Just picked one of these on the cheap last weekend (Saturday) at a sale and built it to fly on Monday. I put a new GMS 47 in it with an APC 12.25x3.75 (I think) prop on it. The engine was brand new, never been run and it seemed to run quite well on it's first runs. The airplane though is the thing, I've had a number of 3D types over the past couple of years and this one so far is the best.

Granted, what I've had up to this point are a Funtana 40 a Goldberg Matrix 40 (both with Magnum 91 4 strokes) and a little eflite Ultimate foamy (the old one, not the new one). I've got to say that of all of those models this one tracks the best and maintains heading the best. It's a simple airplane of course and doesn't look nearly as good as the Funtana or the Matrix but it just flies very well. No snapping tendancies that I noticed at extremely high rates on the elevator, fast roll rate and all that. I haven't actually started to do any 3D with it yet because it was the first outing with the engine but I feel like this plane is going to be my breakthrough plane as far as 3D is concerned. I was never able to get the Funtana or Matrix dialed the way I wanted and the 91 4 strokes while great sport engines just aren't spot on enough for 3D (at least not to me). The matrix has seen me progress the most in my manuvers but I've gotten to the point where my engine's lag (15x4wood prop) seems to be holding me back. Can't really afford to go out and buy a YS110 for it and I don't WANT to buy a 2 stroke that size. I had one the GMS at an event about a year ago and figured I'd give it a home. If it doesn't cut the mustard I have a known good Magnum 46 XLS I can plug into it as well as a little older OS46 SF (ringed) that I rebuild from a couple of different engines (a helicopter and an aircraft version).

The engine did run well though, I didn't put it on the tac yet because I don't like to look at the numbers until things start to act normal but with some 15% power master the airplane was moving way way way faster than it needed too at full throttle. So I backed down appropriately to less than half. I think it will likely be a very good combination so long as the midrange on this engine is as excellent as I need it to be.

I'm looking forward to progressing past simple hovering and rocky harriers...