Hi All

Thinking of purchacing a new plane my trainer will do the basics but I would like to move on to a more acrobatic plane.
I quite fancy the new CM Pro 330L with a nice four stroke on board but not sure if it is a bridge too far. Is there any others that make
a good step in ARTF ?

Thanks

Tail Spin

I went from a 40 sized hangar 9 p-51 mustang, to a 60 sized segull edge 540 v2 with a saito 100, to a Great planes GeeBee with a os 1.20 surpass in it. I have only been flying for a year in june. I did listen to what people said but I made the choice and I am happy with all my choices. In all you will be the one flying them not your flying members or buddies. That Extra 330L should be a good plane. Read some reveiws on it and if you like what you see then buy it that what I did on all of mine. Someone told me to get the high wing trainner and I went with the p-51 pts(has over 6 gallons in it), someone to me to get some other crappy plane; did not like it and chose my own the edge 540 v2 has about 3 gallons on it, Finally when I said I wanted the GeeBee everybody said good luck and said I should not get it. As of right now it has two flights on it and I am just waiting for the next pretty day to take it up.....In other words get what you want and do not waist your money. Also get a flight sim that really helps. I have Realflight G3.5 and love it. Flight sims help you not to waist your money. Good luck finding a new plane and check out my profile I should have some new pics of my GeeBee in flight and the beautiful landing.

Sig 4 Star, 40 or 60

How about a Mayhem 3-D?

Whether its a bridge too far depends on you. If you are in total control of the trainer then it should not be. But be aware that the Extra will not land as slow as your trainer, needs a bit more speed. If you want to be safe then settle for any trusted low wing trainer, if you are confident and your trainer/tutor says you are good then maybe go for the Extra. The CMPro Extra is a beautiful plane but if the covering is like the Giles then it tends to rip, not come off only but rip.

The Twist is a great plane.. Easy to land and will do just about anything.. I have owned 4 and have learned to reinforce the weak spot behind the canopy before the first flight.. Makes it MUCH more durable..

Well as tIANci said, the Extra is a whole different animal...

I've watched several people at our club do something similar. One guy in particular who went directly from his trainer to them, crashed three Extras in a row (I saw him crash two) by tip stalling them before he picked up one of the "Stik" type models. I'm not sure which one, a Big Stick maybe? Any way, he started with it in the tricycle gear configuration, then converted it to the taildragger and he's doing really well with it now. I see a number of these type models around and most seem to fly quite well, can be slowed down without stalling quite nicely, and will do all the aerobatics.

I personally went from a trainer to a Funtana 90 setup with a forward CG and some initial help from my buddy/instructor on the buddy box. With that forward CG, the real light wing loading, and some help getting started flying it, that model worked out well for me and I went from there to a 50cc gasser powered Extra. To say that the Extra was "touchy" when compared to the Funtana, would be an understatement. Nor is it as forgiving of mistakes regarding airspeed or being ham handed with the tx sticks.

Don't get me wrong, I really liked the Extra once I got used to it and have now moved on to an even bigger Edge, but you're making a pretty good leap here and it may turn out to be a short lived experience for you. If you're willing to accept that possible outcome, or as tIANci said it may be okay, then go for it...

--------------


Have you flown a plane yet that will snap roll if you apply full up elevator? That is what you are facing with an Extra.

I'm with the other poster that suggested a 4*40, 60 or whatever as your first low wing model. Take your time. You'll be doing this stuff for probably the rest of your life.


Ed Cregger

Thanks for all your thoughts and comments.

I am going to take time on this one and do alot more research.

Tail Spin [sm=50_50.gif]

If your trainer was a high wing, I`d recommend putting another low wing ( 4*series, maybe a Pulse XT, etc. ) between the trainer and the 330.

I second the 4* .40 or .60 the .40 was my 2nd plane . I also started flying the Hanger 9 Twist just a couple weeks later . I love both planes and I got them last sumer which was my 2nd flying season . If you go with the Twist make sure you start on low rates and set the CG so it isn't tail heavy . Do a search on both planes you will see that many flyers went to these 2 planes for their first low wing aerobatic trainer . The 4* is not as aerobatic as the Twist but it is probably the best choice for a 2nd plane after a high wing trainer . It realy depends on how well and confident you can fly a trainer as to what to get next . I can give you no opinion on the CM Pro 330L as I hve never flown one .

The Twist was my second plane when I started flying around three years ago. I have owned many planes since then including some that would be considered fairly advanced, but I still like to fly the Twist at least once a month. It was a great transition from a trainer because it was very easy to fly and land on low rates in the beginning. Once you have some aerobatics under your belt, it is an extremely capable airplane on high rates and can do about every trick in the book.