Reviews

Crash Test Hobby Customer Reviews

"When you say “fly more, fix less,” you’re not kidding. You wouldn’t believe what I’ve done to this thing the last 2 days. And the airframe is still perfect. I even got it out of a tree once." Matt

"The customer response your company has is unbelievable. If half the companies I deal with had your level of service the world would be a happier place. Thanks again. Devoted Aussie Fan" Chris

"One of the members who had your wing put it into the ground and must have been doing 60 mph, he just picked it up, wiped the cow crap off and just threw it back into the air, cool!" - Simon

"Livermore Flying Electrons in Ca have bought more than 50 Assassins, 6 at a time, in the last few months. Every time we place an order I think this will prob be the last one, but they get bought so fast... We purchased all the parts, and put the package together, to sell to members for $80. - It has taken off. We're planning to center the years activities around the plane, and the club is more energized the it's been in years. We have about 200 members, and most times about 20 flyers actually come to the field to fly, that's changed, I'm seeing guys I have not seen in a long time. The planes are tough, and easy to fly. Lots of laughs and little fixing, just fun" Lenny

See their video below...

Brown pants moment today.Flew my Scythe LOS and slammed it in the Ground at full beans.... Sometimes you have to pay for the risk 😟 Lil Scythe bounced 15ft up after the hit, fpv cam and Lipo flew away, I thought it have had its last light. 😖 Went to pick up the pieces. 😕 Found the Lipo, found the cam, picked up the plane; undamaged!!!! 😱 Just the lipostrap was ripped out and the glue to hold the cam took some foam with it, as it flew away. Oh and the prop was broken. Made some small fieldrepairs and went up in the air again.So I am totally convinved, if you want a tough wing for abuse and fun, GO FOR CRASH TEST HOBBY!" Rudiger

"I flew my new Grim Reaper with LED lights today at lunch in combat and had a few wicked hits with it. Oh yeah, it flies great. Best big wing I've had yet. (30+ Years Experience, 100+ Planes Owned)" Darren

"A few of our club members have been flying your Assassins for awhile now which got me to thinking about doing events with them if we could get enough members interested. This idea was brought up in a past club meeting, where we had several interested and wanting to buy the planes and join in on the fun. We ordered 18 planes, and bought all of the other parts for these planes, including batteries, ESC, motors and Servos. Your Assassins have brought New life to our club with lots of the members really having a good time building and getting them ready for the upcoming events, including myself! The two events that we are going to use the Assassins for is Limbo and Combat. ..... One of the Pilots is a beginner and really likes the fact that he can crash it and not worry about it getting destroyed. His testimony is that the Assassin also doubles as a great trainer plane. Thanks for a great product! BTW the build videos are awesome as well." Dave OMAS (Oregon Miniature Aircraft Squadron) President

"Lee, I just wanted to thank you again for all the hard work you have put into this hobby.I have done builds in my shop from start to finish for the kids and dads in our city.The Albatross tops the list.They love this plane like everyone else. I wish I could talk to you one day. Thanks again of all you do. And all the info on your web site. Keep it going." Noel

"Awesome to hear about the Rebels. Also a very good price. Not to knock other manufacturers, recently I just bought a racing wing that is twice the price of this, similar size, also the kit didn't come with laminate or servo horns or push rods. By far Crash Test has the best quality and price out there. Going to have to order one of these soon to add it to my growing collection." "Photohap"

Hi there, I purchased an Assassin kit a long time ago just for fun. After 70+ hard crashes this thing still flies like new. Once I got it stuck in a tree and tried to shoot it down with a paintball gun, but too no avail. I had to wait until a storm blew it down to recover it so I could fly again. Needless to say I have been impressed with how this little plane lives up to being the "toughest." Jonathan

"After two videos of wrecking into a brick wall The Black and Blood Red Assassin is still flying with almost no repairs other than straightening motor mount a couple of laminate repairs. We designed these planes to be tough. Read the customer reviews and see that others agree." Lee

"I love my Assassins. They are my most flown planes. I have big motors on them too. I did a death dive in to pavement a couple of weeks ago. Broke both servo arms and bent the motor mount up against the top of the wing, Lipo luckily survived which was amazing. The plane was undamaged except for the nose became a little more squishy than it was but needed no repair." Scott

"Nice! Had a couple of nose dives that bounced so hard that, if I were a capable pilot, would have been able to fly again. I've crashed my assassin so hard so many times that if it were a regular build, it would have been trashed by the 5th flight! It still flies straight as an arrow...when I don't crash! Again, super durable planes!" Josh

"Got out for a nice solo run yesterday with my Grim Reaper XL. This thing is awesome. It weighs about 4 lbs 6 oz and can cruise for about 35 min flight time. I really enjoy FPV with this wing. It seems like pretty much the best of all worlds. I get long flight times, heavy payloads, quick acceleration, steep climbs and stability. I'm not sure what else a person needs? Oh speed, ya you get that too! If anyone is looking for a fun FPV platform I would highly recommend the Grim Reaper XL. I have had other FPV platforms and liked them but never like this one. I think I may be a Crashtesthobby addict for life." Bcraneful

"Maidened my Vertigo today. WOW, that was a blast. So racing with a group of Assassins and Reapers in a giant oval, and doing aileron rolls on the straights trying to tip other planes was a blast. Man that thing was tough, I started flying the wrong plane at one point and saw one out of the corner of my eye dive straight into planet earth WOT...yep that one was mine. Picked it up, shook the dirt off and threw it back in the air. WHAT!?"! Kensue

"Hey guys, Someone gave me a CTH assassin wing, it looked like a piece of junk when I got it and I was about to donate it to the D.I. ( local thrift store in St. George, UT). I was about to buy an FPV wing and knew I would have to do a line-of-sight maiden when I got it. I hadn’t flown a fixed wing aircraft in 3 years so I decided to practice on the hand me down wing I got. I cannot believe how well the wing flies and how tough it is! I’ve crashed this wing about 75 times in the last two weeks and can’t believe it’s still holding up. I had no idea what I had until all these local pilots recognized it as a CTH wing and told me how awesome they are. This wing is incredible and is as close to indestructible as any aircraft can get! I will definitely order a new one when/if this one ever dies! I’m going to do a positive review of it on my YouTube channel, I’m seriously impressed. Keep up the good work guys! ( late note) I just got back from flying, probably piled it in another 12 times today, actually started playing a game where I glide it in from about 100’ up and try to nail a plastic water bottle on the ground! Also been trying “skip and go’s” gliding it in fast, bumping off the ground then throttling back up haha. Great wing, totally love it and it is about as uglified as it can get! " Shane

"Hello Lee, Finally flew Assassin. Very close to specified weight. Very well mannered, easily side arm launched. I found I didn't need any expo, relatively quiet, good climb. Survived brutal 100' vertical into pavement with only a bent Lipoly and 2 damaged servos, doesn't even look like it was crashed. IMO, you are the only ones that do it right. I'm so happy to have found you guys! Regards, Brad"

"I have been trying to learn to fly RC planes for a while now with very discouraging results. Until I stumbled on your web site! I bought an Albatross last week and flew it for the first time today. When I say I flew it I mean I flew and safely landed on my first try. This has never happened before. (thee planes crashed). I think I flew the Albatross 7 or 8 times today. I can't tell you how rewarding this is to me. Thank you so much." Dan

"Hi Lee - Thanks for the info on the night flying, just what I wanted. I just want to tell you that I fly an Assassin and a Titan but there is something special about sitting on a deck chair and flying the Albatross. Its completely relaxing and probably the best trainer in the world. I love it when non flying strangers come up to me and say "is it difficult to fly" and I say see for yourself and hand them the transmitter. I'm saving for the Storm Chaser. Bring on the dark nights. Russ" ( uk )

"I found out how tough they are. I let my cousin, who flies heli's, control my Titan. He has never flown a plane. He kept inverting it, and trying to climb and turn like his heli. Never seen so many yard darts in my life! After examining the plane, found one Led wire that had came loose. Not even the winglets were damaged. My 8 yr old flew the same Titan the evening before like a pro. Have to admit these planes are the best that I have found YET. I have 6 wings, and when I destroy one of the 3 that aren't CTH , I'll be getting another CTH plane." Gabe

Thanks to Lee and the guys for designing an amazing plane (that has worked great for 300+ flights). Their support is fantastic! My old Assassin has gone through motors, ESC's, and tons of batteries and it still flys great. It's survived combat, crashes into a lot of hard objects, and still looks pretty good. It really is the most tuff plane on the planet! They would sale a lot more but the Assassin just won't die. I've got number two to build but just hadn't needed to. I guess I will just so I can have a new color scheme to look at. Well done boys." Bluhammer

"Not only are your planes the funnest and the toughest, they are the best designed and least expensive EPP planes too. We can't believe what we can do to these planes and they survive. Our club got 6 Assassins with the buy 5 get one free offer. We like the laminate that is included in the kit. It is easier to use than the other laminates we have tried. Your build videos are very good. We are already planning our next club order." James

A few of our club members have been flying your Assassins for awhile now which got me to thinking about doing events with them if we could get enough members interested. This idea was brought up in a past club meeting, where we had several interested and wanting to buy the planes and join in on the fun. We ordered 18 planes, and bought all of the other parts for these planes, including batteries, ESC, motors and Servos. Your Assassins have brought New life to our club with lots of the members really having a good time building and getting them ready for the upcoming events, including myself! One of the Pilots is a beginner and really likes the fact that he can crash it and not worry about it getting destroyed. His testimony is that the Assassin also doubles as a great trainer plane. Thanks for a great product! BTW the build videos are awesome as well. Dave (Oregon Miniature Aircraft Squadron) President

"I was flying my Albatross and was about 300 feet or so high. Guess my hands were just too cold as I nosed it in with a sickening sound and flipped on it's back. I was sure something was torn up but, that wasn't the case. I cleaned off the mud and re-launched it!" 1Fullbird

The Storm Chaser is amazing. I am only running one 5000MAH 3 cell battery, and my Go Pro. It hand launches amazing and flies exactly how I hoped it would....actually better!!!" TJDLegend

Assassin converts from downunder ... the Warwick Aeromodellers in Queensland Australia

"On Father's day, my son came over for his obligatory visit. He's a better pilot than I am. We took the Assassin to the vacant lot across the street. I launched it, got a little altitude, and handed him the transmitter. He had a freakin' BALL. We ran about 6 battery packs thru it. Playing with my son and the Assassin made it the best Father's day EVER. I think I know what to get him for Christmas. Thanks, Lee" Jim C.

"Hi Guys, Just a quick note to show you what you have done, LOL, recently our club received our 12 Assassins, this was our first club hitout, we had a last man standing comp. Hercules was the victor, the president has to win to save face, LOL. These wings are a hoot, Just want to say thank you to the CTH team for your help. We are now flying the flag for CTH and will spread the word, your planes ARE the Toughest on the planet. Thanks again, Regards Mark B. President of Warwick Aero Modellers. Warwick, Queensland, Australia."

"Thanks again for your reply. I want to tell you how much your planes have changed my whole flying experience for the better. When I started out in the hobby about a year ago, I was building cheapy foam kits from another supplier. While I appreciate what they're doing in terms of innovation and making the hobby more approachable for beginners, at the end of the day I was spending way more time fixing their planes than actually flying them. They were simply too fragile, and even a very minor mishap would end my day at the field and send me back to the workbench. Sure, I learned a lot about how to make repairs, but with your planes I'm instead learning more about how to fly. The very first day I took my Albatross out I flew it more than I had flown all my other previous planes combined because it stayed in the air and stayed in one piece. There's just no substitute for time on the sticks which is what your planes grant. And for that, I thank you." Allen

I flew my 47" Grim Reaper with a 3648, 1450 KV Turnigy motor, 100 Amp ESC, 4 cell 2600mah 40C battery. On board airspeed indicator is from EagleTree. Airspeed indicator pitot tube measures actual airspeed. Best run was 129 MPH. Others were 127, 123 and 126. 8x6 APC prop." Number6

"The Assassins we have been flying in combat are holding up great! Try as we may to kill an Assassin, we cannot! You might want to make it a bit weaker, to sell more kits!" Tony in TX

"Just hit an hour flight with my Grim Reaper XL!!!!!!! Voltage per cell was 3.74.. so I still had a little juice left! (I used) 2x 4000mAh 3S 25C batts, 60amp ESC, 1400Kv Motor,10X4.5 Prop" Ftsdeploy

"Tell your customers that the Albatross is the best plane in the world if you are having any trouble flying. I never could get more than a few flights out of any other plane I have owned. At my age I am a little to slow to fly the higher performance planes. The Albatross has made all the difference and is fun to fly over my farm and I don't have to worry about rough landings." Judd

"I hit a tree with my Assassin and broke off a 3/4" branch. I couldn't believe that it didn't destroy my new plane in fact it hardly left a mark. The plane flew again without any repair." John

"I flew my Albatross in a straight line for an entire flight. The wind was so hard that I could cut the throttle and let the plane blow backwards over my head without loosing control. I don't know any other slow flyer that can handle that much wind and be that easy and fun to fly. The secret is out. The Albatross is the best flying and longest lasting slow flyer out there" Dan

"Tonight, I finished the Albatross polyhedral build with LEDs and all. Despite 7m/s (15mph) of wind I went out in my back yard with limited space and did the maiden. It flew amazing and the LEDs was an absolute blast. This was my first night flying ever and maiden flite combined in one. Got about 11-12 minutes out of one 1300mAh pack. Burned through 2 batteries and lightly crashed into light posts on both landings with absolutely no sign of damage. I'm my 3 months of RC flying this is definitely my best experience ever! Thank you Lee and Michael for all your support during the purchase phase, the excellent build videos and for creating Crash Test Hobby!" Andreas

I absolutely love you designs and now my fleet only contains CTH aircraft!!!! Simply put....they fly awesome, they survive crashes and have out lived any other plane I have had in my fleet....period! On my last Hercules Pusher I had 20,400 mah on board and reached a distance of 13 miles out 13 back total 26 miles plus 20 more minutes of fly around flying field to check RTH and get to altitude. Mark V

"Thanks so much, love the albatross with the poly wing, hard sometime to stay awake when flying it. First time i flew it, I trimmed it for a gentle left turn, set the tx down went to the car, got out my chair and coffee and flew for 40 minutes. Very relaxing. Thanks" ...Bill

"I just wanted to tell you that my club here in Virginia has come alive because of your planes. A few simple things really made a difference, but the only aero change was clipping the wing tips by 3" each. I run the RCtimer 3530-1700 on a 7x6 apc e. The motor doesn't get warm anymore, but performance is outstanding. Prop calc optimizes the prop at 7.5x6, but I am happy with the cold motor. My wife and another fellow reaper owner flew this plane and love it. They both want clipped reapers now. Would you believe my wife wants a faster plane? We usually have at least 4 planes in the air at once and fly a racetrack making left turns. When we get close we try to kill each other. I call it combat racing. My wife has taken some very cool pics of these events, but honestly, she'd rather be flying! I'll post some pics in the Reaper thread soon. You have made a handful of people here in Virginia very happy. We LIVE for our combat flights and will never be without a Reaper of some type from now on." Eddy

"I have never written a manufacturer of anything, but I had to write you. At 49 years of age, I decided this time I was going to get into RC flying and make it work. My brother and I have bought a few RTF kits for each other over the years, most recently a XXX Cub, that didn't have a long lifespan. I bought your Albatross kit, bought all your recommended parts, and a 9xr transmitter. I followed your build instructions and got ready to fly. However, I broke every other rule you state. I didn't have anybody helping train me. I took it out in my backyard, (rural area), with trees and a barn and started. First flight, the dreaded death spiral right into a power line. 5 minutes with the hot glue gun and I was back in the air. After that things smoothed right out. I flew this plane more in the first 30 minutes than I'd flown EVERY RTF plane my brother and had bought before! I think I have around 3 hours or so flying it as of today and I read you said that 10 hours to be competent. My question is how many hours do you think it would take before I tried one of your wings? Also which one of your wings would you say is the easiest one to fly? Thanks again for making RC flying easier than I ever thought it could be. Thanks" Bob S.

"Gotta tell you, every time someone asks me about learning to fly and the risk of ruining an expensive trainer, I tell them about you & Crashtest. From the great customer support, to the fact that one can learn with confidence that barring a full speed nosedive, they can pick up the plane, give it a toss, & be back flying! I show them what I have, what I've ordered, & what I plan on ordering, take them to my field & let them see for themselves how your planes perform, from combat to the limbo poles & how they bounce off, get picked up & go again & they are ALWAYS impressed, especially after going to your website & seeing your product line." Pat

"I now own 5 of CrashtestHobby wings bought a Grim Reaper to learn on beat the snot out of it but she still flys great then bought the Pinata now building the Titan and the Grim Reaper XL and because I love the Grim Reaper so much I bought a second one. Can't really beat the price of their wings." Trimax

"Three years into this hobby and I still only have but 2 wings in my 25+ model hanger...an Assassin and a Grim Reaper...and absolutely love flying both of them. If I'm ever at the field and it's just flat out too windy to fly, I always fly one of these wings just to say "I flew in XXmph winds". I often use either as somewhat of a barometer to know exactly how windy it really is. If I could have but only one RC model to last me the rest of my life and I could chose from anything on the planet, it would have to be a CTH wing. Okay, enough sucking up on my part and on to a little business." Mike

"I have to tell you getting the students the Assassin is the best training decision I made. They could quickly go fly independently without fear of crashing and destroying their plane. They did crash quite a bit in the first week, but the incredibly durable Assassin just kept on flying without one single repair after an amazing amount of ground pounding some of them were subjected to. I gave each student a basic buddy box check out then pushed them out of the nest and, like young eagles, they just took off flying. One of my best students made a high speed downwind dive into the ground. The resilient Assassin bounce backwards into the air to about ten feet high. It ended up near horizontal so the student shot the power to it and kept on flying. It was absolutely hilarious to watch. I also have the two Albatross I will use for this class's first out door flights. The Albatross is the perfect aircraft for their first few flights. I and the students love the flight performance of the Deep Reaper. It is a very smooth and stable FPV platform that still retains great maneuverability. I use it for the initial cockpit view flight training. I am very happy and satisfied with the ease of build and flight performance of Crash Test Hobby aircraft." Dennis in Mississippi

Review on FliteTest.com

"I have three full time FPV rigs. The Storm Chaser, a Reaper XL and the Gladiator. The Storm Chaser is a heavy haul, slower moving (18 - 20 mph cruise). Good for those days when the wind isn't' blowing too hard. I run a 5,000 mAh battery, have doubled it to 10,000. Long slower flights is how I would classify it. Would make a great search platform. The Gladiator is my longer range wing. Handles the Nebraska winds quite well, With 8,000 mAh, cruise speed is about 38 mph. (UHF, 800 Mw 1.3)At 5 lbs it doesn't accelerate quickly. Then again the thing floats for ever once its moving. The Reaper XL is probably my favorite. I FPV it low and slow or low and fast. It will accelerate like mad. Cruises on half throttle at 38 - 40 mph, will quickly hit 63 - 65 when you nail the throttle with an incredible climb rate. Shameless plug" Fullbird

"I'm continuing to make progress in getting myself "up to speed" in my RC flying effort. The Albatross has been the perfect model for my needs here.
I'm trying to fly off 2x 2200mah batteries at least every other day. Concentrating on pattern work to landings, and coordination in turns. Rolling from left directly into right and vice versa, getting more bank angles, etc., etc. I just finished a marathon session in RC groups, reading all the posts on the Titan. I'm a lifelong fan of flying wings and the combination of high AR and excellent durability are very attractive to me. I hope I will soon be ready to graduate to "bank and yank" and I'm seriously considering a Titan based on what I've seen so far. I believe that your ability to design "good" models is somewhat under-appreciated! The combination of desirable flying qualities and nearly unbelievable durability makes your products well worth the dollars spent IMO." Bill

"Out of 19 Assassins at out club, all but 4 fly with the Hurc Speed 400 (6x4). The speed 400 seems to be the ideal setup (speed/thrust). The fun part is that I talk so much trash during combat that it seems like its open season on my "Purple People Eater", bring it. And don't let me get a kill, then I never shut up. Giving my wing a rest for a few days. Got a funfly this weekend, expect to have some heavy combat sessions. I've mastered some "unique" moves (spins). Going to surprise some guys this weekend. Having fun..." Windnloose

"Hey there just a shout out and all of you guys in the San Francisco Bay Area and surrounding areas that fly Assassin Wings and other Crash Test Hobbies flying wings. What say we try and assemble for our own version of the Swarm Event That Lee from Crash Test Hobbies puts on. Lets talk is up and see if we can come up with a time and a place to meet and have a "West Coast Assassin Swarm In". Foamyflyerr.

"I just Want To Say Your Website Is Awesome!!! I Have Been Researching all over The Web To Find Bits And Pieces of info On How To Build And Fly A Wing, and you Guys Have All The Info In One Spot! Well Done, I am Impressed By The Knowledge And Time You Spent Putting your Site Together." Scott

"I flew (my Grim Reaper) smack into a large Walnut tree in a high speed dive! Sheared off a 1/2" branch and dozens of walnuts rained down. I went over, removed the branch, and re-launched. That was some testament to their durability." Jim

"A friend and I bought three of your Assassin kits, and it's a fantastic plane. I am truly amazed at how little damage we get, even on the most violent of crashes. Thank you for designing such a great plane." Alan

"Your planes are some of the least expensive planes at our field but they are the ones that are getting the most air time and lasting the longest. Almost everyone has one now." Scott

"I built (an Albatross) to teach my son to fly on the buddy box. The darn thing floats FOREVER. I love that. I fly to relax. So the Albatross is a dream. It slows WAY DOWN. And it handles more wind than a Slowstick ever could. I bring mine up high, point it into the wind, and cut the throttle way back so it just parks there. It will cruise around forever like that. Slow and easy. What a relaxing bird. Really happy with it." SlappySF

"By the way, I love the Pelican. My club was having an open house, but it was blowing 10-15 mph with higher gusts. I was practically the only one with my plane in the air. I did fly my nitro, but it was dicey up there. The Pelican flew great! The Assassin flies great also. Thanks for making some great planes." Greg

"This will be my 4th Reaper. I still have the other 3 Reapers, all work great, some with more than 250 combat hits. The Reaper is the best flying wing I've ever flown or combated. Thanks for the great planes!" Scott

"I have come to the conclusion that bigger is not always better. Completed the swept Scythe yesterday. Maiden flight today, and the only thing anyone could really say is, "WOW!" Fast, Fast, Fast and a joy to fly." Jason in CA

"I just flew my new Reaper this morning and boy does it fly NICE! I dopplered the top speed at around 70-80 mph. This airplane has unlimited vertical, good speed, handling, light wing loading - no bad tendencies at all! I could not be more happy with this airplane." Jason

"I don't know if you're aware but a friend of mine swears by your products. He has a Hercules and has loaded it up with over 33,000 MAH of 3C batteries and flies routinely for over 2 hours with it LONG range. He weight tested it to fit two more 5,600 MAH batteries and it hauls it just fine so 44,800 mah is totally possible. I'm flabberghasted. He'll likely make it fly for 2.5 hours, that exceeds the range and flight time that a real Sport Aviation license will give you on an Ultralight manned aircraft. Nice work guys!" Brandon

"The Modified Herc Pusher you sold me has been absolutely OUTSTANDING!!! ( He is using a double middle extension) I am running the recommended power system you suggest on the website....1800kn motor, 60 amp esc, standard metal gear servos.I am also running the Eagle Tree Vector with a 1.3 video setup.Here are the amazing things......thus far....achieved...... I am running 6, yes six 3s lipos on board!!! Total may amp is 31,200!!! Thats not the crazy part we have tested it with the weight of 8 pounds .... yes EIGHT and it flew just as awesome!!! Take off was a little hard on the motor and esc but once up it flew with just a little bit more amp draw than with 6. I get an average flight time of 2 hours...minimum!!!! Max we have flown is 2 hours 45 minutes and had to stop because my wrist was hurting....seriously. Broke my distance record and went 13.2 miles out and back!! Had plenty of battery left...we exceeded the video range!!! Went 5 miles out at 500 feet and have a snip it of it attached to this email. I have it fully setup with LEDS and the Herc is a show stopper, I mean the Police came by to watch it looked so incredible. We even put their mag light on it and launched it flew it around it was amazing. I could go on and on about this bird.....it truly is THE BEST wing I have flown to date. I tell anyone who is interested, and I get a lot of lookers each weekend, if they are going to get a FPV plane GET THE HERC PUSHER!!!" Mark

"Hey, I just want you to know that I've been flying multiple things, from high 3d performance electric helicopters, nitro helicopter, scratch built planes... BUT your Assassin is the one that gives me the most enjoyment so far. It is a stress-free experience." Pat in Canada

"My son out-flies most of the old ladies--oops, I meant to say experienced RC pilots--at our local fields. He doesn't want to fly his scale planes anymore, as they are boring in contrast to the dynamics of the Assassin, and I feel the same." Michael

"Today I did an A-B test between the xxxxx and the Assassin with winds 15-20 mph. The Assassin wins hands-down, no comparison. I opened up the throttle and let it rip; this plane has more than enough speed. Three of my friends are completing their Assassins now." Michael in MO

"I really like my Albatross. It flies so well, fast or slow. I think that is what makes it different from most of the models I have flown. Some fly slow, but can handle no wind, the ones that can handle some wind fly too fast to be good trainers or relaxing flyers." Roberts

"I picked up an Assassin kit. Absolutely fantastic! I have literally bounced one off the pavement at nearly full throttle and just picked it up, found the battery 20 yards away, taped it back in, and flew it away! Flew perfect." Jason

"All of the guys at the club who bought the Assassin are completely hooked, myself included. In fact, I don't think anyone flew anything but Assassins all weekend." Tony

"I've been flying my Reaper like a madman every chance I get. I love it. I added some blue LEDs, and you weren't kidding. It's the brightest thing in the sky! What a great way to beat the heat in Arizona at night!" Eric

"Wow! You guys do make a tough plane!!! Mine finally gave up after a ton if abuse. Don't get me wrong, it was epic and I am surprised it took this long. Thank you! The first half of the life span of this plane took abuse from my learning how to fly. After that it was off to the races, so to speak. Our local field does full contact combat with the Assassins. The second half of the lifespan of this plane was in full combat. I became one of the most aggressive pilots out there due to my "no fear" policy while flying this plane. We figured I have about 450 flights in total between learning and combat. ...... Thank you for making such a tough plane. This plane is one of the reasons I am flying so well in such a short amount of time. It's also the reason I laugh so much with the other guys. Epic times in the air. Thanks!" Lee K.

"I'm a believer now! The Assassin is the toughest plane on the planet!! I had to go and maiden mine this morning (in gail force wind btw) It flew GREAT! For a 7 dollar motor the emax cf2812 will scream on this thing! especially down wind in 10 to 15mph wind!!" Tupelo

"If anybody doesn't know, these Reapers are 100% bad@$! I have two, plus a couple of other planes by CTH. If you want something that will survive a 70mph impact, protect your gear, and still be thrown back in the air minutes later, you need one of these." Bamabaxter

"Lee is absolutely right. The Albatross is a great way to learn. There are so many fewer things to worry about than when I started flying. So many clubs are still doing it so wrong. So many people are destroying planes in the process of learning. There is no reason not to learn to fly the easy way on an easy-to-fly indestructible plane, and then move to more difficult planes as your skills improve. Thank you CrashTestHobby!" Michael

"I have watched the (Assassin hitting the brick wall) video a few times. I was pretty much sold at that point and then watched the first build video and thought "somebody is a genius". Quite a well thought out system. Between the shock cord, the Extreme tape, the laminate and the foam itself, it is amazing what they can withstand. Was that Lee that developed it? The guy gets my vote as MVP of RC. I will probably be buying more, not because I crashed and have to replace, but because I love the intelligence behind them. My friend ordered today and we are fired up to get them. He just totaled out his T-28 yesterday for the second time in a month and is REALLY ready for this plane." Douglas

"I'm trying to top your swarm numbers for night flying, but I have a LONG way to go. I wanted to let you know that you provide a great product at an extremely reasonable rate. We have a couple in our group that want to build and combat their own designs. Yes, I can appreciate that, but those guys are getting creamed every time we fly, and continually repairing their planes. Yes, I know.. deep down...you are getting a chuckle out of that. I know I do." - Stu

"My Grim Reaper collided with a large HK-X8 plane. (while we were flying FPV) I looked and did not see my Reaper but saw the other plane falling out of the sky. The HK-X8 was destroyed. I went to find my wing and thought for sure it was also destroyed after seeing the other plane ... NOPE ... I found my Reaper and could not believe my eyes .... NO DAMAGE anywhere except a chipped prop. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!" - Mark

"I am 47 and my wife is 55. ... She bought a nice Nikon camera and soon became the club’s dedicated photographer. After a few months of taking pictures every Sunday, one of the guys started razzing her about flying. She started on the simulator for a few months, then we got her a plane. She has had at least 6 planes of her own now, but the Pinata is by far her favorite. She loves combat and never throttles back. We use cheap batteries because we abuse them so badly. She always says “That’s the best $100 I’ve ever spent!” Your planes have added another dimension to our relationship. We’ve been married for 22 years and now we have something fun to do that we both really enjoy. I tried to sell her on the Titan, but she said that the name Grim Reaper was much more sinister sounding and that’s the one she wants. One of the guys also teased her about wearing a Hello Kitty tube top for some added excitement for the grumpy old men out there. She passed on that idea (so far), but took the idea and ran with it just a little. The pics should tell the story." Eddy

"I RARELY send comments to a company about their product because most do not live up to the advertising....NOT CRASH TEST HOBBY!!! You all deliver a product as stated on your website. How refreshing!!!! Please continue producing the excellent products you have been doing thus far. I am a customer for life!!! Now some of the members all want to get the Assassin and do actual combat flying. I believe we have brought combat flying to Raleigh NC!!!" - Mark

"Can't tell you enough how refreshing it is to go directly to the source with a question & get such detailed & quick responses. Such a far cry from companies that leave you high & dry after getting your money! I think everyone who is learning or thinking about learning should have a Crashtest plane to learn on." Pat

"The best part of my Scythe is that I fly it like I'm on a simulator without worrying about crashing, it has a few repairs, but it took a lot of hits to cause damage that required repairs. So the "nerf" wing is great fun, thanks for working out all of the details to get to this near crash proof point." - Sedlin

"The Pelican is my first plane ever. I made a great choice! No crashes yet. The members at the field said that they didn't believe me when I told them it was my forth flight ever because how I was flying and what I was doing with the plane." Nightfox

"Hello Guys Just got my Pelican from CTH and love this thing. This is my first airplane Before this I flew micro helis then tricopters. I love this plane so much that I take it to work with me everyday to fly after my shift ends. I get a lot of stares in the subway...." SpeedRacerxxx

"We luv Assassins!! Never before in the history of mankind have humans had such a tool! I could write a book on its benefits to maintaining the primal brain. I should recommend it to the Smithsonian. We often fly in 20-30mph winds. I flew in 60+ mph winds when hurricane Sandy's tail blew by. Upwind was a crawl, but downwind runs made up for it. : ) I have over 2 dozen planes, but when the Assassins come out everything else gets benched. We now use them as club trainers. There is nothing like indestructibility to get newbies on the sticks." Glenn

"I feel for the poor suckers who are afraid to toss their planes in the air because it is too windy. It is only "too windy" for my Assassin if the wind is too strong for me to keep it out in front of me. That hasn't happened yet outside of really ugly weather like a thunderstorm. Flying opportunities are too random and fleeting to not chance it when I can get to a field. I keep the Assassin in the back of the truck cab under a white cloth along with an ammo can with lipos and my transmitter case." Rooster

"Just wanted to drop you a note of thanks. I've had a Grim Reaper for a few months now and I absolutely love its flight characteristics, but most of all its durability! The other day I came out of a high speed dive at 82mph (according to the data logger) and promptly smacked into a steel pole that was part of a playground backstop. The only lasting "damage" is the smear of black paint from the pole on the wingtip that I now wear with pride. Great products -- you've got a fan in me!" Dave

"You may be happy to know that the 78" Hercules worked perfectly for our sensor application. Even 2 pounds beyond our maximum load, it worked well with a plywood reinforced 30 square inch hole punched through the center and on 3s no less. Thanks to a loose connector, we were also able to accidentally test your "toughest planes on the planet" slogan at 60mph+. ..... We'll be placing another order and recommending your planes to everyone who will sit still long enough to listen." Jim

"Well, the Assassin lives up to its reputation for toughness. My buddy finished his, and we went flying today. We were buzzing around, and I hear this loud "whack". He turned a bit wide on the downwind, and hit a phone pole. Hard. Walked over, picked it up, and flew it away. Not a mark on it. LOL" Matt

"Lee at crashtest makes strong wings. Me and my friends have Assassins and beat the #*!! out of them. They are all still flying. Some other people that fly with us have bigger models from them and they very stable wings. No I don't work for them just a very happy customer." N-2-Stuff

"Those Albatrosses I got from you a few months ago have finally helped me achieve the goal of getting a plane in the air after 30 years of trying. I am very grateful for your work! Cheers." Kuhan

"I too am amazed how well the assassin tracks and flies...... I gave (my Assassin) the ultimate test today, Assassin VS concrete light pole at a football field.. In my defense I thought I was past it! What was great was the delay in me seeing it hit, and then the sound reaching me. I hit about 40-50 feet up, and the plane came spiraling down, me and my flying buddy were laughing as we walked over to it, picked it up, saw there was no damage, then I threw it up again, and with my amazing piloting skills, managed to drive it straight into the fence. What kills me is that running into the fence broke my prop, but not the concrete pole!" Seth

"Was flying my FPV Albatross when I got too far down wind and didn't have enough battery to make it back (I was under the tree in the middle of the big field. Lost power so I found a little park and pointed the nose at it and let the plane glide down. I lost video on the approach so didn't see her hit. The total damage to the plane was a broken rubber band - probably caused by the impact with the tree. Picked her up, put on a fresh battery and went for another 25 minute flight (upwind this time)." Siv Trinidad and Tobago, Port of Spain

"I’ll be ordering another of your kits this winter, and we’ll probably get a couple more assassins as well. We had a fun-fly a couple weeks back, here is my launch technique – add throttle to trim the weight in my hand to near nothing, then arc up and toward horizontal, until it flies out of my hand. Couldn’t be less stress." Howard (see pictures)

"Howdy,,,guys who have bought Assassins to play in our combat club are well over a dozen now. It has been a blast. My wing has 700 combat "sorties", at least that many hits, and it is still going strong. The use of FoamTac has proven to far outlast other glues,. And prop cuts sealed with it vastly increase resistance to further cuts in those areas. The toughest gets tougher.." Glenn

"When you hear a loud thud from across the field, like Thor hitting his hammer on the ground, from your buddy nosing one of these planes you just know something has broken. These planes are like flying on the simulator and hitting reset after crashing." Cliff

"The Herc is a real workhorse. It is not only amazing that it can carry a lot of weight but that it can be hand launched at that weight. Most flying wings are need to be bungee launched when they are carrying all of the batteries and gear. The Hercules design is stable at lower speeds than other heavily loaded flying wings." Scott

"New Scythe - Ordered on Saturday and received on Tuesday, always prompt shipping thank you Lee and Michael. Assembled one yesterday, finished it up about 6:00pm walked out back held it by the right wingtip throttled up and gave it a light toss and skyward she went. I had to do a small amount of trimming but she flies great. oh yes, she came in with one of the 800 mah batts from heads up at a whopping 7.2 oz. Anyway Thanks again Lee, always a pleasure doing business with CTH." Jack

"A little google searching will find lots of planes called Albatrosses that won't handle anywhere near the kind of abuse a CTH trainer will take. I bought a few of the very first CTH Albatrosses ever made thinking that I would go through them. I'm still flying my first one. Awesome design! Awesome plane! Awesome hobby company, Crash Test Hobby" Jetpackninja - Tom

"Thank you for designing the planes you do. I just flew the Reaper for the first time today and I am in love. Not with you, the plane. : ) It is now the favorite plane I have. While I love the Assassin too, the Reaper is just a different bird. Where the Assassin is like driving a Mazeratti on a mountain road, the Reaper is like driving a Cadillac on the open road. Smooth handling and graceful, powerful and maneuverable. First off, you design fun, durable, aerobatic and great performing planes. If I may say so, I did a real nice job putting this one together too. First flight today I only had to do 2 clicks up on the elevator, and one right click on the aileron and she was perfectly trimmed out. She flew level and straight hands free. What a pleasure to fly and she glides like no other plane I have. Also, the larger wing span makes it so much easier to see at a distance. I let my girlfriend take the sticks for a while today. She was afraid to fly the Assassin, but she thought flying the Reaper looked relaxing, and she loved it. I can't wait to put my Mobius out on the nose and get some nice footage. Thanks again for all your advice and help. You give great customer service. Keep up the good work. As I've said before....YOU THE Man!" Doug

The storm chaser flies fine, actually it flies great. I even caught a thermal she went up to about 900 feet and after 45 minutes with no motor running I brought her down to about 100 feet and did 8 minutes of aerobatics. It thermals so well I would advise to keep enough battery power to use the motor to get out of the thermal and bring her down where you want.... No complaints from me about the plane..... now all I have to do is get the video camera working. Once again thank you Lee and staff. Great plane great service." Regards Robyn

"Lee, you're obviously very passionate about your product and your hobby. Your dedication to helping your customers achieve success amazes me after reading these threads. I can't wait to order my albatross next month, don't see the point in ordering before my family vacation, I wouldn't be able to think about anything else lol." Dupjr

"Herc Pusher is a great plane. Never thought I'd build one (I don't fly FPV here) but perfect platform for loading up with all sorts of lights. I used 4s power for easy side arm launches and 3s battery to power LEDs. No worrying about a few extra ounces ... not an issue with a high lift Herc. Oh, for night flying, I setup my Herc as midmotor which allowed short streamers and more LEDs.....embedded an extra spar accross back for strength. Made sure to nail CG according to Lee's specs...he called it gentle giant. Sure is. Building another Herc midmotor now with two 6" extensions." Number-6

"I have to comment on how indestructible the Scythe is. I am currently running it ballistic with a MicroDAN 2505 "Custom" 2535K MOTOR, 7X4 APC, 1300mah Nanotech 45-90C, hextronik 9g mg Servos. I was pulling too hard in a turn causing it to snap roll into a gravel parking lot. It hit nose first hard and cartwheeled into the air and back down upside down in the gravel. Not one scratch.... I'm still scratching my head. Tuffest plane I have ever flown!" Mike

"I was helping a neighbor learn to fly their new Assassin. We were using a buddy box so I could take control when the 10 year old got too crazy. Things were going well but the 10 year old didn't like me taking over whenever his flying scared me. After enough comments I finally gave in and let him have a little more rope. Just as I did he pushed up the throttle and raced to the far side of the field we were in, did a loop and bounced it off the road 300 yards away. I was too slow taking control and was only able to cut the throttle. I tell the story because the plane bounced just in front of and older gentleman passing by in his mini-van. We were quite a ways away so he couldn't see us. But he stopped, backed up and got out to move the plane out of the road. I cannot do the moment justice, but I watched him pick up the Assassin, look it over on both sides and pause slightly confused, because the plane didn't have any visual damage. He set it against the fence and drove off before we could get there. As we inspected the plane, the only damage was a scuff mark on the battery case, a small split on the laminate by the motor and the Formica plate popped loose from the hot glue. 5 minute fix and we were back in the air. These things are awesome" The Revoman

"Wow, what a great little airplane! Flew really well, fast, stable, and quite the aerobatic performer. I must tell you that I've not enjoyed flying as much as I do now. These airplanes are the best thing I've ever flown." Paul

"Hi Lee, thanks again for all the info on the "hot rod" Assassin. I installed a 3530 1700kv motor and 40A ESC on my Assassin and OH MY! It is like a rocket. It goes vertical and just keeps going and going and going and ...... It was fun before but now that is magnified X 10. Yipppeeeee!" Doug

"The Assassin is my 3rd plane and the fact that it's so crash-worthy relieves the apprehension I had with my other 2 planes. Most repairs are only seconds to fix. Learning the wing I've drilled it into the ground so hard it bounced back up 5+ feet off the ground...only broke the prop and o-ring. Super fun to fly now that I've got the hang of it. and I did 4 batteries Sunday in 10-12mph winds without issue and I have less than a year experience, now I'm truly addicted." - Formontoya

"Crashed my FPV Reaper last night coming in to land. Admittedly, it was at night, pitch black and I was relying on the lights from the GPS/Rx/APM for orientation. The only damage was the ESC came off the motor mount (it was hot-glued on).
I have 8 built and flying CTH planes and in every single crash (there have been several), I have never damaged the airframe. Damage always seems to be broken props, stripped servos or something in the electronics. The airframe of all the designs is incredibly robust!" SIV

"I was pleasantly surprised to find a fairly big community of Pinata owners on fpvlab.com, some of whom have made some elaborate setups including 3d fpv setups with dual transmitters ,flight controllers ,gps the works!! All agree on the amazing durability and awesome payload capabilities. Keep up the good work hope you continue with your success.." Matt

"Here is one I built for my daughter. (Imagine a pink plane with kitten decals - not shown) Thought you might appreciate it. Been building for 30 years. Love your build. Absolutely live for the fly. I got about 10 more lol. Its the only prop plane I will fly. I'm an EDF freak. But I LOVE my Assassins. Ill send you pics of the other assassin builds Im completing. Thanks again for such a great plane!" Chris