Thanks for the cg info Bill. Actually my cg is 12.2 cm (4.8") from leading edge and it is close to the revised figure of 12.5 cm. I can say that this must be the right one as it flies inverted hands off, no mix required for the perfect knife edge flight, and when it comes to landings it almost flares and touches the ground hands off!
Tianci,
The power of YS63s is just right for this plane. But mine is 5.5 pounds with mini servos and cf landing gear. It has unlimited verticals with 14*4 and hovers one or two clicks above half throttle, It is very stable in all 3D maneuvers, harriers (very little wing rock), torque rolls, harrier rolls. It is just amazing, it flies like big planes (in fact it performs 3d better than my DA50 powered GP Patty Wagstaff). As far as I know saito 82 has the same power with YS 63s, but if your 72 revs an apc 14*4W around 9600-700 it will be more than enough.

I just got my freestyle and came across a major problem with the right wing,It slides on the wing tube crooked and does not butt up to the fuse,Not sure what to do.

Pirate - SEND IT BACK!

I just got mine to maiden over the weekend ... Saito 72, APC 13x6, Cool Power 15% Heli, JR539s and GWS Mini MG servo for the throttle. This plane is amazing ... the Saito is just about right for F3A/IMAC but I doubt it will prop hang. I want her as a pattern/aerobatic plane so will stick with my Saito 72 but shall change to an APC 12x8 or 12x9.

Its true ... no KE coupling at all. She is so smooth and tracks so well.

glad to hear you got yours up and it lived up to your expectations

One of my pals who does not 3D has a Saito 100 in his! The engine is new, so he has been flying it totally rich, looks like he is crop dusting. I wonder what he will be doing with all that power. Another pal went down to Singapore and saw one powered with a YS110, my pal says the plane will rocket out of a prop hang!!!

The tool should match the purpose. This plane can tolarate Saito 100 as it is a light engine. However YS 110 (~735 gr w/o muffler) is totally out of scale. This engine rocks 8.5-9 lb planes and way to much power and too much weight for a 5.5-6 lb plane (with110 it may be 6.5-7lb). My opinion is the feature that makes this particular plane unique is its light weight and wing loading. With that combiation you may rocket out of hover but the hover is not the only 3d trick. If I would make an other one I may try a saito 82 and perhaps this would be the best glow combo.

Alpsat - Yeah ... the YS is a killer combo but then what can we say, some people just love to be nuts. The Saito 82 is a brilliant combo for pattern/aerobatic flying but for 3D its not that great. The best combo for 3D is the Saito 100 as this plane is tail heavy. This is because its so light. My Saito 72 is running inverted and I got my 5 cell batt pack just bove the back plate of the engine. Yes, I mounted it on the engine mount, its a temporary measure only. I also have 3 oz of lead on the engine box.

I know with the Saito 100 she will balance just right.

I have mine set up with an OS 91 four stroke. It's just about perfect. I wish I had a bit more authority to pull out of a hover. I'm thinking about switching to the Saito 100.
But my plane comes in under 6lbs dry with the heavy OS! The flight characteristics are great - best plane I've flown.
I was definitely grumbling about some of the build issues, but they were worth it. This is a beautiful plane, and for $205 it was a bargain.

Cat - my pal has the Fliton Extra with the Saito 100, its absurd! Roll out of about 10' and then totally vertical!!! Poor dude lost the plane last week, was not much left.

tIANci, What happened to his extra? The plane is so light I worry about it's durability. I read on another thread where a guy had a mid-air with a foamy and the extra lost! He said his carbon wing tube dissintegrated.

Tonight I'm going to use fiberglass cloth around the motor mount area -- this is one place I think it could use some more glue.

Catdog - not sure what happened, he must have lost control, all I heard was a 'BOP'. The elevator control surfaces actually came off the hinges in the crash BUT the wing tube did not even fracture, so no worries about the tube. The plane is fragile in a crash for sure.

Yeah the engine box area is weak if you do not CA/glass it. I had to add some tire balancing weights as the plane was tail heavy with my Saito 72. I added 1 oz to the bottom of the box. After a few flights I did some routine check and noticed that the box seams had opened. I had to CA it all. I wonder what something like a Saito 100 and the vibration will do.

Still ... she flies so well.

I have a S100 looking for a home and am looking at one of these. Does this have a simple push-rod for the elevator?--Anyone using something different here? What other building issues are there?

Kit comes with a y-pushrod for the elevator which I do not prefer as it is almost impossible to minimize slop and get 45+degrees throws for 3D. I used two semi flex pushrods in tubes and supported in two points in the fuse to minimize slop. Now I plan to switch to pull pull for the elevators as this set up is not rock solid in high throws. The fuse do not have predrilled exits for elevator or rudder so it is a little tricky to find the right spot for them. If I did not have balancing problem I would probably go with two hitec 85mg servos on the tail for the best authority. If you will go with the saito 100 balancing will not be an issue for you.
I have a broken wing tube after a flame out in a low harrier pass. I am luck that this was the only damage. At this time Fliton do not supply spares for its products and none of the other cf tube retailers carry 21 mm. But this plane is a must buy anyway..
I fixed the tube. Bought a saito 82 for it and saw that it is stronger than YS63s.
Go for it. It is just amazing.

GP ... the Saito 100 is nuts on this plane, its totaly 3D mayhem! If you go the road with the Saito 100 please make sure that you glass the engine box or use a lot of triagle blocks to reinforce. Mine just came lose last weekend and I had to rework on it. This is the bad thing about the plane and I am on a Saito 72 only. If only they had done a better job.

As for the elevator I am very happy with mine, there is not much slop on my plane with the Y. Also, my pal with the Saito 100 has no issue with the plane's elevator.

I can't say enough about the flight characteristics of this plane. I had it doing the most violent blenders this weekend - they look incredble. On my 8th flight I had it coming in for harier landings - and I'm not a 3d expert. It makes me look good. I think I'm going to stick with my OS91 FS set up. If I only had more time to fly I'm sure I could get into a good torque roll. It hangs on the prop great (nice sweet spot) but my thumbs can't keep it there for a full revolution. This plane is worth every bit of the $205 I spent on it.
Yes, fiberglass the firewall area - or beef it up with triangle stock. Mine too started to separate, luckily while only carrying the plane and not flying. I might also look into taller landing gear. I'm using a 15x4 fun fly prop and it likes to mow the grass. I only have about 1" clearance.
I'm a little concerned about the "brittleness" of the CF wing tube. It's the second one I've heard of breaking.

Catdog ... of course the CF tube will break when you slam the plane that hard! Hehehe ... I am gonna run my Saito 72 with a 13x8 and see if I can get a better speed and torque combination over my 13x6 and 12x8.

under normal conditions when you slam the plane that hard the last thing that should break is the tube. Try if you do not believe The tube is very light but cheesy. In my case everything was solid including the cf landing gear. Only damage was the tube..

I think the issue is not whether the tube was the only thing that broke in a crash ... its whether the tube holds up in what is expected of a plane of that sort. My pals plane came down hard, everthing in front of the canopy was crushed ... tube survived.

Tianci, I think there is some kind of a misunderstanding. First of all, I did not crash the plane. In a low harrier pass it flamed out and it was like a hard harier landing. The plane was light enough that nothing was broken even cf landing gear was ok. In such a case nobody expects a tube failure. If you weigh the tube it is amazingly light (22 gr) but IMO it should be stronger. Like your comments on the engine box this is my comment on the cf tube. However my intension is to share experiences, exchange information and have a little fun here.. not get into endless disscusions. As you say.. it is more important to be nice.

Alpsat - I think I was not worked up ... its the problem with typing, you cannot hear the tenor of the voice, next time I put more smileys!

I think this plane is a good EP candidate, not really that great for strong shaking 4C engines. Just that EP is waaay to expensive for this plane.

What I find interesting is the E conversion of this plane (earlier post with the Hacker engine) is a full pound heavier than my plane - and I'm using a relatively heavy engine (OS91FS). I'm coming in at 5.75lbs. I don't see the benefits in this case other than not having to lug fuel around and clean the plane.
Last night I was playing with my Aero fly pro simulator. I was trying to get the cap or extra to do a blender the likes of the Fliton Extra. Couldn't do it - not nearly as violent. Someone make it stop raining here so we can go fly.

Catdog - come over to Malaysia ... always bright and sunny, no cold clammy weather at all. The benefits of an EP plane? Try the throttle ... totally linear. The punch is wonderful. However, the charger will cost a lot, batteries will cost you a kidney, charging time is nuts ... but still if you have the cash, go for it! For me my EP planes are all running on 3S2P max only. Hence I stick to Speed 300 and 400 sized brushless motors. I would be tempted to try EP for the Fliton.

I think it was my post, haven't gone back and looked. I guessed at the weight, not sure if it is exact, but yes the electric is a bit heavier. The benefits are as you said, no slime and no fuel. It also has more power compared to the OS- probably about the equivalent of a good 120, or Saito 100. But that isn't the reason people ( Me! ) do it- it's all about what you like. The sound ( or lack thereof ) of a plane performing like this one does on electric, combined with just being different than others. It rocks. I have flown since 1969, and got bored to death with glow planes 3 or 4 years ago, and never looked back.

Hi BadBill,
It's interesting. I have a couple of foamies that I love. Maybe I'm just scared to shell out the cash for a plane the size of the Xtra. But you love no noise - and I love the sound of a good 4-stroke. But I don't love having to wipe down my plane and fill the motor with after run oil every outing. But you go with what you know. I love the smell of glow fuel in the morning!
I'm going to be selling a Saito 180 - maybe I can fund a larger E project. I would like to see a larger one for myself - the power it has. Nobody around me is flying anything other than small electrics.

Badbill - might you be able to get a pic of your motor mounting for me? I would be keen to see it. Also, what is your set up like? Thanks!