I know this is not exactly cut and dried but I would like some thoughts.

I have flown an F-16, 18 and Rafale so far and to me, Ive had the toughest time with the 16.

What do you guys feel is the most difficult (or considerably difficult) model to operate and why?

Thanks, Pete

of the three you mentioned, I would say the 18

Anything that is overweight and underpowered.

Also small differences in airfoil selection and washout have a HUGE effect on the sort of [semi] scale models we fly esp. at high G loads.

Pete,

The 16 should probably be the easiest. Are you sure about CG, throws, etc? It is a different animal, but totally tame. Remind me which one you have again? There's probably just something missing you haven't found yet.

Yes sir that's what I thought, but I did struggle with my approach flying the 16 several times. The 18, while I feel that it needs to be flown fast, seems to land itself once you establish a good attitude.

How about say, F4's or F104's? They "look" pretty tough..

I also think my first post was a bit unclear, I meant the difficulty level of all current jet models available.

The sixteen is easier to fly than the bug, however it seems to be setup sensitive (at least in 1/8 scale) . Mine went from very easy to fly to unconfortable and vice versa with very few changes.


Enrique

I've heard several times from different sources that the Avonds F-104, albeight difficult to see, is a sissycat.
Also heard that the BVM and SM F-4 will bite you in the ass if you try to slow them too much, otherwise great fliers too.

But overall I have heard over and over again that the best flying scale model is the BVM F-100 (heard it handles like a Bandit).

Not even close. Just look at the F-18. The YA F-18 twin kit @ 35# dry with a single turbine has absolutely no bad habbits and is as easy to fly and land as a Facet 2300. Take the same F-18 @ 50 to 55# dry and it is still a nice flying model, but not the same animal as the 35 pounder.
Now throw in all the different sizes of other manufacturers F-18s. Differences in airfoil used, wing loading and even thrust angles can make one brand of F-18 fly better than another.

Personal likes, dislikes and abilities also effect how a particular airframe is perceived to fly. Some guys really prefer flying heavily wing loaded jets. Some like only lightly loaded jets. Most jet guys that fly Eurosports love them. I never really liked mine and traded it for a YA F-18 which I loved.

I guess what I'm trying to say, Pete, is that your F-16 may be harder for you to fly than your F-18. And if you let a group of jet guys fly both of them, some would agree with you. But some would say the F-16 is easier to fly. And both groups would be right.

Pete, I'm sure you won't mind me asking, but Gary, How come you didn't like your Euro???

No prob at all..

I'm curious to know as well.

How bout that mirage? I don't think I've ever seen that jet rotate smoothly..

Interesting, what you said about the YA 18. I wouldn't have ever thought...

well I had a very hard time with my yellow F16 until I moved the CG up. It seems to be very CG sensitive if it gets behind the CG even a little. I have no clue if that relates to yours.

Simply stated....because I was spoiled by the Facet 2300. The Euro flew fine and worked well off of the grass runway I flew from. But because I had been flying the Facet a lot more, I was used to being able to drop the flaps and then having to bring the throttle up to keep it in the air. It's easier to land than an ugly stick (and some would say it's uglier)

The Euro has no flaps and you must use aerodynamic braking to slow it down and land. For some reason (I'm sure it's mental on my part) I had a lot of difficulty doing this consistently. I don't know why I had so much trouble landing it, because I had flown many DFs in the past that had to be landed similarly (Byron F-16, Regal Eagle, George Miller T-38, to name a few). I had lots of beautiful landings with the Euro, but could not do it on a regular basis.

The YA F-18 has very effective flaps and once dropped I had to carry about half throttle. So landing it was just a matter of getting her lined up, then start easing back on the throttle, settle in on the mains, drop the throttle and let the nose drop.........just like the Facet. I lost the F-18 due to structural failure a few months ago (it was a 20 year old airframe that had been abused by me and others before me). I sure do miss it!!