I just ran across Graupner's Showflyer 3-D ARF. I know it's a new ARF, but does anyone have one. If so, what feedback can you provide. Any bad characteristics? I'm assuming it should fly like the Hangar 9 Pizzaz. Thanks in advance for any help!

Hobby-Lobby sells the plane here:
http://www.hobby-lobby.com/showflyer.htm

I ordered the Showflyer. The first one came in with damaged parts. The second one just arrived yesterday. I've only opened the box and fondled the parts, but it looks immaculate...far more pristine than the Pizzaz. The wing is one piece and already joined. The elevator bolts on and can be removed for transport (if you really wanted to do so). One downside is the fiberglass cowl and wheel pants are not painted. I noticed the surfaces are already slotted (although I'll be using pinned hinges) and both the control surfaces AND trailing edges are beveled. I bought a Saito 100 for power...should be more than enough. I'll post pics and progress reports. Later!

what is the progress and building status on your showflyer. Have you flown it yet ? Let us know pleeeeeeeeease !

Let us know is right ....if you want to do a review on it let me know too...

I've had 2 Graupner kits ( both reviewed here http://www.rcuniverse.com/reviews.php ) and was impressed with quality of both ARF's, excellent finish and extensive level of completion out of the box. I reviewed the J3 Cub, another member reviewed their Super Air and I'll also have the Harvard AT-6 reviewed soon which I took out of the box last night and it looks VERY nice

Would love to hear about the Showflyer as it looks like a sharp plane.

Hi Marc,
I just ordered one today, taking advantage of that free shipping they where offering. Wanted to buy first a SIG Somethin Extra, but decided on this one since I know that they have to be of a nice quality (I have the Graupner ME 109 ARF also), and I know that the SE will be available for another while (not to sure about the availability of the Showflyer over a long period of time).
Planning of installing a nice YS 91 in it ! Once I get to it (have to finish another plane first ), I'll be glad to do a little review of it. What are the main things that should be considered in the review ? Let me know !

A review on that would be great...main things to keep in mind are take lots of pictures of the construction process and also once complete and flying pics and video if possible...this will help you reconstruct the process when writing the review later (unless you write it as you go along).

For tips on format and structure just go to the magazine and see the most recent reviews for some ideas to keep in mind and then just do your best. Once complete send me all the pictures and copy or if you know html use one of our reviews as a template to format yours and then email to me in a zip file.

thanks

Ok, I finally decided that I just needed to take some time off work to finish this project. It's now done and test flown. The entire construction took about 10 hours.

The plane:
The construction of the actual aircraft was immaculate. Top quality balsa and ply was used throughout. The wood was well cut and sanded prior to covering. The Oracover covering was done very well. No wrinkles, bubbles, mismatched pieces, or crooked lines. The wing comes as one piece, so no time is spent joining wing halves. I used purple Rit die to color the canopy and it came out a perfect match! I tried to die the cowl, but the white fiberglass wouldn't allow for such a close match.

The hardware:
The hardward that came with the ARF was mediorcre at best. Several (rare) metric screws were missing. I replaced all the control horns with Robart horns. I threw out the plastic hinges and used Sig Easy Hinges (doubled up because slots were already cut for thicker plastic hinges). The elevator is designed to be removed for transport, but I removed covering and epoxied it. I'm throwing away the cheap plastic wheels and putting on Dubro lightweight wheels. I had to use a heat gun to slightly reshape the fuel tank as it was too tight a fit.

The radio gear:
I used standard Hitec 425BB servos throughout the plane. Plenty strong and plenty fast. The elevator requires one servo per half, one for the rudder and one for each aileron.

The powerplant:
I installed a Saito FA-100 for power. The plans call for a throttle servo to be mounted on the front of the firewall. This was out of the question since I had to rotate the carb 180 degrees to gain easy access to the needle valves. So, I was force to drill a hole and create a mount for the throttle servo inside the fuse. Any engine with a front mounted carb (OS or YS) will have no trouble.

Final prep:
The elevator is extremely effective. I used Dubro heavy duty extra long servo arms and left max throws for high rates. For low rates I took the recommended low rate settings and added just a bit. Ground clearance wasn't an issue so I attached an APC 15x6 prop. The center of balance in the book was too far forward in my opinion. Using the spinner they provided, I was 1-3/4" aft of the recommended CG. That seemed too risky so I removed the spinner and added a weighted prop nut. The CG moved forward about 7/8". Close enough.

The flight:
The Saito pulled the plane into ground effect in about 12 feet. This plane is so light, it just floats. Everything trimmed quickly but the airlerons were very ineffective...even on high rates. The elevator was a different story. Just an inch of deflection was enough to get the nose to chase the tail. Very stable at extremely slow speed. It was tough to get it to stall despite a hot day. The tail surfaces were very responsive and powerful. Knife-edge loops are no problem with the huge rudder. It practically hovered into a landing.

What's next:
I'm going to install more powerful servos (Hitec digital) in the ailerons to see if I get better performance. The sheer size of the aileron may be generating too much aerodynamic force for the Hitec 425BB's. Beyond that, this is a definate keeper. It will out perform the Somthin' Extra any day and is much larger than the Pizzaz. In fact, the Showflyer's control surfaces are even more pronounced than those of the Pizzaz.

I will post a link to several pictures. I will also try to add captions to highlight problem areas during construction. While the plane is relatively expensive ($300) and the hardward included was a mess, the ARF is beautifully finished, took only about 10 hours to finish, and performs like a real dream. If you want extreme fun flying capabilities, I haven't found a better plane.

-Jason

Thanks for the nice review ! I can't hardly wait to get mine. Should be here tomorrow. How did you end up painting the cowl ? What color and type of paint (brand) did you use ?
Thanks

Well, finished my Show Flyer yesterday and tried to break in the engine today. The engine (Saito 100) even though mounted inverted came right on the first time. Ran about 3 tanks through it, and then my electric starter battery went dead. I had it running one more time with the chicken stick but it is to much work to crank a 4 banger over like this.
The modifications I did to was only to use different hardware (used 4-40 on all control surfaces), added some wheel pants (just for looks, so I had to have them) that are already loose., and painted the canopy from the inside. . Overall weight is 7lbs 2oz dry.
Will hopefully have it's maiden flight this weekend.