Ive just started assembling the Great Planes Avistar Elite . Its a beautiful advanced trainer with a vibrant colour scheme covered in monocote.

I also installed the servos in the fuselage and alongside that the receiver switch.

The new receiver switch installed.

Two servos were then installed in each wing half. One for the ailerons and one for the flaps. Going by all accounts the Avistar comes in hot on landings so the instalation of flaps should cool things down.

The fuel tank was then installed on a bed of foam with a plywood spacer around the neck to help protect it.

Today i installed a brand new Saito 72 that has been sitting in its box for more than ten years and today was the first time it has seen daylight since then. The stock aluminium engine mount was too small for the big Saito but as luck would have it i had an old Hangar 9 universal aluminium mount that came out of an Alpha 40 and this bolted straight onto the firewall without any modifications required. I also used a Dubro fourstroke throttle linkage that i have on all my fourstroke planes to connect up to the throttle lever on the engine. This works great everytime without any problems.

Had the Avistar in the garden earlier today running up the Saito 72 for the very first time. I ran four tanks of fuel through the engine slobbering rich. Im hoping to maiden the plane in the near future.

The Avistar Elite advanced trainer photographed prior to the first start up today of the new Saito 72.

Had the maiden flight today of the Avistar Elite. It flew lovely and when the flaps were deployed it slowed down nicely for landings. All in all im very happy with this plane.

My new plane having its maiden flight. February 2024

The second flight of my new plane The Avistar Elite at The South Derry Model Flying Club Aghadowey County Derry.

I never knew this photo existed until a friend gave it to me two weeks ago. It was taken in the summer of 1986 and i was learning to fly a Yamamoto Trainer with an OS 40 two stroke. That was nearly 40 years ago. Time flys by very quickly.