ORIGINAL: Sir Lance
Being brand new to the hobby, I have only completed 3 training flights. I have bought a Big Stik 60 with a Magnum 65 engine. Friends at the club have told me that the Big Stik is a bit of a handful as it is so responsive & fast, but I seem to be coping. There are many others in the club that swear by the 40 Stik as the best trainer.
Last fall I lost a Big Stik 40 to a mid-air (I was struck from below & it popped the wing bolts). I had mine set up as a tail dragger which made it a little trickier to taxi and take off. As a tri it would have probably been easier to land than the RCM 40 I had as a trainer. It has excellent low speed characteristics. BUT (big but) it will eventually bite you as a trainer unless you are extremely cautious or lucky. Take your eyes off it, lose it in the sun, catch a gust under a banking wing, lose orientation and you're boned. It has neutral stability and will fly happily straight into the ground. A trainer should have positive dihedral/stability so that in a panic you can release the sticks and it will correct itself - at least somewhat.
It is a good flying plane, but I would rate it too hot and sensitive for a trainer. Even if you were to tape the throttle to go no higher than 1/2 you would still not have the pendulum stability of a trainer. I learned to drive and took my road test with a standard shift, but an automatic would sure have made it easier.