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CGRetired -> RE: Which ARF Trainer ? (11/12/2012 3:00 AM)
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Ok. I read everything in this thread. Let me comment on what I have experienced.
First of all, I started out training with a Tower Trainer 40 with an OS 46 engine. That combination worked great for me. I trained on this when I was able.
Unfortunately, when I retired from the Coast Guard, I starting out in a new job which required quite a bit of travel. The new job took me back and forth to England and, again unfortunately, that was right in the middle of my RC training. On one long trip, I bought a trainer that was advertized as being indestructable. I bought it in England, built it there, and, with the help of an instructor, flew it there. It had an OS engine whth an older Airtronics radio system.
A couple of years later, my travels diminished to the point where I could continue my training. The Nexstar was out and I liked what I saw, so I bought one.
My instructor and me sat down and went through the manual and then put the RTF together. We talked about the AFS and decided not to hook it up. He wanted to fly the plane with it before actually letting me fly with it. Well, we disabled it and kept it disabled.
During my training with the Nexstar, I broke a few props, and bent the main gear a bit, all expected during training, but I solo'ed with it.
I kept the plane and few it occasionally and enjoyed it. I eventually moved up to a Goldberg Tiger 60 and flew that all the time. The Nexstar took a sideline.
I eventually sold it to a new club member who eventually solo'ed with it. He also broke props and had some fuselage damage during training, but he solo'ed with it and eventually sold it. The person he sold it to flew it and eventually solo'ed with it. I don't know where it is now, but I do know that it worked just fine for me and at least two other pilots.
My point here is that the Nexstar is a fine trainer, as are most of the others mentioned here. The OS engine on the Nexstar performed for me as it did for the person that bought the plane from me.
I now own about 10 glow powered planes and several electrics. All of the glow powered planes have OS engines. My brand loyalty is because of the experience I had with them, being reliable, economical, and powerful. That does not mean that I have not owned other engines during my initial years, because did. I owned and flew a Tower 40 with a Tower 46 engine, as well as that Tiger 60 with a Super Tigre 75. I had no problems with either of them. But I gained a more and more positive opinion of the OS engines as I bought them and flew them. They were and always have been reliable, powerful, and quiet.
I want to say that any opinion of engines, planes, are very subjective. I have bought and flown several other trainers, using them as club trainers, and every one of them were OS powered and flew just fine.
So, my suggestion would be to look over the list of trainers shown here - http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4537845/tm.htm and choose one. This list was compiled by few of our most knowledgeable members and contains a list of trainers that anyone here can buy, fly, and solo with.
Choose what you wish, and read through this thread with interest and consider that many post based on thier experiences, as did I. I don't think that there is a perfect trainer that will meet everyone's needs, but most will do exactly what they purport to do... train new RC pilots to fly safely and with confidence.
CGr.
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