OMPHobby 65″ Fun Stick Balsa Airplane PNP Receiver Ready

An airplane that lives up to its name

As seen in the May 2025 issue of Model Aviation.

THE FUN STICK will be my second aircraft from Ohio Model Products (OMP). The first was the BigHorn. which I reviewed in the January 2021 issue of Model Aviation. The BigHorn was green, as is the Fun Stick, which I like because green is my favorite color. If you prefer your "Stick" model in traditional red, that is also an option.

Man holding a large green model airplane on a grassy field. — Holding the Fun Stick provides a true sense of the size of this airplane. Others that have picked up the model and looked at it have been impressed with the model’s low weight.

The "PNP Receiver Ready" portion of the name means that the aircraft comes out of the box with a high degree of completion. The airplane has a preinstalled motor and ESC, as well as the servos. If you prefer flying to assembling an aircraft, this is as close as you can get with an airplane this size being nearly flight ready.

The aircraft is packaged quite well to survive the shipping process. It is double-boxed, and the box the aircraft comes in is much thicker than an average airplane box. The parts arrived safely, and the covering was well done. I found a small spot where the covering was either split or cut in front of the rudder servo. It had been fixed with transparent tape at the factory.

Automatic screwdriver assembling green panels. — When attaching the landing gear, the author took note of the hatch in front of the gear that provides access to the ESC.

At a Glance

Specifications

Wingspan: 65 inches

Length: 52 inches

Motor: SunnySky 3525 880 Kv

ESC: 80 amps

Servos: 4 OMPHobby SG7s

Weight: 3 pounds, 10.7 ounces (without battery)

Needed to complete: Transmitter; receiver; 4S 2,600 to 5,200 mAh battery; charger

Flight time: Four-plus minutes (depending on the battery used)

Price: $489.99

Pluses

A high level of completion right out of the box.
The PNP version uses quality components.
Lightweight construction.
Excellent flight performance.

Minuses

Paper manual not included, but the manual can be downloaded online.

Manufacturer/Distributor

OMP

(614) 733-9488

www.ohiomodelplanes.com

Green surface with a small wheel and lever attached. — The horizontal stabilizer keys into the fuselage and two machine screws hold it in place. The steerable tail wheel inserts into a slot in the rudder. The covering blocked the hole on the rudder, but the author easily remedied that with a hobby knife.

Wiring inside a wooden structure with a green exterior. — This hatch provides access to the receiver, wing bolts, and aileron servo wires. The servo lead retainer is a nice touch.

The airplane includes OMPHobby SG7 metal-gear servos, an 80-amp ESC with an XT60 battery plug, a SunnySky 3525 880 Kv brushless motor, and an Eolo 14 × 8 propeller.

I did opt to replace the XT60 plug on the ESC with an EC3 plug to match the connector of the batteries that I had available to fly this model.

I was impressed to see some extra hardware in case something gets misplaced. This includes an extra wing bolt, two ball links, and hook-and-loop material to secure the battery.

Assembly

Access to all of the components is excellent on this aircraft. A hatch on the bottom, held with two machinevscrews, allows access to the ESC. A large battery hatch is on the top of the nose of the aircraft, with sufficient space to fit a wide range of batteries. Another hatch on the fuselage between the wing halves allows access to the receiver, wing servo leads, and wing bolts.

Battery pack labeled "BADASS" inside a green compartment, wires connected. — The battery hatch provides plenty of space. The battery-retaining strap is included with the aircraft. The author adjusted the buckle slightly to ensure a tight fit and used shelf liner to keep the battery from sliding.

Green model plane engine with a black propeller. — The SunnySky motor provides plenty of power on a 4S battery.

Each wing half also has a piece of light plywood that retains the servo lead from the aileron, ensuring that the lead does not get lost in the wing when the model is not assembled and that the servo wire doesn’t get pinched when attaching the wing.

The landing gear is attached via three machine screws. Threadlocker is recommended here. The horizontal stabilizer is attached to the fuselage using two machine screws, one of which is connected to the steerable tail wheel. Threadlocker is again recommended.

The rudder comes with two preinstalled CA hinges. Ataching the rudder is the only step that requires glue. Interestingly, the servo arms for both the rudder and elevator were attached pointing down. Both needed to be in the up position to properly function.

The control surfaces (two ailerons, elevator, and rudder) use slop-free ball links. The rudder and elevator ball links are already connected to the servo arms, and the other end is attached during assembly. The aileron servos and control horns already have the ball links attached.

Because the motor is preinstalled, it is a simple matter of attaching the propeller using the included propeller adapter ring for a good fit and attaching the small spinner.

When it is time to set up the radio, the manual provides high- and low-rate recommendations for the ailerons, elevator, and rudder. I used a Spektrum AR620 receiver and plugged the aileron servos in different ports (channel 2 and channel 6). This allowed me to set up flaperons.

The recommended center of gravity (CG) is 75mm to 85mm back from the wing’s leading edge. Using the BadAss 4S 3,300 mAh battery from Innov8tive Designs brought the CG close, but it was still slightly tail-heavy with the battery all the way forward.

I advise following the CG recommendations until you have flown the aircraft. Become comfortable with it before adjusting the CG. That noted, I had no issues flying it with the 3,300 4S battery. With the battery I used, this model only weighs four pounds, 7.4 ounces for a 65-inch wingspan model!

Flying

The pairing of the 4S power system with the provided motor and propeller give more than enough power to have the aircraft airborne in roughly 5 feet if you punch the throttle. It has plenty of vertical performance and can pull out of a hover with authority.

Green model airplane parts with black crosses, laid out on a gray surface. — The Fun Stick comes out of the box with the servos and ball links protected with foam and tape.

Green box with a black hinge and rod mechanism attached inside. — The ball links are preinstalled on the servo side. Here you can see that the only issue with the covering was a small cut or tear in front of the servo. It was fixed with transparent tape.

The capabilities of this model go beyond what some would consider standard fare for a "Stick." It handles loops, rolls, stall turns, and inverted flight with ease; however, it is also happy to hover, harrier, spin, and knife-edge if that is your preferred type of flying.

The Fun Stick really benefits from its low weight, allowing it to fly at a relatively slow speed. Utilize the ailerons as flaps and you can slow down even further.

The Fun Stick, with its larger wheels, can fly from grass or pavement without issue. The green color scheme is easy to see in the air, coupled with its size. The crosses on the wing also provide orientation cues in the air.

As I previously mentioned, its slow flight capability makes this aircraft incredibly easy to land. The Fun Stick is certainly fun to fly and provides a flight experience that can meet a wide range of flying styles.

It is important to mention, while discussing the flight characteristics, that the Spektrum receiver I used has no stabilization (AS3X) and no SAFE technology. I wanted to have an airplane that I would fly regularly that didn’t provide any flight assistance, to make sure that I am keeping up my skills in making subtle corrections in varying flight conditions. Another option would have been to use a receiver and turn down the gains, but I already had the AR620 on hand and wanted to put it to good use.

I certainly appreciate AS3X, SAFE, and other forms of stabilization. The reason I mention it is because the Fun Stick turned out to be the perfect airplane for this purpose. I have flown it in up to 20 mph wind gusts, including a strong crosswind, without issue. The key is just being comfortable with an airplane and keeping your flying within your skills. This has proven to be a comfortable airplane for me to fly.

Also worth mentioning is that with the 4S 3,300 mAh battery, I can fly for 5 minutes, mostly at half throttle. My longest flight on the pack was 5-1/2 minutes, and the battery measured 3.8 volts per cell.

For relaxing flying, I prefer my throws to be at 40% for ailerons and rudder and 50% for the elevator, with 25% exponential on the ailerons, rudder, and elevator. I have triple rates on my radio, so my mid-rates, high-rates, and exponential are set higher.

Conclusion

I have often heard in this hobby that "bigger flies better" or "lighter flies better." The Fun Stick checks both of those boxes. It also fits in my Toyota Tacoma with the wing on, ready for flight. I appreciate that it is available as a PNP or ARF to allow perspective pilots options and that it comes in this cool green if you want to break from the traditional red "stick."

Clay, from OMP, shared with me that this is his favorite airplane to fly, and I can certainly see why. If you are in the market for a Stick to have fun with, this would be a great option.