I am about to start building a Zen 30 with a fox 25 engine. I am looking for ways to save weight without having to invest into micro servos, carbon fiber etc. So far all I have is an M5 micro receiver and 1 mini servo for throttle. The rest of the equiptment would be standard. This model comes with built in retracts and I was thinking that I could lock the retracts in the down position which would eliminate the need for 1 servo. My question is this. On a 30 size plane would eliminating 1 servo make any kind of noticeable difference?

The additional drag will probably have more adverse effects on performance than 1.5 ounces for a servo. If you would rather save weight with the gear, then remove the retracts, cover the holes, and install a nice CF fixed gear on the fuselage. You may gain a three ounce savings doing that unless the fuselage need major rework for fixed gear mounting.

Me, I'd leave it stock and have a ball.

Mark

Thanks. I guess you're right. Fly first, modify if necessary.