The design of the GI8U2, pronounced "gee, I ate you too," started life in 1986, and was typical of Q-500 airframes of that era. As Q-500 evolved, refinements were incorporated into the design to accomodate changes in powerplants and the inevitable increase in speed we have come to accept. While the availability of affordable computer radios enabled development of V-tail quickies by the early 1990's, today, increasing numbers of us find them problematic to align and trim, and offer no obvious speed benefit to warrant the grief. While most of today's design are high-winged, V-tail configurations, we feel that this phenomena more reflects what manufacturers have learned the largest segment of the racing market will tolerate in terms of price and work needed to get in the air, rather than what also works. As a result, all the latest designs (Bird of Prey, Neme-Q, Vortex, V-Max) have tremedous appeal for the hard driving, bottomless wallet racer. Unfortunately, this trend works against both the newcomer and other modestly (to say nothing of rationally) financed fans of Q-500, but no more.
The GI8U2 features a simple, well-engineered, lightweight airframe that can be finished with a variety of combinations of iron-on covering, silkspan, tissue, or fiberglass cloth and finishing resin. It is very stable in flight, and offers solid wide-track handling during take-off and landing. With its conventional tail, it is easy to set up and trim, requiring no mixing or additional channels. |
