ORIGINAL: FlyinTiger
ORIGINAL: Kavik Kang
I think I am going to skip the whole "second plane" thing, but would recommend that most people don't. I have a lifetime of relevant experience to flying these planes, and a long history at excelling at exactly this type of thing. Most people probably should use a "low wing trainer" as a second plane.
Many people would classify the ARROW as a first and second plane...it is a 'first plane' when the control throws are toned down and your instructor is helping you along and through the solo. It is a 'second plane' when you start flying inverted, doing rolls, loops with rolls at the top and some knife edge flight.
You can instantly verify how good you will be flying an R/C plane. Go to your local hobby shop and pick up the simulator transmitter. Make sure the plane selected is a trainer plane, just to be fair, then take off and try to fly it around. You'll know within about ten seconds if you already know how to fly or if you'll need a little instruction. Oh, and with instructors that are helping you for free, a little humility will go a long way.
Best of luck! You'll do great.
Oh, I wasn't thinking I could just fly the real thing right away. The simulator is one of the things that made me decide to get into this. I really know a lot about simulation design, and with a simulator I will be able to teach myself a lot about flying a real plane. I will just instinctively know which aspects of the simulator are relevant to really flying an RC plane and which things are "probably a little off from reality". The plan is actually to buy the, I think it is called G3.5, simulator with my plane. I will have flown an Arrow in that simulator for probably a week or two before I ever even try to fly the real Arrow with an instructor (and the airfield I will fly at is even available for that sim:-).
I've read a lot about these planes deciding what to do to avoid buying an extra plane, and the fact that the Arrow is kind of like a first and second plane all rolled into one is why I am planning on going with it... and also why I am now planning on just skipping the whole second plane thing. Thanky you so much for confirming for me that ideas I have come up with are good ones.
The only question I have left in my mind is if I should actually start with a Sig Four Star instead of an Arrow. I am being conservative and going with the Arrow, but much of what I have read leads me to believe that I should really just get a Sig Four Star. Do you think I could use a Sig Four Star as a trainer? Many seem to think you can, but so far I have just been planning on playing it safe with an Arrow:-)