Well, I kinda let this thread fall off the planet. That does not mean that I stopped working on the plane. I missed the first three contests I had planned to fly it at, and finally finished it last weekend. A rush job delayed the maiden flight till this morning. It was also my first stick time since about February.

The first flight I rotated at about 3/4 throttle and it climbed straight out. Made a couple of ovals and the thing didn't need a click of trim. Second flight was made with the great help of Steve (1bwana1) giving help trimming/tuning, and it was determined that I need to reduce the incidence. It is currently about 1.5 deg.

Some of the speed bumps I had to overcome.

Attempting to paint in mold with Nelson Hobby paints was a disaster. The stuff is water based, and soaked through the PVA and stuck to the molds, ruining them. I have a mixed review on the stuff. The finish without clear coat is a very matte like finish, and it was advertised to be a match for the monokote I used on the wings and turtle deck. See the picture for the results on that. The good is its low odor/toxicity and ease of use. I will use it again, next time I will clear coat. I didn't this time 'cause I was in a hurry to get it in the air.

The AXI 4130 I got from Ebay, and was advertised as "new in box", wasn't. After about one minute of run time it threw a magnet. (When I got it last year, there was a nick in the case where it appears to have been dropped.) Fortunately the U.S. Distributor for Scorpion is about three miles from my home, so I was able to get a replacement quickly. Unfortunately I had to choose between less power than the AXI, or a little more power which would have been too much load on the ICE 75, and would have required getting an ICE 85. The vertical performance is adequate for intermediate, but I will be looking to get the AXI repaired, or replaced.

The final weight is 8.1 lb with 3 oz of weigh in the nose. V1.1 on the drawing board already has the tail shortened by 1" and the wing moved back 1/2" It will also have fixed incidence once I get it tweaked out