The kit for the L is $1250.00. Nope, that’s not a misprint... the kit cost $1250.00. But before you fall over from sticker shock, at least let me tell you what you get for your money. The wings come jig-built and are designed just like a built-up wing, but the wing ribs are made out of 1/2" blue foam. The wings are guaranteed to be straight when you get them. Also, this method of construction assures the wings are light and strong. (I have approximately 400 flights on my old 37% L and the wings show no signs of fatigue) Also included in the kit is a set of carbon-fiber gear and all the hardware. The hinges are Kleat hinges, the control horns are by Rocket City, the tail wheel is an Ohio Super Star. The kit also includes a lightweight 2-piece fiberglass cowl and very light fiberglass wheel pants. All the hardware is top-of-the-line. Practically the only equipment you will need to buy is a fuel tank and a spinner. The other thing you get with this kit is Precision Aviation’s years of experience. When you’ve finished building this kit you will have an aircraft that many feel is one of the top airplanes in Aerobatics today.

Another interesting thing about this airplane is that instead of having the building instructions written down in a book, they’re on video. So you get to watch the Godfrey

team build an L step by step, while you follow along. Sorry for sounding like a salesman, but I figure with a price tag like that I better explain what you get for your money.

When you open the kit, the first thing you will notice is that for a plane this size there’s not a lot of wood. On the first L I built, the fuselage was all I received to begin with and I thought they had forgotten half the pieces. If I remember correctly, there are only seven formers in the fuselage. Two of them 1/4" light ply and the rest are 1/8 " light ply. The construction technique for the L is very similar to the Lanier 300-S. It’s very simple and straight forward.

One unique thing about the L fuselage is that you have the option of making it two pieces. In other words, the fuse literally bolts together at the back of the canopy. You simply put two 1/4" formers back-to-back and then bolt them together. It really is very simple to do, and the construction strong. Making it 2-piece will add about 8 ounces of weight so I have built both my L's in one piece. All the L's that Godfrey bones-up go out in the 2-piece design, unless someone special orders it otherwise. They are easier to ship, and if someone has a small car, how else are they going to get a 109" fuse around?

The next thing that struck me about the kit is how big every thing is. The stab, rudder, front hatch, and turtle deck are all foam, which you have to sheet with balsa. Godfrey recommends using epoxy to hold the balsa skins on the stab and rudder (I use finishing resin or Hobby Poxy 2). On the turtledeck they recommend contact cement in the instructions. They show you a method of putting the sheeting on with the glue still wet that works unbelievably. As it dries, the sheeting shrinks a little and it looks like it was made on the foam. At approximately 48" from tip-to-tip the stab is bigger than the wing on some models I’ve flown. The stab is held on just like the wing, with an aluminum tube and anti rotation pins. I lowered my stab 10% from scale to help with the pitch coupling, and on the 32% L lowering the stab also helped make it a little less pitch sensitive. I also cut a hatch under the stab on one side of the fuse as you will need to locate the battery in the back of the plane. I modified the rudder by putting in just a little off-set to compensate for torque, and I made the counter balances on the rudder about 1" to 1 -1/2" bigger. This rudder is big and very effective, but takes of lot power to move in the air. On my first L I use two quarter-scale servos, and on my newer one I have four 605 Hitecs. If I can swing it on my next L, I’m going to put four 4721 servos on the rudder.

Finishing this plane is very straight-forward. With the flat fuselage sides it’s very EASY to cover, it just takes a lot of Monokote. With the color scheme I used it took over two 25 foot rolls. The radio installation is fairly easy because the only servo inside the fuselage is the throttle; all the others are hanging out in the breeze. There are two servos on each aileron, and I recommend using something equivalent to JR 4721’s or 4131’s. The elevator servos are located on the bottom of the stab, and I used 4721’s. I am using one receiver and one 2000 mil. SR pack. I know a lot of guys that are using redundant systems, and although I think they’re a good idea, I’m sticking with what I’ve been using .

There are a few things in the kit that I should warn you about: This was the first video that Godfrey did, and in a few places it is a little hard to follow or hard to tell what is going on. Also the ailerons are not precut; you have to cut them out on a bandsaw, then cap and bevel them. These are big ailerons and it’s a pain to get everything centered up. Godfrey will finish the ailerons for a little extra money. I don’t remember how much, but it’s money well spent, as they come pre-hinged and beveled.

Now the fun part... how it flies. This is where, in many peoples opinion, Godfrey’s planes are worth every penny. The L was originally built for the TOC, and in my opinion it shows. It literally tracks like it’s on rails, and is a joy to put through the pattern because it makes the pilot work so much less. It 3-D's extremely well. (Somenizi introduced the world to 3-D at the TOC with a Godfrey 37% S). The thing that really blows me away about the L is its slow speed ability. It is so forgiving that it makes the pilot feel very safe when low and slow because if he gets in trouble, just punch the throttle and away you go. It doesn’t want to torque over or snap out when the power is applied, it simply flies out of trouble. I plan on sticking with the L for a long time to come, and one of the main reason is because it is so easy to handle and forgiving.

Well I just re-read this and realized I forgot to say anything about the motor. Godfrey designed both this plane and the S model around the old 3W-120. I have a TOC 120 in my old L, and a short nose TOC 120 in the new one. I’ve seen them fly with standard 120 and they have unlimited vertical. My my older L weighs in at 37 pounds (I over built it a little because it was my first airplane of this size). My new L weights in at 35 pounds, and I think I can drop at least a pound off the next one.

Well, if anybody has any further questions, you are welcome to contact me at

<mikebr@gte.net>. I hope this didn’t sound like a sales pitch, I really didn’t intend it to. The Godfreys are good friends of mine, and although I’m not sponsored by them, they have helped me out over the years.