Pilot-1 Waco YKS-6 1/8 Scale ARF

The Pilot-1 Waco YKS-6 has become one of my favorite planes to fly. It handles very well in the air and does not have any bad habits. All my flying friends that I fly with enjoy watching it in the air.

Great arf, only one major flaw. the lite ply mounting ring for the cowling is far too lite. On my third landing the plane nosed over.no damage to the cowl, not so much as a scratch, but thr mounting ring broke in six pieces. I have ordered a new cowl and hope I can figure out how to reenforce the ring. I hope it works, I would hate to have to retire such a great plane.

I have been building models most of my life, (I'm 75 years old). I have to say your Waco is the best built, best
looking airplane I have ever seen. It goes on its maiden today. The only reason I gave it a 4 instead of a 5
is because of the instruction manual and the push rods. The aileron push rods were supposed to be adjusted by bending the "V". What a joke, I couldn't bend it off the model, let alone on it. The "Z" bends on both ends of the rudder and elevator push rods were also a joke. How do you adjust them after you have glued the free end? I have found over time and flights that some adjustment is always necessary.
The instruction manual is also very poorly done. After I got about half way through it, I threw it away.
But the airplane is an absolute winner. I expect it to fly as well as it looks. Thank you for a great airplane.

I went through a bit of a lengthy build cycle after purchasing my WACO. Had a faulty speed controller that literally burst into flames during set up. Blew out the receiver as well but managed to keep from having any internal damage to the plane luckily. Hobby Lobby and Spektrum (the radio I purchased) both did an amazing job of replacing the faulty parts and providing outstanding customer support. I was up and running in no time.
Flew the plane just last weekend for the first time. I had been waiting for a low wind day as this is my first aileron (four channel) model and I was a bit nervous for my first flight. Thanks to some flying tips from Hobby Lobby and an incredible model, the WACO flew amazingly well. Very scale performance, lots of power and beautiful handling characteristics. No surprises at all and a real pleasure to fly. Absolutely can't wait to get it out again. Takes off as smooth as you can imagine and climbs out as aggressively as you want. Turns are smooth and predictable. The plane has enough weight and size to maneuver like a much larger model and landings are a pleasure to perform (would recommend smooth grass or pavement as I did have a bit of trouble landing on rough grass, but a smooth grass field would work fine). I would highly recommend this plane. I did add a pilot and a few more options for detail and it gave the plane a lot more character. Wish that wheel pants were available but I am looking for a pair that might fit as the looks could really benefit from a nice set of wheel pants. Again, I would recommend this plane to anyone looking for a good sized, scale model that is a true joy to fly.

I have dropped the rating to a 1 star due to the fact that as of 4-1-10 you can not even get a replacement cowl for this plane. When I asked when they would have some and how much they would cost they could not give me an answer. This exact same thing happened with Hobby Lobby 2 years ago with another plane I had bought from them and I did not receive the cowl until the end of the summer. Before buying this Waco I asked about getting parts for it and was told that they could open a new box if they had too and get the part. That is how they replaced parts for people. As of today (4-1-10) they have the Waco's available and are on sale for $149 but will not sell a cowl. It is a beautiful plane and I love flying it, but buy at your own risk, the service is terrible. They still will not answer emails and after calling them about the cowl this morning I was also going to enquire about getting some props for it, but the guy hung up on me before I could ask about them. I called back and another person told me the props are on backorder also. My experience with Hobby Lobby has been up and down. If you have the time and be presistant they will try to make you happy. I don't want to wait, but In this case I have no choice except to wait and hope some cowls come in soon. Flying season is here and my Waco can't fly unless it's without a COWL.

Beautiful Airplane, fun to put together and fly. As far as the Waco goes, it is a 5 star in my opion. I rated it a 4 star mainly because in my opinion the manual is a little difficult to under stand but, that could be my fault. This is my second plane. My first one, I had help putting together. Although the instructions said to remove the ailerons, fold the hinges and then glue them in place. The problem was, they are already glued in place or three of them were and I tore some of the Oracover on the wing when I pulled an aileron off. Hobby Lobby replaced that wing for me though. Then when I tried to find some Oracover I discover Hobby Lobby does not carry it (I have been unable to find Oracover)and the best that I can tell is Oracover is made in Germany and when they market it in the USA they call it or change the name to Ultracote. I am still not SURE about that, but I have not been able to find any Oracover. Hobby Lobby has been hard to contact and comunicate with ( they won't answer emails or call back if you ever get through and leave a message in the first place) but after two 240 mile round trips to Nashville to talk to them, the guys there have been helpful. As I menitoned above they replaced the wings the first time I went there and gave me some good deals on replacement parts the next time. I think they are going through some growing pains. It just looks to me like they could make some minor changes in the manuel to simplify things and make it more accurate. Say what you mean and mean what you say so customers won't have any unnessary surprises (Oracover or Ultracote). Someone that has been modeling for some time probably will not have any problem. I have not been modeling long and was trying to follow the directions to the tee. The bottom line is: That I believe this Beautiful Pilot-1 Waco will be one of my favorates for a long time and although we have had some communication problems I think they are working on this. I'm thinking the Waco will not be the only airplane I get from Hobby Lobby.

Pilot 1 WACO YKS-6
Review by Robert Throne

This Spring I purchased the The Hobby Lobby Pilot 1 Waco YKS-6 form the Toledo show.

Beautiful airplane!
Thanks for creating such a great model.


The only changes I made was to use heaver wire and carbon fiber push rods in the fuselage. The ones supplied with the kit where flexing and bowing to much. My WACO already had the hinges in place and they where very stiff, causing servo buzz with the load. With a few drops of de-bonder on the hinges and working the elevator, rudder and ailerons up and down for some time I was able to get them to flex a bit better and with the heavier push rods the problems where solved. I also used EZ connectors on the servo arms for some adjustment if needed. All other components (motor,servos and ESC etc) are the recommended items.

The ESC is mounted right on the outside of the motor mount to get weight as far forward as possible and lead weight still had to be added to get the model to balance. The full size WACO has a heavy radial engine on it anyway and I get the best flight results getting my airplanes slightly nose heavy.

Great airplane to fly and get a very scale like flights! Slow passes and landings are really nice with gentile flight characteristics.. I set the throws for the ailerons and elevator for a half inch rather then the 5/8” recommended settings and I believe this is a good low rate setting. The WACO is also my first airplane with aileron differential and it works great. With my JR 7202 transmitter I use the flapperons on and one aileron servo plugged into the AUX port on the reviver, keeping the down aileron travel at 1/8”. Took a bit of research and testing to finally get it right and it sure does pay off.

The Waco went for its maiden in July. It took right off the grass field with no problem and required no trim.

Looking forward to more of these classic golden age aircraft from Hobby Lobby Pilot 1.
How about a 50”-60” wingspan or 1/8 scale model of the Spirit of St. Louis? No one is making this Model as a scale ARF for electric power in this size.

Little expensive, but a fun plane to fly and see in the air, lands wonderfully!!!A+++ if you want to learn landing, but it is a little squirrel-y to take-off being a tail-dragger. Not too bad to build, but some of the steps in the instructions are already done for you, right on! I went with a Hacker motor the A-30 series and that amount of power gives this plane a lot of room for aerobatics. I just need a barbie on the wing to complete the barnstorming maneuvers. No complaints, the graphite push rods are interesting, and there is included shrink tubing to seal the metal wire to the graphite rod, but plans recommended CA. 2 really fancy control rods left over for ?? I think the ailerons?? but the z bend aileron pushrod seems fine.

this is my secound pilot 1 plane, the first being the pa-12. i love that plane so much and have wanted a bi-plane that i thought the waco would be a good choice.it was. it arrived in good shape but was missing the elevator and rudder control rods which HL sent out immediatly.the instructions were ok but not great and i did have trouble getting the bolts into the fusalage for the top wing.the rest of the construction went ok.i put an aflite 480,30 amp esc,dx61 receiver in it and am using an 11 by 7 prop.i had to remake my oun holes in the firewall for the eflite mount but that was it.everything else went together just fine.the plane is a great flyer. is easy to see against the sky and is just a joy to fly. also a lot of the time consumming work is already done. everything is hinged for you and i'm using a 2100 battery and the balance seems close or right on the mark. the plane showed no bad tendancies.if you are in the market for a bi-plane and want a good size one this should do it for you. thanks to the HL sales rep for getting the part out to me so fast and its nice to have a company that still values the customer and sells quality built planes. thank you,kenny dutra, cape cod, ma.

I really like this biplane. It is built very well and looks great. It flies like a charm. I really like the scale look.

the only reason I didn't rate it at the highest was due to the instruction manual. It should go into more detail but easy enough for a knowlegeable builder.

thanks HL for another nice plane to my fleet.

It is simply beautiful on the ground and in the air! The quality of this kit is excellent, both in terms of workmanship and engineering. Flight is very scale (don't expect an aerobatic bipe because this one is true to the original), and landings on grass or pavement are easy.

I really only have two minor complaints: 1) the control surface hinges had too much glue and were a little stiff; and 2) the manual utilizes photos of the fully assembled plane only. There are no in-progress photos. Still, overall I am VERY happy to have this plane in my hangar. You won't find a nicer golden age biplane anywhere. Five stars!

I usually do not buy ARF’s, as I have been building and flying scale airplanes for 35 plus years, but decided to treat myself to a Hobby Lobby Waco . The Hobby Lobby Waco is very well designed, easy to assemble, and flies fantastic! I installed their recommended ECS and servos, except I went with an AXI 2820-12 motor. I did add a pilot and some extra graphics to mine. The performance is outstanding and the airplane will do all the maneuvers you would ever want to do! Looks very scale in the air! At 1/8 scale, 50” wingspan, it easily fits in your car and is ready to fly.
The quality of the covering was excellent and the accessories as well. The tail wheel assembly and the wheels are of very high quality.
The staff, at Hobby Lobby, is really friendly and helpful! Customer service is always first class!

I usually do not buy ARF’s, as I have been building and flying scale airplanes for 35 plus years, but decided to treat myself to a Hobby Lobby Waco . The Hobby Lobby Waco is very well designed, easy to assemble, and flies fantastic! I installed their recommended ECS and servos, except I went with an AXI 2820-12 motor. I did add a pilot and some extra graphics to mine. The performance is outstanding and the airplane will do all the maneuvers you would ever want to do! Looks very scale in the air! At 1/8 scale, 50” wingspan, it easily fits in your car and is ready to fly.
The quality of the covering was excellent and the accessories as well. The tail wheel assembly and the wheels are of very high quality.
The staff, at Hobby Lobby, is really friendly and helpful! Customer service is always first class!

The Waco YKS-6 from Pilot-1 is an exceptionally handsome ARF. While the color and trim scheme are very basic, the lines and proportions of this model are commendably scale-like. It has also been assembled with great care: glue joints are solid and the covering arrived with no wrinkles and maintains that condition today -- a rarity in the ARF world.

Assembly is quite easy. The struts and their attach points have been pre-drilled (talk about optimism!), but of the 12 attach points, I only had to re-position one hole. It is also easy to transport. No need to disassemble struts or wings, unless you're going to the field in a roadster. It easily fit in the trunk (with rear seats folded down) of my smallish sedan.

Flight performance is perhaps even more scale-like than the appearance. The tail comes up instantly and it is into the sky within a few feet.

I had only one criticism, which could be easily remedied in future iterations. Built with the recommended power system and battery, the model will be quite tail-heavy. I added 3 ounces of lead to the nose (ouch!).

Builders might consider an easy fix: cut out the battery hatch opening just enough to accommodate a slightly bigger battery, say a 3s in the 2500-3200 range. This will balance the plane at little or no weight penalty, and provide considerably more flying time.

Enjoy!