blue ice

My Feedback: (6)

What do you guys think of this plane? It is on sale till the end of the month for 495.00 plus shipping. Hows the quality of the kit and how good does it fly? I am looking for a good gasser biplane to put together this winter.

flyinrazrback

My Feedback: (69)

Its been my experience that AWs arfs are hit or miss. I got a bad one. I still think for a little bipe like that that $495 plus shipping is too much for what you get, maybe if they were $395. I think the wild hare airplanes are a lot better buy in the 50cc market, now if Extreme Flight would actually release their 50cc plane, that would be the way to go. If you are dead set on a bipe, I think the Chip Hyde Double Vision is hard to beat.

jmiracle

My Feedback: (9)

Go for the AW...the 27% is awesome. Build it light, build it right, and show it a little respect in the air and it will treat you kindly.
As far as the above post....if you'll notice in almost any AW thread, the same couple of guys regularly bash AW...so you might want to take that with a grain of salt (as you would with ANY internet post! ) I don't understand it...but to each his own.

Take a peek at the thread below, you'll see what I mean:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_21...tm.htm#2121796

AJF--2

My Feedback: (119)

Being one of the "bashers" all I can say is I bought mine at $595-----Wonder why the price is coming down??????????????

AJF--2

My Feedback: (119)

Almost forgot--be sure to figure another $100 or so for hardware and $40 for shipping.

jmiracle

My Feedback: (9)

<heavy sarcasm> hmm....hard to say why the price is dropping.....i'm sure it's not in response to all of the other 50cc sized aircraft battling for marketshare!! </heavy sarcasm>

BRYAN01601

My Feedback: (48)

You only spend 100.00 dollars for the hardware if you buy it from aeroworks. Do yourself a favor go the aero-works website download the manual and go to the last page it lists all of the hardware with dubro numbers and all. take that and go to tower hobbies site and just enter in the dubro number. Your total will be about 40.00 or less. Also the numbers they list that you need are not packages but the actual number of the item so look at how many come in a package. I to was disenchanted on this plane with all of the negative press the above two were giving it. I have to say this I love the plane. had no problems putting it togather pretty straight forward. My only complaint is that I wish it were covered in Monocoat other than ultracoat because the monacoat paint is a far better match to thier colors than ultracoatand ultracoat is a little transparent in the lighter colors ( more of a complaint to ultracoat than aero-works). I will post some pictures later. FYI. I paid the 595.00 for the plane ( a little high in my opinion however I feel the 495 price is where it should be)

BRYAN01601

My Feedback: (48)

pictures

DENNIS C

My Feedback: (99)

FWIW. I dont think the price is not that bad.considering it will cost you that in kit form. if you can find one that size

BRYAN01601

My Feedback: (48)

more pictures

flyinrazrback

My Feedback: (69)

It may be the same people bashing AW, but I can give you 4 members at our club with the same sorts of problems with their AW and a few more from another nearby club. If you are happy with yours thats great, I just mention you run a pretty good chance of getting a bad one.

BRYAN01601

My Feedback: (48)

Ok here is my set up because I know the question is going to be asked.
Engine: DA-50
Servos: Hitech 645's on ailerons and elevator and 945 on rudder with pull pull all on 6v
Batteries: troybuilt models 2350 mha li-poly(same as old powerflight but only 23.95 per battery!!) 3- 2 on seperate switches for redundancy and 1 on ignition all run through MPI 6v regulated switch
Electro Dynamics fiber optic kill switch
Futaba 9ch PCM reciever
Ohio Tailwheel
I ran to y extentions for the ailerons one y for the upper and one for the lower
The elevator servos are slaved to each other through my 9c
Tru-turn spinner
Mejlik 21x11.5 three blade prop da recomended until break in is over
vinyl Graphics by aero3dgfx.com and cutimages.com
weight is just under 13lbs like 12lbl 15oz
It flies awesome tons of power this plane exudes power. I take of and fly most of the time under 1/2 throttle
There is another nice build thread here not so sure they will keep this link there though.

http://www.flyingcirkus.com/forum/fo...arf&PN=0&TPN=1

BRYAN01601

My Feedback: (48)

As far as aero-works quality goes. I thought the build quality of this arf was excellent the plane is designed to be very light and it is. I have only built this one arf from them and I had no major issues with them. Follow the directions and you will have no problems. It is very important to take your time and go over the whole plane with a covering iron when you get it. It states this in thier directions and I can say if you do not you will have issues with the covering comming off. I have seen a few other aeroworks arfs the larger 33% ultimate and the quality was the same as mine excellent. The other was the smaller katana arf and I would say the plane had issues, however not sure if they were from the builder/assembler or from aero-works .

BRYAN01601

My Feedback: (48)

I personally feel this plane is both under rated and been given a bad rap. Everyone at the field asks me what plane it is and the first replay I here is I herd on RCU some bad things about it, however I think next year there will be a couple other ones at the field.

jmiracle

My Feedback: (9)

It's a shame that it only takes a few to give a bad name to a great product.

While I'm not trying to say Aeroworks is perfect....no company is....I also believe most of the bad rap surrounding them has been undeservedly spread by word-of-mouth.

You always hear about the problems with a plane or company....but rarely do you hear about the good things.....and in Aeroworks case, the bad-mouthing has gotten so bad that people who have never owned or dealt with AW are beginning to believe they have serious problems. I just don't want to see a good company that designs fantastic flying planes knocked out of the ring because two guys had some problems.

otterdriver

I would to go along with flyingrazorback its a hit or miss out 4 airplanes we got locally 2 33% pattys and 2 31% edges we were 50-50 the edges were junk and the extras weren't bad I have one of the extras and it looks alright the fitting and adjustment have to be made like most ARFs but not to bad should be flying it soon. But the edges were pretty much a rebuilt project and being in Alaska shipping them back and forth is not a option. Mark,

AJF--2

My Feedback: (119)

I am sorry friend but I don't know how in the world you get those numbers. I had $30 in the (recommended Dubro 1/4 scale) hinges-- 7 per ailiron X 4 ailirons--I forget how many for elevator and rudder, and $20 tailwheel and not to mention the HD control horns from Dubro at $11 each (for a package of 2) X 2 packages for ailirons/2 for the elevator and the rudder-- and I have not even touched on tires/axles/fuel tank/ball links at 2 per each control surface. You must be talking about the 4/40 bolts and nuts being around $40. In my case that $40 would not cover the tires/ tailwheel/ and flexable rod for the throttle servo.

Final thought-I have said this in every single thread--they are good flyers--

At a local flyin a pilot asked me what type of soft mounting system I had used for the DA 50-- After seeing the firewall flex (there were no soft mounts) he formed his opinion. Nuff said--

flyinrazrback

My Feedback: (69)

jmiracle, you say you only hear bad about a company? what about companies like Desert Aircraft. People go out of their way to convey the customer service from DA. My gripe with AW was a substandard plane in which they didnt want to replace, along with some other customer service issues. Did my katana fly good? Yes, very well, but it took a lot, I mean a lot of modifications to make it that way including recovering, resanding, etc. My advice if you want an AW plane, get an ARC so you can fix the things that need to be fixed before the covering goes on.

blue ice

My Feedback: (6)

Ok guys, lets settle down. Man, I just got home from work and it's 3:40 am here and I find seventeen replies already. I have been flying my first gasser, which is a kit built 29% AeroWorks Edge 540, that I bought used. Flies like a kitten. I have been looking at bipes every since I started flying last year. I even pre-ordered a Chip Hyde Dv but decided I didnt really care for the looks. Kinda reminds me of a U Can Do with a extra wing. It may fly great, but my heart is set on a Ultimate. Was thinking bout a DP or a Cermark Pitts with a smaller gas on her. I kind forgot about having to buy the hardware separate from AeroWorks. Thanks for reminding me guys. There just is not that many ARF bipes on the market set up for gas to choose from. I really would like the DP, but everyone says no to gas. I dont have a problem spending a little more on a 50cc plane, but I want to make sure it's a good one. Any other ones you guys think are worth a look at besides the DV? I did see the prototype bipe that Wildhare has for sale. NO THANKS. I would be interested if Tom comes out with a Ultimate or a Pitts, but not a Edge with 2 wings. AeroWorks sale is off on the 30th of this month and it takes me for ever to make up my mind so I will prob miss out on the sale price. Keep the input coming guys.
Bryan, plane looks Terrific. Hope you enjoy it for years to come. One question though, how come you didnt use digital servos?

H. Wayne S

My Feedback: (18)

I have the 27%er. Brison 3.2 on it. For what it's worth my observations are as follows:
It is a very well constructed plane.
It has great field appeal, every one wants a look at it. BEAUTIFUL PLANE !! Color scheme is great.
You cannot find a better 3D plane on the market. The thing will tumble all day and unlike most bipes, it'll come out of a spin in only 1 revolution.
It is a hard build for an ARF. Unless you have tiny little hands, the cabane mounting tabs are a real pain for a 6' 4" 225lb man with a catchers mit size hands.
NO HARDWARE !!!
I did everything under the sun I know to try to keep the covering on, every trip to the field resulted in another strip coming home in the front seat of the truck. I ironed every sq. inch of the plane at least four times, and the covering still comes off.
$495.00 for the plane without hardware is a little steep in my book.
Just my $ 00.02

BRYAN01601

My Feedback: (48)

AJF -
I used a tank I had on hand and Tailwheel I had on hand. I went to towers site and added it all up everything they recomend and it came out to 61.00 (i supose if you are getting the parts at a local hobby shop it could cost you 100.00 ). Still I would say on 90% of arfs I do not use the hardware provided because it is in my opinion inadequate my great planes extra arf came with hardwareand I used mabey 10% of it. I will also add if I wanted to go nuts yes I could have spent 250.00 on hardware titanium prolinks etc...

I could understand the firewall issue if it were pre-installed and built on the model, however it is the assembler that must put togather the firewall/engine box I believe it is engenered very well. I added tristock in front and behind the fire-wall I do this on all planes and I pinned the sided with 1/8" bamboo skewers there is absolutly no flex in the firewall if built properly. Yes a da-50 will shake, Alot I may add no matter what it is bolted to it is just a matter of principle of a single cylinder gas engine at idle has nothing to do with the firewall and if it does I would have to fault the builder not aero-works

Bottom line it is an awesome flying airplane

Every arf has issues, it is a given and it is due to the fact that different people have different opinions and standards for what they expect.

AJF I am sorry you did not have a good impression of this plane and It seems like your experience and my experience were completly different. Do I think the plane is a little overpriced at 595.00 (what I paid) yes exspecially if you purchased it from aeroworks and paid 50.00 plus shipping (i purchased through chief aircraft 25.00 shipping fed-ex) However at 495.00 it is getting into the range it should be in. I believe it should be priced at 400.00 like most other arfs in this category however there are not many 50cc ultimates out there so they have a nitche market. Would I buy another aero-works arf ? Yes if the price was right.

Blue Ice-
I did not use digital servos for several reasons and the first is money they are expensive. Second is I am not a TOC pilot or anything close to that just a weekend flyer who dabbles in 3d aerobatics. I have spent money on digital servos in the past and It has not made much difference to my style of flying so why waist the money. I would rather spend the money on a 6v powersytem with li-po batteries to get better performance out of standard servos and the newer li-po batteries are not that much more money 23.95 for a 2350mha 2cell battery . If you are competing in pattern or IMAC mabey it would make a difference. The hitech 645 and 945 are the same exact servo as the 5645 and 5945 and run on 6v they offer almost as much torque as thier digital cousins at a lower draw on the electrical system.

AJF--2

My Feedback: (119)

[quote] AJF -
I used a tank I had on hand and Tailwheel I had on hand. I went to towers site and added it all up everything they recomend and it came out to 61.00 (i supose if you are getting the parts at a local hobby shop it could cost you 100.00 ). Still I would say on 90% of arfs I do not use the hardware provided because it is in my opinion inadequate my great planes extra arf came with hardwareand I used mabey 10% of it. I will also add if I wanted to go nuts yes I could have spent 250.00 on hardware titanium prolinks etc...

I could understand the firewall issue if it were pre-installed and built on the model, however it is the assembler that must put togather the firewall/engine box I believe it is engenered very well. I added tristock in front and behind the fire-wall I do this on all planes and I pinned the sided with 1/8" bamboo skewers there is absolutly no flex in the firewall if built properly. Yes a da-50 will shake, Alot I may add no matter what it is bolted to it is just a matter of principle of a single cylinder gas engine at idle has nothing to do with the firewall and if it does I would have to fault the builder not aero-works

Bottom line it is an awesome flying airplane

Every arf has issues, it is a given and it is due to the fact that different people have different opinions and standards for what they expect.

AJF I am sorry you did not have a good impression of this plane and It seems like your experience and my experience were completly different. Do I think the plane is a little overpriced at 595.00 (what I paid) yes exspecially if you purchased it from aeroworks and paid 50.00 plus shipping (i purchased through chief aircraft 25.00 shipping fed-ex) However at 495.00 it is getting into the range it should be in. I believe it should be priced at 400.00 like most other arfs in this category however there are not many 50cc ultimates out there so they have a nitche market. Would I buy another aero-works arf ? Yes if the price was right.
quote]

It is an awsome flying plane--I would never say any different.

I built the engine box -pinned and glassed with a dowel I bought from the LHS. The engine box was not the problem. It was the firewall that was flexing--not the engine box. It was due to very thin lightweight ply. I even tried adding some wood to reinforce things to no avail.

As for the hardware in other ARFs-- I used almost every bit in my Great Planes Pitts and Wagstaff, --along with the spinner, tailwheel, nuts and bolts--only not the CA hinges or the steel clevis.

As for the price--at $495 I think it is still far behing Great Planes, Wild Hare, Kangke, and Hangar 9. I do not mind paying more if I am getting more, but my issue is that I paid a lot more and got considerably less than other ARFs. I went to Joe Nall fully expecting to pay cash and bring one home--no such luck. Paying the $40 for shipping did not burn my biscuits nearly as bad as finding out it was cheaper at Cheif's. I suppose it just contributes to my feelings. Oh well-- I wish you fella's well and hope it lasts a long time. HAPPY FLYING!

[8D]

BRYAN01601

My Feedback: (48)

to each is own.
love this plane

Hate my Hagner 9 cessna whant to buy it?

AJF--2

My Feedback: (119)

Did it cost $650 with shipping??????
(sorry, could not let that one pass)

Gumby2!

Blue Ice, well if you didn't buy it then wait a month or two. Word is Dave Patrick is coming out with a slightly larger Ultimate for gassers!