Originally Posted by
speedracerntrixie
While I will agree that the OP should get some building experience prior to trying to tackle a Warbird build, I would not suggest going as basic as a Kadet or Telemaster type airplane. If the OP is already proficient at flying helicopters he would easily be able to handle an Ugly Stik or maybe even a low wing sport airplane such as the Super Sportster. FYI, CG on a helicopter is just as important as it is on an airplane. A tail heavy helicopter gets very pitch sensitive just like an airplane but a nose heavy helicopter can suffer from boom strikes by having to hold a fair amount of aft cyclic when landing.
I can see you didn't read my post, at best you skimmed over it. Let me reiterate this so you can understand what I said:
1) USNR want's to build a warbird and has never built an airplane before. A Kadet, be it a Senior or Seniorita, is a harder build than most sport planes and trainers. A majority of those are slab sided, not stick built or rounded like a warbird. The wing is also larger, simulating the size of a Ziroli warbird.
2) Unless USNR builds a P-38, P-39 or F7F, he will need to learn how to handle a tail dragger on the ground. Something the size of a Senior would be better for this as it is similar in size to a Ziroli mentioned in the first post
3) Unless you are now an expert in helicopters, not to mention every other kind of R/C aircraft, you're not exactly up to date on most helicopters being sold. Just about every one I've seen has a preplaced mounting of some sort for batteries, servos and receiver. If it's nitro powered, it has a location for a fuel tank as well. This means helicopters are basically balanced from the manufacturer and only minor trimming is required. A balsa plane has to be totally assembled, thus the balance can be anywhere from right on to needing substantial ballasting for both lengthwise and span wise balance.
4) While the controls on a helicopter work in a similar way to an airplane, IIRC, helicopters generally use mode 1, not mode 2. This means he will either be flying his plane in mode 1, making it virtually impossible for him to get any assistance from an instructor that doesn't fly helicopters or he has to relearn how to fly mode 2. I learned this, first hand, when I ordered my Futaba 9CAP. Had I ordered a 9CHP, it would have been set up for right stick throttle instead of left stick like my 9CAP. Thus, trying to fly a mode 2 aircraft wouldn't be as easy as you make it sound, thus my recommendation of the Kadet.