Hello,

I am new to this and was advised by a club that the following would be good choices for trainers and equipment.

I am asking if anyone could add some comments to these choices and there personal choices between these picks.

I also am unclear on the engine , Do I have to buy these planes with the engine already equiped or can I buy the reccomended engine and place it in the trainer that they have specified ?

Is there radios that our comparible to the one they specified..I assume they specified this one because of the buddy line ?

Im just wondering my options...These are just reccomended not required.


Thanks alot

Jeff


Reccomended Trainers
Goldberg Eagle 2 ARF
Great Planes PT-40 ARF Trainer
Hobbico SuperStar 40 ARF MonoKote
Sig Kadet LT-40 ARF
Tower Hobbies Trainer 40 ARF
Thunder Tiger Tiger Trainer 40

Recommended engine:
Thunder Tiger Pro .46 BB ABC w/Muffler

Recommended Radio:
Futaba 4VF 4-Channel FM/4 S3004 Servos

Well youve come to the right place.
This question has been done many times so you could just do i search on trainers and youll get tons of info.
Firstly the way it works in most cases is you buy your ARF (almost ready to fly) plane then you get your engine and radio systam seperate.

I can also see your interested in an ARF and all that you have listed has great reviews and flying capablities. I went with a Kadet 40 kit and it flew great. About the engine and radio you first have to decide how deep and how long are you going to get into this hobby. The TT .46 is a good engine for the price and if you plan to just get maybe one more plane after your trainer i would suggest it. However there are many other more quality engines out there for a little more OS Super tiger etc..
The radio again how much do you want. For just your basic radio with your 4 flight controls the Futaba 4VF is great. Ive seen these go really cheap on RCU i would suggest taking a look.

I also really suggest not to be to hasty. Make sure you know what you want and the price it goes for (You can take a look at towerhobbies.com) Some hobby shops can rip you off.

Anyways hope this helps,

Papa

The choices listed are all good ones. I have seen few bad trainers. Basic radios are all similar in function. If the local club uses Futaba then a buddy box connection is normally available. I personally like the Sig LT40 the best. Just finished one as a club trainer. Larger than most others that will fly on the engine you mention. Don't want to start the Ford vs Chevy debate. We all have out favorites.

http://www.frederickmodelaircraftclu...nstruction.htm

EXCAP232

Yep i agree with the other guys mostly.

just about any ARF balsa trainer are a good bet, if you want something tougher consider a SPAD or Armadillo.
The TT range of motors are good value and the 46 pro is an excelent choice as it the GMS47 or OS46FX (bit pricey) any of these motors will also suit your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc planes
as for radios the 3 best value for my money in there range are the Hitech laser 6, Flash 5, and Eclipse 7. for a non computer set the laser 6 is outstanding value for the price.

the radio you listed is $149 at tower, at servocity the Flash4 computer radio is $144 and the laser 6 is $155 both MUCH better deals that the Futaba IMHO

Be careful with what woodsy said, yes the laser is a great deal however it is not compatible with a futaba buddy box.
Carpunky talk with your club members and instructor and see what there using. Most intructors have futaba flight boxes (however alot have different brands as well).
Just to bring it up again dont be to hasty with these decisions.

Hiya

Thanks for the responses, However , im still confused on some jargon.

Is this a special box or just a cable connection that fits into the back or front of radio ? Are most radio's buddy box interchangeable ?

Are the planes that I listed in this category ARF? What type of engine is it glow, electric, gas, etc.

Im assuming that I could buy a Sig LT 40 and place a thunder tiger .46 engine in it and buy any 4 channel radio as long as it was compatible to the trainers radio ? Is this correct.

Thanks alot

Jeff

????
from everything i've read Futaba and Hitech ARE compatible, they have the same frequency sift, use the same pin outs and have the same chanels for functions on the recievers.
i've also advised carpunky via mesaging to post the Q on the radios forum and to e-mail servo city to check.
if the hitec and futaba are NOT compatable could you please tell me where you get the info so i dont make the same mistake again

Hi Jeff, if the club you are planning to attend uses fut then it would be a sesible choice for yourself,the buddy box is simply a cord the attaches your radio to the instructors radio. the plane you listed would take a glow engine either a 2or 4-stroke. and yes you could buy a lt40 and put a 46 engine in it with any 4 ch radio you like. one thing i always try to persuade newcomers in my club is to not rule out buying akit airplane.the reason for this is i believe that a begginer learns invauable information, that you will use for years to come, by taking the time to build the plane. you will have a better understanding of youur airplane. that is just my personal opion. Enjoy the hobby!!!

A year ago I bought a TT 40 "RTF" from a dealer on ebay. $300.00 included engine and complete radio system. Excellent trainer, however there were some drawbacks.

1. The radio was Airtronics, and nobody locala uses that brand. Had to buy second unit for buddy box.

2. Radio was 4 channel. By the time I had soloed, I was ready for a second plane. Of course when you go to your next plane, you start thinking flaps, retracts, smoke, etc.. Now you're shopping for a 6 to 10 channel system.

3. Most "40" size non-trainers seem to want more than a .40. The OS .46 SX seems to be an excellent engine for that size.

So, with my limited experience, I would say go with whichever plane on your list that appeals to you. Be sure to check the online dealers such as Tower Hobbies or Horizon. The nice thing about Tower, you can see pictures of the planes, and they tell you what is included and what else you need.

As for the radio, I absolutely reccommend a minimum of 6 channels. As for brand, go with what the locals are using. That allows use of a buddy cord (a must), and it's always nice to have someone around to answer questions.

The "buddy" system: you purchas a cord that plugs between 2 transmitters that allows the trainer pilot to control the plane from the master transmitter, then relinquish control to the trainee on the slave unit. The slave unit is just another transmitter with the power turned off.

With the engine I would go with the 46 SX, but what do I know.

Check out this site to see about the planes. Just search on the kit name.

http://towerhobbies.com/

LOL

John

My trainer was a SIG LT 40, Thunder Tiger .46 Pro, and she flies great. A smooth forgiving trainer, that floats in like a butterfly. I still enjoy breaking it out and doing some slow relaxing flying with it. I have let at least 5 people who have never flown try flying it, and they all love it. All the planes mentioned are good trainers, but I personally like the SIG LT-40. A OS 46 FX would also be a great motor, and could be used on your next plane also!

Make sure you do not buy the dihedral wing like the Superstar 40. I bought it ... learned quickly ... now am looking for a straight wing to replace the dihedral (V Shape) wing. The dihedral wing makes for really hard taxiing in 10+kts winds while turning. Also it flys slower. One other thing no matter what you buy, fuse the wings together permanently, someone at the club will tell you how. I almost lost my plane because of it.

I already purchased a Pitts and an Extra 300s as my next 2 planes, but keeping my trainer for the more "risky" low altitude manuvers. Also, if you are new and have the $$ buy RealFlight G2. Used it for a week, then made my solo within 1 hour on the buddy box.

There is my 2 cents.

My all time favorite is the Midwest Aerostar kit. Also an ARF of the Aerostar is available from Falcon Trading co. Also for around $100 you can get the Hangar 9 Solo Sport pictured below. I have been instructing with the middle SS for 3 years now and it is a great flyer. I would highly recommend the OS 40 LA for your first engine (unless you choose the Sig LT-40 which is a bigger plane, then I would say OS 46FX). A lot of people are going to disagree with me here, but you don't need a rocket when you are trying to learn. Over powered trainers just prolong the time it is going to take you to solo. On 15% the LA has plenty of power and you can't find a more user friendly / reliable engine.

I have to disagree with you goinstriaghtup,
Rule of thumb overpowered ANY plane is better then underpowering it.
I have a Kadet and because of the weak engine on it OS .40LA its really hard to take of and perform simple maneuvers. This is actually prolonging me to solo (i so i like to think, lol).
Also if you do go with a LA (i would at least go to a .46 with this engine) Youll only need 5-10% nitro not 15% thats just a waste.
For the .40 trainers i would get either .40 or .46 in a ball bearing engine (yes the TT is a ball bearing engine) for two reasons.
1) They give more power
2) More importantly they last longer. I dont know about others but i personally want my engine to go through as many planes as possible.
I personally regret buying the .40 LA and much rather have gone to the .46 fx and just taking very good care of it so i could pass it on to another 3 or 4 planes.
I dont have time to read all the posts so if this has been siad im sorry,
Yes all those planes you have leasted fall under the cateogory of ARFs and theyre also all under glow.

Papa

P.S. Nice pictureof those trainers really nice trim. Kit or ARF?

Hiya,


Thanks alot for all the replies...Disagreement is good it helps others because the right answers for that particular person always comes out, so there is actually no wrong or right it just becomes a preference..wow..did that come out right ?

Anyways...thanks for the replies

Keepem coming...FYI I will probally be going with the Sig Kadet LT-40 with the TT Pro.46 engine.


I will probally stay with the 4 channel to keep my costs down...( unless I go with the 6 channel ).which If I understand correctly it could always be used as a buddy box if I decided to upgrade. If anyone has any of these items for sale at a reasonable price feel free to email or PM me.

Thanks

Jeff

Your choice of engine/plane are excellent. I've flown the Midwest Aerostar, Hangar 9 Alpha, and Sig LT-40 and have to say I prefer the LT-40. They're all really good planes and any would do fine, but the LT40 is easier to see, and floats in on deadstick landings noticeably better than the other two.

Now for radios, just want to clear up a little misinformation you've been given. You CAN buddy box with a Hitec if the club is predominantly flying Futaba. They're compatible. I have a Hitec, and just buddy-boxed it with a Futaba last weekend. They have the same pins, etc and are interchangeable. And the radio recommendations you were given above on the Hitec radios are dead on. For the money, if you're on a limited budget especially, I'd go with the Flash computer job and you'll be able to program some mixing, etc at a very low cost.

Just my two cents worth from my very limited experience.

Heath

I have a TT .46 Pro on my RCM Trainer 40 (which I recommend over the Hobbico SuperStar) and have had very good luck. When flying off wet snow the extra pep of the .46 (15% more than a .40) gets me airborne when my friend's .40 OS won't lift his SuperStar. His firewall also seperated IN FLIGHT. Not a good event.

I installed larger Nylon wing bolts on my RCM and replaced the nose gear and bracket with a Great Planes version as the issue versions of these were less than desireable. It will fly inverted, which is a rarity anomg trainers.

I flew it in and landed successfully after colliding with a tree, and with a small branch protruding up through the bottom of the wing and out the top, much to the amazement of myself and others present.

For trainer I recommend:
Avistar
Really I think any of the trainers you mentioned will be fine. This one is only 99 bucks! Not bad.

For an engine:
TT BB .46 PRO
The O.S. 46FX I think is a great engine that will work in most any plane with great power and reliability. That being said, The TT .46 PRO is a great engine for the price. A BB engine with good power for $76 is a great deal. Especially if price is at all an issue.

For a radio:
This was a dilemma for me when I was starting out. I wasn't sure if I was going to stay in the hobby and get additional planes or not. So I went with a standard Hitec 4 channel radio. Then On my next plane I bought a World models p-51 with retracts. I needed a 5th channel. So I had to fly around with a nice warbird with the gear down the whole time. So now I had to RE-invest in another radio. Fortunately I got a deal on a Futaba 6XAS. Got it, the avistar I mentioned, and a supertiger gs40 all for $250. WOW!!! So I made out but I wished I had got the 6 channel to start with. So with THAT being said,

Futaba basic 6 channel

This is what I would go with if I had to start all over again.

Just my $.02

Reality is that our RC aircraft are all waaaayyyy overpowered in the first place. We enjoy a power to weight ratio that the full scale pilots can only dream of. Look who is doing 3D. It's the RCers. I like overpowered planes. I have many overpowered planes, but trainers are NOT the place for being overpowered.

You did not say which Kadet (MKII, LT-40, Senior, Junior, Seniorita ect.) I'm guessing that you had one of the bigger Kadets (LT-40 or Senior) that you had the 40 LA on. If this is the case, then I agree with you that the LA is too small an engine for these planes. I would say that for the Kadet MKII, an average 40 size trainer - the LA is perfect.

I will admit that the OS 40 LA on 5% fuel does not have much power. On 15% it has great power and a tick over idle. This is where I make my point about getting to Solo faster. Ball Bearing engines (which I love, but not for trainers) swing a bigger prop and idle faster. This all comes down to having too much thrust during landing.

The plane is the Hangar 9 Solo Sport ARF. It sells for $100. I have been instructing with the middle one for 3 years with a 5 year old OS 40 LA. Before that I instructed for one year with a Kadet MKII and for three years with a Midwest Aerostar.

Hiya,

This person is selling what im looking for does this look like a good deal and is it in deed what im looking for ?



http://rcuniverse.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=137379


Thaks alot

Jeff

Evening Woodsey,check with Hitech to answer your question,but using the Futaba cord with Hitech can damage one of both radios,notice I said CAN not Will.

I have the LT-40 with the OS 40LA and I have absolutely no problems taking off or performing any maneuver you may want to in a trainer. On a paved runway it's off the ground in very short order. I'm not disappointed I bought the LA. It was cheap and pushes my LT-40 around just fine. If you have the money and you plan on sticking with 40 size planes for your 2nd and 3rd plane than I would say go for the TT46.

The local hobby shop owner likes to get together with several of the other club members and pylon race their sig 4 Star 40's just for fun. Which engine did they all choose for standard? The OS 40LA. Cheap and reliable fun. Just my .02 cents.

JakeC

What prop are you using for your Kadet (mines an LT-40). I use a 10/6 prop and im finding i have to use full throttle all the time.
I still have to disagree with putting 15% into a .40 LA. Its a sleeve bearing engine and it really wont make any noticalbe difference. Its just a waste of money (it all adds up).
Carpunky the stuff in that add is great for what you need. Make sure that you are getting the entire radio system and not just the TX. (flight boxes are expensive). Youll also need little things like a fuel tank (it doesn't say you get one) and some field equipment (dont worry so much about that youre instructor can take care of that until you solo).
Also another thing with JR make sure its compatiable with your instructors buddy box.

With the LA again my opinion this engine is not worth it. The average price of this used i around $40 a .46fx is around $75 used. For $35 its definelty worth going to the fx. The LA is weak, unreliable, and wont last long. Just my 2 cents worth.

Papa

I use an APC 10x6 and fly around at half throttle in my LT-40 with the OS 40LA. I go to full throttle for loops and Cuban 8s but that is about it. What altitude is your flying site at? Mine is around 1200ft or so. That might have something to do with it. I also fly off of a paved strip. I imagine if I flew from thick grass it might be more of a problem as well.

If I had the money I probably would have went with the .46 but the .40LA has been a good engine for me for the money.

JakeC

Well im not exactly sure what the altitude is but im guessing around sea level. I also fly on a smooth runway and im not saying it wont fly (which it does very well) its just it could use some more power. It cant perform loops or rolls unless put into a steep dive.
I have been using skis which again causing alot of extra drag which is another reason why i would want to go with a larger engine. Although i did try to do some maneauvers with wheels and it wouldn't go.
Again im not discouraging anyone from this engine (for the money its not bad for the occaisonal flyer) i just feel that there are better engines out there for just a little more.

Papa

Won't disagree with you on that one!!

JakeC