I got the new Horizon catalog and I saw it in there. Looks pretty good! Has anyone seen it in person yet? I have always wanted a Decathlon but didnt want to spend the big bucks since it will be a fun fly/sport plane for me.


For $139 this looks hard to beat. pretty decent wingspan as well.


Overview
Seagull Models goes the extra mile with the new Decathlon .40, an affordably priced, high-quality aerobatic high-wing aircraft for sport and scale modelers. Intermediate to advanced aerobatic pilots looking for superb sport performance at a very reasonable price can’t go wrong with this Seagull plane.


Specifications
Wing Span: 67.75 in
Overall Length: 50 in
Wing Area: 762 sq in
Flying Weight: 7-8 lb
Engine Size: .40-.46 2-stroke, .50-.72 4-stroke
Radio: 4 channels
Servos: 6

diablo, just called horizon today and they expect the plane to be out next week. of course noone has seen one yet, because they are not out yet!! but like you, i like the size and all and cant wait to hear about it. might get one myself, and if i do, ill post it here for you.

thanks for the update Cubster! I hope my LHS gets 1 so I can go look at it. it has been on the back burner for a while and now at this price I might not have an excude. Looks like a prime candidate for a Saito 72

7-8 lbs is more inline with a .60 size model. I think Thunder Tiger's new Decathlon and maybe even Global's version are lighter at around 6 lbs. I have a Seagull Razzle 3D, and while I'm impressed with the quality and pre-fab completeness of these ARFs, some of their models seems to be a bit on the heavy side. My Phoenix Models Sukhoi 46 (looks to be made by the same factory) came out at around 6-1/2 to 7 lbs. It flew fine, but really would have flown much better if it weighed more at around 5-1/5 lbs.

My $0.02.

Hi just a quick point. A guy at my club had one a week ago now its been burnt. Why?
Well it had an Irvine 46 more than engough power. any way it took 3 atemps to take of and when it did it look dogey after about 3 mins he was at hight and looking ok when the engine cut.
As the engine cut the model stop mid air and just came spining down to the ground as if there was no wing on the model. needless to say tyhe model was a right off and was burt. HHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMM very strange[&o]

I have never saw a model aircraft go into a spin after the engine stop. This sounds completely ridiculous. Can you please provide further information.

do you think that at 67" wingspan it borders a 60 sized plane? Ill check the other decathlons as well you mentioned. The nice thing about this one is the price is hard to beat.

67" is a bit longer than most of the other .40-.46 Decathlons which tend to have around 60"-64" wingspan. The wing area is not much larger, though to make up for the 1-2 lbs additional weight compare to the others. I think even a .46 2stroke would be a little on the small side for this SD. Perhaps a strong .52 or maybe the new Just Engines .56 2stroke would be a better match. I wouldn't add any more weight by going up to a .60 2stroke. I have seen a Phoenix Models Sukhoi .46 fly with a TT Pro .61, and it flew too hot for my taste.

I think the new TT Super Decathlon has a two-piece wing and looks to be very well designed.

Jeeez, I hope so...At about $215 street price It's gotta be the most expensive 40 size Decathlon ARF ever

agree with you, the Seagull, although a bit heavier, is a bargain at $139!!! My LHS will probably get some and I might even get it cheaper than that. I want a semi-scale looking general aviation bird and this fits the bill perfectly. I thought about the GP Cessena but its a bit too high in price for me right now

Well, I just picked up a Decathlon from the LHS. The quality is simply OUTSTANDING! I plan on putting a Tower 46 in it. I should have it completed by this weekend. I will post my results after the weekend.

great, make sure you take alot of pics!!!

Well here are some pics for everyone. The cowl and wheel pants are fiberglass. The fuel tank stopper has the lines already installed. It comes with a spinner and the struts are very sturdy. The only thing I did to the airplane was to CA the hinges. The engine mount was already installed as were the control pushrods!

Here are more.

And a few more! The aileron servo covers are already installed!

vxoa203 im assuming from the pics it requires 2 servos for seperate aileron installation?

Yes, 2 Aileron, 2 elevator, 1 rudder and 1 throttle servo for a total of 6 servos.

When you're done with it, how about putting it on a scale to see what it weighs?
Maybe the factory got their metric conversions mixed up. Sure hope it's lighter than 7-8 lbs.

WW

Oh Yeah-Might wanna check the wingspan for accurate #'s also!

good call windwalker! I would love to hear the final weight and "official" wingspan. I really dont need another plane but I cannot resist this one. The price is great and I have always wanted one about this size


matt

Well I got the wings epoxied together. The wing measures 68". It weighs 2lbs, 2oz with 2 Hitec 645mg servos installed. Definitely a heavy wing. I still plan on using a Tower 46 for this plane. I will hopefully get a maiden flight on it this weekend. If I find it needs more power, I will plan on installing a decent 4 stroke on it. I will keep you all updated.

I saw one of these at my LHS yesterday. Beautiful plane!

Hey guys, I have the tt sd and it mwas a perfect arf and all first class materials. First flight needed 6 clicks of up elevator to fly normal. Made DEAD stck landing and the glide was perfect. Next flight spaped about two feet off the ground and broke the tail off. Repaired and asked a buddy to fly it. He took off and wobbled and it tried to snap roll. He saved it and continued the flight and made a good power on landing. I reduced all the throws and my buddy mangaed a better takeoff but it still had a tendency to snap. It is now resting in tack in my basement. Any suggestions?

Well, construction continues-

The wheels were very low quality foam, so they went into the trash. I mounted my Tower 46 and found that the muffler is too big to fit without major surgery on the front of the fuselage. I am getting ahold of a pitts style muffler tomorrow. It will make for a cleaner look without chopping the front of the fuse up.

The instructions called for screws to attach the fiberglass cowl. I didn't want to attach the cowl with just screws so I am used PSPMFG cowl binders to attach the fiberglass cowl. They come white and they can be painted any color you like. I have them on my GP Wagstaff and they work great.

I have the landing gear completed also. There is no provision for anti- rotation screws for the wheel pants. They are just put together with washers and nuts etc. We shall see how the stock wheel pants hold up at the field.

Tower 46 muffler pics-

good looking pics, the plane loks really sharp!

where did you get the cowl binders? I am interested in getting some for myself.


matt