coupler wih the standard 1.40 Hatori pipe. God I love that aeroplane... Its flys so light, so pure and delicate... and so crazy quiet!

The Focus has a OS 1.40/hatori and even though it has basically the same layout/wing/stab etc (I call it a wide bodied Hydeout) it's far more "bullish". This trend towards wide draggy bodies with lower pitched props is something I need to get used to. Even the Hydeaway is "small" compared to many aeroplanes today.
I had a mail from Lee yesterday saying that they'll be completing 5 tempation prototypes finished like the first and the price will be $2000/2500 range.
I could never find the time to do a paint job like that.

I'm not sure I agree with the statement that an arf can't be precise. Someone building multiple planes can afford to put together the proper tooling to get it right. We've already let the supplier provide glass fuselages and foam cores. What's so hard about the next step?

We'll be out flying the latest prototype Temptation (pictured on the web) for the 1st time this afternoon. I *like* this part of my job!

On the subject of ARFs:

One can do as much precision as one wants with an ARF. It's all about money. We are considering future production of ARC/ARF versions of the Temptation, but for this plane it would be 100% composite structures, with a nearly guaranteed flying weight of 9 1/2 lbs or less and absolute perfection of all parts. Problem is, it it isn't cheap, by a long shot, to produce that way. One is looking at around $2000 for an ARF.

The Focus, on the other hand, sometimes requires a little hand fitting and weighs 10+ (mine is 10lbs 7oz). They fly great, competitive at any level. The kit itself is good, not perfect. That last bit of perfection requires serious money and how much are people willing to pay?

Haven't you ever wondered why there are so many inexpensive 60/90 sized ARF Pattern planes, but other than the Focus, no inexpensive 2 meter jobs (that I'm aware of). It's because other manufacturers have better sense. Consider the limited market, size of the plane at 11 lb weight limit and performance expectations. As a rational human being, would you want anything to do with it? I'm not rational, so it works for me!

Lee,

When you built the Focus, what did you really go for? Higher precision at a higher price, or a cheaper plane? I do think that you and Steve did a real good job with the Focus, that is the only plane of yours that I have seen in the box (At Joe Nall in 2001, and at the judging seminar at Steve's house). And I do take that statement back about there not really being any precise ARF's on the market, as there are many now. But what I was trying to say but did a real bad job of it, is that I would rather have a kit or ARC version with a plane like the Focus and the Temptation only because I would like to customize it. This may just be me, but since I'm 16, all of my income goes toward airplanes, both full scale and models. And since my income isn't too high, I want to have something that is nice that is individual of me.

I want to apologize, because I can see that I may have started to open a can of worms with my post and I don't want anyone to get offended.

Acroman,

The design parameters for the Focus were:
1) Competitive at any level (without this it's useless)
2) Look good on the flight line (nobody wants an ugly airplane, no matter how good it flies).
3) Retail for less than $1000
4) Buildable by anyone with moderate skill.

Top level Pattern is, was and always will be the land of expensive, hi-tech equipment. We prefer that it be an option, not a necessity.

Lee, I'm currently puting together my first Focus, and like the idea of ARFs. Having built beaucoup airplanes during my 25+ years in R/C, I'm a little burned out with building. I hope you will offer the temptation as an ARF.