ORIGINAL: acdii
I started a trhead RE breaking in the DLE and got a lot of RTFT, the one with 192 pages. Well I did start reading it, but after 5 pages of I want one, when can I get one and other crap I gave up. I did get the answers I needed though, which has led me to post this thread for an alternate plane to start out with.
I have an Apprentice and Eflite T-34 Mentor that I fly now, but like I mentioned above, they are Electric, with instant power, where the Gas or Glow will have a second or two delay, which can be the difference between escape or a crash. My weak spot is still landing. So having a plane that is easy to land to get the feel for the gas engine would be the best way to go before I put it in the P-51 and maiden her. Especially since I am going all scale with it, with full retracts and sequenced wheel doors. I love building planes, love flying them too, but also very cautious with flying a new plane, and will be until I can get the landings down perfect every time. When I get it lined up correctly, they land very soft, but the lining up is where I am having problems. The other difference is both my planes are tri gears, I havent flown a tail dragger yet except on a sim.
The Dragon Lady and Pulse are both good choices but keep in mind, a warbird lands a bit different then a floater, they like to be flown in and don't float like most sport planes. Another floater is the 4*. I also like the Super Sportster because it isn't a hard plane to fly but it doesn't float in as much as the others so it may be a good choice for you? If you think of the DLE as just another 1.20 engine you can choose the plane you really like. Gassers are just easier then glow engines. They break in during flight and after a gallon or two it's broken in as good as it ever will get. Simple to tune and once set correctly it can be forgotten. Not effected by weather temps like a glow engine and dead sticks are almost a ting of the past.
Look in magazines and see what plane jumps out at you. Maybe a nice Extra or Edge if you want to jump into a war bird right away. Plenty of ARFs for you to look at. I don't know if a floater is going to teach you a lot. They land pretty much like a trainer.