Hi DKjens,
Sorry fro the delay in my response. I did not pick this up until now. In response to your questions, I will do my best to answer all of your questions.
First of all, you have a great motor there in the YS 1.40. That engine will provide an excellent power source for this plane. You would be happy with this setup in any of the five planes that we have to offer.
Now, in response to your quest for the best 3D plane. This is a tough one to answer. Each of the planes have their own unique characteristics that make them perform a little differently than each other. I have personally flown each of them, so I have concluded the following opinions.....
Starting with the Katana: The Katana is a very interesting airplane. This plane seems to have a little of everything. With the proper power, as in your case, this plane has unlimited 3D capabilities. When I have a day available to go out and fly, I tend to lean towards flying this one.
Flight Characteristics: Slow flight is very slow and predictable. You can pull the nose up on this model to enter a stall, and the plane always drops it's nose and stalls "flat". It harriers well. It does have a little "wing wag", I usually can eliminate this by pulling the nose up a little higher and adding a little more power. I have experienced with a little reflex, and that does help. I do prefer to perform this manuver without the aid of this function. Hovering is not a problem.
This is a good all around plane that gives you the flexibility of flying conventionally, aerobatically (IMAC), or 3D.
The Sukhoi: The Sukhoi is a great tumbler. The shorter coupled fuselage increases the tumbling effectiveness. This is probually our best tumbler. Slow speed characteristics are good. It flies just as slow as the Katana, and is very stable. If I had to compare the two, I would say that the Katana is a marginally better that the Sukhoi in the harrier. The Katana definately is a better precision flyer.
The Extra: The Extra is very comparable to the Katana. I like to fly the Extra as well. We really increased the control surface area on the horizontal stab of this plane. It has just about the same slow speed characteristics as the Katana. I compare the Katana and the Extra to be almost equal.
The Staudacher & the Edge: In my opinion, I recommend these planes to customers that are looking for really good precision flyers. They fly precision extremely well. They do 3D well as well, but the Katana, Sukhoi, and the Extra are noticably better.
The Saito 1.80 is definately the most popular selection for power. We sell many combo deals with this motor. It is an economical alternative, and actually provides plenty of power to perform all of the 3D manuvers. In a hover, you can ounch the throttle and the plane will accelerate vertically.
Presently, the control surfaces are not double beveled. We really do not believe that this is necessary on these models. However, there have been many requests for us to make this change. So, in the next run, we are going to implement this change.
In regards to the hinges......we provide CA type hinges with the hardware package. We have used them, as well as all of the stock hardware on all of our prototypes. We have not had any failures, and we do have many flights on these models. Many customers elect to upgrade the hardware package. Since the control surfaces are not pre-slotted, you can install the hinges of your choice. We do offer an upgraded hardware package that includes Robart hinges, Nelson (previously Rocket City) control horns, 4-40 threaded rods, Nelson Ball links, Aluminum Servo Arms, Aluminum fuel dots, and a few other misc. pieces.
I hope that I have answered all of your questions. I tried to keep this as short as possible. I can go into much further detail if you want, just email me at
[email protected], and I will continue this conversation with you. Thanks again for your interest. If I can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me.
Until Next Time........
Jim
__________________
Jim Eble, Jr.
Creek Hobbies
3101 Marne Highway
Mount Laurel, NJ 08054
856-722-0489
www.creekhobbies.com
[email protected]