NitroEddie

What I'm looking for is a an electric park flyer that I can fly during charging LiPos for my helis. I am primarily a heli pilot, but do enjoy electric fixed wing aircraft as well. I guess I want something that does offer decent power for basic aerobatics like loops, but also something that can be flown slow and low, so it must be stable for slow, low altitude flying. Something that appears scale would be a big plus. Another plus would be decent flight times (12-15 minutes I supppose). I was looking at the ParkZone P-51D but heard actual flight times are under 10 minutes and I don't know if it flies well slow and low. Because of this, the HobbyZone Super Cub caught my eye. The F-27 Stryker I have heard is very durable, but I'm not sure I like the idea of a flying wing. Also, again, I don't know how it likes flying low and slow. I would also like to keep my purchase under $180.00 if I can.

Thanks for your input!

patnchris

Although I haven't flown it, yet.....I own a Super Cub.....and I can tell you it has a lot of good qualities......A plus is that it looks cool....Pat

AndyL

Nitro, The Stryker is a great plane. It is an incredibly stable flyer, but can also be wildly aerobatic. The latest stock version is advertised at 80 mph plus! It can also fly slowly, is hard to stall, and floats in for landings with the power off. It might make you give up helis. It is also by far the most durable plane I've had and it doesn't take up alot of space. You can buy the fuse for around $30 and put in your own gear if you want to save money.

clovus

Have you thought of a 3d plane? I have the ultrafly outrage and it is good fun. My girlfriend is learning to fly 4 ch on it...with reduced throws of course. It will float on down if you (well, she) runs into trouble and can fly really, really slowly. She flies it like a standard parkflier and is learning co-ordinated turns with a few loops and rolls every now and then. The best thing is aerobatically, you probably won't outgrow it soon.

Take the time to build it light and any crashes tend to cause minimal damage too. I never would've thought a 3D would make a good second plane, but there you go...

NitroEddie

I've thought about a 3D plank, er, I mean plane, but I really am after scale look and flight. My helis give me all the areobatic agility and all-out 3D ability I'll ever need (refering to the Swift mostly here). I really am leaning heavily towards the Super Cub for this reason.

Looks like I'll be buying sooner than I originally planned as I lost my cheapo Firebird Commander 2 this evening to a rouge gust of wind. I said to myself, "just one more go around". Let me tell you, if you find yourself saying that in your head, LAND NOW. Anyway, the pack was getting way low and the plane is way underpowered to begin with. Not to mention it's a 2 channel POS with no elevator. Anyway, the gust of wind caught it, didn't have the power to fight it and into a tree it went...about 75 feet up. It's gone.

"Stuff" happens...

clovus

Fair call nitro Eddie,

Bluddy trees....

Capt. Yossarian

I vote for the Stryker. It has what you're looking for. Slow stable gliding flights and power to keep you interested. Of course the combat module is a real blast for when you sucker, er, I mean, convince a friend to join you.

If cheap scale is what you really want, then the HobbyZone SC is a great plane. I have both planes and enjoy both. Check out the stryker thread "Way past the Limits" and the "offcial SC" thread for some reviews.

I tried an 8 cell 9.6v pack in the SC today and the performance boost is noticeable. I was wheels up in about 10 yards with half throttle! Even though it's a three channel, I'm keeping busy practicing hammerheads, perfect loops and such. And just practicing takeoff's and landings is fun.

NitroEddie

You guys are killing me with the Stryker!!!

Ok, so, let me ask a few questions then. Can you give me an estimate on the top speeds of the SC and the Stryker? I realize the Stryker must be much faster, but I really don't have a clue how fast the SC is. The Stryker is tempting because of its attributes and the fact that my LHS has one sitting on the shelf, but I really would like a scale bird for some easy flying. If the Stryker flies as well as everyone says at slow and low speeds, I may be able to looks past it's "wing" appearance.

Another thing I really wanted was landing gear (adds to the whole scale thing I was looking for). Hand launching a model and landing in grass on it's belly just seems very "toyish" to me. Now, that is NOT to take away from the birds that take off and land in such a manner, I just like to see a plane take off and land in a scale manner, or on its own so to speak like my helis.

Decisions, decisions...

Capt. Yossarian

Nitro Eddie, I absolutely know what you mean. The Stryker is a blast, simply fun screaming around, but I yearned for something scale and something I could ROG, enter the SC. With the 9.6v pack in the SC it performs like a suped up cub used for STOL competitions. I really have no idea what it's top speed in level flight with stock gear is, but it's not fast. Sure you can dive it down and do a high speed pass, but you know as well as everyone the cub wasn't made for speed. It's really just a nice relaxing bird that you can enjoy ground takeoff's and landings. I'm told you can use a higher pitch prop for a speed boost, but personally I'd prefer more low end torque than speed. I love hitting full throttle with a slight head wind and trying to make a scale looking STOL take off. I'm thinking 50mph is reasonable to expect from the stock Stryker gear( The nutters at "Way past the Limits" are getting speeds at least double that, some people are reporting upwards of 120mph, too fast for my blood haha) , where as the cub probably like 20 mph stock. Someone correct me if I'm off on those estimates.

You probably don't want to hear this, but I've seen a few people add landing gear to the Stryker, tricycle of course. With a 4 channel radio, you can taxi around, touch and go, all the good stuff. Also, though the Stryker is a flying wing, you really end up getting used to it's looks. WHen I see it up in the air I feel like I'm watching an experimental fighter plane running through it's paces.

If your looking for something you can ROG out of the box, go for the SC. If you want something a bit more exciting, that you could eventually upgrade and add gear, go for the Stryker.

I'm like you, prefer the scale experience, but the Stryker is just too fun to pass up IMHO.

Capt. Yossarian

Here's a great list of videos of various electric planes, a few glow, but mostly electric. Check out nubmer 41 on the first page here http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/archive/index.php/f-273 PZ brushless Stryker with Landing gear!!!

Big Bird (Custom Scratch built trainer, similar to the Telemaster except all yellow) R.I.P, GP Lancair EP, Styker stock, HZ Super Cub stock(Soon to have floats!)

flyingace451

You calling us nuts? Glacier has a Stryker that can reach 150 mph.[X(]I haven't gone up to top speeds yet, as my money has gone to learning to fly helis. Once I get a sim, and a new radio to last me a long time (Optic 6 probably) than I'll get my Stryker up and running. (Hopefully with a Mega inside of her)

I would not recommend the Stryker for slow flying. When I fly it slow, it feels as if it is on the brink of stalling. The PZ J-3 Cub would be great for slow. The super cub seems too beginnerish to me. The J-3 looks very scale and flies nice and easy. A few mods and it can go crazy, or ROG like butter in a frying pan.

NitroEddie

I was actually under the impression that the J-3 was more on the novice side than the SC, am I wrong? Is the J-3 significantly more underpowered than the SC?

Capt. Yossarian, thanks for the info (fine post) and the link!

Capt. Yossarian

*Flying Ace* 150mph?!?! Yea, I call that nuts! Someday I'd like to be just as crazy, but Lipo's scare me. You also have a point about it's slow fly characteristics. It's not made for it, but it can slow fly, but like you said, it's not necessarily a relaxing slow fly.

Concerning the J3 - I was under the impression that the J3 was a more of a beginnier plane than the SC if just for the stock power. I've never flown the J3 so I can't really comment, just going off what I'm reading in the forums. No one has complained yet about the stock power of the SC, where as I've read some issues with the J3 being underpowered. ACtually that makes the SC probably a better choice for beginners, the extra power makes stall recovery easy and the bigger size makes it a little easier to see. I got some glossy yellow paint for the SC to pretty her up a bit, but I agree that the J3 looks a bit cooler out of the box even if it's just for the pre-painted fuse. Also, I like the steerable tail wheel of the SC and the 48" wingspan. I believe the J3 is like 37" wing span? I'd still vote for the SC over the J3 for any level of pilot.

SnitGTS

Nitro Eddie,

I recently got into flying and my first plane is the Graupner Tipsy. I decided on the Tipsy because of its ability to glide, its long flight time (30 minute), and its stability at slow speeds. It's a 3 channel foamie (rudder, elevator, throttle), so it can do mild aerobatics like loops, figure 8's, and other basic manuevers. The most common complaints I read were that it was a little under powered and the wings would bend under high stress. I upgraded to the Speed 280 Sport motor which is claimed to be 66% more powerful the the standard Speed 280 to address the power and applied 2 rows of reinforced packing tape to the wings to make them stronger. I haven't had my maiden flight yet, (I was at the field last night but it was too windy for my first attempt, which really sucked cause I was really looking forward to it), but the wings are much stiffer and the motor is plenty strong. The SC, J3, and Stryker are very different planes then the Tipsy, but after reading your comments I think the Tipsy might be more what you're looking for.

Hope that helps!

Jay

service_dude

I'd suggest the E-flite Ultimate FX. I started with a Parkzone J-3 cub back in April and it is what it is, a simple under powered beginner airplane. The Ultimate FX on the other hand flies slower than a J-3 cub, loops and rolls with ease and is just a pure joy to fly.

NitroEddie

Stopped by my LHS tonight to see what they had in stock and decided on the Super Cub. They carry a full line of HobbyZone models and spare/crash parts as well as electronics so it seemed like the logical choice.

I'd like to thank everyone for their input. It was much appreciated!

Capt. Yossarian

Nitro, congratulations on your new plane, I know you'll like her. Keep us posted after you maiden and let us know how it went. Also, consider grabbing an 8 cell, 9.6v pack. It will fit in the plane and offers a very noticeable performance boost for cheap, plus the extra battery means more flight time. Good luck and happy landings!!

"Let me see if I've got this straight: in order to be grounded, I've got to be crazy and I must be crazy to keep flying. But if I ask to be grounded, that means I'm not crazy any more and I have to keep flying."