GiantScalePlanes.com

	CUSTOMER REVIEWS

This is a review of an EXTRA that I recently built and that now has booked over 24 flights. The short version is that “I love the plane”.

Technical:

· Model - Giant Scale Planes, Extra-300S ARF (http://www.giantscaleplanes.com/Extra300_65/Extra300_65.htm).

· Type - Unlimited 3D aerobatics

· Technology – balsa, plywood, foam, Oracoatä and fiberglass

· Wingspan 67”

· Length 57”

· Flying weight dry – 9 lb 2 oz

· Engine – OS 91 FX, 2 cycle

· Prop – 14 / 6

· Receiver – Hitec Supreme

· Servos – Futaba 3004 BB

· CG – 4 standard, 4 3/8 extreme and 4 ½ trippy

· Tank – 16 oz Du-Bro 416

· Wheels – Sullivan 3”

· Spinner – Dave Brown 3”

· Throws (+/-) – Aileron 12mm, Elevator 15mm, Rudder 80mm

Assembly:

· Very simple assembly with high quality and brief instructions

· Excellent hardware

· Wing and tail assembly angle of incidence is dead on out of the box

· Fiberglass landing gear is very, very nice

· Beautiful and well painted cowl and wheel skirts

· Wing covering is good (I changed the color scheme on mine so I removed most of the covering and recovered it)

· Canopy is tinted beautifully

· Excellent wing design (true to the Extra spec) with beautiful workmanship

· Fuselage is very roomy and easy to work in the tank, receiver and battery

· Imbedded wing servos and point-of-control tail servos (i.e. no pushrods) are very effective and attractive

· I varied the engine mount design from a counter clock wise 90 degree to 135 degrees centering the muffler for zero exhaust (oil) cleanup at the field – the plane stays clean

· I also varied on the throttle servo by mounting it under the cowl close to the engine for balance and to stay with the point of control theme

· Glue joints are average (I re-glued my plane with carpenters glue and CA, stripped off the belly covering and glued it, it is worth the time and it is easy to re-apply this area of the covering)

Flight:

You must know “why” you want an EXTRA in order to enjoy this plane, because the plane flies in the true EXTRA tradition and that is snappy, beautiful knife edges (with very little coupling) flat turns, rolling turns, fast and straight rolls, great tumbling waterfalls that are scary to watch (tail over nose at full throttle).

So, if EXTRA performance is what you want then you will love this plane. But it is not a Sunday flier.

At medium to high speed (which is very high with an OS 91), the plane flies excellent and is truly beautiful to watch, put on a knife-edge or a low altitude high-speed inverted pass and it is a real show. The inside and outside loops at 150’ diameters are beautiful and the rolls are straight ahead. Excellent hammerheads. The snap and waterfalls are so violent on this plane that it looks as if it will tear the plane apart – I never do more than one per maneuver and then at low to medium speed. I have not perfected the prop-hang maneuver on this plane, largely because of the OS 91’s unlimited vertical – got to get the throttle management under control, but I am sure it will do it soon as I learn the combination. I installed all of the flight surfaces with close to 0 clearance and I have not experienced flutter at all.

This EXTRA has good low speed qualities, with non-violent low speed stall snaps (tip stalls) – more like a gentle, but committed “roll-off-the wing” that will lose 15’ once it starts (with the standard CG setting). However, on “dead stick” landings, which I have done several of (new engine), as long as the plane is kept in a 0 degrees to slightly down attitude (angle of attack), it will glide for an astonishing long distance, so, just be patient and it will easily make it back to the run-way and have time for a decent landing approach – but do not stand on the elevator or you will be going out to pick up the pieces.

Powered landings are moderately fast (I suggest you kill the engine over the runway) because of the thin, low drag, efficient, zero-dihedral wing. But it comes in “on rails” so long as you do not stand on the elevator. I suggest some tightly compressed fuel tubing on the wheel axels to act as brakes – works on mine. Also, about +5 degrees of aileron spoiler or air brake, is a good idea to slow the plane and reduce the possibility of a tip stall. I did experience some low altitude (3’ – 10‘) tip stalls on my first flights, but the accompanying pictures are proof that it can be recovered – it is not as bad as I make it sound.

Something that to watch for - on my maiden flight, I had put on too much elevator throw and then stood on it 100% trying to make a 25” loop at high speed. Luckily the plane was at a safe altitude because it snapped well over 3 times before I could get off – so set the elevator throws conservative initially because it is an EXTRA – it is made to snap.

Summary

This plane is true to the EXTRA tradition and is a wonderful plane to fly even in windy conditions. It is a great aerobatic plane that is not always trying to crash you – it flies excellent.

I found the folks at Giant Scale Planes excellent to work with and VERY helpful.

Alan Shannon

Plano, TX

alan4004@attbi.com