MY FINAL THOUGHTS

To sum up my experience, here is how I feel, looking back at my experience from ordering to maiden flight:

I ordered the Skymaster online from www.nitromodels.com, used a credit card to purchase, and received it promptly within about 5-6 days, (about the same shipping speed as Tower). I paid $229.00 + shipping, which I believe was $25, but don't quote me on it... =)

This aircraft arrived neatly, professionally packaged with quality construction written all over it. In fact, I felt it was well above average for a China-made ARF when I started to build it. The fiberglass cowls were painted very well and when I had to make cut-outs for the engines later on, the paint held up without flaking off.

Now, the instructions are nearly useless: the grammar is very poor and many words are misused, making it difficult to understand what the author is telling you to do. Also, several building steps are left out and pieces are left over at the end.

I used two .70 4-strokes in this aircraft, by two different manufacturers, which is a "no no" with any other type of twin. However, in this push/pull set-up, there was no reason not to use engines that may have a slightly different output.

I elected to make some modifications to suit my needs. First, I cut out rudders in the tail fins, (it comes with no yaw control, except with the nosewheel on the ground). I used one of the servo cut-outs in the tail booms for a standard digital servo on 6V to control the elevator and a second one on the other tail boom for the rudders, which were connected through the middle by a wood dowel.

Additionally, I epoxied the wing tubes in place. The instructions do not address how to install the wing tubes, so I improvised and I was planning on transporting it in once piece to/from the field to begin with. Taking the wing off is a chore since you have to remove the rear cowl to do so. You see, the wing seats by sliding it forward with two wooden dowels in the leading edge. Then, you screw it on near the trailing edge with two 1/4-20 nylon bolts. It would be easier if it were attached using two bolts in the front and two in the rear, then you could drill holes in the air scoop of the rear cowl above the bolts to install/uninstall the rear bolts and slide the wing forward and off to remove it.

This ARF took a little longer to complete than a .40 size sport plane. Why? It's a twin-engine scale aircraft with a lot more details to work out. Overall, it went pretty smoothly for me, and I am by no means an "expert" builder. Yes, there were some snags along the way, but this is a new design from a relatively new manufacturer and there are always ways to improve on the first designs sent out. So, hopefully, the distributor, Nitro, will read this thread and make the changes I've recommended to make the aircraft even better for future customers.

Flying: this aircraft will pleasantly surprise you! It has a fantastic aileron roll that had people in awe considering it's modeled after a Cessna! The flaps worked fantastic to bring it in for nose-high, gentle, slow landings every time. While up a few mistakes high, I stalled it and tried to spin it but to no avail. It mushes forward and resists the urge to drop a wing, just like a Cessna should!

If you have always liked this twin's design and have pondered getting one, well, I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised by the way this airplane performs! It's found a permanent home in my hangar!