This new aerobatic airframe is a smaller version It is my pleasure to announce the release of an all new airframe from Wild Hare R/C, the 100cc class Giles G202 Fast Build.

What? Wild Hare's first plane was a Giles, how can this be new?

Our original Giles was a very nice plane, 93" wingspan and weighed from 23-25 lbs. For 2002 when it was designed it was very innovative. But time marches on and so does technology. Our new Giles is 106" wing span with over 2000 square inches of wing area, yet it weighs almost the same as the original Giles. The early production plane that I have been flying weighs in at 25 pounds including a canister muffler on the DA-85 which hauls this beautiful bird around like it wasn't there.

If you prefer to use a 100cc twin, by all means do so. The huge wing won't even notice the added weight and the wide roomy cowl will accommodate any of the 100cc twins on the market with no cutting.

The built-up wings are lighter than sheeted foam wings of the same size. The ailerons are designed stiffer so that a single servo can be used on each aileron. But if you don't happen to own two Hitec 5955s or similar high performance servos, then there is a second servo mount in each wing so you can use two servos of lesser strength.

The new Giles has horizontal stabilizers that mount the elevator servos, rather than mounting the servos in the fuselage. The huge elevators are actuated by short pushrods and the whole assembly can be removed without disassembling the linkage making it very easy to transport the plane in a partially disassembled fashion.

Other features of the plane include simple one piece polished aluminum landing gear, integrated dual servo pull-pull rudder tray (although out testing shows that only 1 good servo will ever be needed on the rudder), integrated canister tunnel, pre-mounted cowl with cowl ring so there are no visible fasteners, and a huge full length hatch that leaves the entire front section of the fuselage open for easy access.

Something new for Wild Hare is the fast-build level of integration that you will see when you open the boxes. The control surfaces are already hinged for you; ailerons and elevators are already completely assembled and glued. The hinges are already glued into the rudder, but due to shipping box constraints the rudder is only half-hinged, you will still need to glue the rudder hinges into the fuselage. Engine mounting templates are included for DA-85 and DA-100 and the engine location is marked on the firewall. Just line up the template with the marked location and drill your holes. The available engine mounting kit also really simplifies things, it includes the blind nuts, mounting spacers and mounting bolts for simple bolt-on of your engine. Mounting the engine can be done in as little as 15 minutes.

The plane is shipped with the canopy already installed onto the hatch. A beautiful graphical instrument panel is pre-installed and there is a "trap door" provision for installing a pilot figure from the bottom. The hatch installation onto the fuselage is already done for you with the holes drilled and the blind nuts pre-installed in the 4 hold down tabs.

The plane has been test flown with both DA-85 and DA-100, both had canister muffler systems. The tunnel works flawlessly and will accept a rear exhaust muffler so there is no outlet in front to get damaged. Performance with these two engines is almost the same, both provide unlimited vertical performance.

How does it fly? Typical of the Giles design the first thing you think about this plane when you fly it is "smooth". The G202 is super stable in normal flight; a sophisticated and elegant flying style becomes almost automatic. It is rock solid in drawing a straight line, snaps cleanly with instantaneous stops after a snap or spin. Stalls are predictable and quite noticeable so that spin entry is no longer a mysterious event. This may be the best IMAC plane in its class.

But what about 3D? Even though the Giles is extremely stable, its large elevators and light weight make it an outstanding 3d performer as well. Hovering is simple; blenders are at the same time exciting and elegant with lots of time to think about what you are doing. Properly done the Giles will actually stop descending in a blender and climb out. Rolling harriers are beautiful, and this aircraft does the best knife edge loop of any plane we have tested. Its large flat sides mean NO PUCKER when you get to the bottom 1/3 of the loop, the hardest part for any plane.

How does it land? It lands like it's on autopilot. Properly balanced (the key to landing on any plane) the new G202 will make its approach pretty much without pilot intervention. Just feed in a little up elevator at the last moment and it will settle in as pretty as a picture.

The new Giles is the class of the 100cc market. It is available in 2 color schemes, the yellow/blue feather scheme of the original Giles and also a new red/white/yellow/black scheme that is at the same time striking and still easy to see in the air.

Shipping is by truck, and costs between $100 and $200 depending on your location.