I've flown RC helis and driven RC cars for over a year and a half now and I now want to conquer the world of RC acrobatic planes. The thing is, unlike helis where everyone buys a T-Rex, an Esky or an E-Flight (Blade line), I don't know what airplane to get. I know nothing about which brands are best or which model is best. I do know however what the parameters are for this future purchase. I want something on the smaller side, like a parkflyer, but it has to be able to handle some wind. Something around or under a 40 inch wingspan. It should be ARF or kit. It should use a 3S LiPo for power. I should be sturdy and able to do some tricks (even though I've never flown an RC grade plane before). I have a sim and I will be getting a Slo-V for my birthday. My budget is around $1000 (I'm just throwing that number out so you tell me what the best model to get is). Subtract $220 though because I've already made up my mind and I want the Futaba 6EX 6 Ch. 2.4GHz to be my Tx. I'm just curious as to what you all have to say. Start typing your reply...now!

Goldberg Chipmunk 400, flies very well. there is so many.
http://www.carlgoldbergproducts.com/.../gbga1023.html

It also depends on what power system you want to use. Do you want unlimited vertical performance, or do you justwant enough power to cruise around like that slo-v?
If you're wanting something with enough power, but not enough to rocket the plane vertically, then I would suggest an E-flight Mini Ultra Stick and using a park 450 outrunner. I've seen a few people equip it with a 480, and it will hover, but a 450 is plenty, using a 20 amp esc, and a 2100 mah 3cell lipo.

Thanks for the suggestions! The Mini Ultra Stick looks nice. What's quad flaps and do I want to use them? If so, I should get a 7 Ch. Tx such as a DX7 instead of the 6EX.

The DX-7 is a lot better than the futaba 6ch. radio, in my opinion. The quad flaps are split ailerons, that also make landing easier, as you can set the inner flaps as flaps only, or use them as aileron extensions. Just flip the levers, and they go down. Or you can just set it up to where the entire controll surface is an aileron. I never used flap mixing on any of my planes before because of how easy they were to land. Just be sure to have some help before you attempt to solo by yourself, like from an experienced flyer.

I think that a Gary Wright E3D with Hacker A30 and Hacker 40 amp ESC with Duralite 3 cell 4000'ish mah with
FUTABA S9650 Digital Mini Servos. An APC 15 x 8 prop... THAT is the 3D Schiznik that will stimulate your senses!

Thanks for the help. Ok, I'll get a DX7. That makes my budget for the plane $650. The Mini Ultra Stick and Gary Wright E3D look like really fun planes but which one do I want? About how much money would the Gary Wright E3D set-up cost? The only experienced pilots I know are old people at my LHS. I don't know if I could ask one to help me fly. They said they'd trim any aircraft, plane or heli I bring in but I don't know if I can get anymore help than that.

The MUS is a great flyer. I am soon getting the PnP version with includes the motor, esc, servos, and plane for $200. Great deal. A lipo for it is $70 plus a balancing charger.

The E3D is a 3D plane, and the Mus is not as 3D capable, but more of a Sport flying type of plane...

Maybe I want the MUS then. Only $200 PNP! [X(] Where! Is it at Horizon Hobbies? I'll check right now! I have all the charging equipment, I'd just need the battery and the DX7. I'd get a big Max Amps battery, 11.1V and 3000mAh or so.

The MUS is a toad! It will go fast and couple horribly in KE... it sucks if you really wanna do NICE aerobatics...
The GW E3D is very lightly wing loaded... I incidentally wrote the Model Airplane News review of this plane!
It is 600 square inches and 3.25 pounds. The Hacker A30 is the PERFECT motor for it as well!!
Also a great aerobatic plane is the Andrew Jesky Extra from Fliton... it is not as forgiving as the GW because it is not as lightly wing loaded. There is a build thread on the GW at RCG's.

I don't know what you mean by "couple horribly in KE" but I assume KE means knife edge acrobatics. The GW E3D is a more expensive set-up though. I'll have to think about this all. In the mean time, it looks like we may have the grounds for an argument here. Keep telling me why I should get one plane or the other so I can better see for myself what some of the strengths and weaknesses of each are.

I got from your first post you are rather new to the aerobatic thing... the GWE3D is as docile or aggressive as you want to be... just set the throws accordingly....
I think Hacker Brushless has these on special... plane, motor and ESC for a great price...

I definately would go for the MUS, as it's cheaper than the GW E-3D. Not to mention you are a beginner in planes. I haven't personally flown the MUS, but the pilot tells me that it is his second plane, and he tells me that it flies nicely. Just be sure to try and take it easy on the landings, as the landing gear can come off on rough landings. A piece of triangle stock fixes this problem easily.

I don't think you will be wanting to be doing 3D right now, as it's a bit more complicated than just flyingaround. The MUS will do anything you command it to do, as long as it isn't complete 3D. Knife edge isn't too hot, because of it's setup locations, but it rolls pretty fast, and performs basic 3D maneuvers. With a 480 from e-flight, it WILL hover, just be sure to use a 30-ish amp ESC. You can get one from Xtra, as they are cheap, and a 35 amp only costs $49.95. I had a 45 amp, and it worked perfectly, but programming is a bit complicated, as it took me 3-4 tries to get the brake feature on. My 45 amp outlasted my Mini Magic Extra, as it worked finely after crashing.

The MUS PNP appears to be a good deal, and that 450 motor will provide enough power to fly strongly. Just don't be too suprised if it doesn't rocket vertically, like some of our 3D planes do.

Good job with the whole argument thing guys. I'm sure that when I have my first job (it's at a store that makes various battery packs, some for RC) I'll have enough money to get a DX7 and GWE3D. That's how I feel about it now. I'll also have to wait I see how I like flying a Slo-V. I don't know if I'm more an airplane or heli guy yet so I'll see how the Slo-V compares to the Falcon 40 in terms of fun factor.

The MUS is for circle flying!
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=379877

The whole story is here

good luck

What website can I get the GWE3D from?

Call the folks here.... they have a package deal... http://www.hackerbrushless.com/index.shtml

or here... http://www.shulmanaviation.com/E3D.html

or

http://www.espritmodel.com/index.asp...OD&ProdID=2173

Go with something from the Fliton line of planes.[link]http://www.fliton.com[/link]
I have a fliton Rogue 3D Bipe, and I love it!!! It has an e-flite park 480, a 2100 3s lipo, and a DX6 radio in it and it will do unlimated vertical. outside of knife edge, it does every thing I have tried very well.(harriers very well!!!!)

best of luck, Wings 540

I do like what I'm seeing as far the Fliton Mini Edge 540. I have a thing about Edge 540's. It became my favorite electric plane on my sim for doing acrobatics. It's just stuck in my mind that that's the sort of plane I want. Thanks for your input! That's why I started this thread. There are many choices in planes and I (thankfully) don't have to make a choice at this time. I have time to think.

Alright, if that's what you want. Just be sure to set the controll throws down to about 10 degrees of deflection, you don't want something that you can easily overcontroll. Once you get good enough, you can set up the controll throws to aout 30-40 degrees, more for 3D.

The GWE3D is a better first choice as the wing loading is very low and that makes it slower then the Fliton planes...
If you were a more experianced 3D pilot... Hands Down.. the Andrew Jesky Fliton Extra IS the best flying scale aerobatic plane in this size.. it flies a lot like a 40% plane... but the GWE3D is docile... and slow... better first plane

Yeah, but that Slo-V is one of the slowest planes you can get, therefore, making it a good plane to train off of for a bit. Once you can land perfectly, and takeoff without a hitch, then a 3D is your next plane.