Hi all,

I am new to this game. I have a .40 size trainer, a Chinese made Lan Yu which seems to be a copy of the Hanger-9 alpha 40, and have been flying it for the past month. I have about 20 successful solo flights on the plane, by that I mean take off, basic figure eights and landings, without crashing.
I have just finished building my second model which is a Great Planes Big Stik .40 and I have a couple of questions:

1. How steep is the learning curve between these two models? I realize the Big Stik has a symmetrical airfoil and much less dihedral on the wing than my trainer and I am not sure at what point I should attempt to fly it. I am burning to get it in the air but am very nervous about destroying it!

2. The hobby shop where I purchased the Stik suggested I buy an OS .55 motor for the plane which I did. They said it fits into the bolt pattern for a .40 size model (which it does) and is light enough. I have a nagging suspicion that it is too powerful for this plane which has a suggested motor size of .40-.46. Will I be able to fly it with this motor?

P.S. I did learn to fly with an instructor, wouldn't have been able to do so without him, and he would be on hand when I decide to try the Stik.

Thanks,
Ray