I have been away from pattern and RC flying since about 1989 and have decided to get back into the hobby. If I still have the skills, I'd like to get back into pattern. I have a collection of .60 size pattern ships, some still new in the box, a collection of never run O.S. and YS engines as well as Futaba radios. I'm sure I would have to start in Sportsman to begin the learning process as much has changed since the late 80's. I thoroughly enjoyed pattern and the never ending quest for that perfect flight but the one thing I did not enjoy was the clean up of glow fuel exhaust before calling it a day. So that brings me to my first question. Is electric the way to go? It seems that current pattern ships have unlimited vertical performance with either gas or electric. Is one advantageous over the other? The next question is size. I think the way to go is 2 meter instead of .60 sized planes because big planes fly better. I have a couple of 1.20 size Saphirs, a RC City Vortex, and a Hanson Elan. I know that these planes aren't the latest fashion but I'm a long way from F3A so lack of a tall fuse is not an issue. Besides, I think these older planes just look COOL! My thought process is that I can sell my NIB engines and .60 size airplanes to finance new electric power plants/batteries/controllers unless I would participate in SPA which is something I probably need to look into. But the real question and reason for my post is this. I have always been a fan of the Hanson Elite which I believe was the predecessor to the Elan. I learned yesterday that Aero Composites Inc kits the Elite. Can anyone advise on the quality of the Aero Composites Inc kits? The quality of my Elan from Dick Hanson which is still in the box is superb and I'm hoping that the quality from Aero Composites will be the same. Any and all comments, advice, insights and discussion is appreciated because nobody is smarter than all of us! Thanks in advance!

Hi Jim,
First, the Elite. Very nice flying airplane, I built one back in the ‘90s. I can’t speak to Aerocomposites quality, but the previous kit producer (Ballistic Aircraft) made very high quality gel-coated fuselages with CNC cut foam parts; so I would assume the same would be true for Aerocomposites, who bought all the molds and templates from Ballistic Aircraft. All the Hanson kits are from the original Dick Hanson molds, in fact most of the Aerocomposite molds are originals.
Second, check the SPA website, but I believe the design has to be from before 12/31/75 to qualify for SPA competition. Classic pattern rules are much more liberal. None of the models you mentioned would qualify for SPA competition, but Classic Pattern might allow them. Southern California has a lot of Classic Pattern events.
Lastly, current pattern is mostly, but not exclusively, electric powered. There are far more airplane and power plant choices for e-power than glow power (which is pretty much restricted to YS 4-strokes now). Check out the F3A Unlimited website for shopping and call the owner, Mike Mueller, for assistance. Go to a pattern contest and talk to the competitors who can give you lots of suggestions and possibly help you find a good used airframe to get started.
If you decide to sell your older kits and engines, shoot me an email, I’m always interested ([email protected]).
regards,
Will

I was able to e-mail Aero Composites and got a reply. I also found some good internet reviews on them. Unfortunately, they only have a couple models that are in the production phase with no time frame for starting production on the Elite or Elan. I absolutely agree with you about the flying qualities of the Elan. I was flying an Escape and a Curare in California when a fellow club member asked me to test fly and trim out his used Elan with 1.20AC power that he acquired. At the time, I had never flown a 1.20 size pattern ship. The plane was amazingly smooth and uplines were an order of magnitude above my OS RE powered ships. I did not want to give up the transmitter! The oohs and ahs from the peanut gallery did not help either even though I knew my flying skills had nothing to do with it but that Elan made me look good! Later the next week, I ordered 2 YS 1.20 AC engines and had my Hanson Elan before the end of the month. Sadly, the Elan and one of the engines are still in the boxes as shipped. I'll dig out my engines and see what I have and get back to you but it may be a couple weeks. (We are doing some remodeling and am completely unorganized until the contractors are finished.) I have no idea what market value is on any of them. Keep in touch, Jim Kiefer

Hi Jim,
I’m in no rush. Good luck with the remodeling, we moved out to the country in December of 2019. I spent 4 months doing the move and 6 months rehabbing the old house. I am finally getting my workshop set up, but there is still a lot of ‘stuff’ filling up our 3 car garage :-)
Valuing stuff is a bit hit or miss. The interest in ‘classic pattern’ has pushed up the value of 60 sized kits and engines. MK kits especially and OS Hanno Specials. An MK Aurora kit could easily bring $750 or more and NIB Hanno Specials are selling for at least $500. EBay is certainly one way to establish value, but if the opening price is low and there is little demand you might end up selling for less than you’d like. I think a NIB YS 120AC is worth at least $350 and there are still quite a few YS aficionados out there. Kits are more problematic to value since shipping costs have skyrocketed. You might be able to get $200 to $275 for the Elan. If you can ship it USPS (length plus girth can’t exceed 107”, if memory serves), shipping cost may be in the $60-$75 range. A larger box will have you shipping with one of the private services (UPS, Fed-Ex, DHL, etc) and cost $100 or more.
Just some food for thought.
regards,
Will