Dougc87

I was just wondering when did you guys get off the trainer and buy a low or mid-wing plane? I was thinking of staying on my trainer for a few years, but then i was told that a trainer is really made to fly upright...meaning it will be the least aerobatic and that is one of the many reasons I want to start flying planes. So I was wondering how long did it take you to hand your trainer off to your kids and buy a better plane? One of my friends said on after he was allowed to solo(signed off) at his club he went out and picked up a something extra the same day. How many of you did this? He said his brother flew his trainer for 2 years and that is why he is better than his brother who has been flying longer. I was just to be able to flip, roll, knife edge and some day I hope to hover I know these tricks will take a year of two to learn but I am going to try to learn them.

67ssmike

What kind of trainer do you have ,I've got a falcon 56 and it does loops,flys inverted,and will roll with the best of em .But to answer your question I flew my trainer for most of the past summer about 35 flights or so and just now bought a sukhoi su-31 .Haven't flew it yet as it's still awaiting a flight pack and the magnum 52.I'll always go back to the ole falcon she will never retire from my hanger.Some guys at my club said that they've seen a few people win a fun fly with a trainer so i'd say it's mostly up to you and how confident you feel about your skills .

fearlessJOE

don't be in a rush. stay in your trainer until you can preform well in it. Its true, trainers aren't the best inverted, but if you can circle the field both ways inverted in a trainer, it will be a breeze for you in a pattern ship!

I have seen guys cut thmselves short from a trainer. Too many people forget that flying is a SKILL, and is not found in a box at the hobby shop. Your trainer WILL fly inverted, four points, cuban 8's, and more IF YOU MASTER IT. Doug, you have the right idea, fly it till the covering comes off.

CliffR

My Feedback: (2)

im almost going to solo soon. i have gotten a somethin extra as my plane already to start building so when i solo i have another plane

tIANci

I bought my second plane as soon as I bought the first! This hobby is EVIL!!! Seriously ... when you can land and take off consistently (the plane goes where you want it and no bunny hop landings) then its time to get a low wing.

DragonHeart

I wouldnt say its a bad thing to buy your second plane now......... keep flying ur trainer while building your next plane as it will give you something to aim for......... theirs no rush just take your time....... i flew my trainer for about 3 months then moved on but on the odd occasion i still take the old girl out and do as many moves in the book i can with her im suprised she hasnt fell apart yet the things i put her throu

But thiers ALOT a trainer can do, so dont think they cant just aquire the skill and practice first u will be the only one u know when ur ready to move on....... maybe you asking this question is ur first sign .......... i can remember the days when i was asking the same question when can i buy my second plane now its more when can i buy my 30th plane lol

hookedonrc

I am like dragonheart, there's nothing wrong with having more than one plane. I added a 4*60 about 3 months after I started and never looked back. Now it's more of a challenge to figure out which plane or planes I take to the field to fly. Usually it's 2 at a time, and yes, I still like to have a trainer type plane to fly. There are days that you just want to kick around and relax and a trainer can fit that bill. Besides, if you have the right trainer, they can do a lot more than you think they can.

Spanky1

hookedonrc has a great idea.

I bought a second trainer right away (stick 40) and took out the dihedral to help on inverted flight. THEN went to an 300 extra. If you don't get a chance to fly and feel a bit rusty, take your trainer out for a couple of hot dog laps full throttle and low to the ground. If you feel confident jump on the second plane. If I go more than a week w/o flying the trainer goes up before the cap.

If you want versatility in the air but are still new, go to fun fly. They are slow and real docile. Keep the landings soft

Spanky

DBCherry

My Feedback: (4)

I bought my second plane shortly after I soloed, but still flew my trainer regularly for over a year after that.

Don't rush into the second, use the trainer as others have said, until you're proficient with it.

I'm a club instructor now, and love to show students just what a trainer is capable of. Inverted flying, Immelmans, Cuban Eights, beautiful Hammerheads (stall turns), and spins. They may not be as precise, or as pretty as they can be with a more aerobatic plane, but they're possible. And a relatively new pilot won't be making "pretty" aerobatics with the most capable plane, so....

Too many try to move on before they're ready and end up crashing a lot of nice "second" planes.
Dennis-

raideron

My Feedback: (1)

Same here as with DBCherry I ordered my second plane(4*60) on
the thrid day of flying my Avistar, Well actually I had it in my cart
at towers the day I ordered the Avistar.. I really wanted to start
with the 4*.. But it did not work out that way.. Trainer said he would
not work with me if I brought it to the field instead of a true trainer..
I did fly the Avistar for a while before putting the 4* together, because
if I had it ready to fly I would have...

CrashBurn69

My Feedback: (1)

Listen to Dennis. I started with an Avistar, but had bought a Futana first. Well I got about 60 flights on the Avistar and decided it was time to try the Funtana. Well then I wanted a Space Walker II. I put about 20 flights on it and tip stalled it into the river next to our field. Since then I went on to UCD 46, and I love that plane, but on big problem for me it is, it will ruin you on landings. I have not seen anything that will almost land itself like that plane. But now I am getting a Katana and a Stearman ready to go. And a buddy has 100 inch Cub he is trying to get me to take. After all these planes I have to be honest, I want another Avistar. Stall turns and hammer heads are really easy with this plane. And I bet if you ask a lot of people here they will tell you they like to go back and enjoy a trainer every now and then. But most of the time its not the person who moves on to another plane faster, its the one who takes time to learn the skill of flying and not just getting something to punch holes in the sky. I see so many people that go fly with no plan other than just doing what ever comes to mind when they are flying, that they take forever to master anything. But if you can take off and land well and fly the entire field inverted, with direction changes, then have at it and get what strikes your fancy. But don't get it if you think that just having that type of plane will make you a better pilot. Its all on the person behind the sticks. The plane might make some manuvers look a little better, but if the person flying is not practicing and getting the skills, then you could buy a 40% Carden and it still would perform no better than a PT 40.

sky_dancer

I just recently went "back to my trainer" for awhile. I had been taught to fly and soled and then my instructor cut me loose. I flew it for maybe a couple of months after that and just worked on basic stuff like turning right as well as I could left and being comfortable coming in to land from any direction on the field. I practiced loops and rolls also although I have to say that with my Superstar I never could get it to do a very pretty roll. ( more on that in a second.) I moved to a second plane which is a GP Easy Sport for a short time and also flew a Burrito once or twice, as well as crashing a Mariner .40 seaplane on the maiden flight and then some circumstances came up where I ended up totally quittng flying for awhile.
When I got back to flying and tried to take off my Easy Sport for the first time I caught the landing gear on a stalk of corn out a little beyond the field and it somersaulted into the corn field. No real damage but I was upset. I thought I'd forgotten everything.
The next time I went out I put my trainer back in the air and it was out of trim. I took my eyes off it a second trying to fix the trim and ended up putting it in the ground pretty hard. It wasn't a lot of damage though so fixed it and went back out and tried again. Up until last week I have been doing nothing but flying that trainer and getting comfortable again. Everything I thought I'd learned needed work. Takeoffs, and especially landings. As of last week I am flying my Easy Sport again but you know what? My rolls still look super ugly. So maybe it's the pilot instead of the trainer producing the ugly rolls.
I'm an impatient sort. My ultimate goal is to learn to fly 3D so I'm pushing myself. I had to go back to square one with that trainer though, if nothing else just to make sure I was a safe pilot.
I guess my point in all this is that it's ok to be eager to get to that second plane and IMO we do need to push ourselves some if we are ever going to get over that hump and learn to be better pilots. Just don't be afraid to go back to that trainer if you need to. If nothing else they are a good way to relax from the demands of more capable aircraft. Right now I'm taking both my trainer and my Easy Sport to the field and I alternate flights between them. So I'm technically on my second plane and still can't do a decent roll. I think the best thing you can do when you are a new pilot is to identify your weaknesses and work on them when you fly rather than just aimlessly flying around. I fly for fun on some flights with no particular agenda in mind but on a lot of my flights now I have very specific goals of what I'm trying to accomplish and work at getting better on.
Have fun and Happy landings,
Michael

britbrat

When did I get my second plane? --- about 1949.

Seriously -- stay with the trainer a good long time & learn to do aerobatics with it, as well as just plain flying it around. It will do lots of very interesting aerobatics -- you just don't know how yet. When you can really fly it, you will be amazed how easy it is to fly something "harder" (& your planes will have longer lives as well).

MikeEast

My Feedback: (3)

I would say stay with your trainer until basic flight skills are truly automatic, although I didnt practice what I preach. That is to say you can fly comfortably coming and going, takeoff, approach and land from either end of the field equally as comfortably. Also perform basic loops and rolls in relative comfort and never get disoriented on what to do with the elevator and ailerons. Once these basic flight skills feel pretty much like driving a car, and you dont have to think about it you just do it,,, then move on. You will know its time to move on when you are getting bored and at the same time you are a little concerned that the maneuvers you are trying to perform are likely to separate the wings from the fuselage.

I was told it was time to move up when the old guys at the club caught me flying my big Kadet Senior (Rudder and Elevator only) inverted more than upright. If you have ever flown a kadet senior with rudder only then you can appreciate how difficult it is to keep it upside down.. It does NOT like to be upside down.

Once you do move up keep your trainer, they are very relaxing to fly. Most 40 sized trainers will take an OS 52 4 stroke or even a YS 63. With either of these engines and your throws cranked up an LT 40 or similar planes will do rolling circles, loops, rolls, knife edge, stall turns, some basic spins.


BTW, my personal preference for a 2nd plane is a U CAN DO, 40 or 60 size. Cut your elevator and aileron throws back to about 12 degrees and they are THE MOST docile and easy to land planes out there, and they fly WAY better than the somethin extras and 4* planes. Some people think they are ugly, I personally think the UCDs are pretty planes and when you get your skill going, you can move the CG back crank up the throws and learn to fly most every 3D maneuver in the book with it.

Dougc87

It sounds like my kadet might be my only glow plane for a while... during the winter we are going to build this 3-d plane I was going to stuff some weak stuff in ti just to fly it buy maybe I will stuff a brushless in it after I solo .. toward the end of the year.
Thanks
Doug

saramos

I bought my second and third planes before I bought my ARF trainer. The third plane, a TF spit, is still under construction. My second plane, a Sig 4 * 40 is what I have the most flying time on. I flew my trainer for about a month and a half before moving on to the 4 *.

I've had two crashes. The first crash was a month after my first flight. My instructor encouraged me to enter a pylon race for trainer aircraft. I crashed trying to avoid another plane in the first turn of the third round. I was in the overall points lead at the time of the crash. The plane was not seriously damaged. the wing broke at the joint, and the first two bulkheads came loose from the fuse. I repaired the damage and flew it one more time before I switch to the 4 *.
My second crash was with the 4 * and was more serious. I still am puzzled by the crash. The plane is kit built, with an OS .50SX. I had about 30 - 40 flighs on the plane. I was at about 3/4 throttle amd around 70 feet. I just came out of a right hand turn and was now level, when the plane nosed straight down and went in verticle hardly before I even started to react. The tail just started to wiggle to my inputs when it hit. Everything from the cockpit forward was in small pieces, and the wing was broke in half and the leading edge on one tip was broken. I've rebuild the plane, but between the weather and working on my spit, I've not flown it again.

xplayer930

I started flying 11 years ago when i was 8. i flew my trainer for about a year, by the time i was nine i flew better than half the guys at my feild. My second plane was a GP .60 size p-51, i flew the balls of of that thing, an it was alos the first plane i crashed. I must have crashed it 2 or 3 times (minor damage) but damm it was fun. Stick with your trainers guys I still hav emy original tower .40 trainer and i take her up once a year, i think the only thing holdin her together is the sticky back covering! if u guys are in a ruch to get a second plane u can always get a sail plane, i have friends who taught themselves how to fly one, so im sur enon of u should have any problems!!

carrellh

My first, second, and fourth planes were/are trainers. Third plane, SIG Astro Hog, has not been flown. I bought it while trainer #2 was still flying. Fifth plane, Uproar 60, is almost finished.
Trainer #1: battery connection to switch came loose in flight and the airframe was a total loss.
Trainer #2: I thought I'd solo this one. Broke the tail off on a "landing". I guess it was really a crash but it was in the center of the runway, and I was trying to land.
Astro Hog on hold
Trainer #3: Still flying and trying to learn to land. I can fly it inverted and do several aerobatic maneuvers. If I ever figure out landing I think I'm ready to fly the Hog. A couple of people have told me it will fly a lot like my trainer.
Uproar: I'm not sure when I'll be ready to fly this thing. I think I'll need a lot of time on the Hog before this one goes up.
I'm starting a '2548 Scale Combat Plane' soon. It will be a P-47, blue foam fuselage, foam wings, .25FX; should be pretty cool.

sky_dancer

What exactly are your problems as far as landing? Maybe someone here can give some advice.
When I went back to flying aftert my long layoff, I was having problems landing. I would usually come in too high and too fast.
My perception of where I was on approach in relation to the field was messed up. I seemed to have this fear of coming in short.
I just kept working at it . I would take off a with a full tank and almost immediately bring the plane around and back in on a landing aproach. I kept making low passes at the field and then throttling up and back into the air and the going around again and again until I got the hang of it. One thing I found that helped me immensely was to make sure I was flying a very consistent pattern. Before I knew it I had the plane gliding in nice and slow and making nice landings. I then started doing touch and goes over and over till I was just about out of fuel. Of course, it helps if you can do this when there is no one else at the field flying or waiting to fly. I would go out early in the mornings before the other guys showed up.
Michael

carrellh

I think it's partially depth perception, and I tend to over control. When I think I'm headed down the cernter of the runway I'm usually over the far side or even over the taller grass. This is getting better though. We went out Dec 11 and I landed on the runway 5 out of 6 times. I was on the far side, but on the groomed part of the runway. The other attempt was headed for the tall grass. My brother took control and pulled it up, then I got it down correctly on the next lap. I think the depth perception issue is something that takes practice to overcome.

The over-controlling is tougher. I have neurological problems that make it difficult for me to feel the sticks and to make fine movements. I bought 'joystick style' knobs (http://www.qualityrcproducts.com/pro...tterknobs.html) for my transmitter and have been experimenting with exponential to make the controls less sensitive near the center. This has helped.

Last time out, I landed well enough 3 times that I didn't kill the engine. The other times I gave too much up elevator trying to flare and the plane ballooned up. I eased off the elevator too much and came in on the nose gear. I was probably still going too fast when I tried the flare. I have trouble holding it level coming up the runway and I think I try to 'force' it to land. I'm not sure if I'm worried that I'll lose it and fly into the pits, or if I think I'm overshooting the runway, or if it's something completely different.

I am determined to do this, so I know I'll figure it out.

Live Wire

The day AFTER!

sky_dancer

I can understand the depth perception thing. When I had first learned to fly and my instructor had cut me loose I was flying around before a club meeting. I was pretty nervous because there were a lot of people out at the field for the meeting and I felt as if everyone was watching me. In the summer the guy that owns the land we fly on plants corn around the edges of the field. I came in on an approach nice and smooth right down the center of the field or so I thought. As the plane was gliding in losing altitude someone, at the last possible second yells "CORN!" I probably had a chance to gun it and get it outta there but I was new and nervous. The plane dissapeared into the corn. Took 10 minutes to find it luckily none the worse for wear except for a broken prop. My instructor later told me that he had his back turned or he would have told me sooner what I was about to do.
Two things I can suggest that may help you, if the sun is in such a position to cast a shadow, look at the shadow of your plane on the field as you make low passes. It's like my eyes kind of learned the positon of the plane based on that and then I was able to judge things better later without looking at the shadow. Another thing is to turn and look at the plane coming in and line it up as if it's flying straight at you. (From a distance of course!) It really won't be though, it's something to do with depth perception again. Your eyes get fooled. That will help with getting it lined up on the field.
Good luck and happy landings,
Michael

miamiflyer

My Feedback: (1)

I ordered my ustick60/saito100 the day i soloed.
I got bored pretty fast of the trainer and didn't even fly it much
until I had the stick ready.
I still use the trainer (PT-40) to break in engines and go for an afternoon of
relaxed flying if i don't have anything else.
also converted it to a taildragger, it currently has a 56' on it.
trainer on steroids so to speak. I love it.
better than nothing during a long building period.