ORIGINAL: samolot
I was looking over towerhobbies.com to look for some good RTF glow engine trainers. When i added the price tag up in the shopping cart, i was amazed at the price. I accidentaly looked over onto sailplanes and realized the prices are a few hundred bucks lower when paired up in a combo. ( well maybe not a few hundred, but at least a hundred dollars). I then remembered looking at the sailplanes at hobby-lobby.com and the reviews for them. One person mentioned you dont need an instructer to learn how to fly because of the massive wingspan. Now, i know you will probably shower me with the idea of getting an instructor, and i probably will, so calm down. I just want to know if sailplanes are better trainers than for example the Hobbico SuperStar Select MKII, or the alpha 40...
Thank you, and please if you have any suggestions on great cheap sailplanes, i will be grateful for them.
I started my sailplane experience with an RTF and it has been wonderful. I
now have 7 thermal sailplanes and 3 slope planes, two discus launched gliders and one scale sailplane. I also have 5 electric parkflyers.
I don't work for any hobby company or distributor. I just want to help new glider pilots, who might not
want to build, to enter this wonderful part of the RC flying experience. I
enjoy my electrics but I LOVE my sailplanes. Perhaps you will have the same
great experience waiting for you.
The Spirit Select is a 2 meter starter sailplane that is completely assembled
with all the electronics installed. Unlike many of the RTF electrics that
come with dedicated 27 MHz radios, the Spirit Select includes a hobby grade 72
MHZ radio that you can use to fly other RC planes. I have flown other gliders
and parkflyers with mine. It is very easy to use.
Here is a link to the site where it can be purchased it for $150 complete!
About the same price as a 3 channel RTF electric plane.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXVK55**&P=7
Here is a link to the ARF version where you can find links to two product
reviews. If you want to do some building, the ARF is the route. I didn't
have a hobby grade radio, so for about the same price as buying the radio and
the Spirit ARF, I got the radio and the plane ready to fly. For me that was
perfect.
http://www.greatplanes.com/airplanes/gpma1045.html
Once you get it out of the box there is very little to do. Bolt on the tail,
put in the batteries, balance the plane, check everything and you are done.
You don't even need to charge batteries because the radio and the receiver use
standard AA and AAA batteries. You can switch to rechargeable at any time,
but I flew mine on regular batteries for a whole season. They last a long
long time. I think I flew on one set of batteries from July 15 to the middle
of August when I had to change the transmitter batteries. The receiver
batteries lasted till the end of September. That was probably 75-100 flights.
The plane has spoilers built into the wings. Spoilers help you land the
plane in a small area. You don't have to set them up, but if you are flying
from a small field, the will be very useful. They are not functional when you
get the plane. The manual tells you how to set them up later and the radio
has an extra channel that will allow you to operate them. After about 50
flights, I enabled them to further my learning and flying experience. I think
they are a great addition and they were easy to add. Now I have
rudder/elevator AND spoiler controls. That is referred to as a RES class
sailplane.
I have 200+ flights on this plane. I have specked it out dozens of times and
have many flights in the 10-30 minute range. Many of those flights could have
been longer but I decided to bring the plane down. This plane has a
reputation of being a great thermalling plane and is capable of winning club
contests as you become experienced. This is a real sailplane and the design
won its class in the 1991 National competitions. Yet it is so easy to fly.
Perfect for a beginner.
Several other pilots in our club have purchased the Spirit Select and have
been very successful with it.
I definitely recommend the 2M Spirit Select as a first sailplane. There is
nothing to build, so you can put it up very quickly. And, if you do break
something, parts are readily available. If you already have a hobby grade 72
MHz radio, then you might prefer the ARF version, also highly recommended.
If you don't have a friend or a club where sailplanes are already flown, you
will want to have your own launcher. A short one, good for smaller fields,
called an up-start and can be purchasee for about $30.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXE638&P=7
If you have a large field, a full size hi-start can be as little as $60.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXE636&P=7
There are more expensive launchers out there, including electric winches, but
these are excellent to get started and will get you to an altitude where you
can learn to fly the plane and can learn to catch thermals. Hi-starts are
very easy to use, even if you are teaching yourself.
If you are interested in gliders/sailplanes but not flying them yet, you might
find this series of articles of interest.
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=23
If this RTF sailplane idea interests you, please ask any questions you like.
I would be happy to share more of my experiences.[/size]