H9 vs. Dalton 35% Extra 260

[Bam Bam]

alot of people post that they love their dalton, and i'm sure you are all happy, but how many have both the dalton and the H9? what is the main difference in the way they fly?

[airbusmech]

Quality control is key. The amount & type of glue used.Wood quality & weight are also as important. Engine, wing and stab incidences can vary on arf's. Some arf's are better than others but as a kit builder you have final say on how well your airframe goes together. Keeping a kit light, straight and strong will always yeild better results. Nothing wrong with ARF's just hope you get a good one.

[Bam Bam]

i just re-read the whole thread and it does not look like anyone actually own's both planes! for some of the people who posted it is their 1st big plane! how could you possibly say that daltons fly better unless you have both? i dont have either of these planes, but have got comp-arfs and a deitrich. am looking to get a new 35%er. want the best flying plane full stop. and am trying to find out why the dalton would be better flight wise.

[Bam Bam]

engine wing and stab incidence's can vary on kits too! plus they can be adjusted on most airframes easy enough!

[dbcaster]

Bam Bam,
You are correct, incedence should be checked and adjusted on any arf before it is ever flown. Most of the arf manuals tell you to check incedence anyway. I don't own an H9 but I do own a 35% arf and a 40% Dalton. I love the way the Dalton flys and I will be starting a second one soon. However, I am extremely happy with the way my 35% arf flys as well. I would not say building any kit plane over an arf will drastically improve your flying ability or fun factor. I personally believe if buying an arf meant getting a 35% into the air 3-6 months sooner than building a kit. You will learn more and become a much better pilot with the 3-6 months of stick time than you ever will be by building a Dalton over an arf. As I said, I love my Dalton and I love building as much as flying. I think you should build for the experience not necessarily because the finished product is hands down better. Again these are my thoughts so take them for what they are worth.

[aviti]

I own a TBM 35% Von Extra (predecessor of the Dalton) and have flown both a Dalton and H9 35% 260's. Both are very good flying planes. I think the positives for the Dalton is a stronger airframe less likely to have issue such as lack of glue etc. If you like to build and are not in a hurry to get in the air, the Dalton is a great choice. On the other hand, the H9 is a little bigger and looks bigger side by side and flies a little bigger in the air in my opinion. You can also be flying a lot sooner and cheaper.

You can't go wrong either way in my opinion.

[Bam Bam]

Thanks for the replies guy's. i will one day build a kit. i have always wanted to as i love fiddling and making things!
However it would be hard right now for the money factor, room factor, and time. later in the year, all of those will improve so i would like to do it and not be rushed about it, if it takes 2 months or 2 years, sweet!

[JimC-MD]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Bam Bam
	Not trying to be smart here, but everyone says how much better a kit fly's than an arf, can someone shed some light on why this is? weights seem around the same. as do wing areas. is there a difference in airfoils or something that makes it fly better? fly better how? better tracking? Not trying to be smart! i have never had the pleasure of owning a carden or dalton or such! have though about building a kit many times, but cant justify the cost and time! also if they fly better because of the builder, surly there would be plenty out there that fly bad? many chinese assemblers have far more experience than many builders as they do it all day everyday! someone please help me to understand what i'm missing!

	Quote: Originally Posted by Bam Bam
	Thanks for the replies guy's. i will one day build a kit. i have always wanted to as i love fiddling and making things! However it would be hard right now for the money factor, room factor, and time. later in the year, all of those will improve so i would like to do it and not be rushed about it, if it takes 2 months or 2 years, sweet!

I think others have offered good reasons for the difference in a kit vs and ARF. To me it is this. A kit will be the way I want it without any needs for mods. I can do things in the assembly of a kit that will yield durability without adding extra ounces. I can be sure the fit is as close to perfect as I am willing to get. I hate having a prehinged ARF because I could ALWAYS have done it better. (I have not owned a Compy and they are well done but have hinge problems also) I do not have hinges coming loose, the covering stays better, the incedence is right, the gear is exactly where I want it, every spec is controlled.

Look at it this way. At the price of most ARF planes, there has to be a compromise made between quality and price. You can buy premade cabinets or you can have custom made cabinets by a professional maker. The look, function and durability will be different. As will the cost. The same could be said for a motor for your car. You could have a production line engine or one that is hand built by a specialist.

There is a difference and that can and in many ways does translate to performance. Maybe not on the first flight or the fortieth. It may take until 150 for the real value to show.

Everything above is based on a good kit to start with and a quality build. The Dalton is one of those kits that sets a great foundation for results that can truly please. There are others as well but this is a thread about Daltons and H9 planes.

I am not slamming the H9. It is a nice bird and fits a target. Eveyone just needs to figure out what kind of target they are and pick the best ammo for them.

[dbcaster]

I think the best option is to buy both. Fly the H9 while you are building the Dalton and then sell the H9 once you are done building. That way you can take your time with the build and really know which one is better.

[Sukhoikid]

Personally in my experience I prefer kits better. Yes I did go from a Dalton 260 to a Aero-Works Yak, but the reason I did this was because our Dalton build was our first kit build airframe. It came out a tad tail heavy. Not so great for IMAC. It was a 3D machine though. Personally I like how a Yak flies for IMAC in the 40% size due to you get very slow downlines and just wanted to try a 40% ARF plane for once. Back when I got the Aero-Works I didnt have the money to have a Dalton ML to be built. It is still to this day my dream IMAC plane for the lines that plane draws!!! Not sure how the down lines are compared to the yak though.
What I have found between a ARF and a kit a Kit will last you a lot longer than a ARF. My Dalton 260 has drop from 20 feet in a dead stick rollin harrier pan caking the ground with no damage. (except carbon fiber tail wheel and bent the main gear slightly) The 260 had a dead stick due to a canister pipe blew off the header during a spin and the wind was blowing hard for me not to get the plane back. It landed down a hill where I couldnt see to land and it bent the gear all the way to the wings with lil minor damage to the balsa sticks that goes down the fuse. I also find a kit build you will respect it more since you took more than 8 hours to build it.