Have been giving this kit some consideration of late. nice price for an 80" wingspan kit.
my question is that would it be possible to fit a small gasoline motor to this baby? I had a 57" decathlon a few years ago and the cowl space was roomy even with the maximum recommended 65. the thought of paying 1 / 10th the price a litre for fuel really has me going.

I used a Saito 91 in mine and it had more than enough power - don't know of any gas burners that small. You will find the kit builds very fast - only changes would be to mount the servos in the wing the correct way - not the way they recommend. Also replace the bottom stringers with pine or basswood as the balsa cracks too easily when you pick the model up!

Jerry

If you want to built a gas powered Decathalon then you may want to look into the Dynaflite Decathalon. It has an 89" wing, is recommeded for a 25cc gas (the G26 would be great in it) and is available for $140 which is less than the Midwest. I've built the Midwest and way overpowered it with a FS 1.20 and a G-23or26 would never have fit under the cowl.

From what I've read about the Dynaflite, it's a pretty good kit to built too.

Shoom,
Got an OS .91 with an APC 15/6 in mine and it flies excellent with this motor. As suggested, mount the aileron servo's in differently than in the plans. I stripped out the servo mounts out of a crashed GP Cap 232 a buddy let me have and built them right into the wing no problem! Nice kit and it flies great! One of my favorite planes, it's mild or wild!
Mike T.

Just curious what is the difference between the "corrrect way" and "the way they recommend" in mounting the wing servos???

I have one of these sitting in a box waiting to build...too many other projects going right now...

They have you lay the servo on its side and mounted inside the wing. There is no way to service that servo shy of cutting up the bottom section of the wing.

If you mount the servo on plywood tray and use the other side of the tray to be flush with the wing, you can secure both the servo to the ply and that to the wing with four screws.

Bear,
In the instructions they tell you to mount the servos on their side with the bottom of the servo on the face of the rib. This way all that is sticking out is the servo arm, they actually tell you to cut the covering to let the servo arm hang out, kinda cheesy. No way to get at the servos once the wing is covered and I don't like the idea of cutting a slot in the covering to let the servo arm hang out. You mount the aileron servos into the wing then cover it and then cut the slot in the covering to let the arm hang out. Better off to build a box to mount the servos in and install them in the wing upside down, this would be a stronger more secure setup than the method in the instruction manual and allow access to the servos without having to cut the wing open to get at them. Other than this minor flaw it is an excellent kit to build, nice wood and instructions and it is an excellent flying plane. Might wanna also go for a aftermarket fiberglass cowl and wheel pants to replace the plastic ones that come with the kit.
Mike T.

Tailskid & Mike-

Thank you for your reply...I now understand what you talking about. Iv'e seem similar servo mounting covers in other models.
Thank you for your help!!!

Tim

I have one of these, too. Mine's about 50% done, waiting its turn on the building table to be finished.

I agree with the comments on mounting the aileron servos. Definitely don't follow the directions on that! I am planning to run a Saito .91, too, but I'm gonna put a smoke system in it! Heck yeah!!!

-N925WB

_N925WB,
You will love the way this plane flies so take your time and do a good job building so that you can enjoy it for a long time. I actually got mine to do a knife edge loop, wasn't pretty but it did come all the way around! I love to shoot touch and goes with this plane, it sets in for landings real nice just like the full scale does, very slow and stable. Of all the models I've flown I would say that this Citabria performs/flies almost identical to the full scale plane better than any other models I've flown. You should really enjoy yourself with this one!
Mike T.

I loved the 'whistle' it had - I think it came from the wing struts.

Jerry

Tailskid,
When I come out of a dive and throtle back I notice that sound too, neat! I also hear the sound of the breaking effect of the prop chopping the air up, very noticeable and gets everyone's attention quickly!
Mike