I have flown radio control on and off for the last 30+ years, and I can absolutly say that the Hangar 9 twist 40 is one of the most fun sport planes I have ever owned / flown. This is an airplane with multiple personalities; with limited control throws it could easily be a first low wing airplane with an approach and landing speed that is equal to most trainers. Max out the control throws, throw on a big engine (OS .55ax on mine) move the CG aft and HANG ON this airplane will do any trick in the book, and then some. Hanging on the prop, tumbling in its own length, and the best inverted flat spins you will ever see (will almost climb in one). Build quality is excellent, no issues with assembly, if your looking for a great all around sport plane you can not go wrong with the Hangar 9 Twist .40.

I have an original Twist 40, powered by a Saito 82, that I have been flying since 2008. Hundreds of flights and many gallons of fuel. I had two problems with the plane. The first was the ailerons. They were so warped that I could never get them to stay flat. I finally got some 1/4 " balsa sheet and made them out of solid material. I may have gained an ounce or two but at least the ailerons stay straight. The second was the landing gear. I had made several landings without a hitch then came a hard one. The gear came off and pulled a lot of wood with it. Unlike the New Twist this landing gear is one piece attached with 2, 10-32 metal screws. The repair was a little tough due to the small area you have to work with. I had new wood to work with so I added a new hole in the center of the gear and used 3, 10-32 NYLON bolts. Now if you make a hard landing the nylon bolts will shear off but the fuse is undamaged. A word of caution if you fly when it is really cold then don't use nylon bolts as they get very brittle.

I was considering getting a Ver. 2 Twist and retiring my original Twist 40, however I don't care for the two piece landing gear, especially since there is no need for a 2 piece on this plane. There was a time when I had the resources to just fabricate a new gear and move on. But........

I also have a Twist 60 electric powered and it also has the two piece landing. Had I payed attention to the available documentation I would have seen that and possible not bought it.

Both of these planes are excellent flyers and can certainly do what I ask of them. The issue with the gear is minor.

This plane is an absolute blast for someone who's looking for an economical option and doesn't want to spend several grand on a giant scale gasoline sport or 3D plane. WOW this plane is a blast and is convenient and great all around. Yes there are some minor annoyances with it but it overwhelmingly is an amazing plane. It's a super convenient size; it'll easily fit in most pickup trucks or SUVs fully assembled, giving me more time to fly at the airfield during the day.

The method for fastening the wing is a little tedious, like an earlier reviewer mentioned, in the fuselage and servo tray it is quite cramped, I would recommend glow over Evolution's 10cc small block gasoline engine, then you won't have any range problems induced by the cable, and won't need to mount an ignition battery, mix fuel with 2 stroke oil, mount the ignition system, route the cable for the spark plug, etc. An OS55AX with the stock pipe or a Saito FA-82 are excellent combinations for this plane. Yes, gasoline is way cleaner, more efficient, and cheaper than nitro, but you'll want to stick with nitro for this one.

I have a Saito FA-82 on mine, and all I can say is there can't be a more perfect combination of engine and air frame. I can spin an APC 13x7 prop at ~9200 RPM, which is more than enough power for all 3D. It'll hover nice and steady at around 2/3 throttle, put it wide open and it climbs like a rocket as far as the eye can see. I can also get up to a 12 minute flight with an 11oz tank, but make sure you have a timer on that! I was in a harrier the other day when I ran out of fuel, ended up smashing it into the ground, landing gear first, and snapped the fuselage clean in half like a stick, luckily it was an easy fix, I just stripped the yellow Utracote off, re-glued the fuse back together and then used a scroll saw with some 3/32" plywood to make some side plates, glued those with wood glue, then resurfaced it. Had to shave a bit off the sides to make the wing fit, but it was no big deal with the rotary tool. Flies like new. Highly recommend the FA-82 for this one for a power plant with that 4 stoke purr and stunning low end torque.

I bought mine used at an auction a few months ago, so I can't really comment on the build. One of our local hobby shops had another one downstairs so I opened the box the other day to look at the manual, and it looks very much to me like one could get it built in a weekend without too much trouble. Should take around 10 hours to go from box to airworthy.

Performance wise, with the engine and prop configuration I listed above, it'll keep up with most 30-100cc gasoline planes in terms of speed and climb performance; it isn't quite as precise with some aerobatics like blenders and rolling circles, but will still surely satisfy most average sport or 3D pilots with a mix of electric, nitro, and gas planes. It's a really great "chill out" plane when we're at giant scale 3D funflys and need a break from the giant scale birds.

Overall, an excellent plane. No complaints other than the negligible annoyances of how cramped the servo/battery compartment is, and sometimes the receiver cables getting stuck in between the wing and fuselage when we're assembling it. It would be best if the canopy came off magnetically or with some simple screws like my Hangar 9 Inverza 33, then it would make fastening the wing and changing the receiver/servo battery way easier.

Get the Twist; it's an absolute blast with next to zero hassles and inexpensive performance. Stunning plane.

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This thing is just plain fun. With a OS .55AX it will hover with ease & then accelerate straight up. It will do anything you can think of & then land slower than any trainer. Somebody forgot to tighten one of the axle hex nuts & it fell out, on take off, of the first flight. The wing is so low you can't really do a one wheel landing like a Cub. No problem, it just slowed down & almost stopped as it touched down. It gently flipped over with no damage. We robbed an axle nut off another plane & flew the wings off of it.