After nearly four years (3000 hours!) of building, Australian RC pilot Stephen Thomas had the thrill of seeing his giant-scale project take off at the Darling Downs Soaring Club in Queensland. This 1/5-scale plane is powered by two Desert Aircraft 150s spinning 28×12 Metz props and it has 25kg-rated Hitec servos and custom Century Jet retracts with hydraulic main gear and air nose gear. With a flying weight of 248 pounds, this monster flying boat is an impressive sight on the ground and in the air. We congratulate Stephen on a job well done and thank him for posting his video to YouTube.—Debra Cleghorn, Executive Editor
