I was going to buy the Seagull PC-9 but apprantly is was discontinued, so.....Now i'm looking into the Hanger 9 T-34 Mentor, Great Planes Cessna 182 and the Chapman CAP 580 .46. Just wondering which is a good solid aircraft, not to hard on the build and is a stable in the air. Thanks in advance!

A warbird: T-34
A civil A/C: Cesna 182
An aerobatic: Cap 580

Of the three I would chose the Cap 580 but thats because I prefer aerobatic flying. Both Hanger 9 and Great Planes make nice planes with similar good points as well as bad points so it comes down to what model and type of flying are you most interested in. I don't think any of them would be hard to build and the T-34 Mentor would probably be the easiest of the three to fly as it is a sport scale model, like my Hanger 9 Spitfire Mk II. It is also a good in between the two other planes for aerobatic ability.

thanks for your opinion! What about take off roll and speed on the approach and landing, do you think the Cap would get squirly?

I own a Seagull PC9 and it is a terrific plane, have a 72 Saito in the nose. Am sure you would find one at a hobby shop if you looked on the internet, would just cost you a few dollars in freight. These planes are great flyers but need to be a little overpowered. We had a Magnum 52 FS and then a Thunder Tiger 54 FS in ours and found they would fly ok but everything else was a little slow and awkward. With the 72 FS is a very different plane, my son has claimed this bird so I just get to see it in the sky. Now come to think of it have a spare one in the cupboard or under the bed and just by chance a spare 72 Saito, maybe its time to build my own a reclaim a bit of the wild blue yonder.

This is a good plane, if you manage to find one you will enjoy it immensely

Any of these planes could harbor a tip stall tendancy if taken off or landed to slowly. The Cesnas, I have heard, are bad for it despite their high wing trainer-like apearance. What is your R/C Flight experience and what resources do you have available to you to possibly help you with whatever you choose?

If you can't find a Seagull PC-9 ARF to fly, you might consider the Seagull Spacewalker II. It's a great airframe by most any measure. Of the three you mentioned however, I'd pick the the T-34 Mentor for being the best blend of easy to assemble, fun to fly, and stable/easy to land. The Hangar 9 T-34 ARF is a nice airframe. The folks at www.airborne-models.com carry the World Models T-34 Mentor ARF, which also has a terrific reputation and is about $30 lighter on the pocket.

The Cap 580 and the Cessna 182 are a little more scale and will take more concentration to take off and land smoothly. They are both very good airframes as well, however. You can't really make a bad choice so long as you're confident that your piloting skills are up to handling them.

As far as ease of construction, all of the planes I've mentioned should be pretty straightforward assembly projects. Good luck, and good shopping!

The Cessna is manageable. However, you will want to be sure to install the wing tips properly. Set the rudder so it's trimed very slightly to the right, and make sure the nose wheel rolls strait. That way, you won't have to fool as much with rudder as you're gaining enough airspeed for flight during takeoff. Do not use too much elevator on your rotation, just keep the nose pointed strait and do a steady climb. If you built it properly, it will track strait on takeoff and pretty much go where you point it.

During flight, the Cessna is smooth and predictable. Again, with the quality of your work being important: it will typically nose down in a stall, rather than dropping a wing. But when weight is added after a repair (for example, you hit something during landing and the fuselage cab needs to be rebuilt), and the wing is not even in dihedral and with the fuselage, then the "Cessna tip stall" habit gets magnified and landing will be difficult. Airspeed is important with these planes, and they're not the perfect aerobat. However, you can still do some stunts as long as you don't over do it. Cessnas are for SCALE modelers, not hotdoggers. Even a turbine pilot can get careless with one of these and crunch it due to overconfidence.

I tested the Cap 580 on the simulator. Although it's for "advanced" pilots, I do consider it easier to fly than the Cessna. That's because if your nose is pointed up, you can add throttle and hover, then assume level flight with some down elevator. With a Cessna, just don't do it. You can do harrier landings with the Cap, but you have to land the Cessna like you did your trainer, and the glide slope is more important. Just consider the Cessna as being an easy version of the Piper Cub, and you'll do just fine.

The T-34 Mentor: It's a fast plane, yes. It'll probably have some of the Cessna's characteristics, from what I'm told. But, it won't have as much of a tendency to drop a wing in slow flight (don't quote me on that, others know more I'm sure). I don't think it's going to be as easy to fly as the Cap, to be honest. Again, it's because the Mentor requires adequate airspeed and a proper glide slope on your landing approach. You can probably do more stunts with the T-34 than you can with the Cessna, but again I think others would know more than me.

By the way, Cubs are NOT beginners planes, even though many people say they are. The only Cub trainer that I'm aware of is the small Hobbyzone park flyer electric with the auto pilot. Don't confuse the park flyer with a standard OS 56 four-stroke equipped Great Planes Cub 40, trust me. Also, listen to what experienced club members have to say when asking for advice, because the Great Plane's skill level guide isn't the most accurate. I just think the Cub should at least be at the advanced level, while the Cessna should get an intermediate to advanced rating, not the "second plane" recommendation that Tower gives.

NorfolkSouthern

awsome, your imputs really helped me with my decision!

Excellent answers all around.

I'd second the Spacewalker suggestion or something similiar such as a Pulse XT, with the T-34 probably being the most "stable" of those you selected.

I would go with the Lanier Stinger 40 ARF for $79 at Tower! Oh wait a minute that's not on your list.

And get a Lanier Explorer trainer arf just for fun for $49.

or get 2 of each and get $25 off the order. jJust a suggestion.[X(]