the contender is a classic.back in its heyday it it flew with a 60 but if you look at a modern day sixty now its much more powerful for the same displacement. you easily fly an os 55 ax and it would be good power.I am getting to be an old fart though and had bought one to use with my 52 fourstroke. but I am not even sure I will build it.I was going with a military scheme so that it looked like one from the vietnam era.plus I was going to change the nose to make it streamline and set the motor at 45 degrees.whichever way you decide its fun fun plane.

I'm thinking of doing the same thing, I liken the Contender to the old Flite Streak U control plane.I've been drawing on the plans a little,

1st. I want to extend the ailerons, by drawing a line from the flap to the aileron /wingtip, this will enlarge the ailerons a little and make the trailing edge straight rather than that funky bend between the flap and the ailerons.

2nd. I 'v drawn the rudder stright down on it's trailin edge to enlarge the rdder a little.

3rd. I'm thinkin of doing away with that chin scoop, since it's not functional. Mounting the engine sideways or like you said at a 45 deg angle, and smoothing the nose out to sculpted look, like that one pictured earlier, that has the engine mounted inverted.

Has anyone ever tried drooping the wingtips, opposite of the new upswept style?

I started building mine tonight!!

Can't wait to get into really "building" an airplane. It's been 16 years!!

I loved my Contender........flew it with an OS46FX and had power to spare!!!

It came to an untimely death when I was in the air and someone at the field turned their transmitter on. []
Luckily the engine and radio gear survived..........and I lit a nice fire with the rest.

Andy

I built a Contender in the mid 90s, I loved that airplane!!!! I did it in Navy colors using Dark Silver Monokote and Yellow on the front and put the OS .45 FSR engine inverted (no running problems) and went with the F-8 Crusader looking scoop (very functional). I remember as i was building it a friend of mine told me how great they fly except for one thing, it has terrible adverse yaw... I flat did not believe him. Well it had adverse yaw... crazy but other than that it flew so sweet!!!!! very forgiving and landed like a pattern ship on rails. I could really enjoy building another one for sure. I would put a pic but i need to spend some time scanning my old RC pics someday.[&:]

Daddo57..........now ya did it!!! I have 2 OS45FSR's and love them. They have a lot of punch. I have one in an original Midwest Sweet Stik and one in the drawer for a replacement. The one in the stick had set around for 20 years in a box (it was well used when I stored it). I put it back in the Stik, took it out to the field and with one flip it was running and running VERY well. You just can't beat those old OS FSR engines.

Cheers,
Andy

Mine has a Thunder Tiger 65 mounted horizontally. Enlarged the rudder quite a bit. Love it! It flies better than I can. Stole the covering scheme from a full-size F-86. Only problem is that the top and bottom look the same. Gotta pay attention.

My Contender has beem put on hold until I find a proper building surface.

And you????

And.... I bougt a GP U Can DO 3D 60.... I keep notig how much this plane looks like a Cntender, like on Steriods or something...

The Contender was the first low wing plane I flew!!! This was back in the mid 70's!!! I covered mine with the silver and black scheme that was on the box back then. I had a K&B .40 for power. It was a great flying plane!!! Those were the "good-ole-days"

I just got the building bug again after a bit of a break. I started my Contender a couple years ago, but never got past the tail. Things are slowing down again, and I got out the kit to finally start building again. Man, did I forget how much I like building!

I do have a question about the inverted engine. I'd never even thought of doing that. This may be a stupid question, but is there any trick to inverting it? Would I just need to modify the cowl? I think it looks SO much better inverted!

Thanks! Looking forward to finishing this and getting back to the field this spring!!!

I don't know, right now, but I've just completed a Gt.Pl. U-Can-Do 3D, that I have an inveted Saito 1.00, and I can tell you in week or so.

I''m convinced Great Planes took the Contender, airfoil, & wing shape from Top Flite's Contender when dsignin the UCD 3D. The 60 sized one I have looks exactly like it, only bigger!