Nitro Dew

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Does anyone have any experience with the Lanier Early Jester and Caprice ARFs?

soarrich

My Feedback: (98)

I built the Jester, if that's the one that looked like a P-51. Flew fine, would be considered heavy today though, weird building with mek as glue but it worked and you get a good plane when you're done.

dogcatcher

I had a Jester for a several seasons until radio failure brought it in around 1986. Used a Super Tigre Bluehead which was very adequate. The plane was heavy, flew fast, and the wing, also being heavy, had more inertia than a balsa wing, so you had to take that into account when banking and leveling back up. It was really good in the wind, though. I recall that at first I had a problem with aileron flutter and had to rework them. Later I had to beef up the hardwood landing gear mounts in the wing. Must have been due to the rough runway, couldn't have been MY landings. I always thought the plane looked nice, certainly the best that Lanier made. ARFs had a bad reputation back then, like you're too lazy or stupid to build a plane. Now I don't think anyone cares but craftsmanship is still appreciated by the old timers. I would buy another Jester if they made them. I got over my ARFaphobia a long time ago.

soarrich

My Feedback: (98)

They're still on the Lanier website.

AIRDEL

I just aquired a Jester. Looks like it was ready to fly ages ago. Still has the EK Logical servos and radio. I will see if it flies in the spring. With new radio equipment.

Dick T.

My Feedback: (243)

The Jester-Caprice ARF's are excellent pattern trainers. The Jester was modeled after a then championship pattern ship called the Tiger Tail and it flew like it. The Caprice used the same airframe parts plus the addition of a turtle deck and different canopy. I still have a Jester in the attic that has three flying seasons on it, the last being over ten years ago. It is still in flyable condition although a little brittle in places.

Most .61's today won't fit between the built in engine mounts. When these were first produced a .61 was about the same physical size as today's .46's and I am certain today's .46's would fly the heck out of it.

Fly it next spring, you will be amazed how good it is..

IAMKAOS

I HAVE A LANIER JESTER WING KIT STILL IN THE BOX SENT TO ME BY LANIER MANY YEARS AGO. I REMEMBER CALLING THEM AND COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PLASTIC COVERING CRACKING AND PEELING UP ON THE LEADING EDGE OF THE WING OF MY JESTER. THEY SENT ME A NEW JESTER KIT AND A REPLACEMENT WING. LAST SUMMER ONE OF MY FLYING BUDDIES SHOWED UP AT THE FIELD WITH THE CAPRI. HE TOLD HE GOT IT THRU SOME MAIL ORDER VENDOR AT VERY REDUCED PRICE OF $49.00 THAT THEY WERE CLEARING THEM OUT. ......THEY WERE NOT TOO BAD. MY JESTERS FLEW GOOD WITH A K&B .61 ON THEM.