im looking at the seagul PC-9 .40 is this gonna be a good plane for me as in sport flyer. looking for something easy to fly and easy to learn. Im still being trained right now with my alpha and im loving it and im getting the hang of it really fast, next time out im going solo with instructor by my side of course. im not ready yet for the second plane and im gonna fly the alpha's wings off but i want to already have my next plane built and ready to fly when i get to that stage. Is that a good choice of plane?

I've been eyeing off the PC9 for a while now - particularly the one with the RAAF Roulettes colour scheme (being an Aussie and all ). I ended up going with a World Models Extra Sports 30 which was a brilliant choice in hindisght. My choice was based, mainly on reading a number of reports on this forum, and hearing from a guy at our flying field, that the build quality was poor.

A common story seemed to be that pilots transitioning from trainers would often experience a stall while turning at low speed with too much bank angle and put the plane in. Whereas many models might survive such a mistake (like my Extra for example - dropped from a stall at about 5ft and was fine) the PC9 would self-destruct.

That said, all the Asian ARFs seem to have been improving over time. And apart from their fragility in crashes, the PC9 seems to fly really nicely from what I've heard.

I'd suggest doing a search on this forum for "Seagull PC9" and see what others who have flown the plane think.

Many claim that this kind of plane, and the Extra that I went with, are more of a 3rd plane. A common suggestion for a 2nd aircraft is a plane like a SIG Somethin' Extra. In my experience, the only thing you need with a "sportier" plane is to have a good pilot do the maiden flight, trim it out for you and adjust the elevator and aileron throws so it's easy to handle. You do need to force yourself to fly a lot smoother, but this tends to be a lesson quickly learnt.

The other common claim is that you need to learn to do faster landings for these aircraft. I think that's not entirely true, I think, particularly in the case of my Extra, that the low speed performance is comparable to my trainer, except that you cannot afford to do big aileron moves during a slow landing approach, you have to learn to use the rudder to correct your line, as the plane is less forgiving of steep bank angles at low speeds.

If you do indeed spend the time to fly the wings off your trainer before moving on, and have learnt how to use the rudder, and are not "flicking the sticks" but rather flying with smooth, controlled movements, the PC9 or similar would be fine as a 2nd plane. Particularly with the Roulettes colour scheme

Thanks for the information, do you know anything about the O.S LA .40 is it powerful enough to get my plane off the ground from a grass field? The evolution engine that came with my trainer is a sorry excuse for an engine and was wondering about the LA because im on a budget. thanks!

that seagull spacewalker is a fun airplane as well and I have two of them-one with a 40la and another with magnum52xls-they both are alot of fun

Thanks, I feel ok now about the .40La but i changed my mind on the second plane. My instructor went with me to the lhs and we decided on the TRACER . Its a very fast plane but we think with us working together i can get it down on a faster landing. Gonna even go with retracts i think. Its in the process of being built right now and until its done he is gonna let me fly his ultra stick and get use to some faster landings.

Dont worry, The TRACER wont be in the air till we think im ready.

Later!

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/Seag...1306441/tm.htm


here ya go! Did a review on it and I still fly and love it! Great plane, great perfromance and great price.

The 40 LA will fly the plane but the 46fx brings the animal out in it!

if you have any questions let me know.

matt

If you've already got an OS 40 LA, then ignore this, but I've always been less than impressed with that engine - I think the OS 46 FX is almost worth the money, but if you're on a budget, I'd suggest you consider a cheaper non-OS .46 sized engine from one of the other manufacturers like Magnum, ASP etc. These days the quality is on par with OS and you get a lot more performance for your money.

Hope your Tracer goes well - I'll have to go check it out now...

Actually, seeing Diablo's PC9 pix from his review, I'm think that's going to have to be my next aircraft [>:]