I keep an eye on most threads in the balsa area, so no problem finding your questions!
For answers:
- I don't remember exactly which motor I used, but it's a little smaller than the Park 450 size, running a 3S 1,000mAh pack.
- The UMX power system would NOT be a good choice, it's way underpowered for this plane.
- It's not a difficult balsa plane to build, except for the mistakes on the plans. Although I'm not sure if you can get just the plans for this plane without buying the kit from Rich Uravitch.
- Correct, it's 3 channel.
- It's not a big fan of wind, being somewhat light and only 3 channel. It's fun to fly on a very calm day, and as expected it is not aerobatic, it's simply a relaxing flyer.
With all that said, if you haven't built from balsa before I would really recommend starting with a GOOD kit. Not a cheap one from Hobby King, or a "builder's kit" from companies like Sig. I've made the recommendation a lot before, but starting with a fairly simple GOOD kit like the
Lucky ACE from Mountain Models (if you're a confident pilot) or the Mountain Models
Switchback (if you want an easier flying plane) will help ensure that you actually finish the plane. Scratch building from a plan page isn't necessarily hard, but it does increase the difficulty, slows down the build, and relies on the builder to make straight & clean cuts to get a nicely finished plane. The kit will certainly cost more, probably 2 or 3 times what you'll pay for just the balsa alone, but it allows you to learn how to really work with balsa. While this L-19 from Uravitch isn't a hard kit to build, there are tricks you learn as you build more and more that really come in handy when you're scratch building. Plus, a good kit like those mentioned above generally require fewer tools to start with - a good knife, a building board, straight edge, some thin pins, etc. When I started scratch building I found myself getting more and more tools - angle finders, spring clamps, weights, etc.
Again this is just my opinion, but my recommendation is to start with a GOOD kit or two, then either try a reasonably easy scratch-build like this L-19 or try building a cheap Hobby King kit (if you want to also learn to swear like a pirate). As bad as the HK kits are, they do really help you become a better builder since you're forced to think three steps ahead, and you're forced to try and figure out what each piece is for, and what order to glue them in. The instructions and cut quality on those cheap kits are horrible, especially compared to kits like Mountain Models sells.
My final thought on the subject, your goal with a first balsa build should be to make a plane that flies, regardless of how pretty it is. An ugly plane with wrinkles and warps that flies OK is far better than a pretty plane that never gets finished.
Fire away with any questions, and when you start a build please consider doing a build thread for it!