bolar

My Feedback: (5)

I'm looking through the new Tower Talk (100 Best Deals) and see they have the Tower Trainer ARF for $64.99. I keep looking and see they have their Tower Trainer Kit for $59.99 [X(]. It's cheaper to buy the ARF than the Kit! With the kit you still have to buy covering, wheels, motor mount...the ARF, just drop in a engine and radio and your flying.

I wish it was like this when I was learning to fly, I had to build all my own stuff .

DaveB

When you figure total costs, most ARF's are less money than the total cost of building a kit. But, for me building is another enjoyable part of the hobby and IMO the built kit has "personality" (whatever that means).

DaveB

jeffk464

Just out of curiosity, why are you looking at trainers if you already know how to fly?

bolar

My Feedback: (5)

I have two nephews (twins) who are starting to show an interest in flying. Their older brother has already built a Tower Kit and is already flying. I want them to build a kit when they do start. That way when we go out the the field it will mean more to them rather than some thing else they just bought, had awhile, and broke.

Their brother was shaking so bad when we test flew his trainer for the first time I thought he might vomit. I made him build and buy most of the stuff for his plane. "Made" is a strong word, I helped him enough to keep him out of trouble. He did though, actually build the plane.

I figure if they build their own they will have sweat equity in their planes to care about what they are doing. What brought my attention to the two plane is the cost difference. Building the kit has a significant price difference to the ARF.

mazdude

Bolar, Good for you!!! My applause. It's getting harder all the time to even find the kits,these days. Get them the kit, The ARF will only teach them to fly.... Maybe... The Kit will teach them skills they will never forget.
SteveO

mcarleno

My kids are starting to learn to fly. I fly with my Dad a lot so between us we have a trainer that's kinda the family trainer. It is a scratch built body with a Sig Kadet wing and an old, but very reliable K&B 40 Sportster. This plan has been rebuilt so many times that it is mostly made up of left overs. But it flys great!

So with that, I would recommend that You go with BOTH or two of something. My kids have a standing challenge, we you learn to take-off, fly and land, you can build any plane you want. This means that the engine, radio and other gear can start on the ARF trainer and the kit becomes the second plan. But because the Trainer is shared and not "owned" by either of my kids or nephews a lot of pressure is removed and lets us work on flying and getting ready to fly their built planes.

Here is our ugly little trainer!

Mike Maness

If it flies, it ain't ugly.

My son is wanting to learn to fly, and although he hates the thought of building a kit, I'm gonna have him build one. I built my first plane (Telemaster .40) and learned so much from building that thing. It seemed to take forever, but actually the framing, etc, doesn't take all that long. What takes most time is installing the radio, engine, etc. Basically, the same stuff that assembling an ARF has to do.

Your mileage my vary, see dealer for details.

D-LOCO

There's no money to be saved building a kit if the ARF version is available.

However, there is value in building a kit. For me, I like building things but there's another good reason.

When learning to fly last fall with my LT-40 ARF, I damaged the wing. It looked pretty bad to me at the time so I threw the damaged wing away and bought a new replacement ARF wing - $90. I could have bought the whole ARF for about $140. $50 is $50 I guess...

Over this winter I built two kits; a 4*60 and an LT-25.

From the experience of kit building, I could have repaired the ARF wing for less than $10 or $15.

You learn so much more about these planes by building them...

My $.02.

Dave
AMA 847123

flybug

I have in my shed a crashed TowerTrainer that I purchased RTF, the wing is intact but the front of the fuse got all the damage I know it is repairable it is why I haven't dumped it yet. The price for a new fuse is higher than a new ARF. In short I don't have the know how on repairing it, no one at my club bothers with it and the kit is smaller than the ARF even if I wanted to go that route and build up the fuse. Any thoughts?

sedwardsak

Fly-Bug if you have ever built a kit, you already have the skills necessary to fix this plane.[sm=thumbup.gif] It might end being a few ounces heavier than a new one but thats one of the trade-offs. If your interested I can makeup a punch list of things you need to check and I'm sure there are other builders in the RC universe that can help.

Rcpilot

My Feedback: (78)

I've been flying for 8yrs. I prefer 50cc gas aerobatic planes and 40 size 3D planes.

I've still got an LT-40 that I fly all the time. It's a blast to throw it around and practice touch-n-goes.

Too many guys learn to fly and immediately toss the trainer in the shed or hang it up in the rafters. Y'all are missing out on some really good fun. A trainer is the best knock around plane you can have. If you haven't flown one in a long time--get one, and start practicing your rolling circles and inverted passes with it. Ya might just learn somthing.

oldtyme

Bolar,

This is one of my hot buttons about ARF's and I own two or three of them but I have been
in RC since 1980 and I built all of my first trainers and intermediate planes. When I go out
to our field today, there are mostly guys with ARF's and when they break a plane, they have
to buy another new one because they do not have the skills or knowledge on how to just fix
an airplane. Some of them are very weak on setup as well.

I always encourage people to START with kit building, then if you want to buy ARF's later on
down the road, you'll know about the complete hobby and in the end run, save money even if
it cost more up front to build a kit.

Hope this advice is taken in the light it is intended..........ya gotta walk before you run/fly.

Cheers,
Andy

flybug

Sedwardsak, I am all for it and thanks for the offer[sm=thumbup.gif]

XTOL

I learned a valuable lesson in the ARF vs Kit debate this past weekend.

A new member came out for his first instruction with a brand
new Hanger 9 P51 trainer. As club flight instructor it fell to
me to make the initial trim flight.

On the VERY FIRST landing the landing gear folded up.
And it was a good landing. Investigation revealed that the
torque blocks for the wing mounted landing gear had
broken away. His day was finished before it even started.

I would be willing to bet that if you sliced open the wing
you would find the torque blacks were inadequatey glued
(probably the hot glue that is so common in ARFS these days)
and with no reinforcement.

I cant believe that something that is being billed and sold
as a trainer could be so fragile.

Mike Hammer

sedwardsak

I've almost completed the UltraStick 60, it's my first arf and I just had to make changes and adjustments, but thats a sickness I have,[sm=spinnyeyes.gif] no reflection on the manufacturer. So, they build arfs with hot glue? I wonder if its the same stuff they use in furniture or is it the arts & crafts stuff you get at the local home center.