I have been flying my trainer for a few weeks now and going really well. I have flown helis for years and finding the trainer quite easy so im looking to step up shortly. i have a list of planes that look descent but would like everyone opinions.
Take a look at the list, tell me which one u like, how good the quality is, looks...... and so on. (i am looking at a 50 size motor)

- CMPro Extra 330L 50 ARF
-Sundowner 50 ARF
- Seagull edge 540 ARF 120
- Seagull edge ARF 55
-CMPro Katana 50 ARF

If you would like to suggest another feel free. I want as much info as possible to decide.</p>

I wouldn't suggest any of those because you'd likely be biting off more than you can chew.

Scale Aerobatic models (Extra, Edge, Katana)in the.50 sizes tend to be very heavy for their size andtip stall very easilywhich can catch an unaware pilot very quickly. They're a lot better as the size increases but still not a great second plane.

I would recommend eithera Stick like the UltraStick or Big Stick or a low wing sports model like the SIG Four Star, Hangar 9 Pulse XT, Carl Goldberg Tiger and maybe the new Great Planes Escapade. All of the above, with the exception of the Escapade come in .40, .60 and sometimes 1.20 sizes.

My club really like the World Models Mach II and use it as an all-rounder. It's designated as a low wing trainer but they use them for everything.

Like you i was an accomplished heli pilot before i flew fixed wing seriously.
My first plane was a Four Star .40 and it was a brilliant plane to improve the skills but can also be quite a decent performer when you advance further.


P.S. I just saw you're also from Australia. If you're fromSydney i've got a great low wing sports plane currently for sale. It's advertised on RC Trader . com .au if you're interested.</p>

<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS"><span style="font-size: small">I have a similar opinion, I started flying in 1979, and quit in 1995 to race cars, and then got back into planes this year. I bought a Hanger 9 Tango, and then a Pheonix Models Extra 300S, with a .90 2 stroke. On about the 10th flight, with the Tango, I was on high aileron and augered it into the ground destroying it. It just got away from me for a second...

Now I've been flying the Extra, and it's just scarey, I'm so worried that I'm going to tear it up I can't have any fun flying it. So Iorderd a Great Planes Big Stick 40, I've had a buch of these before and they're great flyers, and I figure with it I can go out and have fun flying and not worrying I'm going to crash it .</span></span>

if you guys have sims jump on there and tune down your controls, get some expos in your settings and make them less responsive down the center near neutral stick position that should make flying planes like an extra a lot more fun at least in the sim. Inever bothered to mess with those until recently andI can flythe extras much more easily now. I use my dual ratesfor the acrobatics. On my futaba6exa i'vegone crazy with the exposi dialed in 100% deflection on both high and low rates but on low rates the expos are-50% and on high rates i'veused +30, +50 aneven +100% justto mess around, it makes quite a difference in your flying let me tell you!Id say try that to at least get used to the plane and gradually bring your expos back to where they are supposed to be for when you're ready for the real thing my two cents.

Stay very far away from the CMPro Extra 330l 50 size. I had one of these, and wouldnt recommend it to anyone. It is WAY to heavy for a .46 motor like they state. It weighs in at 6 3/4lbs.

- Seagull edge 540 ARF 120

ok so far so good. I dont mind the pulse xt 40... doesnt look to bad, because its a low wing it should be easier than a mid wing?

Ican fly all the planes on the sim no worries, i was hoping to be able to fly one that i listed and thats exactly what i was thinking, dial in some expo to slowly get used to it.

The extra 330l 50........ thats the second bad report i have heard from it....

Hanger 9 Pulse is a great Plane. Great aerobatics with a 46 size engine.

Hi dwn under, hey do ur planes fly inverted normally one thing fer sure is listen to whats been said above they r right on the money...i can tell ya from personal experience of being a flight instructor etc and flyn most of the type of planes u have listed ...stay away from those for now...if u want a 3d plane that is very easy to fly the u-can-do with a fourstroker is very nice, but it does have some manufacturing issues from time to time.. one of many nice second planes to fly is the world models skyraider, it will do anything your capable of doing yet and its very inexpensive, we use them to pylon race, i run a racing 2 stroke in mine and its very fast but yet lands with ease...good luck with your choice and above all enjoy urself DJ

I too would not suggest any of those planes. Take a look at texasrcplanes.com . They have several planes designed for a step up in performane from a trainer. Like the lonestar. I have one on the way myself. Going from a trainer to a 330 is a huge step. Trainers are exactly that, they are easy to fly in order to teach you. Look for a middle ground between a trainer and a high performance plane for now. Otherwise I think it may be a costly mistake. I will be posting a review of the lonestar on youtube in a week or two after I put it through it paces...I could send you a link if you are not in a big hurry. All in all. Look for a low wing plane that handles a bit like a trainer but has some enhanced aerobatics.

Take a serious look at the Phoenix Dolphin. You will not be disapointed.

<span style="color: #000080"><u>I</u> flew a Cessna 182 Skylanefrom Great Planes as my second plane. It was much fasterand more agile than my trainer, but still a high wing. I then bought a Great Plane Escapade, and have been flying the wings off of it for some time (I also flew the CMPro Extra, and it tended to drop a wing at even moderate speeds. It just wasn't a fun plane to fly at all. I dead stick landed it, and ripped the gear off, and decided to not rebuild). Inow just got finished with an Aeroworks Edge 540t, and hope to maiden it soon. Iwould listen to the folkson here about the step upon planes. I too could fly every plane on the sim,and really well I might add, but it is NOTHING likethe real deal when it is an aerobatic model. Iwould highly suggest the Escapade as your second plane. It is a low wing taildragger, and is capable of alot of aerobatics also. It does have a little dihedral in the wings, so knife edge isn't the easiest, but can be done.<span style="color: #000080">It is a really great plane (no pun intended).</span> </span>

im slowly leaning towards the pulse i think....... so many planes out there its amazing, compared to helis!
so stear clear of the aerobatic planes for now is the word, as much as i want to get one! haha, when i am ready i think i will go for the seagull edge 540.
I will be down aat my local club on the weekend so i will be getting some mroe info while im there.
I would like to get a .55 os motor to put in the pulse(oroneof the other suggestions)so then when i step up again i already have the motor, will this work?

A low wing is the next step...... then a mid wing with some expo i would say?</p>

The OS .55 is a great engine and will drop right into a 40 size plane, The mid wing isn't what makes the Edge harder to fly, it's the wing loading, airfoil and everything else that makes the edge so aerobatic, The pulse is also a great plane and one of the guys in my club has the same setup your thinking about with the OS 55AX on the Pulse. It flies great and when he opens the throttle it really moves out, so just remember when over powering, you really need to use throttle control. I have a few members that seem to think that the plane is either full power or deadstick and never anything in batween but the 55 (I have one too on a Revolver) is a real sweet running engine and has a nice midrange and instantly snaps to full throttle when given, A real torquey engine. Your going to like the combo with the Pulse.

Dauntae