I personally have flown the Venus II and it did not fly near as well as the Spot on that I flew. I was honestly stunned by how well the Spot on flew with the OS 1.60. I wouldnt fly it with less than that though. The Focus is a shrunk version of a fully competitive airframe and it flies just like its bigger brother.

Your mentor doesnt necessarily have to be someone really close to you. Just someone you can sit and talk to at a contest you go to, or even someone you can reach once a month with a couple hours drive. There are a lot of knowledgeable guys up there that can help,

Also go to the NSRCA's site and join..and get a copy of the trim chart there, it is a good place to start for setting up a plane,

Arch