Model: Krill ARES XL Pilot: Luca Baumann Length: 3,30 m Wing span: 2,70m Turbine: JetCat P300 Pro Servos: Spektrum A6300 Receiver: SRXL2 SATS PowerBox Systems Pioneer SRS PowerBox Systems Smoke Pump PowerBox IGyro SAT + 3Xtra Lights: UnigLight RC Light Systems Pyro Ignator Landing gear: Elektron Retracts ER 50 NG Event: Horizon Airmeet  Jets are one of the most aspirational and biggest growing segments in fixed-wing RC. Ten years ago, the buzz at the field was about 40% International Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC) type aircraft. People would boast, “I own a 40 percenter.” Today, the buzz is about jet turbines. Most of the larger segments of RC are seeing event attendance stabilizing or reducing, but the jet community is seeing substantial growth. This is largely because jets are just so cool, and are now heavily supported by the explosion of decent-quality, highly prefinished ARFs. Turbine operation has become easier and there are more options for the consumer. I see many of my old friends whom I competed against in F3A and IMAC gravitating toward jets. It’s fulfills our need to immerse ourselves in the hobby. It’s said that we are in tough economic times, but the jet community seems to still find a way to fund its projects and attend events.You first need to determine how much you plan to spend. Although the cost of entering the jet scene has reduced dramatically in recent years, it’s still expensive. I use the term “emotional debt level,” which means how committed you are to investing on your next aircraft. If you only want to experiment, your emotional debt is low and you have an exploratory limit that you’re prepared to spend. If you want to immerse yourself, your emotional debt is high and you will be more willing to spend more. Based on my experience, you get what you pay for. There are no cheap shortcuts. Invest in the best equipment you can afford—whether it is the airframe, turbine, radio equipment, servos, etc.—and you will be assured of greater success. There are many airframe choices, so I will make suggestions based on my experiences. A great place to start for a first jet would be a BobCat or a KingCat. Both designs are great-flying, easy-to-set-up aircraft with basic systems incorporated for the entry-level jet pilot. They are in the higher price range, but are the pinnacle of jet engineering. If you’re emotionally committed to getting into jets, this is a great place to start. For those of you who want to try before you commit, the balsa ARF models are a less expensive alternative, but you must be resourceful in organizing the support equipment for completion and have savvy modeling skills. If your skill level is high and you’re comfortable flying faster aircraft, then Bandits and Shockwaves are great choices. They are slightly more complex and fly faster, yet are well engineered