Recommendations for first sport turbine jet?
#26
My Feedback: (39)
The Scorpions are great jets and are easy to land. With the right gear will handle grass no problem. Looks like the new manufacturing has fixed a lot of the quality issues from when I had mine. Compared to the Elan, I would say the Elan is faster and more aerobatic (the Scorpions are slow unless you put a big block in it).
I like the the suggestions for the JL Viper - nothing but positive stuff coming out of people who fly those.
the UF's are great airframes and probably the toughest out there. If you're looking for something with a really wide speed envelope they're hard to beat.
PaulD
I like the the suggestions for the JL Viper - nothing but positive stuff coming out of people who fly those.
the UF's are great airframes and probably the toughest out there. If you're looking for something with a really wide speed envelope they're hard to beat.
PaulD
#28
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Join Date: Jun 2008
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I have both, CARF Ultraflash and Skymaster Viper 2.6m viperjet
The UF was my first ever turbine plane and I got my waiver with it. Set up correctly and having an excellent coach that has flown an UF is what it takes. I love my UF...but the Viperjet is actually, though its bigger is more relaxing.
James
The UF was my first ever turbine plane and I got my waiver with it. Set up correctly and having an excellent coach that has flown an UF is what it takes. I love my UF...but the Viperjet is actually, though its bigger is more relaxing.
James
#30
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hy guys need a turbine waiver have flown my shockjet lands very easy 15 times easy also have falcon 100 jetcat falcon 128mm 12s edf falcon 100mm tam jets 10s habu 32 tam 80mm 12 flights 8s am in sunnyvale have flown jets at crows and my giant s yaks cardens etc need your help
#31
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turbine
need waiver for turbine have flown 15 times on my shockjet upper wing easy to fly and land also 32 habu 8s falcon 120 with turbine jet cat 100 falcon 120 with 128mm edf 12s falcon 120 100mm tam jets 10 s
#35
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Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Fort Wayne, IN
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AMA Waiver to fly TURBINE powered jets in the USA at an AMA field or event. If you have enough room on your own property and are not afraid of anything happening to others then you don't need a waiver.
#36
My Feedback: (10)
A friend started with a viper with a jetcat p90 (supposedly more thrust than a 100). it would NOT take off of 800 feet of the best maintained, putting green maintained grass in the northwest. He was forced to take off on the road and land on the grass. After 5-6 flights it experienced a weird departure and pancaked at low speed. I think the wing failed structurally-most likely the skins delaminating from the spar. He replaced it with a carf ultraflash. It wont get off the grass either with the p90. Carf tutor with a 180-Takes off and lands in about 250 feet on the same grass..
Last edited by 2walla; 11-30-2014 at 09:25 PM.
#37
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Norfolk , UNITED KINGDOM
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A friend started with a viper with a jetcat p90 (supposedly more thrust than a 100). it would NOT take off of 800 feet of the best maintained, putting green maintained grass in the northwest. He was forced to take off on the road and land on the grass. After 5-6 flights it experienced a weird departure and pancaked at low speed. I think the wing failed structurally-most likely the skins delaminating from the spar. He replaced it with a carf ultraflash. It wont get off the grass either with the p90. Carf tutor with a 180-Takes off and lands in about 250 feet on the same grass..
John
#40
My Feedback: (10)
Viper was built with no mods and had the as big of wheels that would fit without hacking it up. Nothing extra added. Built by an excellent modeler and flyer. The grass there is draggy. The flash wont take off either. The moral of the story is that if you want to reliably fly off of grass with either plane is that a 100 class turbine wont cut it. A carf tutor with a 160 and the recommended behotec trailing link gear/wheels gets off in 250 feet every time... Ask Andy Kane why he got rid of his other jets but kept the tutor. Its because it will get in and out of just about any field capable of landing a 40 sized glow trainer.. If i wanted a pointy nosed sport jet i would get an ultra lightning with a 180 or larger in it. The wing loading is way down from the flash/viper and the bigger wheels would work better on more grass fields. The flash is a nice flyer and it is amazing how slow it will fly. And the viper flew well right up to the point that it started porpoising and crashed. There have been a few complaints about carf not getting the horns glued in straight etc. but you don't see any mysterious crashes or suspected structural failures with carf. And none of the typical "oh the factory in china got it right this time. We promise. Just send the money...."
i would bump quality up a couple of notches on your scale. I would buy a used bvm or carf before a new composite china model. The pilot sport jet looks promising but i would want to see how well they hold up after a couple seasons of flying.
i would bump quality up a couple of notches on your scale. I would buy a used bvm or carf before a new composite china model. The pilot sport jet looks promising but i would want to see how well they hold up after a couple seasons of flying.
Last edited by 2walla; 12-01-2014 at 10:46 AM.
#41
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Norfolk , UNITED KINGDOM
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Your friend must have some serious problems with his engine not developing full power and/or he has the planes very nose heavy or your grass needs cutting! Here is some video taken at random from the Internet of JL Viperjets and Flashes taking off grass with 100 size engines.
Jet Legend Viperjets 100 size engine off grass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYxts6fzSAk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx8mO7OIS04
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29_5m_mqJQQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFvBNdKmYUY
Flash with 100 size engines 100 size engines off grass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuM-MAIAzwQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKLYdFpO6G4
John
Jet Legend Viperjets 100 size engine off grass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYxts6fzSAk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx8mO7OIS04
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29_5m_mqJQQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFvBNdKmYUY
Flash with 100 size engines 100 size engines off grass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuM-MAIAzwQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKLYdFpO6G4
John
#42
My Feedback: (11)
Viperjets aren't "sport" jets last I checked.
For toughness, I mean flying tanks, CARF flashes can't be beat. My classic flash took some serious beatings, multiple dead sticks (from all the Hillclimbin with Doug ), landing off the runway, gear up and gear down, other people hitting the gear switch, etc....
And well, it is one tough mudder. Almost literally.
All that said, I love bandits! Nothing flies like a bandit, but they are more delicate and more expensive.
For toughness, I mean flying tanks, CARF flashes can't be beat. My classic flash took some serious beatings, multiple dead sticks (from all the Hillclimbin with Doug ), landing off the runway, gear up and gear down, other people hitting the gear switch, etc....
And well, it is one tough mudder. Almost literally.
All that said, I love bandits! Nothing flies like a bandit, but they are more delicate and more expensive.
#43
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: East Yorkshire, UNITED KINGDOM
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I don't see how the UF would struggle to get off that strip with a 90N engine, mines only got a Merlin 100, if the CG is right, it should easily rotate within 80 - 100 yards, mine is on the Tail Heavy side at 240mm and it rotates within half of our 200 yard mown out strip and it's cut short but not putting green standard.
I think the two main things you should consider is ........how much you'd like to spend?? The Jet Legend Viper is an amazing airframe for the cost, and does fly very very well and lands quite slowly aswell, the Ultra has the edge on just about everything but your gonna pay nearly twice the price for it. We've got both these jets (my Ultra Flash and my Dad owns both an UF and a Viper, he often leaves his Flash at home as he says he finds the Viper much more relaxing to fly).
The second for me would be......do you think you'll outgrow the Viper quite quickly?? If I your eventually looking to move into something like a Flash then I would just take the plunge now as you will not be disappointed, for me, it is pound for pound, best sports jet available today. I've not owned many jets (4 so far) but quite a few friends have got some high end toys so I do get regular go's with what they have, and I'd still take the Ultra (flying wise) over everything else I've flown.
Hope this helps.
I think the two main things you should consider is ........how much you'd like to spend?? The Jet Legend Viper is an amazing airframe for the cost, and does fly very very well and lands quite slowly aswell, the Ultra has the edge on just about everything but your gonna pay nearly twice the price for it. We've got both these jets (my Ultra Flash and my Dad owns both an UF and a Viper, he often leaves his Flash at home as he says he finds the Viper much more relaxing to fly).
The second for me would be......do you think you'll outgrow the Viper quite quickly?? If I your eventually looking to move into something like a Flash then I would just take the plunge now as you will not be disappointed, for me, it is pound for pound, best sports jet available today. I've not owned many jets (4 so far) but quite a few friends have got some high end toys so I do get regular go's with what they have, and I'd still take the Ultra (flying wise) over everything else I've flown.
Hope this helps.
#44
My Feedback: (10)
Hi john thanks for the videos. We will have to measure the thrust on the turbine and see what it is actually putting out. It is hitting about 180-190 mph on the gps but you never know till you put a scale on it to see how hard it is pushing at a stop. On asphalt his will get off in 200 feet or so.. So i would bet it is fine but you never know. Those guys had the grass cut pretty short in the videos.
#46
My Feedback: (48)
Hi john thanks for the videos. We will have to measure the thrust on the turbine and see what it is actually putting out. It is hitting about 180-190 mph on the gps but you never know till you put a scale on it to see how hard it is pushing at a stop. On asphalt his will get off in 200 feet or so.. So i would bet it is fine but you never know. Those guys had the grass cut pretty short in the videos.