What does a 40% look like packed?
Depends on how tight you pack it. I packed this one real tight 
A 40% Carden Giles 300 in compact form
This is an image I took a few years ago when I ‘balled up’ my 40% Carden Giles 300. It was my typical mistake, and you would think I would have learned by now. It was late in the afternoon, cloudy gray sky, winds pushing it away from me, and trying new maneuvers. I was flying with the previous owner of the airplane (Steve Swahn) as my spotter and coach while learning a new maneuver. I should have called it a day, but I really wanted to get the stick movements down. So I kept climbing back up for another try.
In the last try (only because I couldn’t get the pieces to fly after the crash) I was doing well, but recovered fairly low. Not a big deal, until I lost the orientation for a second. A large airplane can travel a long distance toward the dirt during that second. In any event, I regained orientation in plenty of time. The second mistake? I left the 3D throws on from the maneuver, and when I started the recovery, it stalled on me and rolled over. Bummer! Ok, lets recover again since the ground is getting very close by this time. I rolled it over, effected the recovery, and swooped down over the ground and missed it by what seemed to be a few feet. I saw the model start the climb out and though I was in the clear. Until I saw it hit the trees on the way up with a huge loud whack.
It now fits nicely in a 3 ply 30 gallon trash bag
I loved this airplane, and its on the only one I really felt connect to. We just worked together as a team. None of the airplanes that have followed ever felt that connected. Plus, it was a rocket ship. A true Ferrari of the sky. Since the Giles is a small airplane in full scale, even as a 40% RC sized airplane, it was smaller, lighter, very maneuverable, and with the DA-150 on it just screamed in the air.
Carden no longer makes the kit, but if I find the right one used or in kit form somewhere, changes are I’ll buy it one the spot.
