Good trainer plane???
06-05-2007, 04:17 PM
#26
RE: Good trainer plane???
ORIGINAL: Pacific Planes
If you have that many hours on a sim and can hover, do torque rolls, and knife edge, you would be fine with just about anything. If I were you, I would start out with a 12-20 oz Yak 54 and fly it for a couple weeks. Then load whatever you want. My first plane was Yak 54 with a .56 glow on it. I flew it for a week, then converted it to electric. Also, even with aerobatic plane you can fly them on low rates until you get comfortable with high rates. I know many people disagree with this method but I think you should be more then fine with just about anything. You would get bored with a trainer after a day.
If you have that many hours on a sim and can hover, do torque rolls, and knife edge, you would be fine with just about anything. If I were you, I would start out with a 12-20 oz Yak 54 and fly it for a couple weeks. Then load whatever you want. My first plane was Yak 54 with a .56 glow on it. I flew it for a week, then converted it to electric. Also, even with aerobatic plane you can fly them on low rates until you get comfortable with high rates. I know many people disagree with this method but I think you should be more then fine with just about anything. You would get bored with a trainer after a day.
Here's a list of some of the "bad" habits one can develop:
1) Failing to keep the plane straight during takeoff run.
2) Climbing out too steep.
3) Not maintaining a constant altitude while turning.
4) Turns that aren't smooth, too sharp, etc.
5) Forgetting that there is a left stick.
6) Not lining up with the runway during landing approach.
7) Using ailerons instead of rudder to make course corrections when landing.
8) Using the elevator to extend the landing when you realize you're short.
9) Failure to learn the signs that a plane is about to stall, and what to do to avoid it, or recover from it.
A simulator is a great tool if used in conjunction with an instructor, and can greatly reduce the training time it takes to learn to fly if used this way. But it's not designed to REPLACE an instructor.
That's my 2ΒΆ worth
Ken
06-05-2007, 04:25 PM
#27
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RE: Good trainer plane???
I second Ken!
If you are truly talented you won't spend much time with a trainer. I soloed after just a few days with the trainer. But made a great friend in the process. He still maidens my planes just because he is waaaayyy more talented than I am.
I guess what I am saying is you don't have anything to loose by training with an instructor. But you may gain a ton.
Del
If you are truly talented you won't spend much time with a trainer. I soloed after just a few days with the trainer. But made a great friend in the process. He still maidens my planes just because he is waaaayyy more talented than I am.
I guess what I am saying is you don't have anything to loose by training with an instructor. But you may gain a ton.
Del
06-05-2007, 06:46 PM
#28
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RE: Good trainer plane???
The only proiplem i have is number 6, And i stall on perpose, I go straight up kill the engine and glide down to safty.
06-05-2007, 07:38 PM
#29
RE: Good trainer plane???
ORIGINAL: Mx314
The only proiplem i have is number 6, And i stall on perpose, I go straight up kill the engine and glide down to safty.
The only proiplem i have is number 6, And i stall on perpose, I go straight up kill the engine and glide down to safty.
LOOK, just take your checkbook with you to the field because you WILL be stopping by the LHS on the way home to buy a trainer. Most of us have seen this attitude before. You ask for advice and only hear the one voice of 20 that agrees with what you want to hear.
Good luck, you'll need a big bag of it and a second bag to carry your plane home in.
06-06-2007, 05:16 AM
#30
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RE: Good trainer plane???
ORIGINAL: Bill Lowen
funny, I don't remember my heart pounding and my knees shaking when I was on the sim.
Do it right, join a club, get an instructor and have them help you find a trainer. I have seen 3D and it is not easy to do. An ARF is not that expensive. Buy a good radio and engine and like people say, you can put that on your next airplane when you master your trainer. If you get a trainer with a semi symetrical wing and a powerful engine, they can be quite fun to fly. My skyraider has an OS 55 AX, I did have an OS 46 AX and it is quite healthy. Half throttle gets it off the ground. One of our 3D guys even got it to hover for a few seconds. plus landing is not always easy, specialy in the wind, and that nice big fat high wing provides plenty of lift for nice stable landings. my .02 anyways...
funny, I don't remember my heart pounding and my knees shaking when I was on the sim.
Do it right, join a club, get an instructor and have them help you find a trainer. I have seen 3D and it is not easy to do. An ARF is not that expensive. Buy a good radio and engine and like people say, you can put that on your next airplane when you master your trainer. If you get a trainer with a semi symetrical wing and a powerful engine, they can be quite fun to fly. My skyraider has an OS 55 AX, I did have an OS 46 AX and it is quite healthy. Half throttle gets it off the ground. One of our 3D guys even got it to hover for a few seconds. plus landing is not always easy, specialy in the wind, and that nice big fat high wing provides plenty of lift for nice stable landings. my .02 anyways...
I don't disagree with you but I was told the exact same thing. I started looking around for a trainer then ended up going to the local field on training night. As I was introducing myself I got into a conversation with a one of the local pilots. I ended up going to a soccer field with him right down the street and flew a couple of his foamies. On the second flight I was taking them off out of my hand. He then instructed me to load anything I wanted to fly. He told me not to get a trainer (because he thought I would get bored with it) and I think it was the best decision I have made yet. I have now been flying for about a month and I have three Yak's (52, 46, and 31 inch wing span). I will admit that I get a little nervous with new planes sometimes but nothing you can't handle. Now I am getting ready to load a 35% bird.
I think this is a great hobby and there are a lot of ways that you can learn how to fly. I guess it all depends on the person. I went flying again yesterday and it was training night. There were a couple guys at the field that have been flying for 8 months now and they are just about to solo for the first time with their trainers. Then there are a couple other guys who have been flying for 4 months and one of them already has a 36% Edge with no crashes to date (I watch him hover ten feet off the ground). I know the sim isn't the exact same as being at the field but I am a strong believer in it. I think if you can fly a small aerobatic plane on high rates then you could fly just about anything you want. It is so cheap to load a 12-20 oz balsa plane that I would give it a shot. If you crash then keep all the servos, speed controller, motor, etc for a later date after you fly a trainer. Everyone here has given you good advice, it comes down to what you think you can do. I was able to hover, knife edge, and fly inverted circles on the sim before I even tried flying at the field. When I went out my first time I could do all the same manuvers. That is the only reason I gave this advice. I wish you the best of luck when getting ready to load your first bird. Having someone with you the first coupel times is definetly a good idea. Let us know how it goes and the best of luck!
06-06-2007, 05:41 AM
#31
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RE: Good trainer plane???
ORIGINAL: RCKen
This is really bad advice to be giving out. Yes there are the rare people who can spend time on a sim and then successfully fly a real plane, but people like that are rare. In fact, those types of people are natural pilots and usually need little to no training to fly. And they are usually 1 in a 1,000. The other 999 of us out there really need some sort of training, even after they have plenty of time on a simulator. I have countless hours on MS Flight Simulator and can pilot a jetliner from one coast to the other, would you fly on a 747 that I'm at the sticks of? Of course not. You have to realize that simulators are a training aid and not designed to be a primary training device. I have watched lots of pilots spend time on a simulator without any formal instructions, and I have watched these people develop bad habits because of this.
Here's a list of some of the "bad" habits one can develop:
1) Failing to keep the plane straight during takeoff run.
2) Climbing out too steep.
3) Not maintaining a constant altitude while turning.
4) Turns that aren't smooth, too sharp, etc.
5) Forgetting that there is a left stick.
6) Not lining up with the runway during landing approach.
7) Using ailerons instead of rudder to make course corrections when landing.
8) Using the elevator to extend the landing when you realize you're short.
9) Failure to learn the signs that a plane is about to stall, and what to do to avoid it, or recover from it.
A simulator is a great tool if used in conjunction with an instructor, and can greatly reduce the training time it takes to learn to fly if used this way. But it's not designed to REPLACE an instructor.
That's my 2ΒΆ worth
Ken
ORIGINAL: Pacific Planes
If you have that many hours on a sim and can hover, do torque rolls, and knife edge, you would be fine with just about anything. If I were you, I would start out with a 12-20 oz Yak 54 and fly it for a couple weeks. Then load whatever you want. My first plane was Yak 54 with a .56 glow on it. I flew it for a week, then converted it to electric. Also, even with aerobatic plane you can fly them on low rates until you get comfortable with high rates. I know many people disagree with this method but I think you should be more then fine with just about anything. You would get bored with a trainer after a day.
If you have that many hours on a sim and can hover, do torque rolls, and knife edge, you would be fine with just about anything. If I were you, I would start out with a 12-20 oz Yak 54 and fly it for a couple weeks. Then load whatever you want. My first plane was Yak 54 with a .56 glow on it. I flew it for a week, then converted it to electric. Also, even with aerobatic plane you can fly them on low rates until you get comfortable with high rates. I know many people disagree with this method but I think you should be more then fine with just about anything. You would get bored with a trainer after a day.
Here's a list of some of the "bad" habits one can develop:
1) Failing to keep the plane straight during takeoff run.
2) Climbing out too steep.
3) Not maintaining a constant altitude while turning.
4) Turns that aren't smooth, too sharp, etc.
5) Forgetting that there is a left stick.
6) Not lining up with the runway during landing approach.
7) Using ailerons instead of rudder to make course corrections when landing.
8) Using the elevator to extend the landing when you realize you're short.
9) Failure to learn the signs that a plane is about to stall, and what to do to avoid it, or recover from it.
A simulator is a great tool if used in conjunction with an instructor, and can greatly reduce the training time it takes to learn to fly if used this way. But it's not designed to REPLACE an instructor.
That's my 2ΒΆ worth
Ken
I didn't read this one until after my last post. Maybe I should stop giving advice, who knows. All I know is that Yaks are my first planes and I flew solo my first flight. I also know a couple other guys at the field that did the same thing. Now I fly 4 days a week with about 60 flights under my belt in the month of May. Haven't had any crashes and I learn more and more every trip to the field. I am also not saying that I am a great pilot but I have a blast flying aerobatic planes and I bring them in safe every time. Each day is a learning experience and I am always asking some of the great pilots at the field for advice (got help with a blender yesterday). It looks like the majority of people are telling you to start with a trainer. Although I don't personally agree, maybe they are right. If you are ever in Kansas City I would let you fly one of my planes after I saw you sim flights. I will do the same for other pilots as well. I guess that is how stong of a believer I am.
06-06-2007, 07:43 AM
#32
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RE: Good trainer plane???
I think that depth perception is probably been the hardest thing to conquer for me. last weekend, I put my plane down a little North of the runway into some tall weeds. I really thought I was over the runway. Our runways our 50' by 500'. 50 may seem like a lot but it goes away real quick, especially when the wind is pushing you. I did a little damage, enough to retire the airplane for the day, but she is fixed and ready to go Sunday. I also learned a little lesson on having a second airplane. Good idea to have one on hand unless you want to go home early. Point is, I have been on a sim and it did not help me with depth perception.
Ken, In regards to number 7, are you saying you can use small inputs of rudder to make course corrections when landing? I have yet to use the rudder, other than when I am on the ground. I guess it would seem easier to make corse corrrections with the rudder.
Ken, In regards to number 7, are you saying you can use small inputs of rudder to make course corrections when landing? I have yet to use the rudder, other than when I am on the ground. I guess it would seem easier to make corse corrrections with the rudder.
06-06-2007, 09:27 PM
#33
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RE: Good trainer plane???
Hey there I just wanted to put my 2 cents in. I have a Nextstar and love it. It will knife edge and many other things I have put it through. I hear alot of bad things about it but have never had a bad day with it. Like I said I love it. I have also owned many other trainers I think a very good one is a Hobbico Avistar, They are very good fliers it will do anything you want it to. Well good luck and keep me posted.
