victorzamora

Hey guys, I'm looking for a good fit for my dad. He had the original Mustang PTS and LOVED it. We (he) wrecked it badly 3 times and we (I) fixed it every time. Recently, he attempted a roll on takeoff and pulled. I reminded him after the fact that when inverted, down is up and up is expensive...but that's a lesson learned.

So, he loves the speed of that PTS. It's a pretty fast plane (DEFINITELY not a good trainer ) and relatively aerobatic while being pretty stable. He really abuses it. We're looking for a replacement plane that can take some abuse, is fast, and is relatively nimble. If the plane is a good fit otherwise, I'm sure he'd be willing to be a little more careful with the plane...but it's his beater.

Eqpt: standard servos/pack (however many may be needed), 7CAP and 46AX. Thanks, guys!!

trainerjock

If he can handle the mustang, I would suggest a Great Planes Big Stik 40 or the Great Planes Stinger II. I am flying the Big Stik 60 and the Stinger II. The Stinger II has an OS .55ax and is fast! but slows down to cruise around. The Big Stik is really fun. Both of these planes make me look like a better flier than I really am.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Ditto on both of those

victorzamora

Sorry, let me clarify....he's not a "trainer" pilot.  He's pretty good.  He's been flying for YEARS.  Not 3D level, not MY level , but still pretty good.  I hadn't looked at the Big Stik or the Stinger2 yet.  However, I overlooked the 40-sized Ultra Stick because of the cost.  It's absurd for a 40-sized ARF.  Most of Horizon is horrendously overpriced nowadays.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I flew the Stinger II for this review:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...rticle_id=1370

It's a real honey!

1320Fastback

Along the Mustang theme you could get him a Strega.

I have one with a Magnum Pro45 and a pipe. It flies beautifully with no bad stalling habits and is pretty dang fast at just under 100MPH at full boogie.

It uses 4 standard servos and all included hardware is top notch.


http://www.towerhobbies.com/products/pmm/pmma0340.html

victorzamora

WOW!! I forgot about the Strega! The first time my dad crashed the Mustang (big tree at the end of the runway, trying to land) that we should just get him a Strega.

capt1597

revolver by great planes. there are two sizes. both are GREAT. happy flying, capt

opjose

Ditto on the Big Stik.

They CAN fly fast, but they have a fairly large flight envelope.

I had the same Mustang as him and I'd give you four of them for a Big Stik anyday.

The Stik will let you fly on days that ground everyone else.

Admiral052

Its always great to hear people talk about my next plane the Big Stik being so awesome. Makes me glad I picked it as my next plane.

trainerjock

My Big Stik 60 is my go-to airplane. OS .65fx, fly fairly fast. Flies on windy days that ground most of the other planes at our field. Will fly low and slow. Awesome fun airplane. Then the Stinger II put the adrenaline back into flying. The first time I flew it, my hands and knees were shaking...haven't had that feeling since my "rookie" days. They are both great planes, pun intended. But ya gotta love the Big Stik. We have a squadron of them at our club field.

victorzamora

I hear you about the stick.  I had the white and yellow generation Ultra Stick even before they incorporated the aero-balance tab into the rudder.  One of my favorite plans of all time.....not far behind my EF 88" Edge.  However, my dad is NOT a fan.  The newest addition to his list is the NitroPlanes Spitfire 50.  I warned him that he'd get what he pays for....and that retracts may not be conducive to the beater plane he wants.  I've owned two planes with retracts, and I've learned that retracts are probably more hassle than they're worth unless they're done right (expensive) or on planes you only fly on occasion.  However, they do make the difference between an alright-looking warbird and a gorgeous warbird!

opjose

Neither was I!!

I always DISLIKED the Stik's and swore I'd never buy one...

Then I saw all the posts here about "everyone should own a Stik" and I started to reconsider.

Finally someone let me fly theirs and I was hooked.

Now I'm into my second .60 size GP Stik ( best size IMHO ) and I have a Giant Big Stik as well.
Any time the wind is up a bit, the Stik is the first plane into my Van.


A bit of parental convincing may be in order....

1320Fastback

Heres pics of my Strega to sway your vote.

Was going to post the other night but RCU was having one of thier dead moments.

1320Fastback

The blue strips cover where I opened the wind to add reinforcement to the landing blocks.

Its not that it needed them as it was still brand new and un flown but just wanted to beef them up a little like all ARF's need

victorzamora

opjose, he flew my stick frequently.  He's flown two different 40-sized Ultra Sticks and a US60.

1320Fastback

I don't know of any plane that can survive maneuvers like that.

Planes are built to be light because it makes them handle better and fly faster.
Planes are not built to be tough or built to survive a crash.

The Strega is probably not as damage resistant as the Sticks.

victorzamora

I don't mean crashing....I just mean rough landings when he has an "off" day.  Sticks can handle VERY rough landings, whereas my Kyosho Spitfire was pretty picky about its landings.

opjose

Yeah, it's too bad he will not go with a Stik.

You could improve the durability of a plane like the Strega.

I recently assembled a .60 sized low wing acrobatic trainer that I used to train an utter novice.

It had a similiar landing gear assembly on the wings as the Strega.

I thought that the gear would bend out too easily or rip out...

So what I ended up doing is getting some additional "L" shaped landing gear wire.

I installed the provided gear, and affixed an "L" shaped piece to the main gear using copper wire wrapped ( wrapped tightly like a motor coil ) around three separate points on the gear.

The bottom of the "L" was set 90 degrees to the existing gear and sits along the wing to provide torsional resistance.

I soldered the wire with a copious amount of solder and covered the soldered areas with heat shrink tubing. The solder and underlying wire bonds the new "L" to the existing gear.
The bottom of the "L" is held to the wing via "U" shaped straps and wood screws into the stronger wood of the wing. The long part of the "L" runs along the existing gear.

This gives the existing gear an addional support area that resists torsional ( pulling out, back or sideways ) forces while futher distributing the load over a larger area.

It adds very little weight to the plane and unless you're looking closely, it goes unnoticed.

After a few people saw what I did, I started seeing other planes pop up at our field rigged up the same way.

So far this has held up well on several low wing trainers I've put together for others.


The idea came from an RCU member in a thread...

victorzamora

Yeah, that style landing gear has never impressed me....but his Mustang PTS (RIP) had that same style gear.  That's another benefit of the Stik or the Edge.....that style of landing gear (one piece aluminum plate).

1320Fastback

Agreed.

The individual gear legs into the wing can be a weak area for less than ideal landing or less than ideal conditions like grass or rough dirt.

The plate style is much stronger than the individual into the the wings.

The best for rough landings is the individuals that both come back to the fuselage and are wide but at a low angle. They are much more suited to being able to act like a shock.

My old Avistar 40 had this type of LG.

opjose

Here's a picture that helps to illustrate how to re-inforce wire gear...

It is quite easy to do...



Bare that in mind vis-a-vis what I said about re-inforcing the Strega's gear...