methodman

Hi all.


i`m thinking of getting one of these as my first plane, as the price is good and seems like a good one to start with?


http://sussex-model-centre.co.uk/Aer...enger-2549.htm


are there better alternatives out there for my you guys would reccomend for me?

i`m sorry if you have heard this qustion before, maybe millions of times...


many thanks in advance, aaron

jr05

I started with that plane and found it to be a pretty good trainer. It is very durrable and can withstand many crashes. if you are not sure about rc planes and dont know if you will enjoy it....go with the challenger. It got me hooked and tought me some of the basics. however, now that I have progressed and gotten other planes, I wish I had strated with standard gear (72mhz radio, servos, receiver, charger, etc) instead of getting the RTF and then not using anything in it for other applications. The second plane I got after the challenger was a magpie from mountain models which was an amazing plane and you can get a kit that has everything accept for the radio gear and charger for about $150.

The magpie comes with two wings (one with ailerons and one without) It flies excellent with both wings and can do loops in level flight as well as rolls and mild acrobatics. The non aileron wing is a great trainer wing and allows for slow flying. The magpie does require building (very simple) so you will not be able to fly right off the bat. only requires gluing the compontents together (foam) and covering with wing tape (not the monokote stuff....just basically packing tape). Simple build but if you are not into building, may not be much fun.

The Easystar is another good trainer, but I have not tried it, so I cannot comment on how good it is. Though I have heard many good things.

Not sure excatly what you are looking for, but the challenger would be a great plane if you are just looking for a simple RTF to get into RC flying. The two modes are good to start out with since you can use the easy mode for the first couple flights and then the advanced mode when you get a little better. I would give the magpie and Easystar a look if you want something that can be used with regular gear later on.

Magpie: http://www.mountainmodels.com/magpie.php
Easystar ARF http://www.hobby-lobby.com/easystar.htm
Easystar RTF: http://www.hobby-lobby.com/easystar-rtf.htm

Good luck and sorry if I blabbered on too long.

stoneenforcer

My Feedback: (23)

how 'bout the slo-v? Parkzone.com... fly's slow and is self leveling not to mention parts in just about every LHS for CHEAP.plus has dual rates to help prevent over steer. i have flown all the above and personally thought the slo-v was much more fun. you can always add the parachute drop, combat module or stobe lights to it for 20 bucks once he learns how to fly. just a thought. good luck

L0stS0ul

Soon the freedom will be available. I bet that will be an amazing trainer.

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Shop/ByC...ProdID=HBZ7000

My buddy learned to fly on the challenger. It took a beating before he moved on to a Super Sportster and then a GP Flatana. I think it's a great trainer.

critterhunter

Me and several of my friends started with the Challenger. It's a great plane that can take a ton of abuse. Yes, it's true that it's electronics aren't standard and thus you can swap various components into other planes. This is it's only drawback. As far as parts for it go, almost every hobby store stocks Challenger parts which makes it fast and easy to repair the plane and get back into the air while learning. The parts are very inexpensive as well. It also features the X-port like many other hobbyzone/parkzone planes which means you can plug in $20 modules to do combat, night flights, or aerial drops. There is no other standard in the industry for these types of add ons. You can even convert these modules to run with standard electronics once you move on. I haven't given up on the Challenger, though. I'm converting it over to standard electronics and putting a brushless BP21 motor and lipos in her. Not that I'm bored with it, just that I want to push it's limits. Still love the plane and don't regret it as a first. Before you fly it please do a search in the Park Flyer forum for mods to strengthen the weak points on the plane. The ziptie motor mod and the carbon tube in the wing are a MUST, along with a rubberband over the canopy. Read these tips and you'll save yourself a lot of problems. Buying a standard electronics plane wouldn't have saved me from having to upgrade everything as I now run lipos and brushless motors. About the only thing I could have saved out of a standard electronic plane would have been the RX. Even the transmitter would have needed to be upgraded for where I went.

methodman

many many thanks guys for you relpy`s, espcially jr05 & critter hunter, they have been very helpfull indeed. Looks like my first plane will be the Challenger then! i saw some nitro planes in action last week, they do look and sound great, so maybe in the future...


one last thing, critterhunter.....have you got a link to those threads i need to read up on about how to make it stronger?


thanks, aaron

flyingace451

GOOD CHOICE!!!

I got my challenger during the summer and it has taught me a lot. It can handle 10-15 mph winds if you are experienced (not much fun though)

When you first get it, make sure it is calm out. If you have anymore questions...ask away!!!

critterhunter

Just do a SEARCH (menu item) in the Park Flyers forum for "Bullet Proof That Bird!", or "Challenger Mods". In fact, I may be posting pictures to that thread to revive it within a day or two. Someobody asked about pictures of the mods I did and I never got to it.

Wastegate

Go on, get one, you'll love it!
I've now had 2 successful days of flying with no crashes and I'm really starting to get my head around working in 3 dimensions although I still sometimes panic. I can now fly consistent circuits and do loops but I also enjoy just trying to glide this plane with no power on. I tried the 8.4V upgrade battery and it makes a real difference to the power for a minimal cost. With some more practice I'll be ready for the 4 ch Cessna I picked up off Ebay for £50.

critterhunter

If you want some cheap and killer battery packs for it check out batteryspace.com and look for the "firebird" black packs. These are 7 cell 1100ma packs and are only $20 for two. They increase your flight time a good bit and you can feel the added power. Do NOT waste your money on more packs from Hobbyzone.

BobbyGee

My Feedback: (3)

Aaron,

Do a search for user aeajr.

He has written a LOT of very useful information on the Challenger and has every mod covered. In one of his posts there is a link to photos of some of the mods. I found his information invaluable in moving along with my Challenger.

One of the things that plane taught me was to be fearless with repairs. Get youself a roll of 2 inch wide packing tape - plain transparent sticky tape - and a roll of reinforced tape, the stuff with threads in it. Tape will be your friend!

I smashed up one wing and thought it was trash. I figured rather than trash it, why not use it to practice repairing? That wing still flies! Tape applied along the length and with some tension achieves more rigidity than you would think.

One more thing: Pay heed to the admonition to fly in a BIG open space and fly when there is NO wind. The handbook recommends an area no less than 200 yards by 200 yards. Good advice. In beginner mode the Challenger responds slowly. It will need a lot of ground. Once you graduate to sport mode you'll find it markedly more nimble.

Enjoy!

BobbyG

methodman

many thanks guys, i cant wait now!


wastegate...are you the guy on maxbashing that has the challenger??????


aaron



mr critter hunter, how much flying time will those bigger batts give me? do they ship to me here in the UK???

critterhunter

The packs are the same size and weight as the 7 cell Hobbyzone packs and even come with the stock connector, but they'll give you a good 2 to 4 minutes extra flight time at least...not to mention a bit extra horse power.

flyingace451

I've started to like cheapbatterpacks.com. They have a 1200 mAh 7 cell pack that really gets the after burners going. Very nice, but, any batt is better than the Hobbyzone ones. (900 mAh? Come on!)

Wastegate

I sure am. You must be the Lord of the Bling then!

I bought a couple of those 8.4V packs from BatterySpace at the end of October and they still haven't turned up yet! I emailed the company but have had no reply yet. So far I'm not that impressed but hopefully they will turn up!

methodman

do www.cheapbatterypacks.com do the same kinda batts? i have ordered from the before with a 4 day delivery to the uk, thats very impressive!


aaron

methodman

well my bird came yesterday! gotta get a lead so i`m able to charge it with my mains charger, and a mate of mines gunna be there to help me for my maiden flight next week, i cant wait! also got a lil` presever plane on the way off ebay too, handy for those summer nights on the way home from work, well er thats when i can fly !!!


thanks for all your help & advice, i have an fg marder and use the giant scale section a lot too!

aaron

foreverNight

The ABC is great as a first plane IMO. Very easy to fly. Just fly in sport mode first and at high altitude to get the feel for it.
But, once you go into pro mode you wont look back. The ABC taught me to fly RC.

methodman

thanks mate i`m hoping it will do they same for me! the pan is to start on electric planmes for now and the if i enjoy/fly ok the move on to nitro in the future [8D]

critterhunter

Yea, I'd fly it in sport mode even as a beginner. The most important tip I can give you is DO NOT mob the controls. In other words, use small and "tap...tap" movements with the stick to get it to turn, rise, etc. Most beginners end up crashing the plane because they push the controls way too far in one direction and hold it there too long. Tap it a bit, then let the stick return to neutral, then observe the response you've got from it. If it needs more input then do the light tap movement on the controls again. Once you've got a lot of flying time THEN you can mob the controls for crazy stunting. Also, get the plane high as fast as you can before playing around. This gives you time to recover from mistakes before hitting the dirt. If you end up in a death spiral or dive KILL the motor and let go of the stick. Most of the time the plane will recover on it's own unless it doesn't have the time to do so before smacking mother earth. Throttle is also NOT your friend to recover from a bad orientation. If things go bad kill the throttle and let go of the stick. At least kill the throttle.

By the way, for potential Challenger buyers out there I'd recommend looking into the new Freedom by them. It's cheaper but has a larger wingspan, bigger motor, 7 cell pack stock, control rods, etc. I haven't read yet how it performs but if it flys well I'd opt for it now. I'd expect the Challenger to either be lowered in price or discontinued soon.

methodman

yeah, i`ll be sure to take things slow and easy on the throttle and controls at first, luckily a friend who is experianced flyer will be there for my first few flights to help me, looking that the website it looks like the ABC is discountined now, i hope i`ll still be able to get parts ok!


aaron

critterhunter

My local hobby store owner said he hasn't heard anything about them discontinuing the Challenger, but he does expect them to reduce it in price. On the other hand, even if they stop making it don't worry about parts as the plane is probably in the top 5 most popular park flyers on the market and will always have a huge market for replacement parts.