I bought this model in 2008 from a nice guy in Phoenix that had built it from a Great Planes kit with his father as a teen but never finished it until he was a grown man some 20 or so years later. The model was picked up in my friends Staggerwing Beech and returned to Los Angeles.
I didn't fly it until 2010 after a rerigging with new servos, pushrods and setting the tank height and fuel tubing routing redo. I finally polished out the header, spinner and pipe and installed a 6.0V for the rx and a 4.8V for the mechanical MK retracts. The OS 61 FSR was almost new but the engine was installed in my EZ Dallas Doll when it crashed so I used another NOS FSR with the 7DV carb and it has given me flawless performance using 15% nitro fuel, OS #8 plug and an APC 11x7.
I use the Airtronics SD-10G so I installed an 8 channel FHSS-3 rx and use digital servos. The response is excellent and I could feel the difference even though I had only two years experience flying R/C.
I started flying competition aerobatics in the newly organized Classic Pattern Association events and the Tiporare was used in these types of contests as well as providing lots of great fun while practicing the old style "one maneuver per pass" type aerobatic sequences. This was found to be helpful in my building experience and confidence enough to start flying AMA Pattern events in 2011.
Tony Francowiak and Robert Fish have begun a series of Classic Pattern contests in 2012 and 2013 has a new series as well.
My Tiporare has been a fine flying model and an able aerobatic performer even for a newer R/C flyer like myself. This design is available in glass and foam kit form from RCAiir.com presently, along with many other 70's and 80's Classic Pattern designs. I've found Classic Pattern flying extremely fun and the model has a great appeal with high performance and good handling, and being a 60 sized model reasonable size and expense for a spirited sport model.