So... if you were buying a plane today, what would you buy?

An Extremeflight 87" YAK w/ DA-50 and KS pipe = great precision, 3d, and MAD POWER

or

A Wildhare 35% Extra w/ DA-100 = BIG BIG BIG but not quite the power or 3D capabilities.

Any voters???

I like the 35% airplane. I don't understand why you wouldn't think that a DA 100 wouldn't do just about anything you'd want with this plane. The right engine prop combo, and I think you would be pleasantly surprised. If you'tre really gutsy and feel that the new battery technology is as great as they say, put one Li-Po in it for power (reciever) to keep the weight down, and one for the ignition. Just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

Go for the extra, like Dan said this airplane and engine combo is perfect for 3D it will do everythingI had one with the same combo loved it till a friend made me an offer I couldnt refuse.

I third the 35% Extra. The DA-100 will yank it around no problem. I know the Yak is supposed to be awesome but this remains to be seen.

Well... despite your input, I think I'm going to try the YAK. I haven't even competed yet and I think I want to get myself through at least one season of competition before I invest in a larger airplane (money is a concern since we are trying to have a kid). Plus, I REALLY like the Yak design... it spins flatter than any others out there, knife edges better, and I love the way it looks in rolling harriers. Maybe by next year EF will have their 100cc version out (that should come with carbon tubes, double truss horns, etc etc... PLUS, I already have a brand new DA-50, a KS pipe, a Fromeco power system, and 5 8611's sitting here.

Geez....why ask?......

I have a boss at work who pulls the same stunt.
Asks for everyone's opinion and pretends he listens, but the decision was made before he ate lunch 3 weeks ago.

Well for one thing your question is invalid...there IS NO Extreem Yak 87 availible for you to buy.
Ergo, it leaves you only one choice....as others have recomended...but you already made up your mind to buy the plane that isn't even sold yet.

Why don't you wait a few months and see what may be out.. flying season is about over and you can get a plane at the first of the year and have it finished in no time at all.. I did see the EF yak fly at Joe Nall and it looks really nice. Quique is going to have a 85" yak out here in a few months . so I would wait to see what happens. dewey

Sillyness is a perfect name for you. It spins better? Knife edges better? How do you know? THE FRIGGEN THING ISN"T EVEN AVAILABLE YET! But you are right there with many other IMAC Basic pilots who want a big plane to fly BASIC. There are plenty of less expensive planes without pipes that would work excellent for Basic. I have a friend who just got schooled at an IMAC meet with his brand new CA3.2, who ever beat him must have loved that.

Im going Yak with the DA-50 when it gets here because it is lighter (i know it is by actual weight, but if you enlarged it to the same size as extra, still lighter) has more wing area, so it seems like it would 3D a little better, so you could have more fun when you aren't competing. Plus, look at that awesome scheme and them damn nice looks.

I will either use the KS canister, or the standard DA50 muffler

Hope you make the right choice,
Scott

I would definately recommend the Extra/DA100 combo. Wingloading calculations are good when analyzing planes of similar size but when you compare a wingloading of a 50cc class plane to a 100cc plane, equal wingloading doesn't mean the same. There's an aerodynamic term for it but I can't recall it at this time but in a nutshell, the larger the plane, the larger the wingloading can go (oz/sq inch) and the plane will still fly very light. A good example of this is a foamy that falls in at about 5-6.5 oz loading and a 40% plane that will fly EXTREMELY light at 30-33oz.

So to recap, if you can swing the $$ sillyness, then go bigger if not the Yak will be a terrific plane for you.

..........Mark

I think the term you are looking for is Reynolds number and you are right, bigger flies better. He did say in his second post that money is an issue but than again he said that he made up his mind to get an EF Yak because of the flight characteristics yet except for the prototype the plane does not exist so how does he know?

I think this is just another thread comparing IMAC planes and we are advising someone who doesn't have any experiance. Based on that I still stand by my recommendations in the other thread similar to this one.

That's it..........Thanks........

Well... if anyone cares, I've ordered my plane. I went with neither of the above... I got a Hanger 9 Edge 540 with a ZDZ-80 after I heard some flight reports and saw they were coming out in the 21 pound range. Less money than the Extra and a lot more plane than the Yak (and a lot sooner). The Extra with the DA-100 was about $600 too much engine for my wallet and peace of mind... I wasn't thining straight with the original post. Thanks for your "comments".

Oh, and I do have experience... I understand Reynolds numbers and interia and wing-loading... they're pretty crucial to my career. Unfortunately Uncle Sam and my wife don't provide the monetary backing to have "experienced" hundreds of different GS planes. Sorry if I remind you of your boss.

(So much for my mind already being made up)

Edges tend to be good planes for learning IMAC and Hangar 9 is a proven manufacturer, good choice.

Great choice! I have a H9 Cap with a ZDZ80 on a KS canister. Great combo in my opinion and the H9 Edge should come out even lighter.

The reference to the Reynolds numbers was in response to Scott's post not yours. Either way I better see Scott out here at some Imac contests next year (flying ...not observing this time)

Best of luck to both of you with your winter GS projects and welcome to the wonderful world of presicion aerobatics.

...........Mark

Wildhare is coming out with a 97" Extra 300 that is designed around 75-80cc engines but will hold 100-110cc engines. Check out the Wildhare forum under "doubledge bipe" and "Wildhare Extra 330LX". If you read the threads, you can find more details and a few pics of the prototype.....

Scott,

What, you again? You definitely give great advice on things you don't have experience with. Give it a rest.

??? Not sure what you mean. What did he do?

Edge,

I have nothing personal against Scott. I think he is a good kid and a good flyer. It's just at this stage of the game he would be alot better off listening alot more and giving less advice. He has a very limited real world experience in RC, and is all over the RC forum dispensing advice about planes that he has no real experience with. Ask him how many of the giant scale planes he is talking about in these forums does he actually own, or even have any first-hand experience with. I just feel that anyone giving advice on such a widely read forum should be speaking from experience, not a compilation of what he has read or heard other people talk about. He is certainly not the only one. There are a couple others that I know about on this site that do exactly the same, and no telling how many others I don't know about. I have been flying for about twenty-five years, but there are alot of areas of the hobby I don't have any experiece with, but when I post to these forums it is about facets of the hobby that I have experience with, and when I am giving my opinion about something here, I make sure that people know it is my opinion, not an undisputed fact. But I feel that I get much more out of the forums by reading, listening and learning than I do by trying to teach what I don't know.

Where's Shortman? I bet he has an opinion on that. Oh yes, over in the Comp Arf forum giving advice.

It sure looks like most of the purchasing decisions are strongly influenced by:
1. Color or color scheme.
2. What is a hopefully impressive decision
3. Which "hero of the hour" , is flying one.

This all makes sense as these factors are used in determining the advertising for the products.

Developing your skills based on purchasing a plane acquired by following the above influences - makes little sense to me.

Tho it ain't impressive - what really matters for developing good flying skills is a far less expensive approach:
buy the most power to weight setup with the lowest wing loading - -even if you have to ( choke) actually do some building/ rebuilding work on it.
Size does not really matter all that much at his point.

Boy Dick did you hit the nail on the head.I have been flying RC for about 10 years.A few of those years on Giant scale,i.e. 40% aerobatic type.But in the last year my eye to hand,overall control skills have improved big time because of small fomie electrics.And the reason is simply that I fly them more.No matter what you fly getting out and doing it will make one a better pilot.

Yeah... I love to fly the smaller stuff too... I of course have a shock-flier, and I also have a WH Extra Special I love to fly the sequences with. In fact, I will probably do some contests with the extra... it flies very well, and will be a little better if I can get myself to stop having fun and complete the flight trimming.

I picked the Edge because I was ready to move up one more step and I want a SOLID GS 3D performer; I'm very happy with my decision. I looked at the 97" Extra Special, but I think the Edge will come out lighter based on the construction techniques. The lighter weight will give me the most ooomph out of the ZDZ-80. The Edge will also be available sooner. Plus... I've always wanted an Edge!!!

You will have a great time with the Edge.As you can see my nickname is edgeman as I have aeroworks 40% and 31% Edge's.Both fly great and make me look good doing Imac work.I am waiting on the Extreme 87" Yak as I flew my buddies 68" and it was awsome.It will be my 3D big plane.So enjoy the Edge.