I was flying my little 50cc (57cc twin actually) Sport Cub today after taking a bit of time away from the 104" AJ Slick and 100cc Carbon Cub and had this thought because of my lack of enjoyment of flying the little bird compared to the bigger birds. I wondered how I ever was happy flying anything other than DA120 with at least 100" of wing.

I've had many small planes but what planes did all you guys have before reaching a 100cc airframe; and will you ever go back?

Since starting in 1990-91 time frame..... I have flown about any and everything under the sun, except for jets. I didn't buy my first giant scale bird until 1999. I see too many people jump right into a GS birds, and they can barely land.

Kadet Senior, PT 40, Sig Kavalier, Great Planes Fun-1 (2), Ultra Sport 40, Bristol M1, several other 40 sized planes (so many I forget) numerous Q-500 airplanes and 3 Q-40's. First 1/4 scale bird was a Pattern Tech Sukhoi 26, then a 3W 32% 330S, AeroWorks Edge 540T ARF (big mistake), 2 Carden Extra 330S's, BUSA 110" Cubby and a 42% Dalton 300.

Originally Posted by Bunky F. Knuckle

Since starting in 1990-91 time frame..... I have flown about any and everything under the sun, except for jets. I didn't buy my first giant scale bird until 1999. I see too many people jump right into a GS birds, and they can barely land.

Kadet Senior, PT 40, Sig Kavalier, Great Planes Fun-1 (2), Ultra Sport 40, Bristol M1, numerous Q-500 airplanes and 3 Q-40's. First 1/4 scale bird was a Pattern Tech Sukhoi 26, then a 3W 32% 330S, AeroWorks Edge 540T ARF (big mistake), 2 Carden Extra 330S's, BUSA 110" Cubby and a 42% Dalton 300.

Nice selection, why was the Aeroworks 540T a big mistake? Do you think you would ever do another 540 by a different manufacturer?

Originally Posted by Bunky F. Knuckle

Since starting in 1990-91 time frame..... I have flown about any and everything under the sun, except for jets. I didn't buy my first giant scale bird until 1999. I see too many people jump right into a GS birds, and they can barely land.

Kadet Senior, PT 40, Sig Kavalier, Great Planes Fun-1 (2), Ultra Sport 40, Bristol M1, numerous Q-500 airplanes and 3 Q-40's. First 1/4 scale bird was a Pattern Tech Sukhoi 26, then a 3W 32% 330S, AeroWorks Edge 540T ARF (big mistake), 2 Carden Extra 330S's, BUSA 110" Cubby and a 42% Dalton 300.

Aeroworks Edge 540T was a P.O.S.!!!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!! Huge mistake!!! One of the main reasons I have never owned another AW. I needed customer support and they were d**** also


MidWest Aerostar .40 Kit (1989), great planes BigStik .40 1990 (kit), Great Planes UltraSport .60 1992 (Kit), Hobbico Extra 300S .60 ARF, one of the first runs of ARF's, 1995, what a peice of crap. Fun fly 3d planes in Germany (several). The AeroWorks 540T nightmare when I got back to the states. SD Models 100cc Yak, which till this day is one of the best ARF's I have ever owned. Pilot 37.5 DA150. 40% Pilot Extra 300 DA170 RE3s today.

Tons of others not listed. First run electrics also.

Originally Posted by mountainair

Nice selection, why was the Aeroworks 540T a big mistake? Do you think you would ever do another 540 by a different manufacturer?

The AW 100cc 540T was a first run Giant Scale ARF. It should have never hit the market here. I Literally rebuilt mine to make it air worthy. It cost me a Thou to get it to the door. They must have paid, maybe, a hundred bucks shipped from bum-fugged China town. Thats what it was worth shipped to my door.

Originally Posted by jm_mac

Aeroworks Edge 540T was a P.O.S.!!!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!! Huge mistake!!! One of the main reasons I have never owned another AW. I needed customer support and they were d**** also


MidWest Aerostar .40 Kit (1989), great planes BigStik .40 1990 (kit), Great Planes UltraSport .60 1992 (Kit), Hobbico Extra 300S .60 ARF, one of the first runs of ARF's, 1995, what a peice of crap. Fun fly 3d planes in Germany (several). The AeroWorks 540T nightmare when I got back to the states. SD Models 100cc Yak, which till this day is one of the best ARF's I have ever owned. Pilot 37.5 DA150. 40% Pilot Extra 300 DA170 RE3s today.

Tons of others not listed. First run electrics also.

Another good list of planes, I too had a Great Planes UltraSport and GP BigStik, not to mention a Wonder with an MVVS .25 with pipe, thing would scream. Got me in the mood for a Q500 that I put a Jett .40 on, now that thing was fast.

Love Edge 540's but glad I missed the boat on the Aeroworks 540T.

I'm kinda looking and waiting for the Extra 300SR kit from Competition Airframes.

Originally Posted by jm_mac

The AW 100cc 540T was a first run Giant Scale ARF. It should have never hit the market here. I Literally rebuilt mine to make it air worthy. It cost me a Thou to get it to the door. They must have paid, maybe, a hundred bucks shipped from bum-fugged China town. Thats what it was worth shipped to my door.

All good reasons jm!!! Wing flew off after a parachute. Done that manuevure 1000 times before. What sucked worse was, I had just refinished it, and had 6 flights on it. Owned it for just at 2 years. Should have went Carden sooner!!!

I had been keeping an eye on the Pilot Edge 540. But really don't need a 3rd GS plane, despite having an engine in each the 100 and 150cc range.

I've been at this RC hobby for almost 50 years now though the first few years were less than successful. I competed in various forms of pattern and IMAC plus I pylon raced extensively in the 70s and 80s with a few races in the 90s up to the present. Many sport and other types of planes along the way. I got into helis in the mid 90s and still enjoy them quite a bit. Far too many planes to list here but I will describe some of my giant activity. I currently have about 10 large planes with from 30 to 100cc engines. Four of the larger planes hang in the garage and have not been down over the last 2 flying seasons and the trailer has not moved from its spot during that time also. This leaves me flying mostly 30 and 50 sized planes which I thoroughly enjoy as I can haul them in my truck without needing the trailer. I don't get hanger rash on them hauling them in and out of the shop and the whole flying experience is just less of a hastle with these moderate sized planes. Certainly I enjoy the larger planes .... we all do. But right now the rewards do not offset the extra work it takes to transport and care for them.

One day soon, in retirement I hope to have a drive-through garage / shop where I can just pull a loaded trailer in and offload directly into a shop. Then ..... the big stuff will be fun again.

I started out flying electric stuff like the 42" Slick, 47" Viper then moved up to the 70" planes such as the slick, viper and velox. Sold all but the slick. I love that plane and fly it often when i'm not flying my 100cc pilot edge or sbach.

Eagle 40, then a Sig Cougar.

Then I went through a slew of the Lion models, later they were EZ Models, Lasers, Diablo's. They were plastic and foam, they looked great for 1/2 a season, lol, just could not handle any vibration.

Then I had a buddy build me a Midwest Cap 232,, I fell in love! I blew up 2 Moki's in that bird, and then it was an OS 2.10. After many years of glow, glow fuel got pretty expansive, so a later version had a DL 50.

Had a few warbirds, a Top Flite P-47, a Skyshark Hellcat, Byron Corsair, Bf 109E, and currently a Yellow P-47.

My current love is Aeroworks, I have a 100cc Extra 260, and I am working some bugs out of a brand new 100cc Aeroworks Edge 540.

There are a few more here and there, mostly mistakes, lol. But I have pictures of them all, except the Eagle 40 trainer.

Jeff

I started out in 1985 at age 14 on Goldberg trainers, Eaglet 50 then Eagle 2. Both kits. I then built a few scratch jobs that were just my own designs. Basically trainer/stick type stuff. Built a midwest trainer kit for a friend. Then a Ace rc "Mach None" powered with a beefed up rc car elec motor and nicad batt and Tamiya speed control. Then i bought a new EZ ARF Extra 260, .45 size, powered it with a O.S. .61SF. Then a royal Telstar .25 pattern type ARF powered it with a Royal .45. Then a EZ chipmunk .25 ARF with a O.S. 40FP. Then a Goldberg Gentle lady glider with a sig power pod and a tee dee .049. Then a EZ diabolo .45 and 1.20. Some sea planes, some scale jobs, some kits, some ARFs. I puchased my first foamie like 10 years ago. Since then I have been buying everything under the sun just to try it. Mostly gassers and larger glow planes and smaller electrics. I ve had no less than 300 planes in the last 12 years. I learned alot from trying different planes. I like 100cc gas and 5-14oz foamie aerobatic planes the best. Oh yah tried some helis to but never really enjoyed them as much as planes. Never flew anyone else's plane unless they asked for help. Never got anyting for free either. Now days the only glow planes i come near is pylon racers. I cant stand glow fuel on my hands anymore.

AHHH, I see another EZ airplane owner!! Those birds flew nice, in one Friday night you could build it, and fly all day Saturday.

I've had a bunch of glow junk, last two glow planes were a Kaos and Funtana... then 29% Aeroworks Edge 540.. awesome plane! 35% Giles, 78" Extra, 12' Telemaster, 88" Edge, 33% Yak, 46% Ultimate, 46% Slick and a couple more, I don't remember...

Started out with a home built spad trainer with a .47 glow engine. Flew it 6 times, learned to land and then bought a H9 Twist using the guts from the trainer to make it move. The Twist was an awesome plane to learn on, very easy to fly and land. I would recommend it as a second plane to anyone. Then the biggest mistake I made was to get a Funtana 90. What a P.O.S.!! But the YS 110 I stuck in it was an awesome motor once I got it tuned. Sold the craptana and bought a 90 size Velox from a company called Maxair. The Velox flew fantastic and with the YS 110 it was a great combo (if your into glow). At this point in time 3DHS was coming into the scene, I wanted a park flyer, and I was sick of paying 30 bucks for a gallon of fuel, so I bought a 47" Extra SHP and proceeded to sell all glow related stuff. The Extra was a Way Cool plane!! Then proceeded form there to a EF 58" Extra, it was heavy but flew straight. Then got a 3DHS 57" Extra, again, Way Cool Plane and a pound lighter than the EF unit. Then came a first gen. 70" Slick, then a second gen. 71" Slick along with a 72" Extra, a 65" Vyper, and a 42" Slick, all being E power. I thought I was happy until I went to a funfly and a friend let me have a go at the sticks with his 104" Slick. The rest is history!! All are gone now except for the 42" Slick (gotta have a park flyer) and a 104" Slick w/DA120 and a soon to be maidened 3DHS 41" Edge (nuther park flyer) and a 107" Pilot Edge w/DA120.
I honestly can't see myself flying anything under 100cc from this point on (except the park flyers of course). I have been spoiled by the larger planes, they just fly awesome, and can handle the winds we always have around these parts much better. If I had to start over, I would skip the 65"-72" planes, buy a 100cc bird or two and be done.
And no, there is no turning back.

Kadet Senior, still have it and will never get rid of it