I have been flying the G.P Fokker DR1 on the G.P simulator and am having much difficulty landing. If I give it just a little touch of up elevator the plane climbs like crazy, and when I finally get the wheels on the ground it noses over. Is the real model this difficult to land? I have been flying for about 7 years and am intrested in buying this ARF.
Thanks
Pete

Until you get used to it... the model is HARDER to land than the simulator makes it. It'll take about 8 tanks of fuel doing touch-n-goes to figure it out.

1) Crosswind is a big problem. It will want to tip and drag a wingtip, and its almost impossible to prevent.
2) It lands better on grass than on pavement. The sim's grass acts more like pavement, so that's one place the sim makes it harder... the only place.

To keep from nosing over takes practice at timing the landing. You've got to shoot for the classic "3-point" where the plane stalls just as the skid and main wheels touch, and you have to feed in up elevator like crazy to keep the tail down. Roll-out in grass is very short. Appx 30 ft on pavement. (dead-stick landing, 50% more at slow idle turning a 14X4 with a .91 4-stroke.)

Fortunately. the plane can easilly handle some nose-overs with no damage. Just don't let them be high speed or you'll break the rudder.

I've posted a VERY detailed review of the ARF in the expert reviews section. I need to add a bit...

The plane has a very nasty dead-stick stall characteristic if the CG is at all aft of listed on the instructions. It will stall LEVEL and stay level with elevator, aileron and rudder ineffective, it MIGHT if you have enough altitude slowly drop a wing, but if it doesn't... it ends in an uncontrolled landing, which is likely to rip the plane apart. (snapped both lower wings, ripped off the rudder and pulled the strut mounting screws out of the fuselage.) Impact was on the wingtip... it had just dropped the right wing to a 45 deg bank by the time it hit. (appx 10 seconds uncontrolled... from 90 ft.)

What's going on is the balance and the drag correspond perfectly, the lower wings blanket the ailerons, and the horizontal stab blankets the rudder. Don't get in a level stall or a flat spin... it won't come out without LOTS of power to blow air across the rudder to put the plane on its side.

I HAVE THE BALSA USA DR-1 AND HERS MY 2 CENTS IT IS A GREAT FLYER BUT DO NOT FLY IN THE WIND
IF ITS ABOVE 10-12 MPH TH EPLANE IS TOP HEAVY BECAUSE OF ITS HIEGHT BUT DONT LET IT C=SCARE YOU OFF
ANOTHER CLUB MEMBER HAS THE GP DR1 AND FLYS TH ESAME ON LANDING CUT HE POWER AND SOMEWHAT DIVE TOWARD THE RUN WAY AT A SHALLOW ANGLE TO MAINTAIN SPEED THEN LEVEL OUT JUST ABOVE THE RUNWAY AND THEN SETTLE IN AS IT SLOWS DOWN YOU NEED A LONG RUN ON YOUR FIRST ATTEMPT IT JUST DOES NOT WANT TO QUIT FLYING ALSO YOU MUST BE PROFICIENT ON THE RUDDER ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS IS
WHEN I SLOWS DOWN THE TAIL STARTS TO YAW BACK AND FORTH DUE TO THE SHORT MOMENT THIS IS WWHAT
CAUSES MOST OF THE TIP SCUFFS FOLLOWED BY NOSE OVER ALSO BE WARNED USE SOME RIGHT RUDDER ON
TAKE OFF OR YOUR FIRST FLIGT COULD BE THE LAST ITS A GREAT FLYER

I FORGOT YOU MUST FLY IT WITH POWER ALL TH ETIME OR IT WILL STALL I MEAN HALF THROTTLE AND ABOVE IT
DOES NOT FLY FAST AND HAS A LOT OF DRAG BE CAREFUL ON YOUR TURNS UNTIL YOU ARE USED TO IT

The GP Dr1 doesn't have as bad a problem at low power as what he's saying about the Balsa USA one. I was consistently doing near idle low slow passes with no problems. I only got in trouble in the air when the engine DIED unexpectedly.

Crosswind on the ground is a problem. Wind below appx 25 mph when you keep the nose into it. no problems at all. Note my review... put a steerable tailwheel on (hidden) which is just about necessary for ops off of pavement.

THE BALSA USA FLYS FINE AT LOW POWER EXCEPT FOR FOLKS THAT DONT KNOW THE PLANE A TURN CAN CAUSE A
STALL IF THEY ARE NOT USED TO IT THATS WHY I SUGGESTED HE KEEP THE POWER ON IT ,I WAS CURIOUS WHY
YOUR PLANE WAS UNRECOVERABLE FROM 90 FEET I HAVE STALLED MINE MANY TIMES PLAYING WITH IT AND
CAN RECOVER QUICKLY