Originally posted by G8S
I've had pretty good luck with the nose gear and the plane as a whole. The other day, I stalled it on final approach right above the runway way and nosed it in from about 12' up.
Luck of the draw, I guess. I've seen an Avistar nose gear cave in on landing a couple of times, the owner had to go home, make repairs and continue another day. I also saw the same Avistar patched up apparently as a result of a 'hard landing' (whole tail ripped off). I did not witness the landing.
I've had the tail pulled of my Superstar 60, but then, I did put it through a tree.....
Both the Superstar (40) and the Avistar seem to represent good value at $300 ready to go, but you get what you pay for, so its best to have a spare airframe ready to transfer the gear across to.
BTW I'm curious as to how you managed to stall the Avistar on final, especially as you indicate that you are experienced enough to know better. I suspect its due to a high stall speed cause by heavy construction and the semi-symmetrical wing profile.
On my LT-40, all I need to do is line the plane up on final and she'll glide in on idle at a slightly nose down attitude. As I approach the runway threshold then all I need to do is to raise the nose just above level and she'll settle in as pretty as you please. All this happens way above stall speed, yet slow enough for a beginner to react to.
I'll repeat what I've said before, the Avistar is not a primary trainer, that's why I'd recommend the Superstar. Even though its just as heavy for its size, the wing will produce more lift with a lower stall speed and fewer bad tendencies.
The fact that so many of these trainers are sold does not prove the design. It just proves the patience and determination of both the instructor and student for those that stay with the hobby.