Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

Hello everyone! I'm really new to this. I own a little Yellow bee plane and a Housefly heli. I'm hoping some of you can suggest a nice trainer plane after the Yellow Bee for me to cut my teeth on. I was recommended the Hanger 9 P51 trainer. Can any of you suggets a few more nice looking and forgiving planes?

Thanks!

Wes

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

I don't know about first trainer plane H9 P 51 PTS It's a low wing MHOP You should start with a high wing setup
I have the P51 It's ok but I had three high wing trainer planes before, but low wing and tail drager was different and harder to get use to. H9 P 51 is hard to see with gray clouds or when the sun goes down you can loose it fast.

roltech

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

Sig Kadet LT 40 and an instructor.

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

Follow the advice already given here. The P-51 would make a nice 2nd plane but not what I would recommend for a first one. The Sig LT-40 is very hard to beat. It will fly even with an OS LA-40 however a little more power is nice like the OS 46AX which could be used in another plane later. Instructor is a must with a plane that will give you time to think while learning. As your skills grow you will do things instinctively.

EXCAP232

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

Wes
The new Hanger 9 trainer configered P51 with its flaps set as recommended and the wing leading edge slats and air brakes installed looks a good bet, Hanger 9 have a very good reputation and would not jepodise this by bringing out a trainer that was not cappable of doing its designed function, this aircraft is very current as of the posting date and not manny people have seen it or know of its design configeration to be a beginers aircraft, the concept I think is brilliant and should bring a lot more people into RC who are put off by high with boring aircraft.
Just my opinion, but if you don't like it I'v got plenty of others.
Mike

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

The LT-40 with an LA46 engine and you can not go wrong. For the price you will be the happiest flier at the field. You will need an instructor. I wish I could tell you how many people I talk to and they say they tried to fly RC planes but gave up because they said it was to hard to learn. Come to find out they didnt have an instructor to help them. It doesnt matter if you flown helis or electric planes if your going to go nitro then go and get an instructor. Bottom line LT40 with a 46 engine and an instructor and you will have a life time of RC flying.

Alan

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

If you have the basics down, a Hobico Stury Birdy is what I learned on and still fly one today. I taught myself to fly it and went through some rough landings a crashes. Some mods and epoxy and she was in the air again. I don't recommend learning on your own but it can be done. Just be in a place that will not injure anyone or property because you will crash. At $59 bucks and $20 for a .40 or .46 LA on Ebay and your in there. It will even fly with .25 LA but I would go with the .40. Still light, super reliable and easy to tune. Not that powerful but you don't want that learning. I even had to add nose weight to mine with the .40 on the front to get the balance right. I can take off and land in my front yard and I live in a subdivision. ;)

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

The Hanger 9 P-51 trainer package is a very nice loking setup, however, I would suggest a high wing trainer with a ball bearing 46 to learn on.

What a lot of people are overlooking is the wingloading. The MAJORITY of high wing trainers have a wing loading in the mid to high teens. The Hanger 9 P-51 wingloading is in the mid 20's or higher.

What this means in the real world is: A lower (lighter) wing loading will allow the plane to fly slower and land slower. The higher the wing loading, the faster the plane must fly to stay airborne and the plane must also land faster.

While you are learning to fly, slow is better. There is going to be a VERY noticeable difference in speed between your Yellow Bee and a glo plane - the glow plane is going to be 3 - 4 times faster. Your skills and reaction times, at present, are geared towards a plane flying at 10 - 15 mph. A glow trainer is going to fly at 40 - 50 mph and land at 20 - 25 mph. The Hanger 9 Mustang is going to be noticeably faster than a trainer.

Think of it this way, when you learned to drive a car, 60 mph on the highway most likely required a fair amount of concentration and your reactions required some time to catch up. Do you think you could have gotten behind the wheel of an Indy 500 race car and driven it at 200+ mph ?

While I have not flown the Hanger 9 P-51, MOST warbirds tend to require a fair amount of concentration and very good reactions - in otherwords, they are typically a "handful".

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

I've talked to one person who has flown the H9 Mustang PTS, he said that although it was more docile than a regular Mustang, it did not fly like a trainer. You are going to get many different opinions as to which trainer is best. Based on my personal experience, I would recommend the Sig LT40 with a good .46 size engine. You will get a ton of engine recommendations also. I went with the Evolution .46nt (not the trainer power system version) and I have had absolutely zero problems with the motor. It's never deadsticked (except for a couple of times when I ran it out of fuel when I was training), and it has loads of power. I've moved on to a Four Star 60, but I still fly my LT40, and with a 12x4 prop, it has great performance for a trainer. If you are wanting to build a kit, the LT40 kit assembles very easily. If you prefer an ARF, the LT40 ARF is very well built and goes together in a night or two.I converted mine to a taildragger before I ever even flew it, mainly because all the aircraft I am interested in flying later on are taildraggers, so I figured it best to start out on one from the beginning. Bottom line is, for a solid durable trainer, the LT40 is very hard to beat.;)

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

The Sig Kadet Senior with a a good .46-.50 sized engine. While it does cost more than the LT-40 the big plus is that it is very large and easy to see. (When learning bigger is better INMO) It also has a "real airplane" apeearance than most other trainers do not have. You won't go wrong with the LT-40 either its another great airplane.

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

If you want something inexpensive, the Hobbico Superstar is a superb primary trainer.

If you want something inexpensive with a bit of pizzaz, the Hobbico Avistar can't be beaten.

If you have $ & aren't particularly adventuresome, the Nexstar covers the widest possible range of novice aptitudes.

If you are very bold, want pizzaz & have $, the Hangar 9 Mustang PTS just might survive long enough to do the job.

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

I suggest you save some money and get a tower trainer rtf setup. ITs cheap, and it will ast a long time and give you loads of fun. Make sure you get an instructor.

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

Like samolot, I think a high wing RTF is the way to go at first. The Tower, Sig and Hobbico trainers mentioned before are excellent planes and flyers, and as a RTF kit can be assembled quickly. If possible, have someone with experience help with assembly. There are simple things that can make the plane fly better and last longer.
The H-9 Alpha or Arrow cost a bit more, but the Evo trainer system will make the first few flights, and especially landing attempts much easier. The training system slows the a/c down nicely when needed. You can easily change to an 11x6 or 11x8 two-blade prop later. Plus, almost everything you need, including a rudimentary simulator, are included.
My Arrow has now been converted to a tail dragger and I actually prefer flying it to my PTS.

[disclaimer] Keep in mind, I've only been at this for a few months.

By the way, I used to live between Buckroe Beach and Phoebus in Hampton. I loved living in VA.

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

The wing loading on the Hanger 9 PTS is not in the twentys, I do not think we are talking abount the same airframe, I have instructed with the Hanger 9 PTS and it behaves like a trainer, poitive inputs give a positive responce, the only thing this hasn't which a trainer does is lateral self righting, with a buddy box (I do not advocate training in any other way) this aircraft is perfectly capable of training a learner the big big difference is that the transittion to the next stage is not so traumatic, same airframe with the brakes and or slats removed, one at a time, it also looks the part, which is an important view for any one with the first airframe, the old fashion high wing trainer has been around for a long time and had its place when you used to have to grab the tranny from the pilot when they got into trouble, you wanted some natural stability to ensure you had time to recover whilst transfering control after a grab, with the buddy box this over stability is no longer required, the learning curve is only as steep as the pupil can cope with. I once taught a young man to fly full size gliders, on his silver C cross country flight (50km), he flew over 300km for a gold instead, his comment was nobody told me it was difficult.

this is my opinion and if you don't like it I have plenty of others.

Mike

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

You're speaking in generalities. The plane in question is NOT designed like most warbirds, it is designed specifically to be a trainer.

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

I don't. I agree that high wing trainers are a good choice, but I don't endorse the RTFs for the average person getting started. For about the same money, a careful shopper can base their starter setup off an ARF trainer and get much better components than one gets with an RTF setup. Assembling an ARF will also give the beginner valuable experience installing all of the components. It's important to begin building these skills on the trainer plane because it will make assembly of the second plane significantly easier.

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

I mostly agree with Piper Chuck re RTF's vs ARF's. However, for a true beginner, assembling an ARF is rather like an experienced builder putting a modest kit together. It could easily take a novice 30 - 40 hrs without help. Few working folks can put that much time together easily & even an ARF "build" could stretch out over a month or more -- that is a lot of flying time lost in the shop. The RTF is a quick solution to the completely inexperienced who otherwise might be turned off by the initial time/effort requirements.

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

My ARF builds usually stretch out to a month or more! :D

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

The whole point of the exercise whether AFR or RTF or kit is to get into the air and learn how to fly, get a what you like and with an instructor on the buddy box go enjoy yourself, there is plenty of time after you have learnt to go into the finner points of how it is put together, let the instructor check all the linkages and inform you what they are doing, but in the first instance just fly and fly and fly.
Mike

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

Have a look at the P51 PTS Thread, instructors and beginners give there comments on the P51 PTS as a trainer, very positive on all counts.
Mike

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

I suggest joining a club and finding an instructor to help, someone who enjoys helping beginners get started. He might have a specific trainer he feels works best for his students. If so, pay attention! Many great primary trainers are out there and I know the Hanger 9 P-51 PTS was designed specifically as a first airplane. I have not flown, but, have seen fly and the low time pilots who did fly it had very very high praise! Stick time on a simulator is also a very good idea, if your "confuser" is up to snuff. Installing a good simulator will cost about the same as a good ARF. Great Planes G-3 is for sale on R/CUniverse and Ebay at attractive prices!

You can look for help here; but, be aware the miriad of opinions will tend to confuse! Better to hook up with someone local, of undisputed expertise to help.

If I have offended someone here, so be it! However, I am simply trying to give good help.

Mark DeSchane, AMA 59157

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

I was in the same dilema when i started flying about 3 months ago. I purchased the Hobbico trainer plane http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXK971 and took it to the field i wanted to join. I got a instructer to take me up on a buddy cord and I was flying solo on my 3rd flight. I got very bored with the plane and decided i needed a new and better looking plane. So i convinced my wife to let me go to the LHS and i purchased a Sig Rascal 40 and took it home and put it together that weekend. The following weekend I show back up at the air strip and ask one of the guys there to take it up for me and make sure its trimmed out and ect. THe plane flew great and so i took it myself for the first flight, this thing flew better than a trainer but still was very forgiving like a trainer plane. It was much more fun to fly nad did loops, rolls, hammerheads, ect with so much more ease. Honestly i think the so called trainer planes are harder to fly except for landing purpose maybe. I would really look into the Sig Rascal 40 or the p51 PTS as a new plane as it will take you into more things and look better than the trainer planes will.

Philip

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

hello,
I am new to the rc flying world and have a few questions to inquire about. First of all I was wondering if I should look into electric or nitro planes? Should I purchase an ARF or a RTF plane? I want something that will let me learn on, but can also be very fun. I would also like somthing not only performance pleasing, but aesthically as well. I can use all the help I can get. Any help is greatly appreciated.:D

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

Sorry if I am making you repeat yourselves, but I am getting confused due to the numerous suggestions and comments on a lot of the planes I look at.

RE: Suggestions for a trainer plane
 

I'm not surprised -- you will get as many opinions as there are folks to offer them.

If you stick with virtually any of the standard high wing trainers, you will be just fine. The differences between them are small & relatively meaningless. If you stray outside of that realm, then things become more of a crap shoot. The price goes up and so does the uncertainty of success. The H9 P-51 PTS is more of a crap shoot.

You can play safe, or you can roll the dice. If money is an issue, I suggest that you play safe. If it is not an issue & you like adventure, roll the dice -- with the full knowledge that you could either win or lose the game.