Ok guys, I decided to start a new thread for the build to help guys just getting the planes now so they don't have to dig into other threads for info. Please jump in here and post any questions and info you have as well as pictures and videos. I can tell you Chris is very excited about this new release as it is the best flying electric in this size plane that he's released yet. Between the two of us at SEFF we each flew about 20 flights a day there all week. We hammered these planes and they took it with ease. We had no mixing at all in our radios, they flew perfect right out of the box. Here are the specs from the website, just set yours up as recommended and you're in for a big treat.


Introducing the Extreme Flight
Extra 300-EXP Arf
Extreme Flight RC is pleased to announce the release of the new 48 inch wingspan Extra 300EXP ARF.
Incorporating many forward thinking design elements, the EXP is the result of several months of R&D, flight testing and refinement.
Loosely based on the mid wing Extra 300, the EXP has been manipulated to offer the most aggressive flight envelope imaginable.
Following is a brief rundown of some of the unique design features that contribute to the amazing flight capabilities of the Extra 300EXP.

-Forward canopy placement places the tallest portion of the fuselage over the CG, which is optimum for best knife edge performance.

-Huge airfoiled control surfaces utilizing geodetic construction provide the ultimate in yaw, pitch and roll authority.

-Carbon fiber longerons and motor box supports add enormous strength and rigidity to the airframe, while G10/lite ply composite laminates make for a robust landing gear mount.

-One piece airfoiled molded carbon fiber landing gear and tailwheel bracket provide solid ground handling and contribute to the awesome appearance of the EXP.

-Long tail moment contributes to rock solid precision flight performance and tracking.

-Spring loaded hatch latch provides instant access to battery tray and interior of aircraft while providing a solid attachment point for the canopy.

-2 piece wing mounts on a carbon fiber wing tube and is easily removed for transport.

-G10 elevator horn bolts on to stock servo arm to allow for insane elevator travel.

-Rudder and elevator servo mount in the rear of the aircraft and utilize a short direct drive carbon fiber pushrod with ball link for slop free control surface actuation.

-Removable Side Force Generators add tremendously to the effective side area of the EXP increasing rudder authority and improving knife edge and high alpha stability.

-2 gorgeous genuine Ultracote color schemes available with expertly painted fiberglass cowl and wheel pants.

-Complete hardware package and decal sheet included.

-High level of pre-fabrication allows you to get the EXP in the air in as little as 3 hours!


Designed around the Torque 2818T/900 and 2814T/820 (spacers included to accommodate both motors) and Airboss Elite 45 Amp ESC utilizing a 4S 2100-2600 mah LiPo battery
(we highly recommend the new FlightPower EON Lite 2550 packs!!!), the EXP achieves ballistic performance from either motor.

We offer money saving combos with either motor/esc package.
We also highly recommend the Hitec HS-65MG or new HS-5065MG digital servo for control surface actuation.

The Extra 300EXP is by far the most advanced and best performing small electric aircraft that Extreme Flight has released to date. Give us a call or place your order in our on-line store and experience for yourself the incredible flight envelope of the Extra 300EXP.










* Spinner Not Included




Specifications:
Wingspan: 48 inches
Length: 48 inches
Wing Area: 500 sq. in.
Weight: 42-46 oz.
Power: Torque 2818/900 or 2814/820 Outrunner with Airboss 45A Esc w/ 4S 2100 - 2500mAh LiPo battery
Radio: 5 channel w/ 4 sub-micro servos and ESC

Ok there really isn't much to building this plane so it's not going to get very detailed, I actually got both of mine built and ready to fly in about 4 hours. When they showed up they were boxed very well but as usual UPS managed to crush one of the boxes pretty good, luckily nothing was damaged inside the box.

Here's the equipment I'm using in my planes:
Both are powered by Torque 2814/820 with Airboos 45 Elite speed controls
APC 12/6E props with 52mm Extreme Flight spinners
Thunder Power 4 cell 2600mah V2's (crazy power)
Spektrum AR 6200 rx's
Hitec Digital HS-5065 MG's
2 24" extensions for the rear mounted elevator and rudder servos
2 6" extensions for the aileron servos
Guided by JR/DSM 12X radio

The boxes are so good looking I don't want to throw them out, lol. Everything is packed very well as you can see, and the first thing I noticed when I open them up was the quality of the covering job on these planes. No wrinkles anywhere, the paint on the canopy and cowl match the covering great as well.
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The first thing I did was pull out the iron and go over all the seams to make sure eveything was sealed. I went over the high stress areas with ca and organized all the hardware to make things go fast and easy. I took a couple pictures of the airfoiled tail surfarces with some backlight so you can see the geodetic construction which helps in preventing warping in the surfaces, yet makes for a very strong lightweight structure. The airfoiled surfaces really help this plane excell in flight performance. Also, as you can see it doesn't take any soecial attention to hinging the elevator to acheive the close to 90 degree throw, just push the surface on the hinges and push them just about flush, then deflect the surface all the way and you'll see what I mean. Another nice bonus you'll see is there is no need to cut or trim any covering other than the cooling exit hole in the bottom of the fuse, everything else is done at the factory. This plane has an extremely high level of pre-fabrication to make the build process and fast and painless as can be for the customer.
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Step #1 in the instruction manual is carbon pushrod construction. I used 5 minute epoxy for this step. First thing you do is lightly sand one end of each rod, make sure you clean them off well after sanding. I found the ball links to be very tight and was afraid I was going to damage them by forcing the rods in so I drilled them out slightly. I used a 3/32 drill bit and did this by hand. once I felt good about the fit I mixed up the epoxy and installed the links, make sure you twist them when putting them on to spread the glue evenly inside the link. I cleaned of the excess glue but left a small fillet as the instructions say. Once finished with this just set them aside to dry making sure to set them vertically ball link down to dry.
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Time for hinging the wings, locate the G10 control horns. You'll see they're all the same size however one is trimmed shorter on the bottom for the elevator. Get the wings and locate the pre-cut slots on the ailerons. Lightly scuff the contact surface on the horns and wipe them clean. Test fit them in place to make sure everything fits properly. Use medium ca for this step, I recommend using a fine tip to prevent making an mess on the ailerons. Wick some ca into the holes and apply a thin bead on the horn, slide it into the slot and quickly wipe any excess from around the horn. Wait a few minutes, then give them a tug and make sure everything's secure.
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It's time to hinge the ailerons on. I recommend pulling all the ca hinges out and folding them in half to help in making sure you have them centered when glueing. Once done doing that, slide them into the wing, then slide the ailerons on making sure everthing is lined up properly and there's no binding anywhere. Make sure you have the ailerons flush with the wings tip, otherwise they will rub the SFG's and cause problems. Go ahead and deflect the surface and apply a few drops of thin ca to the hinges with a fine tip to keep everything clean. I usually flip the wings over and apply a few drops to the other side of the hinges as well. I didn't take any pictures of this process but you will see a few photos in the instruction manual.

Ok, time to install the aileron servos. I'm using the Hitec HS-5065 MG's (digital version of the HS-65MG). Attatch your 6" extension and feed it into the pre-cut servo hole output shaft towards the rear of the plane. You only need to install 1 screw in the center hole on each side of the servo, this will be more than enough to hold them in. Locate the largest sinlge sided arm included with the servo and drill the outer hole out with a 5/64 drill bit to allow the included ez connectors to fit. You'll see there are two washers on the shaft, make sure you install the washers on each side of the arm to allow for easy movement. You can apply a drop of oil on the shaft (not threaded area) to allow easy free movement. Go ahead and tighten down the nut on the shaft until snug, then back it off slightly until the connector rotates freely. Place a drop of ca on the threaded portion of the shaft where it meets the nut to prevent it from backing off. Next locate the two carbon rods that are the same length. Go ahead and attatch the ball links to the G10 horns with the provided 2mm bolts, washers, and nuts making sure to mount the ball link on the root side of the horn. Use blue loctite to prevent the nut from backing off. At this point you can electronically center the arm on your servo with your radio, then slide the carbon rod thru the hole on the ez connectors. Once you have the surface centered go ahead and tighten done the set screw, once it gets snug turn it about one more turn to ensure it's retaining the rod properly. Repeat this on the other wing and your done with the wings for now. Once again I haven't included any pictures of this because Chris has several detailed photos in the manual, plus it's very straight forward with the ez connectors.

Next is the landing gear. The carbon gear is very nice and really adds a nice finished touch to the plane. Locate the two 3mm machine screws and washers. Use blue loctite on the screws and go ahead and mount the gear making sure you have the flat side of the gear facing forward. Locate the axles, wheels, locknuts, collars and wheel pants. An optional item here is a tube of silicone, I used silicone for repairing fish tanks that can be purchased at home depot. Go ahead and mount the wheels on the axles with the collars, then slide the axles into the gear and screw the locknuts onto the axles a couple turns. This is where the silcone comes into play, you can place a small drop of silicone on the gear or wheels pants were they meet the gear, this prevents them from moving easily, yet will allow them to move if they are bumped to prevent them from cracking. Slide the pants over the axles so they're between the axle stop and gear. Go ahead and tighten down the locknuts snug, then adjust the pants to the angle you prefer and allow the silicone to dry.
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OK guys it's time to mount the horizontal stabilizer/elevator. This is very easy to do and doesn't require any cutting or trimming of covering since it's already done. You will have to cut the opening at the rear of the fuse where the stab goes in order to hinge the elevator. This was left in place to help prevent damage during shipping, it cuts out very easy with an exacto blade. Once you've cut the piece out go ahead and trial fit the stab in place, you will have to slide it in from the side of the fuse. Once you have it in place go ahead and measure to make sure you have it centered. Make sure you have the stab push flush with the front of the opening in order to leave proper room for the elevator joiner so it doesn't interfear with the bevel on the rudder. Slide the wing tube in place and make sure everything looks good compared to the tube, you can sand or shim if needed. Neither of my planes needed and modifications. Once you're happy go ahead and apply some ca to secure the stab. You can use a fine tip and go in thru the servo openings to make sure you get proper glue application. Once finished there go ahead and trial fit the G10 horn that is cut a little shorter into the elevator, if everything's good go ahead and glue it in place just as you did the aileron horns. Insert the hinges into the stab, then slide the elevator on and push it flush bevel to bevel. Go ahead and trial fit the rudder in place to make sure the elevator joiner doesn't touch the rudder bevel when deflected. Appy ca to the hinges just as you did with the ailerons, but make sure you have the elevator deflected as far as you can when glueing to ensure proper hinge gap clearance for extreme throw. Mine gap is pretty tight and I'm getting about 70-80 degrees of throw with no binding.
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The rudder is next, glue the G10 horn in place and hinge it just as you did with the other sufaces.
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Locate the tailwheel assembly along with the included wood screws. Turn the fuse over and hold the tailwheel assembly in place, once lined up so the pivot point is over the hinge line screw it in place. I screwed mine in, then removed the screws and put a couple drops of thin ca in the holes for extra strength during harrier landings or rough landings. Tighten the rear screw on the rudder side snug then back it out just a hair to allow free movement of the assembly when the rudder is deflected.
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You can install the servos in the tail now, be sure to have the output shaft on the elevator side facing forward, and the rudder output shaft facing towards the rear of the plane. Once again use the longest single arms supplied with the servo here. Locate the G10 extended horn and tack glue it to one of the servo arms. Using the holes in the servo arm as a guide, drill thruogh the composite arm and secure it in place with the supplied screws and nuts. Center your servo with your radio and install the arms and carbon rods just as you did with the aileron linkage. You should have no problem getting maximum throw out of the elevator, you will have have a lot of fun with this when you get the plane in the air.
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It's time to mount the motor. Depending on which motor you're using you may need to use the provided spacers. I'm using the Tougque 2814T/820 which does not require the spacers, however if you use the 900 you will need to use the spacers. If using them go ahead and glue the two spacers together as well as the on thin fiberglass shaped spacer. The fiberglass spacer will be used on the motor side of the spacers. Locate the 3mm socket head bolts supplied and mount the motor. Be sure to use a drop of blue locktite on each bolt. You'll also see that there are laser cut baffles supplied. Chris and I flew without the baffles at SEFF, that was the warmest weather we have flown the plane in so far and we had no problems, however if you are flying in extreme hot temperatures be sure to keep an I on things and istall the baffles if you feel it's needed. They'll mount directly to the motor box as you'll see in the instruction manual. This is a good time to install the speed control as well. I'm using the Airboss Elite 45 amp control on my planes. Mount the control under the motor box with velcro or a zip tie to allow plenty of airflow over it through the opening in the lower front area of the cowl.
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Mounting the cowl is very fast and easy. Get some masking tape (I used blenderm) and stick it to the sides of the fuse so it extends out to the mounting tabs. Use a fine tip marker or pen and mark the ceter of the tabs, then partially pull the tape back and slide the cowl on. Slide the Extreme Flight 52mm spinner backplate onto the motor shaft and use that as a reference to center the cowl properly. Once everything's lined up stick the tape back down to the sides of the cowl and use a 1/16th drill bit to drill a hole at each tab location. Remove the tape and cowl at this time. Before you screw the cowl on power up the plane and make nsure the motor is turning in the right direction. If it's not, just unplug two of the wires and plug them into the opposite wires. Now you can screw the cowl on with the supplied wood screws and mount the prop and spinner also.
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Next step is cutting the cooling hole in the bottom of the fuselage. Locate the the laser cut opening in the bootom of the fuse near the rear of the canopy. Use a fresh blade for a nice clean cut, then use an iron to make sure the edges are sealed down.
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