ORIGINAL: Navy_Guns
I thought about starting my own thread for this same subject - maybe I can get some free advice, too.
I have been out of the hobby for 15 years. I learned on a Dynaflight Butterfly with an OS .20 FP - it was a powder puff, and I eventually got too wild with it and had a wing shear off. My next plane was a Great Planes PT-20. I learned that I don't like dealing with small planes, especially when there's wind involved. I was mostly done building a .60-sized seaplane when I left for college. The airframe got demolished when my parents moved, but I still have the Fox Eagle .74 glow engine and my Futaba 4-ch radio from it, although it's 15 years old and I don't know if there are new frequency limitations that would prevent me from using it. At the very least I figure I'll have to buy new battery packs for the TX and RX as the old ni-cad batteries are probably no good.
I'd like to get a 60-sized ARF to start flying right away with the engine and radio I already have and spend the winter building the "next plane" to take a 30cc-sized gasoline engine I'm going to convert with my father in-law. I have been practicing with the FS One simulator (man, it'll show you how rusty you are) and I have been making very good progress flying different planes on the sim. I want an ARF that I can set up gentle at first, but something that won't be so boring or fragile as the Butterfly that I end up ripping it's wing off once I get my confidence back. You know, something with growth potential.
Would something like the Great Planes .60 Big Stik be something I could probably handle, or should I go for a more traditional trainer? I have even heard folks say a Sig four star isn't too bad for someone with some prior experience.
Speaking for myself, getting back into R/C airplanes was not like riding a bike. A friend got my favorite low wing up last Spring, handed me the tx - and I over controlled instantly, chased the airplane totally out of control... My brain forgot how to fly. Basics came back in a minute or so (after he saved the plane and gave it back) But I'd forgotten the most simple stuff like up elevator in turns - at that point my confidence was totally shot and there was no way I could just jump back in (I was never any good but I could fly - take off and land, and in between have fun with some aerobatics) but at that point first time back I was so far removed from what I was formerly capable of that I decided to go back to square one and get a trainer again, which may or may not have been a good decision.
In many ways trainers are more problematic to fly than a nice low wing. Trainers wallow, turns require holding more and constant control input - totally different than a nice flying airplane - blip the ailerons, hold some up elevator, blip the ailerons to level, let the airplane fly, simple stuff.
But all that aside, here's what I did. I bought a Sig Kadet 40 ARF. It wasn’t like building again, but it got me back into all the many things I’d forgotten. I built my first Guillows balsa model nearly fifty years ago and I’ve been in and out of this hobby so many times… I have the world’s worst memory so the ARF got me thinking again – I had just two remaining planes leftover from the last time I was in the hobby and so I totally went through them, got the engines running sweet and everything ready to fly. I live on a nice big cul-de-sac with a wide street. I spent a couple afternoons with all three airplanes taxiing around. I made 20 or 30 aborted takeoffs - for fun, trimming and getting back the feel.
When I felt comfortable I went back to the field alone. Every time I go to the field I make myself make at least two flights, usually three. Getting an airplane down in one piece after the first flight of the day after a layoff has my heart pounding, and it’s simply an overpowering feeling to want to head for home with an intact airplane - but I think you have to force yourself to keep flying. 99% of the guys reading this relate to losing beautiful airplanes – it’s heartbreaking but it goes with the territory. So if anyone is getting back into like I did, my best advice is to just go for it.
As far as recommending a specific plane, if I were you I’d check out the Sig Kadet Senior ARF. It’s certainly big enough for a 60. I’ve never flown one, but from what I’ve read it may be an excellent plane to get your feet wet again.
I composed this message in Word and coming back to post this message I see that lordmerren has recommended a Sig Kadet Senior after flying one. I would really follow his advice and check this airplane out. The Sig Kadet 40 is nice, probably a lot like most of the trainers out there, but I have a hunch the Kadet Senior is much nicer and probably perfect for what you're looking for.