I very clearly remember Jason Shulman's Silent back in the late 80's. Stunning ship! *GASP* at the fixed gear though... But i'm a big fan of retracts anyway, so take that how you will. Along with the beautiful presentation and flight characteristics of the Silent, were the inevitable comments about how fast it was... thus a bit of a challenge as you move up in the classes.

My personal offering to helping you make a decision is to finish the Hyde Out. It's very controllable in every pattern through FAI and is a much more simple kit to finish even if it is hardly touched so far. The Silent deserves the attention of a slow meticulous build and should be worshiped at the local contests as the standard all kits should rise to these days.. not rushed to finished and used at a trainer for the Hyde Out...

Put an amazing paint job on the Silent! 10+ comes to mind... ;-)

Enjoy!

Joe W.