valentineiii

My Feedback: (1)

Hello gentlemen and ladies I really need help picking out my second plane I have bought a Hangar 9 Piper Cherokee and totally crashed it and then I bought a Seagull models Decathalon and split it in half on take off... I need help picking out my second plane that I can actually fly I have trained on a Nexstar and I have mastered it pretty well but now I'm ready for the next level in flying heres a list of my current hangar...I've only been flying since June


P.S. I just bought a Great Planes Spacewalker will that make a good trainer second plane it's a tail dragger that is sold at Tower Hobbies
Someone please help me I have also enclosed some pics of my planes

Hobbico Nexstar
Great Planes Piper Cub=Being built in Ohio
Great Planes Spacewalker
Skyshark RC SBD Dauntless I'm still building it


Crashed Planes
Hangar 9 Piper Cherokee
Seagull Decathalon

Dago Red

My Feedback: (11)

4* 60, thats a good one.

BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

World Models T-34 for many reasons that have been stated many times in many threads. A little searching will yield a lot of recomendations try "second plane" for starters.

Dago Red

My Feedback: (11)

I totally agree with BB. There are many threads on RCU with second plane info. I never heard of a T-34 as a second plane, but i can see why. Good looks, and looks like it flies with grace.

BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

Dago,
The WM T-34 is hardly a T-34 at all. Low wing, tri-gear but that's the extent of the scale until you add the decals. It just has a really good wing, wide flight envelope, well made, comes with good hardware and makes a great aerobatic trainer.

DBCherry

My Feedback: (4)

Just don't get the Hanger 9 Mentor by mistake! Relatively high wing loading and snaps like the devil if you slow it down.

^The Spacewalker is generally a goos flying plane, just keep the control throws set LOW.

I'd second a 4*. or Tiger 2. I've heard others recommend the World Models Mentor, so....
Dennis-

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Another excellent choice is the Midwest Aerobat. But I will also second the Tiger II and the 4*

jongurley

My Feedback: (29)

4* 40 or 60 ARF>. you can't go wrong put a 2 or 4 stroke on it, pretty aerobatic and lands and takes off like a trainer...

Deltageek2

Sounds my like my own humble beginnings a long time ago.

You need to learn to fly well first. Only hours of airtime can make your reactions natural and effortless- and that is the problem. You can build some serious skills- and hours- on these RC flight simulators without breaking a thing. Even Microsoft's flt sim can be flown like an RC from different views. An experienced pilot with a buddy cord can give you some safe airtime also while you feel it out and interprete what its doing from a changing perspective as your brain wires into a new machine.

Unlike any other kind of flying, rc will turn around- and now its coming at you and the roll is reversed. Correct it the wrong way and that bank tightens and goes inverted about the time its all over.

When the plane is facing you, I was taught,
"Put The Stick To The Low Wing And It Will Level."

I have never heard a better explanation of how to think of this situation and would like to hear some other thoughts on it. I have done it both ways- keep your mind in the cockpit 'view'- or switch to the 'Low wing/level' mode. I think it should on a checklist for new pilots to think about. There is no doubt that it is a major contributor to beginner difficulties.

We all have different ideas of what a trainer should be- here comes mine. When I got active in rc again after a very long layoff I chose to go electric and got a ZAGI 400 since I wanted slow hang glider-like handling and gliding characteristics- and got it.

I got more airtime on that plane than I had ever had in anything else and stilll use that flawless AM 3 channel today since it was so well protected in the foam. Near hour long flights from a 5 minute motor run when soaring or a much shorter wild aerobatic fandango- or a speed demon (45 hehe ) with the trim pushed forward- all the while hardly making a sound, in my backyard, not 20 miles away at the field.

Crashing it would not usually be a cause for you to stop flying for the day. More likely you thought ahead and have a stack of batteries charged and ready and you are here to fly till the sun goes down or the TX battery expires. Most times you can check it out, toss it back in the air again. I enjoyed my first midair with another ZAGI in some aggressive combat, and they tumbled down 20 feet or so to the ground as we laughed out loud! We were just getting started and next time I clipped him, he spun in but I recovered and flew over my fallen prey. He crashed and burned... errr... bounced!

The point is- getting airtime and using a low maintenance plane so you are focusing on learning to fly well- not spending a month or two preparing for your next major attempt. I honestly have nearly a thousand flights on my first one and a hundred crashes and learned something from every single one of them.

A second plane like this will serve you well in everything you fly afterwards and your repairs are done with tape mostly so its super cheap to keep it flying- then throw it back in the air for another valuable lesson- and even more EXPERIENCE. It's not the ultimate airplane- it's not supposed to be- but it will speed the day you are ready for one!

Hope you find a way to have the same rewarding experience we all have had- along with the broken airplanes and lessons we've shared- but fly well, and keep the carnage to a minimum.

Groucho fan

Hi,
Since you already have a GP Spacewalker, why not use that as your 2nd. plane? I have one as my 2nd, it flies well. It's quite a bit faster than a trainer, yet flies slowly. It also flies inverted with just a little down elevator. It's really fun to fly it low and slow. I have an O.S. 91 surpass II in mine.

*Crash*Johnson*

My Feedback: (7)

I agree with the 4*. Had a .60 and the thing was awesome. Lasted thru last season, and this one until I deadsticked on take off and thought i'd be slick and bank it to land. Bad move. Busted the fuse in 2... Now I gotta fix it.

More to the point, you need to analyze your flying. By "flying the trainer" you could mean many things. Most people think that cause they get it off the ground and bat the sticks around in a crazy manor and can get it back on the ground, they have mastered flight. When you take this same approach to a warbird or a decathlon it is gonna get ugly.

Without proper speed on takeoff the decathlon will stall a wing, resulting in a crash. Trust me, I've seen it first hand. Now if the person was trained to use more runway to take off and ease it into the air, the plane would have faired better... Also, rudder control. From what I gather, alot of people don't use rudder. On take-off and landing the rudder is your best friend. You need to know EXACTLY which direction the rudder needs to go. The plane starts going off course and you give wrong rudder it will get real ugly real fast.
To me mastering flight is more about ground handling then in the air. Heck if your high enough you can do almost anything.

Ptarmigan

I am thinking about a second RC airplane too since I am solo. I was told that the GWS Tigermoth biplane makes a good second plane.

carrellh

From everything I've been told, you need to really be sure you've mastered the trainer before moving on.
I have a Great Planes PT-60.
I'm still flying on a buddy box because I haven't been able to master landing yet.
I recently put a Fults dual strut nose gear on it and that has helped my ground handling tremendously on takeoffs.
I'm pretty good in the air; I can do split s, immelman, cuban 8, inverted flight (not simple with a trainer), and a couple more that I can't recall the names. I have a Sig Astro Hog, pretty much ready to go, that will be my second plane.
I can take off and fly the full flight, with aerobatics, without having my instructor take control. When it comes time to land, he usually doesn't take over. Last time out, I landed off the runway (in the tall grass) twice, landed twice in the center of the runway (bumped the prop once, the other was perfect), and cartwheeled down the center of the runway once.

I guess all this rambling really just says - fly the heck out of that trainer.

BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

Carrell,
Some wise words for a beginner. For valentineiii to say he has mastered his trainer tells me that he obviously has not and doesn't know what he should be doing with it at this point in his flying. I have flown aerobatic competition, pylon raced, combat, slope, float and many other facets of the hobby yet yesterday I took out a trainer to work on a manuever. Point is you never master a trainer especially if you are having problems with your next plane. To many people jump ahead without taking steps to the next level and then suffer for it down the road.

Having said that I think it's time for you to loose the buddy box and just go out and do touch and goes till the cows come home. Also work on rudder manuvers where you need to cross up the sticks i.e. flat circles and flat figure eights. Those will teach you to get comfortable with your left hand so you don't have as much trouble on the ground.

Crashem

This thread is a Joke Right????????????????

Crash not one but 2 planes and you want to know what your 2nd plane should be? Let me take a wild shot in the dark and say... How about a TRAINER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!

Ptarmigan

I am thinking about building a RC airship. They say they are really easy to fly.

Dago Red

My Feedback: (11)

Ive flown 4 trainors, loved each one, try to mod them, 1 of mine had a twin tail, flew better. I flew the crap out of all of them. Keep flying it, increase those throws, youd be suprised what a trainor will do!!!!

JoeAirPort

My Feedback: (41)

Exactly: with my trainer, I was doing knife edges, hovering, and trying to do flat spins for a while when a guy finally walked up to me and said I really need to move on to a more advanced plane. I flew the heck out of my trainer. They are pretty fun actually. I keep saying I'm going to put an engine and gear back in my trainer but never get around to it. Maybe this winter.

By the way, get a good sim, practice your ***** off and it will take you up a few notches. That's what I did last winter and man what a difference it made.

Oh I almost forgot, a second plane? The Ultra Stick 40. That thing flies great. Not matter how windy, I fly with it (well ok, above 30 mph, forget it). Takes off, lands, and taxies with no bad habits.

*Crash*Johnson*

My Feedback: (7)

I'm now on my 4th plane (went trainer for one flight with major stick time on the sim, then built a 4*, then got an extra arf) a Sig Hog Bipe and I am thinking about buying a trainer to throw ski's on and screw around with during the winter. We get alot of snow usually in winter (relative to FL or TX).

definately go with a easy 2nd like the 4* or stik. If yer unsure about your abilities and are stubborn and want to get one, make it cheap. This way if she crashes it aint no biggie.

Hill202

My Feedback: (24)

It's rare but sometimes I agree with BasinBum, this is one of those times. Don't be in too big of a hurry to put the trainer down.

jchumley

My Feedback: (1)

You don't have to "Master" the trainer before moving on to your second plane but you do need to fly it enough to be comfortable. Land and takeoff consistently with rudder. Put it on the runway where you want it. Do touch and goes. Maintain altitude on turns. Fly good figure 8s. Fly without much accidental excitement. If your trainer flights have frequent surprises and recoveries, stick with the trainer.

My second was a fourstar .60. I almost always take it with me to the field and usually fly it first as a warm up. It has no vices.

Are you flying at a club?

jongurley

My Feedback: (29)

I agree with jchumley, no need to get to the point of boredom with the trainer but feel comfortable.

BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

I get the impression you guys think I am proposing that you master a trainer before moving on, not so. I am just saying most people never really master a trainer and there is much to learn with it. There is no cut and dried point at which it is time to move on and you can always go back to the trainer for more "training".

critson

I would suggest any of the sticks. The look ugly but fly great.