airborn737

Iappreciate any input anyone is willing to give me! That being said, thanks for the advice ahead of time.

I have been flying my parkzone J-3 BL for a while now and am very proficient with it... I would like to begin to move into a 2nd plane so I can keep building my skills, but am not sure whether to stick with 3ch or move to 4. Ultimately I would like to eventually move into a 4ch, but am not sure if this is the right time. It is not a question of my flying ability, because Iam very confident in that. I have just been doing a bunch of research and was curious as to whether moving to 4ch now would save me some money in the long run. I wasn't sure if a low-wing 3ch. such as the parkzone p-51 would be enough of a step up that I was looking for. I would like a challenge but Idon't want to get in over my head. Price is maybe around $250-$300, but that is flexible.

Thanks for the advice! I am excited about getting a second plane. What a great hobby!

jmir

My Feedback: (1)

You should definetely move to 4ch airplanes. I think you will quickly get bored if you stick to 3 ch.
You can stick to the trainer type for which there are several good ones in the market or move more into the sports type airplane if you are currently comfortable with the J-3. Ultimately, you may want to move into the 3D type if you like that kind of challenge.

I started with a J-3 Cub when they first came out (brushed motors and gear boxes), then moved to a Parkflyers 540 Edge, an E-flite Mini Ultra Stick, then the Parkzone Typhoon 2. I'm still flying the Typhoon 2 but my favorite plane now is the E-flite Eratix 25E. I'm also flying the E-flite Diamante 25E and the E-flite Ultra Stick 25E.

There are so many good planes out in the market that is hard to recommend a specific one for someone else. Nevertheless, I'm biased towards the E-flite brand, as you can see from above.

Hope this helps out.

tomdiebomb

I am personally going for the Trojan T-28 from Parkzone as plane number 2. I have will have had the HZ Super Cub for a month when I get the Trojan. I don't know if that is the best plane for a second plane, but it is so damn sweet, I can't pass it up.

Have fun choosing!

cjg

The T-28 is a great follow on to the Supercub. However, don't fly it until you are able to fly the supercub competently. By that I mean, you are able to land it where you want to, and are flying around with confidence.

The T-28, while not fast by comparison to other airplanes, is a real handful if your only experience is the SC. Make sure you have a really big flying area.

tomdiebomb

That is great to hear! I am getting the new T-28D when it comes out here first of August. I have about twenty flights under my belt for the cub already, and plan to have another 60 or so before the Trojan arrives in a month. Even after twenty flights, I can land with ease, and feel very confident with flying it.

I am going to an R/C flying club tomorrow night with my cub. They have a huge field (6 minute drive away) which is actually a grass runway for full-sized gliders. It measures about 1km long by 300M wide. They also have a small grass runway for the R/C planes. When the gliders are out, we cannot fly the R/C's but they usually finish by 17:30 and then it is free-flying until sunsets. And early weekend mornings the field is empty. I am hoping to be able to Buddy-Box the first few flights with the Trojan, but I don't know how big the club is or if they offer training. I will see tomorrow!

canadianmaple09

Definitely go with a 4 channel plane. As was already mentioned, 3 channel gets really boring after awhile. I started with 4 channel glow planes and then after a couple of years when they got too expensive went to the original brushed Parkzone Cub as my first electric. Once you've flown a 4 channel plane, you'll never want to touch 3 channel again! For your second plane I would recommend a 4 channel high wing aerobatic plane, something like a Citabria, Taylorcraft, or Super Decathlon. These planes will give you tons more performance than the PZ Cub, as well as open up possibilities for aerobatics that the Cub simply could not do. After your first flight with ailerons, they will be your new best friend. At the same time though, these planes are high wing and fly similarly to a Cub or other high wing trainer, just a bit faster and slightly less forgiving. You can still cruise in at relatively slow speeds and glide in for landings though. They make a good step up and set you up to fly low-wing airplanes like warbirds or 3D aerobatic planes.

jdetray

My second plane was this one: [link=http://www.flyelectric.ukgateway.net/indoor.htm#andnow]And_Now[/link]. I started flying it with a tiny GWS IPS "A" brushed motor and NiMH packs (photo below), and eventually upgraded to a small brushless and lipos.

It's a great flyer, and you can build the airframe in a couple of evenings for about $5. It is a 3-channel bird: ailerons, elevator, and throttle. Great fun!

Here's the [link=http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=55713]whole story[/link] of my experience building and flying the And_Now.

- Jeff

gotboostedvr6

IMO a flying wing should be in anyones trunk at all times

you cant beat this deal with a stick :

http://fastwingrc.com/index.php?page...mart&Itemid=27

If needed:

http://fastwingrc.com/index.php?page...mart&Itemid=27