• Wing Span: 59.3 in (151 cm)
• Wing Area: 617 sq in (3981 cm²)
• Length: 55.4 in (141 cm)
• Weight: 7.0 lbs (3.1 kg)
• Engine: .46 - .61 2 - cycle
  (7.5 - 10.0cc 2 - cycle)
  .70 - .91 4 - cycle
  (11.5 - 15.0 cc 4 - cycle)
• 5 Servos required

Upon inspection of the kit contents, it was obvious that this was another fine Great Planes kit. Everything was neatly and carefully packaged. This model, with its CAD design, was intended to go together quickly. As usual, the construction manual was read completely through just to make sure that this kit would present no surprises later on.

The stabilizer and fin are built from balsa stock and sheeted while the rudder and elevator are built up and left open. There is nothing unusual in the construction of these components. Care must be taken to make tight fitting glue joints when framing these parts because thin CA is used throughout this stage of construction. Good joints make strong parts.

The wing is built next. For its size, it has to be one of the lightest wings available but it is remarkably strong. Since this wing has a sharply tapered leading edge, there is a rather large area in the leading edge sheeting between the root and the second rib. Since there is a tendency to grab the wing at this location, it may not be a bad idea to put one or two supports between those two ribs to support the sheeting there. A single servo is not sufficient for the giant ailerons. One servo is required for each wing and servos work great.

The tab-lock parts of the fuselage lead to a perfectly straight model and with the generous use of plywood it becomes very strong. Because this is a mid-wing design, there is not much depth in the fuselage at the wing saddle position. The servos must be mounted in the positions shown on the plans. If any of the servos are turned around, there will not be enough clearance for the servo output arms and they will contact the wing surface.

Two servos were used to control the elevator. When this is done, the geometry of the linkages must be kept exactly the same. By reversing one elevator servo, the servos can be mounted side by side in the center of the servo rails.

Final construction was simple and straight forward. During the balancing, the receiver battery pack had to be moved far to the rear of the model to have it balance at the aft recommended CG location. It is best to start at the aft point to avoid sensitive pitch control. This CG situation was somewhat surprising but checking all of the model's dimensions against the plans, there were no discrepancies. This must be an inherent part of the design.

Although the ABS parts are well molded, it takes some time, effort, and auto body filler to have a smooth finished product. Even with a well balanced prop, cracks developed in the ABS cowl after a short time. Eventually, the inside of the cowl was lined with lightweight fiberglass cloth that was thoroughly wetted it with thin CA to support any stress points in the plastic. This worked well. It is advisable to do this from the start rather than waiting for cracks to develop.

The SuperTigre .61 engine that was used in the Giles had already accumulated time in two previous planes. For the maiden flight, power was added smoothly, a little right rudder was applied, and in about 30' the Giles was up and flying. From the very first flight, aerobatic maneuvers were performed. Loops, snaps, and knife edge flight were all smooth and easy. This plane is a rolling machine. It will roll 360° in the blink of an eye.

When it is time to end a flight, the relatively small wing requires that a little speed be carried on final and that it be flown to touchdown. While it has decent slow speed capabilities, it will stall if allowed to become too slow on approach.

Despite the aft CG location, the landing gear needed to be moved about 1" forward to avoid nose-overs while taxiing. Some modification is needed in the gear mount area to accomodate this change. This would have been much easier if it had been done during the initial building of the fuselage. Larger, heavier engines could present a problem in this area. This should be a consideration when planning main gear positioning.

While the larger 4-strokes would certainly give unlimited performance, care must be used in selecting props that might produce tremendous cruise speeds. With the large ailerons that extend out to the wing tips, high speeds will likely produce flutter. The manual recommends not using a prop above a 6" pitch to avoid such speeds. This model is real clean, and will build airspeed rapidly. Always pull off power in a dive. A 13x6 APC is used on the SuperTigre .61, and it is a great combination. Keeping the speed down could save the wing.

In the final analysis, the Great Planes Giles 202 is a good intermediate model, that is quick even at the recommended throws. It has "go-where-you-point-it" performance. Considering the reasons for purchasing the Giles, it really fits the bill.