Today I finished my Battle Axe Open B combat ship and actually got in a test flightdespite the weather here. http://www.treneffrc.com/default.asp
First I want to say that this is a wonderful kit. Extremely complete and perfectly engineered. This design seems to address the major issues confronting open B design. The fuselage is very strong and it basically bolts together. This allows easy replacement of any damaged component. The wing is a little shorter than what many fly (60" instead of 64" or 68" ) but the plane flies very well. You have to find a balance between speed, manueverability and long wing. This design so far gives me the impression that it has found it.
The thing I like the most about it is how perfectly machined all of the components are. This saves a great deal of time and makes it very easy to build a straight solid aircraft in a very short time.
This design looks to be what I have been looking for for a long time and will allow me to begin competing in Open B again.

Glad to have another Coloradoan back in the hunt! I too have taken a couple years off but in the process of getting the hangar full again. Don't worry about flying a 60" bird compared to a 64-68" model. It's not gunna be a handicap. Get the engines/radios dialed in for dependability and get ready to rumble!

That's great to hear. I have my Open B kit ready to fly but the temperature is -1 in Chicago today and I don't imagine I'll make it to the field until April at the earliest. We are trying to get combat off the ground at the local club but beleive it or not, I'm having trouble recruiting more than 3 fliers..

Sachin

Hey Skul.....venture your way up here to Muskegon..I'll put together about 5 more Combat pilots.we can have a ball!!!

Thanks for the invite but that's quite a drive .. Come visit us here in Chicago too! The Battle Axe B is done, also known as "The Stalker."

Skukreja, Interesting to see how you did your wing dowels. I have found that any hole drilled in your fuse can come back to haunt you. I am new to the Battle axe but in my own design combat ships any place I drilled a hole became a weak spot.

oh yeah, I failed to mention that as a "mod." I used a very small screw with a big head, and then covered the exposed threads with some fuel tubing. I aluminum is extremely strong and I couldn't break it if I tried (and I did to a certain degree). If it takes a big enough hit to break the rails then either the wings would be trashed and the plane totalled, or new rails are something like $10-15. It's a cleaner design IMO than the dowel.

thanks for noticing,

sachin

Might as well pick up those rails now. If you do much combat that big hit is coming your way.