Great Planes Quik-V6 Q500

Fly an AMA Nationals winner!

- Rick Bell

Quickie 500 (Q500) pylon racing has been around for many years and is quite popular as this class of racing is inexpensive to get into and a lot of fun. The first Quik-V was designed by Jim Allen in 1987 and was the first shoulder-wing, V-tail configuration for Q500 racing. Since then, the Quik-V has gone through many changes after testing and competition. While there have been other versions of the Quik-V, the current V6 version incorporates all the lessons learned in more than 30 years.

Undertaking a simple design like a Quickie 500 might seem like a simple task, but rest assured, it’s not. There are many things to consider, and the model must be light yet strong to withstand the stresses of racing. This model has all those attributes. Before going any further, understand that this airplane isn’t for the faint of heart; it’s a full-blown racing machine that’s very competitive in AMA 424 Sport Quickie and AMA 426 Super Sport Quickie racing. With that in mind, advanced flying skills are required, and it should be flown only at an approved AMA flying site. But when toned down with a sport-type engine, the Quik-V6 makes a fun, go-fast model for pilots that have the need for speed! Great Planes, which realized that the sport needed an inexpensive all-wood-and-foam model that could compete with a costly all-composite model, brings us the Quik-V6 Q500. This remarkable Q500 pylon racer has many features that will help you get it into the air quickly and have a fast racer right from the box. Things that make for a quick build include a balsa-sheeted foam-core one-piece wing that’s reinforced with carbon fiber and fiberglass, drag-reducing internal linkages for the ailerons and V-tail, racing wheels, and an aluminum back-plate mount. Let’s take a closer look.

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