What is the best 40% Extra 330?

I just flew a friend's new Carden Extra 330 and I must say I'm very impressed. It had that 'locked in' comfortable feeling from the very beginning. Whether it's the 'best' or not will vary from one opinion to another, but it's a very good option.

-Doug Cronkhite

That is the one I was looking at, as it has a lower price than the Fiber Classics

Re: Carden v. FiberClassics

You mention that you are looking at the Carden because it is less expensive- not necessarily so. In case you are not aware, the Carden is a kit and the FiberClassics/Composite-arf Extra is an ARF. To get a Carden 40% Extra in the stage of completion of a FC/CA ARF, you would have to make an additional investment of time or money- if you didn't want to or couldn't do it yourself, the Carden would most likely cost you more than the FC.

Having said that, one is not necessarily better than the other. I have the Composite ARF 40% and flew a friends 40% Carden Extra this past weekend. I would be happy to own/fly either one. Both fly great. The Carden was a bit heavier- around 40 lbs (with pipes) and the Composite ARF is around 37lbs (with pipes). Let's assume that they both fly great and that's not part of your decision.

The Carden has to be built, painted and covered and is a bit heavier. The Classics/CA ARF is painted and ready to install gear and engine + some additional items (overall, much less work to get ready to fly).

The Carden is made of wood and foam and could, theoretically, be rebuilt, depending on the damage. The Composite planes are difficult to impossible to repair (for me, anyway) and requires that you buy replacement parts.

You cannot go wrong either way- however, these two options give you very different products (with regard to stage of completion and potential repair).

Dave

You're missing the best one, Troy Built 42% Extra 260.

What does an Extra 260 have to do with the original question? He asked about the Extra 330.

-Doug

Hello,

Don't forget an Aerotech Kit. $799.00. All laser cut kit very complete and finished weight of 39lbs with cans. Check it out.

Thanks

John

www.aerotech-rcmodels.com

thanks for the information. How much does a Fiber classics usually cost?

Here is a link to them.
http://www.composite-arf.com/ar/Catalog
Composite-arf is the same plane as Fiberclassics marketed under a different name. Craig

Im partial to the Godfrey 330/300L
2-4 % mixing R-E
1-3 % mixing on R-A
40 % is coming soon at the Tucson Aerobatic Shootout
38.5 lbs with carbon fibre exhaust system and smoke
Straight lines and can't argue with the results.
Mark Leseberg Jr.

they look awesome!

Yeah Mark - It's the plane!



Nice meeting you at the Nats -

Keith Sessions

where you get the carbon fibre exhaust system. do you know if they have them for 3ws

Dalton Aviation has the Carbon exhaust.

Mark, the planes look great. I have been flying a Godfrey 300L for the past year in the NW. Picked it up a few years back as a project. Have made some significant mods to the original. Besides some of the mixing, what mods if any have you made to the plane? Thanks,

Howard Morin

I have made a lot of modifications to the aircraft in the past in conjunction with QuiQue back in 98 when he last flew the Godfrey. The latest modification was a foam cored wing with huge ailerons at a small taper. I have tried the wing at all possible locations as well as the stab at all possible locations. I have done away with the counterbalances on the elevators and enlarged the rudder counterbalances. I have made the rudder bigger (thicker at the back) A more Cap 232 look. I have sharpened the leading edges on all surfaces for snaps at the tips. We have done a new ducting system inside the cowl. I have always liked the low - riding aircraft. I have had five of these aircraft to experiment with now and there is not a single Extra that has been modified more! I think that I have found the ship. We currently only have the 37%, but the 40% will be here in October.
Hope this helps!
If anyone has a question on the aircraft, please email or call me. My number and email can be found at my site. www.marklesebergjr.com
Thanks, Mark

Yeah.. now if you would just come up with a color scheme that didn't look like yesterday's lunch come back up

Thanks Mark, I got mine in 99 when I was living in FL. What wing/stab placement did you end up with? The stock stab location seems pretty high to me.

Howard

Unlike some others I feel that an Extra 260 is close enough to a 300/330 to be considered also. The Troy Built von Extra 260 is a great plane! I know two of them and think a third were flown in the last TOC.

It was also good enough that Mark Leesburg won the 2003 JR Challege with one that he borrowed the day of the contest.

how well does the 260 fly 3D?

I do not do 3D so have no experience with that. Take a look at www.troybuiltmodels.com for more info.

what specifically do you like about the 260 that makes it so good

does it snap well, coming out online,
does it not have much elevator or aileron coupling to rudder, does it hold vertical lines(up and down)?

The TBM 260 flies precision like an Extra and 3D's like an edge. The strong point for precision is the way it snaps. It's a light plane with light wings, so it starts and stops snaps very quickly and will snap in a slow and controllable manner. The mixes are in the 3-4% range. For 3D it's very stable and predictable. It never does anything unexpected. You can horse it around on elevator and it will not snap out on you. I think that for precision most of the mentioned plane are pretty close and it's what you get use to that makes the difference. I do like the way it 3D's better than any other Extra I've flown, it's as good as an edge.

Tracy Hill

I had the pleasure of watching Mike Caglia practice at our field last summer with his TBM 260, and I must say the 3D was phenomenal. Of course a lot of it was the pilot, but the plane could do it all. He was doing stuff that browned my shorts, and I wasn't anywhere near the transmitter.

Were can I get a Gofrey E300L?

What size is it and what engine does it take?