Katana S50

About

The Katana S50 is the smaller member of the Hangar 9 Katana family — a Horizon Hobby balsa-and-ply ARF in the .50-engine class, designed as a more accessible entry into the Katana sport-aerobatic line than the giant-scale variants in this same pack. The "S50" designation refers to the engine class — a .50-cubic-inch (about 8cc) glow engine in two-stroke or four-stroke form — that powers the airframe.

Like every well-loved sport-aerobatic ARF, the Katana S50 earns its place in the hobby by being three things at once: light enough for honest aerobatic figures, strong enough to absorb the bumps of intermediate flying, and small enough to be transportable in the boot of a small car. The .50-class engine size sits squarely in the middle of conventional sport-aerobatic engine sizing — a step up from the foam park-flyer category, a step down from the giant-scale gas competition mounts, and right where most flying-field club pilots end up after a season or two flying ARF aerobatics.

The bigger picture is the .50-class sport-aerobatic ARF category itself. Whether Hangar 9 Katana S50, Funtana 40 (a .40 sibling), U-Can-Do 60, or competing designs from rival brands, balsa-and-ply ARFs at the .40-to-.60-class engine sizing have been the most populous category at flying fields for two decades.

In the simulator

The friendly entry into the Katana family. The S50's smaller size and lighter wing loading make it more forgiving than the Katana Giant variants in this same pack — quicker on the controls, easier to keep oriented at altitude, and gentler on the pilot's stick discipline. Use it as the natural step beyond a foam park-flyer into balsa ARF territory. Pairs well with grass strips and rural fields. A natural sibling of the Katana Giant in this same pack and the Funtana 40 (3D Planes pack).