ORIGINAL: tigerdude426
RCKen, yes it is true as to me not wanting to go to a field and look like a beginner or go with a crappy looking airplane - even though I know it will get dinged up with learning I still want it to look great and not like a beginner builder.
But I was also thinking before I attempt a gas-powered airplane that electrics were easier and safer to fly and slower because of them being electric and perhaps not as dangerous as gas.
I also thought that I would be having trouble finding an instructor to help learn and meanwhile I could learn by myself on what I assumed would be a safer and easier electric.
If all this is wrong and an electric would not be any wiser to fly by myself or if any of my other assumptions are wrong then I am truly sorry and I will disregard my choice to do this TRIAL run with the electric and just go straight to the LT-40 and unfortunately not do any flying attempts til I found an instructor which may take quite a bit of time. You wouldn't even recommend taxiing by myself would you?
But I love building so much maybe I will still do an electric plane after completing the LT-40.
Tiger,
I'm gonna side with Ken here a little bit. The plane you are building is one of the best there is for a trainer. It's been around for years and you'll probably see that most other trainers were modeled after the LT-40 and for good reason.
Now because you are thinking electrics, I'll add my .02 cents in here. Electrics are not much safer than glow to a point. I have 2 very large scars on my right arm to prove it. I hit the power on one with the throttle reversed in the radio and it jumped backwards and before I knew it....
But I will say this...there is nothing wrong with getting in a little practice before you fly your nice new plane. I'm sure I'd want to do the same thing if I was building my first kit before I was done training. Parkzone makes really cheap nice flying simple electric planes for under 200 buck complete, They are great for times like this when the days are getting shorter and you have a good sized parking lot at work!!!
And yes as is custom for me, here is another example for ya....
Most everyone that knows me knows I love big planes with gas engines (not glow). Most everyone that knows me knows I own a well flown 4*60. Allot of people use this plane as a primary trainer as well as a first low wing plane. I find that flying the 4* gives me the freedom to not worry about planting a high dollar plane and if I ever do crunch the 4* I feel it owes me nothing as it has well over 200 flights and literally lives in the back of my truck, except for right now since I got my Cap and Showtime ready.
All I'm saying is most people at the field won't care what you are flying. It's the ones that say, you should do this, fly that because it look better and yada yada yada that I stay away from.
My 4* is by no means a looker and I have been told I should recover it and stuff BUT I let some of those very same people fly it and they usually never say another word about it other than it flies great and they want one too. So see, there is nothing wrong with having a trainer. I still have my original LT-40 for trainer races at the clubs flyin's. My guess is after you move onto your third or fourth plane, you might start teaching others to fly and once you have to fly a trainer for a student you'll remember just how much fun they can be and go get another. Most people do...