Been flying the new Perigee for nearly three years now. Got design off of A.M. plan and the original that resulted from sale of DMECO. This A/C as presented either way is not suited to be built as per kit, especially when mixing modern gear and original parts. It then becomes too tail heavy when using modern radio gear and modern glow power. I had to essentially re-design the whole A/C (for a third time) in order to get the C.G. back up to the front without adding penalty ballast. It looks to me that the big Bonner servos as shown on the originals are part of the imbalance problem. For once they are omitted, the tail then is too heavy, and needs 1-2 ounces removed back there.

Do not find any Z'd section on original plans here. There is however a laminated 3/32 inch balsa crutch shown, which is reinforcement to the Hoz-stab. This to be glued to the near 48 inch long one piece sides. There could have been some kits created with 36 inch long wood, creating a need for a Z'd section near the rear. Makes for a cheaper model box then.

The airfoil also may be more suited for early glow power than for modern. I flew at Calif. dry lakes, and found when doing normal landing approach, the A/c sort of falls out of sky, hitting the ground with a smack once the power is cut. Essentially as a substitute you then need to fly it in right on down low for the approach (unless the airfoil is altered). At present time, I sell these reproductions only to those persons who express some high performance experience. Contrairy to what is noted, my originals show the two main spars of balsa (not plywood) and then a few ribs of plywood. Not as mentioned. The original had homemade nose gear, the DMECO kit had used a double leg design dating back to the Viscount. Instead, I used the commercially available Fults design, plus the equally hard to locate Tatone design up front. Had a few special parts laser cut up to incorporate their mounting. No matter what is chosen, the model does not have enough pressure on to the front tire to avoid skidding when tight turns are anticipated.

Overall, the Perigee is a slow seller. It takes a hot pilot to manage one. I had sold a bunch to a fellow in New York state about two years ago. He found that most of the problem with the Perigee lies in that you must be a good flier in order to handle it. Looks simple but is not. The later Interceptor series is much more manageable for modern power and radio gear. Those same customers who purchased a Perigee sold them off, and got the more modern (and forgiving) Interceptor. After creating three laser cut prototypes I found the Perigee is a winner in name only.

Wm.