mike109

G'day

A good beginner plane is one that the beginner feels happy flying and is able to learn fairly quickly on. Different beginners will need different planes. The older the beginner, the slower, larger and more stable the plane needs to be.

The engine needs to be simple and easy to handle. Radio gear should be simple enough for him to understand but flexible enough to allow some growth.

As a general rule, scale models do not make good trainers. A Cub may look like a trainer but they don't fly like one. My Decathlon looks like a trainer but can be a real pain on the ground if it is not handled sensitively. Most trainers are happy if you slam the throttle open and go. Scale models generally are not.

When I started to fly RC models back about 1990, my teacher talked me into a fairly slippery and aerobatic model with a largish engine. He liked to fly fast models. It did not last long. He crashed it when the elevator horn pulled out of the elevator in a Split S he was doing. What I really needed was a slower bigger model like the Kadet Senior and I eventually bought one and that was where I started to get somewhere.

I use the Kit version of the Kadet Senior as my first trainer to teach new comers. I use my own plane initially until the person gets a feel for flying and can fly a reasonable tidy circuit. At this point I suggest one of several different models depending on how the learner is going. I suggest the Kadet Senior to learners in the 50s and beyond, the LT-40 to those between about 30 and 50 and for the young ones under 30, then just about any trainer will do.

To people who want to become independent quickly or who cannot come to the field often, I suggest a powered glider like the Radian. I also suggest a powered glider to all my students who want to get stick time with a model that is not likely to suddenly develop a mind of its own and crash.

I think beginners should keep flying trainers until they can do everything that the model can do. Do pretty near perfect landings every time, not be afraid of a dead stick and be able to start it, repair it and keep it in good airworthy condition. At this point, they are ready to move on to more aerobatic or scale like models. Sadly, too many move away from their trainer too quickly and they usually pay the price in smashed models.

So in short - it is horses for courses. Each beginner has slightly different needs. Each has a different budget and different aims. The trainer should meet his immediate needs and help him towards his eventual aims. It might be balsa or it might be foam. It might be electric or it might be glow. It will usually not be a small fast, highly maneuverable model but something more stable and larger if possible.

Cheers

Mike in Oz