So I bought this plane kit about 12 to 14yrs ago and never completed it. It's made by Phillips Crafts or something like that. It's a 60 size plug-in wing, stab and set-up for a rear exhaust engine. I'm missing the canopy but that's no big deal. Any of you gents ever fly one? Any insight would be great. I'll attempt to post some pics of the kit later tonight.

Hi Joel,
You have a Phillips Aircraft kit. The Obsession was designed by Mike Harrison (I believe) and a very good flying airplane. As I recall it was a great looking airplane. Larry Phillips kitted a bunch of 60 sized pattern kits (the PA-1 which was a clone of the Aurora, The Mistress - designed by Dave Von Linsowe, the Conquest 4 - designed by Dave Patrick, the Maya - designed by Dean Pappas and the Obsession). This was from about 1985 to 1990 when 2-stroke .60s still ruled the pattern world. The Obsession was a pretty big airplane for a 60. I will have to look up the ads for Phillips Aircraft and get the specs. I'd love to see photos of the kit, if you get a chance.
I built 4 Mistresses from the Phillips' kits and they all flew great.
-Will

I'll post the pics tomorrow sir. The bird has plug-in wings and stab, but I think I'm going with a one piece stab and keep the plug-in wings. I'm also doing away with the retracts and going with carbon fixed gear. The plane has great lines. My only issue is finding a decent RE 61 engine for it. I might use the Super Tiger 75 with a wrap around header.

Hi Joel,
Fixed gear is the way to go, in my opinion; a lot less maintenance! NovaRossi engines have been getting some very positive reviews: http://www.klasskotemo.com/NovaRossi%20Engines.htm
You can also call Rich Verano at YS engines and ask about the YS 61 classic. The engines were sold out, but Rich was planning on building some more from the stock of spare parts. I have been running the K&B Aero 100 which is a rear exhaust engine. It has the same mounting bolt pattern as the OS 61s, but the case is a tiny bit wider. It is a real power house with a pipe and headers and pipes are available from Macs Products. I tried one last fall and put about 100 flights on it. I ended up running an APC 13.5 x 10 and it turned that prop with real authority (I don't use a tach any more, but I would estimate the rpm at over 10,000); the plane it was in was a tower hobbies Apollo 90 and it had unlimited vertical. Good luck with your build! Post some photos if you can.

Here it is buddy.





As you can see I haven't cutout the ailerons or the elevators. I also need to cut out the formers. Still some work to be done but not much.

Wow, your Obsession looks really good. Larry did nice work with foam sheeting which came with the deluxe versions of his kits. I bought one deluxe Mistress kit and was quite pleased with the workmanship. If memory serves, the deluxe versions of his kits cost $350 which would be a terrific deal today. What did you make the canopy from? What are the dimensions (length, span, area) of the Obsession?

Actually I sheeted all the surfaces. I even cut the wings and stab. When I got the kit the wings were warped and the stab was in very bad shape. So, I elected to start from scratch. I built a jig to drill the wing tube hole in the wings and stab. But I've been thinking lately that I might go with a one piece stab instead of a plug-in stab. If I'm not mistaken the ship goes 65 x 65. It looks really cool. I made the canopy from a foam block since it didn't come with a clear canopy but I'll make a plug and mold from the foam piece and pull a clear canopy. I'm looking at getting it in the air by this winter. My main concern is a decent RE 61 engine. I have a ST 75se but wanted to keep it as clean as possible. That NR61 looks good. Is it a longstroke? Thanks for your insight sir.

This is a Mike Harrison design. Mike is still around and a Team Futaba pilot or used to be... I believe when I saw him in the '90s his Obsession had a YS 61RE longstroke. His finishes were always extraordinary.

Apparently the previous owner did a lousy job sheeting the wings and stab. It was missing all the formers and clear canopy. But not to worry cuz it's an easy fix to cut out any missing pieces. I've had this ship for about 14yrs now and it's time to get going on it.

Hey Joel,
Really nice workmanship! How did you cut the wing and stab holes for the wing tube and stab tube?
Here's a listing on this Japanese auction site for a NIB YS 61AR. I have purchased a few things through this auction site and can recommend it.
http://www.jauce.com/auction/x450681782
-Will

I designed a jig (horizontal drill press) to bore the wing tube holes. I amazed myself at the end results. Hahaha. I used a fostner bit to produce a very clean and actuate hole. I'll try and find pics of the jig since it's been years(8 yrs I think) since I last worked on this ship. The wings and stab were sheeted with contest grade 1/16" balsa and glued down with Gorilla glue. The wing and stab skins are still in excellent condition since they've been stored in the foam chucks.

Why just not hot wire the hole for the wing tube? thats all i ever done. After seeing your posts i decided to dig mine out, it is set up with a Hanno and flew well i its day. I have taken the engine and electronics out to repaint the fuse. I have covered the canopy with glass and epoxy, perfect spot for a 2 cell Life battery.

Only reason I built the jig was to see if I could accomplish the project and produce an extremely accurate result......I accomplished my goal. Hehehehe.

I've never made the attempt to use this site to actually purchase something but considered it several times. Nice to see that it works for us over here, I might try again.

That's a little too steep for me. Lol