Well it’s ready to fly. Weight came in at 3 pounds 14 ounces with standard size servos and a 700 flat pack. I’m hoping the bush .40 will get it up to 80-90 mph with the 9-6 prop….maybe downwind. Center of gravity ended up perfect with 2 oz. tail weight…. Overall it’s kinda sporty with a pattern twist to it but the covering is not my best scheme. I covered most of the plane with scraps and let what I had for scrap dictate the direction I went with it. I’m not going to do that again. The more I look at it the less I hate it….I think?……I had no use for a bushing 40 so overall I can live with it and maybe it will be fun to fly. I do know that if you try to build one of these kits, expect some unsavory issues to pop up during the build. It seems like formers are in strange places, instruction’s don’t cover basics like control throws, and it is not the best wood/ hardware to deal with. After building this I have much respect for the old timers that were building control line planes with ambroid glue and dope. They had to have been pure craftsmen…….
I’ll run a tank of fuel thru it, set and guess the final throws, and get its first couple flights on a 15 mph wind. I’m wanting to test the stall speed and shoot some landings.
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I didn't want to say anything when you started covering. I thought it was ugly too. :cool: But now that you're done, DAMM! It looks great! The decals really pop with the color scheme. It looks like a baby pattern plane.

I wish you would have, it's kinda fun to poke fun at it's ugliness. I liked the Partridge Family thing myself. I just set the radio up and it is ready to go.
I bet it looks great at 500 ft. away:) I hope it flies like a baby pattern plane, it kinda reminds me of my old Hammer 20.....

I like it....
Sure hope it flies good for you. I don't see why it wouldn't...

Wow, 9" prop on the 40... That brings back memories of my younger self...we use to run 9X7's on the old K&B 40's..

Now-a-days I run an 11X6 on my Super Tigre 40. Less RPM and certainly less speed, but definitely more thrust. Slow & Low..:cool:

I’m shooting for 90 mph but if a pipe is needed I can add that later. Bushing 40s are pretty anemic but so easy to tune and very trouble free. Here is another bushing 40 plane that does about 75 with a 7 ft wing. This Olympic Challenger should be a wee bit faster than it is. A 9-6 will be a good starting place. I appreciate you following the build and sharing, table is clean and pondering what’s up next. I have a very cool pile of rare and unseen planes to build.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...ce59741cf.jpeg
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Your Olympic Challenger looks great. I like your color scheme. It's all charged up and ready to go. Have a great maiden fly day. I might dig mine out sometime this week along with a Sterling SL-62 and maybe a Buzzard Bombshell just for some fun thermal flying.

Thanks Ron, Appreciate you adding to the thread and helping me remember the Stafford plane. I may try to fire it up today if it ever warms up.

What a little Ripper! This thing is gonna be a blast I can already tell. First tank of fuel in the books and after a few adjustments I have a steady 12,000 rpm’s on the ground. It also is showing me who’s boss as I laid open my index finger setting the low end screw. Yep the end of the little prop cut the living $h&t out of my finger. I was able to super glue it shut but I probably should have ran in and got a few stitches, the little Fu#%er got me good. How cool this thing is, I'm starting to really like it!
I'm thinking this may be a fun one to beat up.........................maybe tomorrow.
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Thats a great name for a plane like that. "Little Fu#%er" ;) Can't wait for a flight report. And take care of that finger. I just hate it when I get even a paper cut.

Little f#€ker got me good. Hopefully try first flights today.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...faabfb10f.jpeg
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That sure "BITES" (pun intended) that the prop got you...

Looking forward to hearing the flight report. Hopefully there will be someone around to help get some in the air pictures or maybe a short video...
I expect that plane is going to look good in the air.

Here is todays line up. 3 out of the 4 have not been flown yet. What could go wrong?
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Finally flew it!!
 

Nobody’s here to take pics but trust me it is really fun to fly. The scary aileron thing is false, this thing corners extremely well and really has some good manners. I took this video but it won’t let me upload it. I’m really shocked at how friendly in the air it is. I have a ton of aileron in it and it corners very well. I am very pleased with it and yes it shows up great in the air. Hopefully next time I go out there will be someone there to take in flight pics.
This plane is my surprise for the year, expected a jerky, tip stalling, hard to control mini plane. What I got is similar to an Ultra Sport or Kaos in flight with smooth predictable landings.....very unexpected..................

I just secured a photo guy tomorrow morning so I will post flying pics as we take them.

I’ve been following this thread since the beginning. What a pleasure watching somebody build one of the old kits and enjoying the build and flying. Back in the day, I built a number of the Sterling kits. I had never heard of that one before. Sterling kits had a bad reputation, but frankly of the ones I built they were quite enjoyable to build and fly. Certainly they could have been improved some but they were priced well and buildable. They were great for my income level at the time. I love the bright colors. I look forward to your next build.

Oh yes, how did the other planes perform? Several maidens in one day is quite a task for anyone.

Quite a task indeed, I was pretty wiped out when I was done.
The big plane (Scorpio Soft Fly) had been flown before so I knew it was set up well. It flew very nice.

The red plane ( Fliteline EZ Sport) is pretty aggressive with a TT pro 46..Ailerons were pretty touchy and it flies alot like it's brother the Scat Cat. Fun plane but had to fly at half throttle most of the time. Full throttle gets it cookin pretty fast, looks good in the air as well.

The Balsanova 40 has a Super Tigre ABC 61 so it was pretty fast also, super super touchy on ailerons and elevator, this plane was my biggest pain yesterday, could not get it to slow down to land. It was a handful flying and it feels like cg may be off as elevator is so touchy. I can't find proper cg for that plane anywhere online. I hit the ground at probably 40 mph to land it..........

Olympic Challenger flew the best out of all the unmaidened planes. I'm looking forward to just taking it out today and getting it dialed in a little better and get some pictures. It really does look good in the air..... I think I can squeak a few more rpms out of the engine once it is broken in after a few more tanks in the air.

Thanks for checking out my build thread, the plane is much better than I would have expected. I see your from Des Moines, chances are good you have seen some of my stuff hanging at Hobby Haven over the years. I bought the Balsanova from that shop last winter.....If you know Dan Hanson that's who got me started long time ago.

I have to say, that crop duster in the back ground also has my attention and my vote for a fun to fly airplane!

You do have yourself a collection of classics. I like that BalsaNova also. I would have liked to had one of them… I don’t remember the Flightline EZ Sport but I did have a couple Scooter IIs and a Scat Cat back in the 80’s. As I recall, those kits were less than $30 back then. I modified both a little adding on turtle deck and cockpit area along with a cowl for the Scooter II. I had a OS 45 FSR and a pipe on the Scat Cat in the end. It would get down the road!

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...987c2ae681.jpg

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Rick those are awesome and yes they scoot with the right power attached. It’s cool you have pics saved.
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Ez sport
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Ez sport
The EZ Sport it the top wing scat cat, same exact wing, box, hardware etc. just in a top wing version. It was on the table right before the Olympic Challenger.
I like building the stuff no-one has built or has ever seen before......

Hi Dave -
Nice Build thread and nice plane.

Mike in Luther, Iowa

Ok here is a few flying pics, real hard to get it with a phone
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...050188f17.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...2dc4b6c22.jpeg
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https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...c2cb5df71.jpeg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...b96c282b2.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...9edb08758.jpeg

Here’s one for rickstubbz!
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...398f3a77b.jpeg

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...b65a7e5d11.jpg

Yep, like the crop duster for sure.....
AND---The Olympic Challenger does look good in the air..

Here are a few more, very hard to get good pics with a phone. It flies really good and I like it already.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...9274c93e9.jpeg
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https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...ec2db6b2f.jpeg
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Here are a few more…….

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...6f46a397f.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...1f4baeb2c.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...dcca15993.jpeg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...6d676a7ba.jpeg
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OK got an update on this old girl.

After break in on the bushing 40 engine, the damn thing just would not run very well and I could not figure out why. So me being me I got sick of messing with it, yanked it off and mounted a TT pro 46 on the plane, should have done this at the start.
I took it to the field yesterday, and holy crap it is awake now.
This thing is running a macs muffler, 9-9 prop and screaming....I'll try and get a video up, it's a blast.
We had club meeting last night and there was a bunch of guys coming up to me asking "what the Hell is that thing again?"
It's the fastest thing with a prop I've seen here..............lol, it is finally where I wanted it.................

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...4e636a02b.jpeg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...dc8860bcc.jpeg

A 9 X 9 on a 45.... I bet it was screaming! :)