Finally got the decals on the 86, and boy howdy does it look good in the air. The yellow bars on the wings really help with orientation. Thanks to NoFuelHeli for taking the stills (one above and others in the gallery).

I’m going to have to look into adjusting the esc to see why I’m getting some cavitation at high throttle. But all in all, I really like this plane, highly recommended.

BTW, I edited the timestamp so the following post/rant wouldn’t be at the top (I like this post better).

What a hoot, my first ducted fan plane. I’ve always had a fondness for the F-86. Anyway, this little guy is an Alfa Models F-86 electric ducted fan. I’ll spare the details here, but you can find them at Hobby Lobby, and other details on Alfa’s website.

Flying this plane (and jets in general) is all about energy management. I built mine using the recommended MP Jet 25/25-26 Mk 2 controlled by an E-Flight 20 amp esc on a TP 1320 3s1p pack. I was amazed by this plane from the first flight. It felt light and did not require a monster heave to get it on the wing. The stock setup is not intended for blazing speed, but it is fairly fast. It does require planning, forethought and smoothness to make it look good in the air. It does not have unlimited vertical, so working the throttle ahead of time is a must. Landing is a dream. The third flight I was jockeying the throttle and almost surfing the ground effect for about 50′ before settling into the grass.

The pic above and the video show the plane sans decals. Some of the guys liked it that way, but I really wanted to have some color on it. I finished applying the decals last night, and I can say two things about them. First, they look really good. Second, they’re a bitch to apply. Right now it’s sitting at home drying out. Tonight I will airbrush some sealer on them to hopefully protect them from coming off. I did it up in “The Huff” scheme, since I like the bigassed dragon. I’ll try to get some stills and video this weekend. The video of us flying last Sunday can be viewed HERE.