QQ or AW

[octanehuffer]

There is definatly no way one could choose the wrong plane.

[50%plane]

	Quote:
	QQ 120" Yak - still covering QQ E-Yak - yeah, it flies! QQ 86" Yak Evolution 45 - the pattern ship! QQ 49" Yak converted to .32 SX - very fun! QQ 69" Yak Saito 1.25 - sweet plane! Collect the whole set

Which would you pick....lol

[Extra-300L]

	Quote: Originally Posted by 50%plane
	Which would you pick....lol

Do you ever have anyting to contribute?

[50%plane]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Extra-300L
	Do you ever have anyting to contribute?

Whoa dude,,,,,,,

Life's not full of roses, but you can always try to have fun....



Chris

[ddlstang]

The ARF's on the market are getting better and better and $2000 for a built and covered plane is a great price, but they do have their defincincies and are not right for everyone - luckily we have choices.

By the way I did have some hinges loosen up on me and had to spot glue occasionally - Oh and the wing blew apart - but after a full season if IMAC with probably over 300 flights on it.

[SURREYRCAV8R]

	Quote: Originally Posted by bodywerks
	On that line of thinking, wouldn't you also sleep better if YOU inspected the integrity of all the wood and put all the glue on the spars of the wings and all other glue joints before they stuck all the pieces together, while you watched? If you are going to own any ARF, you are already trusting that the Chinese/Taiwanese/Malaysian people know how to build the rest of the plane, so you should have no problem trusting them to slap some glue on some hinges and install them. That is their business, it's what they do. Otherwise, you need to just be building your own planes, IMO.

I trusted the builder of an ARF that I purchased only to find that after a wing failure in mid flight, I find out that they in fact did not use any glue on the wings leading edge sheeting, wing ribs or spars...got a whole 8 flights out of the plane before it went home with Mr. Glad in those wonderful plastic carrying cases.

Some people (not all) in this hobby do not have the time, space, skills, patience or knowledge to build their own planes from a kit or a set of plans. Therefore they are left with little choice BUT to buy and ARF.

Since my wing failure, I have purchased two airplanes, an Aeroworks Extra 260 ARC and a QQ Python. My justification in both cases was the feedback I had recieved on these forums as well as the opportunity to see both airplanes up close and personal. The AW and the fact that it was uncovered gave me the ability to inspect the glue joints and see how well it was put together as well as hinge my own surfaces and cover the plane with my own scheme. This gave me the ability to sleep nights knowing how well the plane was put together.

The QQ Python I bought for the simple fact I had many hours of discussions with Quique himself while attending the AMA show in California earlier this year as well as the opinions of some of my friends that had already assembled and flown the plane.

At this point I would say both planes are incredibly good build quality, I prefer monokote over ultracote and for that reason ONLY I think the covering on my AW will last longer and look better longer than my Python. Now that being said, ARF's fulfill a niche in this hobby that many of us have taken advantage of, but I will say this, I will only buy an ARF/ARC from what I now beleive is a reputable supplier/distributor after learning from my first mistake. I only wish more suppliers would offer ARC versions of their models, that way we could all have piece of mind seeing how the plane looks before covering as well as the fact that repairs, modifications and improvements can be made so much easier!

[ddlstang]

DIDO - but I really hate covering - LOL.

would rather build the plane and let some one cover for me.

[bodywerks]

	Quote:
	So the model comes in heavy or is the manufacturer just honest. How many peoples planes are honestly sub 40lbs ready to fly... seriously. You guys in the US must have different scales to us blokes here in Australia.

QQ aircraft is just honest. The Aeroworks come in heavy, unless you go to extremes to lighten it, like I did. For example, I got my 42% QB 260 down to 37-3/4 pounds, but only after taking over a pound of wood out of the airframe, going with CF landing gear, titanium axles, titanium engine mount bolts and balsa standoffs, and using only 8 servos instead of 13, as well as a lightweight battery system. My weight includes Greves pipes, though.
Aeroworks advertises that plane at 36-38 pounds, but it just doesn't happen unless you deviate from their recommended setup. Build it stock, with cannisters, all the servos, and a typical battery system, and it's gonna be pushing 40+.
I can honestly say mine is 37-3/4 pounds. I weighed it at DA on their digital postal scale. The weight you see below is less pilot and two pieces of velcro.

[bodywerks]

	Quote:
	Weight is only one factor in how competitive an airframe will be in competition. Do you fly above Intermediate? If you dont a 46 powered trainer has enough poke to get through most sequences Int and below.

I totally agree, but I would not want my plane any heavier - maybe 39-40 (on the pipes), but definitely not 44 pounds dry. No thanks.
Out here, guys had to add tuned pipes or fly a lighter plane at the Tucson Shootout if they were in that weight range. A friend of mine built a killer Extreme Composites 260 with a 3W 170, specifically for the Shootout. But he decided not to fly it because it was pushing 45 pounds and the verticals were too sluggish in Unlimited if it was warm or windy out, or both. You can totally make it work, but why would you want to. I am only in Intermediate, but I am #1 in the nation right now, and I attribute some of my good luck to being able to fly bigger maneuvers without running out of power to the point that the plane gets sluggish. In my loops, I start at 1/2 throttle at the bottom and slowly work my way up to full as I approach the top to maintain a more constant speed, while others have to start at full throttle and slow down at the top, or fly a smaller loop.
It's also been a windy IMAC season over here, and all that extra power is definitely your friend when it's blowing 20+mph.

[notorious_benny]

What battery system are you using? I am thinking of 2 2300 A123's straight into my rx on the QQ yak.

[bodywerks]

Yep, dual 2300's directly into a 9100. I am only burning about 500mah per double sequence/ typical round of flying. The batteries can handle any number of servos you have, but expect to burn more amps as the number of servos and/or the weight of the plane goes up for a given size of airframe - just basing that on experience.
I don't worry about how many flights I can get on a charge anymore. I built a little field charging pack that charges all he batteries at once and typically takes the Fromeco IonCube only 15-20 minutes to top off after each flight, so I just do that...

[mflander]

Tough Decision! Buy them both lol!

I have an AW 33% 260 and it flies great! I have had a couple of glue joints give out though, and the covering is a pain in the ass. But I have dealt with this on every single arf I have ever owned. The plane itself has held up well though! I even landed it into a ditch at my first contest and all it did was bend the strong ass aluminum gear. Didn't break a single piece of wood inside.

[adrian]

he went with the 3w in the end no????lol

[Rabbit Ron]

Both are good planes but you would defiantly be better off with a 170 of some type

[storklappe]

Why would you attack Reza? All he does is try to help! He helps by presenting facts (not opinion) and lets the reader make up his own mind. I appreciate all the help Reza has provided on these forums.