My Onas will be in the air in about 2 weeks. Dave Snow had 1 flight session so far this week. The weather here while warm has been very rainy this week and extremly windy most of the last 2 weeks. Dave is sorting out an initial CG issue and will have it up as soon as the weather allows. He did a real nice job on his and is running the Neu motor which is an incredible powerhorse.
I was waiting on my new Himax power plant. I will set the AXI F3A into the nose but actually be using the new Himax F3A outrunner.
It allows you to use both the Plettenburg or the AXI F3A hole pattern so you have a lot of options for installing what you want. It's shorter than the F3A AXI but the same length as the Pletty. It also weighs 2 ounces less than the AXI. By mounting the AXI I will have options. I have had great success with AXI motors. The one I have in my Integral has over 500 flights on it without ever having a problem. I will however admit that I got lucky this winter when I checked it over and found out that the 4mm screws holding it into the firewall were loose and ready to give way. I'll check it more often than 2 years in the future.
My ARF Onas is almost too pretty to fly. Trust me the quality is sensational.
I'll post pictures of the motor install. I'm using 1/4" lite ply which I laminated with a thin carbon fiber cloth on both sides for the firewall.
So far my modifaications have been to beef up the landing gear plate a bit on the inside of the fuse and I plan on making a slightly different lipo tray that allows me to shift the position easier for the CG. I have packs that varie as much as 4 ounces so I'll need multiple positions available.
Mike Mueller