obie1

My Feedback: (76)

I just puchased the Phoenix Decathlon 40 arf. Wow, very nice plane. I am putting in a OS 70 four banger. She should fly nice. Wing has a tube for the center brace, nice touch. Only bad thing was wheels just a little to small. Has anybody else bought these arfs and is anybody having any problems? Please let me know.
Thanks
Rich

Co�MiC_Win�

Hi,

I bought the Decathlon about a month or so ago. Very nice Airplane indeed.... I have not had any problems with the plane except the CG

I have a ST 40 on the nose which is under power, But it pulls the plane through the air at a very high speed. I am able to go vertical easy, Loops, Stalls, Hammer Heads, Inverted, Snap Rolls, Knife Edge, And almost hover "LOL".

I already have 15 flights on the Decathlon, But last Saturday I did have a mishap. I re-Balanced the Plane and moved some lead on the tail. When I took off the plane went into a Tip Stall and went down hard!!!!

Luckly I was able to recover out of the Trees.... Much to my suprise it only had the leading edge break in about a 3 inch section on the right wing panel. Trust me this plane hit the ground at over 30 MPH...... I was expecting a destroyed airframe along with everyone at my field.

The plane is built very good, Just be sure and check the Hinges that are Pre-Installed on the control surfaces.....


Another problem was the Wheels, The expand so much when the plane is rolling out, They will melt inside the Pants and stick when they are cooled off. These gave me more problems than anything.......

Other than all that the Covering on the model is Flawless, The paint is wonderful on the Cowl & Pants..... The struts are pretty cool how they are easy to adjust & the Motor Mount is okay I guess.

This ARF is as good if not even better than any other ARF on the market........ Get one and see for yourself....

Hope you enjoy yours,

obie1

My Feedback: (76)

Thanks for the info, I have already change the tires and I am not using the wheel pants.
Rich

markmeijer

What do you guys think about putting a Thunder Tiger .91S 4 stroke on this plane? I had the tunder tiger .54 s 4 stroke on it and found it to be pretty under powered as far as aerobatics are concerned... I just ordered the .91 and am having second thoughts, it may be too much power.

Thanks,
-Mark

bldrums

How does the plane handle on the ground ?. This type of aircraft can be a bit tricky on take off.

I have the SeaGull Decathlon and It looks very much like your Phoenix. There is a thread on the SeaGull dealing with rudder and throttle management. Some are using a gyro to stay on course until the plane lifts off the runway. Once in the air mine flys great with a Saito .82 using a 14 x 8 prop.

bill

pjw_75

My Feedback: (2)

How does this ARF kit compare to the Goldberg Decathlon ARF kit? I have been looking at both and having a hard time deciding..

markmeijer

It did well on the ground with the .54. I have the motor mounted and have run a few tank through it. It is a nice strong engine. Ran right out of the box. (Thunder Tiger .91 4 stroke)

Unfortunately because of all the rain here in New Jersey I have not had a chance to take a test flight. I will chime in once I have had a chance to fly it.

As for the Goldberg comparison...

I am not sure because I have never had the chance to build or fly one. I have heard good things about Goldberg models.

What I can tell you is that the Phoenix Decath is well built/covered. What I liked the most, but is really not a huge deal, is that the ailerons, elevator, and rudder are already hinged. You can really have this plane built and flying in the same afternoon if you are an experienced builder.

My maiden with the Thunder Tiger .54 was fine, it flew very scale. I could do basic aerobatics with it, but I wanted more power. I found myself flying it at full throttle a lot. The 2 stroke .46 should be sufficient, but I like 4 stroke better. Good luck with whatever you choose.

-Mark