Flatana

About

The Flatana is part of the Hangar 9 product line, a Horizon Hobby brand that has produced both balsa-and-ply ARF kits and (with the Flatana family) flat-foam 3D aerobatic airframes for the intermediate-to-advanced RC market. The "flat-foam" category sits between the smaller foam park-flyers and the heavier balsa ARFs — using durable expanded-polyolefin foam construction that survives the cartwheel landings of unlimited 3D practice while keeping weight low enough for genuine hover-and-torque-roll handling.

Like every well-loved 3D aerobatic ARF, the Flatana earns its place in the hobby by being three things at once: light enough for true 3D maneuvers, tough enough to survive the inevitable mistimed knife-edge passes that are part of the learning curve, and inexpensive enough that pilots stepping up from a foam park-flyer can justify it as their first dedicated 3D mount. Symmetrical airfoil and oversize control surfaces give the airframe the kind of high-alpha and hovering capability that twenty years ago required a dedicated balsa airframe and a long building winter.

The bigger picture is the flat-foam 3D category itself. Whether Hangar 9 Flatana, Twisted Hobbys EPP foam designs, ParkZone, or any of dozens of similar designs from competing brands, flat-foam 3D ARFs have become one of the most populous categories at modern flying fields, occupying the natural progression slot between foam park-flyer and dedicated balsa or giant-scale 3D mount.

In the simulator

A serious 3D aerobatic mount that rewards stick discipline. Generous control authority, oversize surfaces, and the kind of high-alpha capability that the Flatana category is built for. Use this aircraft to learn the unlimited-3D vocabulary: hovers, harriers, torque rolls, and waterfall maneuvers. Pairs well with grass strips and aerobatic-box landscapes. A natural sibling of the Funtana 40 (3D Planes pack) — same Hangar 9 family, different construction philosophy (balsa ARF for Funtana, flat-foam for Flatana).