Sorry I never posted any pics of this plane... I put in the tailwheel, but decided not to couple it to the rudder, it just spins freely. I think it is much more durable and attractive than a balsa tailskid.

This weekend the plane flew OK, but I kept feeling like it was too heavy. I wish I made cutouts in all the wing ribs. I also over-sanded the fuselage and made it very weak. I used so much glue and balsa strips to make repairs and reinforcements to it that it is now hopelessly heavy, not to mention what it looks like.

I will build the hollow square stick fuselage again, but this time I will put strips of tri stock in the corners of it. Then I will sand the fuse into a cylindrical shape behind the wings to the tail feathers. The nose will remain square, but I will round the corners to make it more attractive. I think this will result in a very attractive, and structurally strong fuselage only a little heavier than the stock fuse. The nose will be especially strong, as it will stay square, and also have the tristock glued inside. Does this sound like a good idea?

I'm also wondering why it needs such a long nose. It there a reason aerodynamically speaking that the prop needs to be so far forward of the wing pylon? The heavy motor mounted on the long thin fuse is what makes it break so easily. If I shortened this part of the fuse, it would be a lot more durable, especially in a rough bounce landing when the motor weight acts like a lever to snap the fuse. It might not look as aesthetically pleasing though, which is the main thing I like about this model...

Attached are some pics. This was the plane before maiden.

James