I was looking to buy a Phoenix Sea Bee to get into pattern flying. Is this a good plane to learn on and compete with?

I have no experience with that plane, but the excelleron models are great for pattern.

I have one. A little heavy for its size, and I took some steps to try and reduce weight. I'm flying it with an OS .46FX and a quiet tuned pipe. I won the kit as a door prize last year, and built it up as an experiment to see what could be done with that size of an airplane.

I think the Venus or an Excelleron 50, or even better, an Oxalis 50 would be a better choice. Lighter and more recent designs. But they cost more.

Jon Lowe