I recently picked up an Oxai Pinnacle, electric version. It really is a nicely constructed and finished plane. I had to pick up the shipping crate at the airport. If anyone thinks that a PT Cruiser is too small for stuff like this take a look at the first two pictures. Of course it was like driving next to a coffin. The box size is 80 x 20 x 16, and just barely allowed me to close tha hatch

Once inside just 5 screws and the crate was open!
The plane is held in place by styrofoam with appropriate cutouts, the upper portions needing to be cut for removal. All of the major componants are in protective bags. Not quite the quality of some of the commercially available bags like Wingtote, but they do the job. On the bottom of the box was a plastic bag taped in place with the fixed gear, wheel pants and a few assorted items. No instructions are included with the plane although Sam from Oxai-US sends some helpful hints seperately.

The components as they come out of the crate.
(I know I should have cleared the workbench but I couldn't wait. I was in the middle of reorganizing a few boxes of parts.)
The stabs come with 2 carbon fiber rods already glued into one half.
The fuse shows my son holding it up as I did not have a stand wide enough to support it.
The fixed gear and pants are also painted to match.

The fuse is of interesting construction. The rear portion is a formed balsa skin with a layer of light fiberglass inside and out. The front portion is a heavy carbon fiber without a balsa filler. The chin cowl is also carbon fiber. The canopy and the fuse are partitioned off so that air entering the front scoop does not pass into the back of the fuse.

The rudder servo tray is installed and made out of a nomex fiberglass composite.
The rudder push-pull exit holes are in place, as is a tube for your receiver antenna.
The wing is held in by a single nylon bolt and wing nut and a single incidence adjuster pin in the rear. I will probably add n alignment pin to the front of the wing.

The wing is a composite construction with some balsa and carbon fiber internal construction. The wing is not painted in the mold but finished in a traditional way with paint after construction. The ailerons and elevators are center hinged. All hinging is already done.
The servo cutouts are in but need to be lined if wanted. Something to screw the servos into needs to be added to the molded in flanges.

I tried to photograph the wing internals. Not sure how well it came out. As far as I know the regular Pinnacles have traditional foam core wings. I am not sure if all of the new planes will have composite wings or just the electric versions.

The wing and stab fit to the fuse is excellent. A roll of self stick foam tape is included in the parts bag which I assume is for lining the stab and wing roots

I took a few pictures of the assembled plane after installing the fixed gear.
I do have weights of all of the smaller components and will post the weights of all of the parts once I find my larger scale. It seems to be missing in action
Having a second floor catwalk is helpful for top and bottom pictures.

I still have to order many of the accesories needed to finish the build so I started with the fixed gear. The gear cutouts are in place but need to be enlarges slightly for the gear to pass. The fuse files easily. The gear attach to the lower portion of the ply gear plate but access is limited from below.
I made a paper pattern of the gear and taped it ti the top of the plate with hole locations marked. Unfortunately only the holes closer to the middle of the fuse could be drilled with an electric drill. the two holes closer to the fuse wall needed to be drilled with a hand drill setup. The positioning of the gear was checked and made symetrical with a string from the tail to each leg.
Each gear leg was fastened with 3, 4mm bolts from the bottom. In the completed picture you can see that the bottom of the ply plate has a layer of carbon fiber on it.

How much did that cost you, sc? It's looking awful smart after spending about $1500US on (kit + covering + paint), and being like 80 hours of labour into it and only 1/2 done.

-Adam

It's not cheap at about $3000 plus shipping and yes you do not get the joy of building and painting it yourself, but the workmanship is very good, I have built all of my pattern planes in the past including several WRAM show winners, so I do enjoy building. This is the first "ARF" pattern plane I have ever purchased. I have no regrets about doing it after seeing the quality.

Stuart

awesome...

The name of this plane must be "Quality" instead of Pinnacle...

Damn you, my jaw is stuck open and now the keyboard is covered in saliva [X(]

Man that's incredible...

We were looking very hard at a pinnacle but eventually didn't get one because the wings were coming out heavy. Heard there were some lighter wings coming in. How much do your wing panels weigh?

Also: How is the canopy attached? or did they leave that to the customer?

Mike,

Judging by the pictures, it seems as though there are two screws in the front and I'm guessing a pin or two in the rear. I saw Troy Newmans glow version at a pattern contest a few weeks ago and boy was it gorgeous. He said that there were lighter wings that were coming out, but the airplane has large wings anyway so I don't think that the weight would factor in too badly, unless the electric version has a little less area. The ONLY flaw that I saw was that you could see the seams in the wood on the wings and stabs, like they didn't fill it in sufficiently since the flying surfaces are silkspanned and painted. Other than that, which is comparitively minor, I didn't see any issues at all with the airplane. It was absolutely beautiful and well thought out. Kudos to Oxai for their work, sc204, your airplane is no exception. Good luck with it!

The canopy is attached with 2 screws in the front and the cowling with one at the front. There are two nylon alignment pins for the chin cowl and 4 I believe for the canopy. These have all been installed.

Here are the weights for all of the components. All of the small pieces were weighed with a 200 gm digital scale. The larger piece were weighed with a Pelouze 10 pound spring scale. Weights should be close but not as accurate as a digital scale. I do have a 5 pound digital scale that is lost in my basement somewhere. As soon as I find it I will provide additional weights.

Gear 123.7 gms, 4.365 oz
Wheel Pants 22.8 gm, .805 oz
Chin Cowl 43.2 gms, 1.53 oz
Canopy 157.5 gms, 5.56 oz
Wing tube 46.6 gms, 1.645 oz
Rt stab with carbon tubes 132.7 gms, 4.68 oz
Left stab 125.6 gms, 4.43 oz

The rest were weighed with a spring scale
Rt wing panel 15.75 oz
Lt wing panel 15.25 oz
Fuse with canopy and chin cowl 34.5 oz

Since the wings are now composite there are no seams to see. You can see the seams for the hardwood insert for the horns. There are also a few irregularities on the bottom of the wings. Really just a couple of small blemishes. Nothing too obvious. As far as I know, through Troy, the wings are the same airfoil and size as the IC powered version.

Stuart

Stuart, wing panel weights are without tube, without servo, without linkage? If so, that is a fairly heavy panel, and probably the primary area Oxai could address if they wanted to drop the plane's weight by ~4oz. Wings that size, balsa-sheeted foam, with 2oz servos and linkages, no tube, PBG 7/8" CF sleeve, Ultracote covered, can be 15oz rather easily.
-Adam

I agree a film covered foam wing could be 2 oz less. The only question in my mind though is if it will make 11 pounds with an average sized battery pack. If it does then all will be good. If not then I will not be happy either Adding up the weights, all of the components weigh just a hair over 5 pounds.

Hopefully the rest of the stuff and finishing will be less than 6

Stuart

My Twister panels are about 14.5 oz RTF, and that is with a 9351 which is about 2.1 oz. Foam/balsa, covered with Ultracote.

The fuse after painting (still no firewall installed but everything else in place) was 34.2 oz.

With 5300's, the Pletty (which is a bit lighter than the Hacker) and the Schulze 32.80 which is a heavy beast (4 oz)....I am educated guessing...10.5-10.7....so I think you will be alright even with those panels.

Heavy...thats not too heavy for a painted wing.

My Impact wings were 19.2oz per panel out of the box same stage. My Focus I wings are 19oz flying. 15 to 16oz per panel without servo would be great for me especially since I like painted surfaces.

I just looked at the prices on ZN's site and they are selling the Pinnacle from Oxai at 2836 Euro which is $3455 US. These are way cheaper here in the USA

Allen

I have been involved with Oxai since they started bringing in the models into the USA. I have the first Pinnacle to fly in the USA and I think it is serial number 3 and was the first model to be painted in their normal wild paint scheme.

The wings on this original Pinnacle were 14.5oz out of the box. Right now I just put them on the scale and they are 16.3oz flying.

My new Pinnacle from Last year that I flew at the NATS in my color scheme was in the batch of models where some of them had heavier wing panels. Not all of those models but some of them had wings heavier than 16oz per panel out of the box. My model was one of those. My wings on this model are 18oz flying. The normal weight for the Pinnacle wings is around 14.5-15.5oz per panel out of the box.

In that time between my first and second models the construction techniques changed to make the models lighter. The fuse is now a molded balsa as shown in Stuarts' photos. The weight on Fuse was reduced by about 6oz even though the wings got a little heavier in the paint dept...the total model was still 2-3oz less than the original. They both fly identical. I have the same travels, same CG and they are trimmed the same. In fact since playing with the second model a little bit I think it snaps a better than the first. My first model is 10lb 11oz and right now my second model is at 10lb 8oz. This is with a YS160/170 on a metal Hatori Pipe and a 2oz header tank up front.

Oxai has also taken steps to insure that no more wings that are too heavy leave the factory. This is all a learning process for the guys here in the USA selling Oxai and I have been helping them out so that we the modelers get what we need in terms of a top quality model. All the models were weighed before they were sent out to customers except for one or two of this last batch and those models had replacement wings built as they did not meet the specs. Oxai stands behind their product and so does Sam Johnson at OXAI USA.

The Electric Pinnacle has a different wing tube it is a 1" tube rather than the 30mm tube in the glow versions. This weight savings is almost 1.5oz. Another note as shown in Stuarts' photos all the ducting and such is done in the Pinnacle fuse and the fuse is actually 8oz lighter as an electric fuse than the completed glow fuse. And the wing overall is lighter since the tube size changed on the electric. The overall Airframe of the electric Pinnacle is about 2150g where the glow versions were up at about 2350-2400g.

This makes the Electric Pinnacle at 2150g around 4.75lbs airframe only. Add in Landing gear struts for another 4oz and its right at 5lbs. Of note I flew ZN Line Supreme models 2 years ago and these models completed at 5.75lbs each with landing gear struts no wheels or pants and the models flew at around 10lb 6oz.

My personal feeling on an electric Pinnacle is that the models will come in about 10.5 to 10.75lbs flying with the 5300 THP batts and a Hacker C50 14XL. This will require the assembly person (Pilot) to watch what he installs for equipment and how he does things. AS with all electric pattern models. There are lots of places to pick up weight from the switch harness choice to the wheels and Wheel Pants and the RX battery. How you build your battery tray and the likes.

So far I'm very proud of the models that people are flying out there. Everybody I have talked to about their Pinnacle has been really happy with its flying and the quality of the construction and detail. I know many of the guys that have purchased Oxai planes have bought them a second time around also. I know about 7-8 people that have been repeat customers. This says a ton for the guys like Sam that work hard to make this product available. As Allen stated above the Price is much higher in other countries for the same models and Oxai is selling lots of models around the world. Just look at how many were at the Worlds in France and also the switch that Roland Matt made to go with Oxai. This is a big Kudos to the folks at Oxai.

These models are not for everyone! They are High end models and fly like High end models. Care must be taken in choosing equipment and the finish work to complete them. I have the original Pinnacle now with Approaching 800 flights. It is and outstanding model still today. After the NATS this year it will have been around 2 full years and flying as my Primary model for most of that time.

By the way I live in the same town as Sam Johnson with Oxai USA and have been working with him in regards to these models. I don't make a dime on them, and I'm not sponsored by OXAI. I'm a customer too. I have a new Pinnacle also since Feb. and as time permits I will be happy to share with you guys its progress and some of the details.

As always with me I tell you what I’m using and why I choose it. The Pinnacle is one of the absolute best models I have ever flown. It flies well in windy conditions and calm. It sits well in the air and presents excellent.

Troy Newman

Thanks for the Info Troy. I always appreciate your comments.

These models look great.

I think you too Troy, good info. I'm sure many of us are considering this fine model.

Scott

Prices on ZN's site include some silly tax....so its not really representative of what you would pay if you ordered from them. If I recall its about 15% higher because of that.

Just checked the Oxai Europe site also. Same price 2836 euro or $3455 US

Still well worth the price in the USA of $2979 US

Troy,

Your Supreme and Pinacles are really heavy for my taste. I flew my Partner with a lot of lead in it for a little while when Tony was helping me with my CG, and it flew like a rock. My Supreme came out at 9.0 pounds, and it is a dream to fly. A glow plane the size of a Pinnacle should not weigh more than 10.0 pounds. There is some extra weight there. I'm sure they fly nice, but there is excess weight in these. The Pinacle is basically a Partner, and my Partner with the same servos and engine setup as your Pinnacle came in at 9.75 pounds ready to fly. They could make these things lighter, and for me, I would prefer foam wings and covering over an 18 ounce wing panel. My Supreme wing panels, ready to fly with servo/hardware are 13 ounces.

I don't mention this to be confrontational, but as a fussy consumer, I expect a light airframe, whether its a $400 Focus, or a $1500 kit, or a $3500 ARF. Light airframes fly better. If not, competitors would be filling planes with lead up to 11 pounds.

A lot of guys walk on eggshells in these forums and hold back their thoughts so as to not offend manufacturers and suppliers, but this decreases competition and retards product improvement. I feel so strong about this, that I have to say something about it. Consumers like me want light airframes and light wing panels. Feedback for the manufacturer. Oxai is really, really close to the ultimate formula for providing pattern airframes. However, there is still a compelling reason to buy a ZNLine kit and not put a river of paint on it to get it well under 10 pounds. The formula BTW, is not less cost, but less weight. Keep everything else the same. Not having to spend 200 - 300 hours building is worth every penny of $3500.

Work has been excessive lately so I haven't been able to get too much done. I finally ordered all of the pieces (I hope) last week to complete the plane. I will hopefully have it all sometime this week. I did get a few props already delivered. Just as I was amazed at the size of the fuse I am amazed by the prop size. I know how long 22 inches is but to see the prop in person when the largest pattern props I am used to using are 14 inch or so on the YS 120 is impressive.

Anyway I have mounted the wheelpants to the gear legs. I used the cheap way out with an 8x32 bolt. The method is the same as documented by Wayne Galligan on rcaerobats.net
http://www.rcaerobats.net/Wayne'sWheelpants.htm

For wheels I used a pair of MK 55mm plastic hub wheels that I had still in the package. They are at least as old as my 13 year old son. They are probably the largest I could use without enlarging the wheel pant openings. I measured and marked the wheelpants on a piece of masking tape and drilled through that for the axel. The 8x32 bolt threads into a blind nut in a piece of 1/4" lite ply on the inside of the wheelpant. An additional piece of plywood drilled for the bolt only supports the inner end of the axel. The ply was simply glued in place with 5 minute epoxy after shaping to fit the inner wheel pant contour.