Time for a new Funtana Thread.
 

This may be my winter project.....

Info please,

Where to get it?
How much?
English instructions?
Wood quality?
Motors of choice?


I know I could search for the info but I thought a new thread on this plane would be better.

Time for a new Funtana Thread.
 

the kit costs 400.00 from desert aircraft. the kit is very nice but instructions suck. its my winter project also. looks like a very cool plane

Time for a new Funtana Thread.
 

DA make an extra copy of instructions which are alot better. You should get them with the kit. The wood quality is very good, very light, but yet strong. It doesn't just 'slot' together like a trainer kit, but the fit is good enough. Engines would be:
YS 140L, YS 140 DZ, OS 140 RX, OS 160 FX, or any other pattern engine really. I have a nice L going into mine. If you saw a video, you would rarely hear it going to full throttle. The low end torque was really used, and thats why the YS's get my vote.

Time for a new Funtana Thread.
 

Is yours finished yet rob, must be getting close...(:

Finished ours yesterday and flew in the evening.
 

OK, the kit is OK. Great wood, good cutting, a few design problems. The directions are fairly useless, and the plan is not highly detailed, but then the airplane is not a first build (or even a second) design. An attempt to build this after flying dozens of ARFs would leave one cursing Exclusive Modelbau.

OK, my personal dislikes. The wing does not have the strength for snappier fun flying. All walls and parachutes need to be performed slowly and gently. I have heard too many stories about wings snapping not to take this seriously.

The tail left without flying wires is a recipe for disaster. Full flying wires seem more like a must have than a smart option.

The elevator was hitting the rudder pull cables and had to be trimmed . This was not discovered before finishing, but everything turned out OK. Of course, the airplane is designed for a rear mounted servo, not a pull-pull. Then it is supplied with a pull-pull horn. I can't think of why it was designed that way. I find pull-pull rudder to be by far the best way to control that surface.

OK, so, the airplane came together with a fair amount of work, fuel tank was mounted on the wing tube socket, battery right behind the OS1.60EFI (which is truly an incredible motor), and rudder servo on a honeycomb tray in the rear of the main compartment, and a beautiful set of flying wires on the removable tail (another potential weak point which could easily be glued on if you are not planning on traveling around the world to fly).

Other than these fixable preferences, it turned out beautifully covered in metallic silver, pearl red and metallic charcoal (anthracite) oracover. I'll shoot some photos this weekend.

OK, the best part of this airplane is the way it flies. It's a big fun flyer. It lands at a walk, flips and flops like a Madness, does nicely in high alpha knife-edge (but takes more throttle and speed to maintain altitude in low alpha). Inverted elevator is super stable, normal more wing waggly. Snaps are not F3A snaps and I do not know if it will do a real snap. However, we put only two flights on it so far.

It hovers easily enough, although the winds where pretty high for our test flight and that made trying these manuvers more difficult to feel out.

Anyway, it is a Fun airplane, hence the name Funtana. One word of caution. If you are searching for an airplane that does it all and can be used for beginning in pattern, look elsewhere. It is not an F3A model.

Overall, it's worth it to build and fly if that's what you are looking for.

Mark

Time for a new Funtana Thread.
 

The guy a Exclusive modelbau said that they re-designed the tail to be stronger. He also said that it was people not building it correctly that made it crash. (Prolly cause of the instructions :)And lastly, the instructions don't mention the proper method of sanding and cleaning the carbon spars in the wings, which is a reason why alot of wings failed.
This plane wasn't engineered to be slopped together, and then flown as hard and well as the pros. It is designed with very little tolerance, and to get the maximum out of it, it demands someone that builds well and strong. Some people also crashed by putting standard servos in, and you always hear of how 'it was flying at half throttle straight and level when the wing shears off'. Self expainatory. I doubt if Marks will do anything bad cause he has obviously great building skill from ZNLine.
I have seen Sebastiano do some crazy s**** with his, without it breaking. So build well, and have a ball!!!!!
Robbie.

Time for a new Funtana Thread.
 

Ohh, and she'll be hopefully ready in a month or two. I have a spare set of trousers in my box already incase anything would happen!!!!

Wayne.....
 

As you know, I had one and started it before selling it to Krazy....

It is a nice kit. The instructions wouldn't even be good to start a fire with. If you have a few kits under belt, and I know you do, it is a no brainer. The wood is good, I didn't really like the die crunch cutting of the lite ply, or lite ply in that matter, but it will do. The plane is engineered very well. The kit includes carbon fiber rods to use as flying wires, which is pretty cool and not an option in my book (use them!). The tailfeathers are built out of machined balsa pieces, which is pretty cool. The turtle deck was pre sheeted if I remember right. The wing looked like a nightmare to build, but will result in a lite, strong wing. The ailerons are huge if I remember right.

I think it would be a killer plane at $300 bucks.....$400 is hard to swallow for a 1.20 size plane......

Just my thoughts.....

Pug

PS. I hear an ARF is on the way.....but I will bet it is around $550 or so.....

Time for a new Funtana Thread.
 

140 size :)!!! I asked about the ARTF but thety said that they were thinking of it, but are not going to do it. However, there is some more hot news that will come soon. I thought that the wing would be a nightmare, but I found it very easy, even at my skill. Set up the jig, throw on the ribs, slide the rods in, and glue the shear webs in. That is most of the work done on it.
Can't wait for mine!!!!

Video?
 

Hello,
does anybody has a video of the
Funtana doing 3D stuff ?

David

Photos as promised.
 

Here is Funtana at our club show debut.

Some covering detail.
 

Tail!

Time for a new Funtana Thread.
 

Man that thing looks great!! Those colors are just awesome together.

Thank Chris.
 

JP selected the colors, I designed the scheme and covered parts and when I got too busy to finish it a friend in Liege (near the Netherlands) finished to covering.

Some more.
 

Side view.

Another
 

Wing detail.

Some bottom detail!
 

Pipe.

The original tunnel was balsa. We decided it was better to swith to fiberglass so we went with one of our Hydeaway tunnels. It fit almost perfectly with only a few modifications. It holds the full length 1.60 pipe perfectly.

Motor.
 

That's the OS1.60 FI. It's a spectacular running plant that hauls this bird upstairs endlessy and quickly.

Our chief pilot
 

That's JP Zardini, half owner of ZNLine and F3A pilot exraordinaire. I lucked into working with him about a year ago. We are currently working on a big surprise for the 3D world. Stay tuned for next summers cutting edge 3D machine.

Time for a new Funtana Thread.
 

C'Mon.....Your killing me here.

Time for a new Funtana Thread.
 

I can give you a hint...

$$$$$$$$ :D

Time for a new Funtana Thread.
 

I know :( :( :( :(

Time for a new Funtana Thread.
 

I think there should be a mandatory 'junior discount' for kids in RC by all the manufacturers... what do you think? :D

Time for a new Funtana Thread.
 

im sure a "student disount" must be an option, I thing 50% is a nice round number.

Time for a new Funtana Thread.
 

Yea 50% sounds good to me.