I have flown my Stingray now to begin to get the feel of the airplane. It is an impressive, pattern airplane! I still have a way to go in getting it trimmed to my liking but all good airplanes require this and this is not a complaint but a compliment as I want to spend the time dialing it in.
I put my thoughts on the construction in Ezone along with some pictures. For some reason, nobody made any comments! I don't own a Brio but after reading some comments about it's ability to snap at odd times, I am real happy that I chose the Stingray.
I'm using a Hacker A30-16M, Castle 35, Hyperion 20C 3S 2100 pack and an 12/6 APCE for unbelievable performance. Alas, the ultra sexy landing gear had to go in order to use the 12/6. I used the anodized gear from 3D Hobbies meant for the Katana which is too wide for the Stingray, but I cut a section out of the middle and screwed it on like the stock gear. The stock wheel pants are used also.
The Stingray cowl has small inlets, which is ok, but no exhaust! I added an exhaust behind the wing opening and have had no overheating problems.
The airplane would not balance with the battery in the battery compartment so I used my Dremel tool to carve out a larger opening in the belly pan and the battery now resides there and can be removed without taking the wing off. The cowl has a real neat attachment/removal method that works great. My cg is @4".
I found that I needed some more right thrust to eleminate the pull on verticals. Two small washers, one top and one bottom cured the problem.
I used 4 Hitec 65's and my Spectrumized 6102 for guidance. Knife edge has a small amount of coupling and I will mix a tiny amount of aileron to get rid of this. For pattern flying, you do not need much throw, I suggest that the low rates in the manual be used. Definitely use less down elevator than up. My airplane is balanced laterally and all surfaces are sealed.
With the 12/6, I don't need to fly over half throttle for anything! Loops are any size that you want. Verticals keep going. Stall turns are positive. Inverted flight requires a breath of down elevator. The Stingray handles wind like it wasn't there. In short, this is a terrific airplane. Yes, it's not perfect. The landing gear area needs to be strengthened and the gear replaced. But the flying ability overcomes any shortcomings. It's a keeper!