I bought the Phoenix Giles because it had some good reviews here on RCU. I was really impressed with the quality of this plane when I inspected it, covering was beautiful fit and finish excellent. I spent several weeks preparing my new baby-- solid rod control horns, pull pull rudder etc. (NO SHORT CUTS) Started with a SAITO .82 a wonderful engine I must say. This plane was balanced perfectly! and triple checked by advanced club members before maiden flight. As a matter of fact I got compliments on the nice controls that were installed on it. It was maidened by Lance Ledet an advanced pilot at our local club (a.k.a. H.A.M.S. club) if it weren't for Lance's experience the Giles would not be in one piece. It flew like wet garbage. Next Jerry Sigur flew it and nicknamed it the flying prostitute, Jerry is also a well versed pilot with 20-25 years flying RC planes & helis. Well what went wrong with my baby? TO HEAVY, high wing loading 530 square inches by 8.25 pounds= 35.86 ounces per sq. foot very hot, very heavy...... called Hobby Services they agreed it was to heavy also, told be to cut it up-to fit in a box and they will decide to give me another plane of equal value. Frustrated I was determined to try something, if it didn't work I'll have fun doing it, again thats what a hobby is anyway RIGHT? I added a second wing to my baby which doubled the wing area to 1060 sq. inches it now weighs 9.5 lbs. with six ounces added to the nose for proper balance. Now the plane has a wing loading of 20.65 ounces per sq foot awesome! Jerry flew it for me again the first flight was a bit hairy it was tail heavy but his experience got it down safely in the tall grass. ( thats when we added the six ounces to the nose). The second flight was a hit Jerry was excited which made me excited! Hey Jerry you hoggin my plane I want a turn I had to pry the controller from his hands. I finally got to fly my Pitts Giles Bipe and boy did it feel good.......... hey Jerry come land this thing for me I'm to nervous&^%$*&^#%....... THANK YOU RCU & THANK YOU TO ALL THE MEMBERS AT THE H.A.M.S club.... Houma, LA here are a few pictures of the Flying Prostitute..

Freddie - I think you guys have done a great job on the plane. Any chance of showing us how it is done? How does she fly? My pal has the Giles and a spare wing.

I'll post some specs and take some more detailed photos of the cabanes and wing struts for you. By the way yanks are north of I-10 and confederates are south of I-10.. heheheh!

I did not know the word Yank came from the Civil War ... interesting. South are all rebels!!! Hahahaha ...

That is scaring me. I just put together a Phoenix Extra 300. It's very heavy. I don't have a scale to weigh it, but I wouldn't doubt it if it weighed in close to 8 pounds. I took it out today and started breaking in the Magnum 70FS. Started raining so I didn't get to maiden it. I hope it doesn't fly like " wet garbage". Please don't fly like wet garbage! I've got a bad feeling in my stomach. Wish I would have bought a Vectorflight instead. Anyways, just felt like whining a little. It looks good if nothing else.

Nice bipe by the way!

Its rare that you will find a 40 sized plane that is 8# unless its a Cub perhaps. Its more like 6.5 max. The Phoenix Extra is like the Black Horse one ... they fly ok only.

dkf1979 and extreme nut
Thankyou for compliment. dkf1979 I hope the extra 300 flies well if not just add Wings!

Grrr [:@]

dkf1979
How do you like your four star?

I love my four-star. It's an awesome flyer. If, or shall I say, when I crash it, it will be replaced with another.

If you had a "well versed" pilot fly you're Phoenix Giles and he said it flew like "wet garbage" then it's one of two things..you have an entirely different airplane than MY Phoenix Giles or I am an EXPERT pilot and better than an Ace,mine flew llike it was on rails and VERY fast with a MDS .58,no complaints at all.
EXPERT RC PILOT...ME!....[sm=lol.gif][sm=lol.gif][sm=lol.gif]
My Giles<----------------------6.9 lb's

P40 ... High 5!!! I was almost flamed for saying the same thing ... hehehee ... maybe they got bad planes.

P40,

I had the Phoenix Giles only my experience was the opposite of yours. Mine came out quite tail heavy. Mine, like yours, flew like it was on rails. I don't recall the exact weight but it was at least a pound heavier than yours. The wood used to construct the tail on mine was rock hard and very heavy. I had a Saito .82 on mine and it took a long time to get off the ground on takeoff.

Too bad, because it was a nicely finished plane. Landings were easy for me. I never had a single bad landing with the Giles. As long as you land under power and keep the speed up it is fine.

My opinion on Phoenix products is they are typical for a lower-end, cheap ARF manufacturer that doesn't pay enough attention to their balsa quality. From all the comments I have read it appears some of their planes come out very heavy while others are OK. They could spend a little less attention to the quality of the covering and more on the wood selection and their planes would come out very nice overall. The hardware is cut-rate, some needs to be replaced which isn't unheard of in the ARF world.

I hate to say this but if the choice is between a Vector Flight plane and a Pheonix plane I'd say avoid the Pheonix like the plague. Vector Flight has consistent quality and when there is a problem you can actually get replacement parts for them. Not to mention, I don't think I have ever seen a negative post related to Vector Flight while Pheonix is another story.

I bought the Phoenix because it was cheap. In the end the plane crashed due to my hot dogging too low and not any fault of the plane. If Phoenix started stick building the rudder and elevator on these planes rather than using solid wood it would make a huge difference. I considered doing this with mine but never got around to it.

Buyer beware... Your experience may vary.

FlyerBry

Flyer ... I would not compare the Phoenix with a VF ... hehehee ... seriously ... the 2-3 Giles I have come across were all about 6.5 lbs only.

I think we all have our own expectations on what makes a good flying plane. 6.5 pounds for a .46 size plane with only a 53 inch wingspan is still too heavy for my tastes. I don't have a problem with Pheonix or their products. I actually think they are down right impressive to a point. The thing that keeps me from recommending them is the chance you are taking at getting an overweight dud. For the price, though, they are beautifially finished.

I agree, VF is a step above Phoenix. But that is only because they are doing things right. Replacement parts, affordable prices and they pay attention to their customers. I got my Phoenix for what I consider to be a steal, so having it not meet my expectations isn't as big a deal to me. Would I pay $130.00+ for one? No, I'd pay a little more for the VF product. Just my opinion based on my experiences.

BTW, I have the tail end of the fuse from my Giles hanging on the wall in my shop. When it went in the plane was in the bottom of a dive. The impact point was a railroad track! Another foot higher and it would have made it. The entire front end of the plane was totaled and even bent the crank shaft on the engine! The entire aft end of the fuse past the cockpit came out without a scratch. Now that in my opinion is overbuilt. Do that with a Funtana or a Twist and all that would have been left is a pile of matchsticks!

Happy Flying!

for me a 46 plane would be great at about 5.25 lbs if its an aerobatic, for 3D a 4.75 pounder is fun fun fun. Flyer, you can make tooth picks!

Tower has lots of replacement part for this model.

P-40,

Really... Back when I had mine if something was broken in the box during shipping Tower would swap out the whole box because they didn't have any spare parts. Maybe Pheonix is trying to get their act together. I have seen a few posts on RCU where people were looking for parts for their Pheonix models because Tower didn't carry them.

tIANci,

Then next time I put one in as bad as I did my Giles it probably will be toothpicks! You can bet it will be lighter than the the Giles was so I wouldn't doubt it one bit. The Giles was the first plane that I put in hard enough to not be fixable. Hopefully I don't test the toothpick theory any time soon! [:@]

Here is my take on the Pheonix Giles. It is what it is, and that IS a budget ARF. It flys quite well, and 6 1/2 lbs is right on the money. It is a little heavy, but it is on rails. Landings are power on and fast. Worth what you pay for em, but Vectorflight produces supperior planes for about the same price. I like my Giles on windy days, it penetrates nicely. Catch em on sale and you'll get a deal.

Jim C

Well put!

Eeeerrrrr ... we are all on the Giles .... where is the flight report on the Giles Bipe??? Hehehe ...

Well between rainy weather and Madri Gras here we've only
had to chance to get a couple of flights on it since rebalancing it.
As you can imagine, having four fairly large ailerons it's roll rate
can be set to just a blur if you like it that way.
It tumbles very well, great waterfall, snaps crisply, and nice flat
spins. We still have some testing to do and will play some more
with the cg. It won't hover but that would just be asking too much
from the Saito .82, it's doing very well to pull around this 9lb, 6oz
model. All in all, it's a great flying model with the additon of the
second wing.
So if you have an extra wing and like to experiment, give it a shot.

Jerry