I finnaly got some spare cash to buy my plane. I already have a six channel radio ao I do not want to buy a RTF aircraft. Which is the best ARF plane?

I would suggest you go to your LHS or get with someone from a local club in your area. The Sig Kadet is always a good trainer to start.

You will get many different answers to your question as there are a number of good trainers out there and some folks have had better luck with a particular trainer than others. I had great success with the Hobbico Superstar 40 Monokote covered ARF. It was also easy for me to make repairs to this plane. (Unless your are very good or lucky, you can expect to make some repairs before your are done training)

Hope this helps.

Steve

Avistar is a great trainer.. its what i started with.. throw a thunder tiger pro.46 on that baby and let it rip

Chris

This is the #1 age-old question in R/C. What size engine are you planning on using? As stated above there are lot's of good trainers out there. Overall, you want something with;

-high wing
-flat bottom airfoil
-nose wheel
-ailerons
-not too fragile (although the Kadet Senior flys the best it's not too crash resistant)

I learned on a 3 channel Kadet MK I and it was a great flying tough little bird but there have been advancements in the last 30+ years

Yak

I'll have to side with Chris on this one. Its always a pleasure when a new student shows up with an Avistar. Slightly more advanced with a semi-symetrical wing, very durable and not to complicated on the build. My personal feelings as to engine is the .46LA as it offers good power to weight ratio. Stall speed is around 17 MPH, with a wing loading of 19 oz. sq. ft.(not too bad) What it does compared to a flat bottom trainer is, it offers a plane that could stay in your fleet well after the learning phase. A good, no hassle, care free flyer that I still enjoy to this day. Good luck with your decision. Joe

http://www.bissonmufflers.com/en/air...ting_id=114122

A trainer for less than 50 bucks, check it out

Since most trainers these days are quite adequate, my opinion is you can't go wrong with a .40 size ARF. The one splatt recommends is probably just fine. I'd recommend the Sig LT-40, or the Solo Sport, as my students have had great results with both.

Also, I usually recommend a .46 ball bearing engine, but have seen some .46 LA's lately which were more than adequate.

Still can't decide? Ask a local for a good used plane. Good luck!

Dave Olson

IF IT IS AVAILABLE IN THE U.S. THEN GET A RIPMAX NOVA,ANY 2-STROKE 40 WILL BE O.K.,BE CAREFUL IF YOUR FIELD IS VERY BUMPY AS THE NOSE LEGS SNAP EASY,I CONVERTED MINE TO A TAILDRAGGER TO GET OVER THAT PROBLEM,IT FLIES VERY WELL,STALL IS NON-EXISTANT,NICE SHALLOW GLIDE WHEN DEAD-STICK,GET ONE - YOU'LL LOVE IT!

Go check out the Beginners forum.

I reccomend all of my students start with a Spad Debonair. Cost $10, builds in 4 to 5 hours with no fancy tools, and it will take lots of punishment without breaking. Plans are free on the Spad web site. It flies great and looks good. Any 40/46 engine will power it. It is large enough to be seen well from a distance, and all importantly it lands well. To me, it is the perfect basic trainer. After learning the basics, take the dihedral out of the wing and it becomes a very good second plane. Material is available at most sign shops.

If they persist in going to an ARF, which I think is a mistake, I lead them toward the Sig Kadet 40. I have nothing against most ARFs, but find most who start with them leave the hobby when the first plane is destroyed, as they can't repair or rebuild it.

More and more, I am finding it a waste of my time to spend 10/12 hours teaching someone to fly only to see them disappear when they ding up their first pretty ARF. I have taught well over one hundred guys to fly RC, but am considering, now, only teaching those willing to build a kit or a Spad. If a guy is not into some building I don't see them staying in the hobby.

Sig LT-40 this is a great trainer. I started with one last year and it has been a great plane. It flys very well is a breeze to take off. And in when you have to float it in dead stick which will happen, it glides for a considerable distance.The plane was very easy to put together, I have assembled 2 other ARFs since then and the LT-40 has the best instructions and is very welll thought out,all of these are big pluses for a beginner. mine has a Saito .56 which required slight modifications but it is a very good combination. Also the size of the LT-40 70" wingspan makes it easy to see.
the Kadet also comes covered in white oracover so you can customize it by adding different trim so you can easily make yours stand out from others at the field[8D]

Go with the LT .40 and an OS FX .46. Don't use a 4-stroke for your first engine. It's hard to tune in and takes awhile to break in to obtain a reliable idle. When it does though.......what a sweet sounding engine.
Two strokes are ideal for a beginner, as it's easy to set the idle and tune. The engine is transferable to your low wing second plane also.

Cheers.

Get yourself the new World Mach 1 trainer for $69.95

You can't beat the price, quality and speed of assembly.

Fastest building plane I've ever "built", only 3 things to glue, install radio and engine and your in the air.

I agree with Carlos... WM Raider Mach 1. It's big, easy to put together and cheap... what else can you ask for?

I have a bunch of friends with that plane and it's a very very stable flyer... better even than the kyosho calmato, which is far pricier.

I had an ARC Ready 2. Loved it! Flew great, easy to build and repair although being plastic. I had a mid air with mine where the whole tail was taken off but still i got it flying by the next week. I found it to be quite durable considering everyone told me that it would smash up after one crash.

Bissonmuflers.xxx has a trainer for $42. They may be junk, I dont know. Made by Phoenix. They are dumping all thier Phoenix stock. I have the Giles and SU31 and think they have great quality. Dont know about the others. But for the price you can buy 2.

Well thanks for all the help. I tried to buy the alpha 9 trainer. Sinces I am living in Japan right now they won't ship it. I guess I will be buying a kit. I tried to look around where I live in japan but I can't find much of anything worth buying. So I will give another kit a shot.

Our club uses a Sig LT 40 for our intro plane. It is certainly at the top of the list for a trainer airplane.


Mark S.
Eugene RC Aeronauts
our website: http://home.comcast.net/~erca/Pictures.html