Tower trainer rtf
 

I was going to order myself a new Avistar rtf from tower hobbies this week, but I got to looking at the tower trainer and realized it comes with a different engine than the Avistar. The Avistar has a .40LA engine where the tower trainer has a .46ABC engine. Now from my rather limited experience in glow engines, isn't the .40 LA a non ball bearing engine, and the .46 ABC engine has bearings? If so, wouldn't the tower be a better buy than the avistar due to a better engine? As for the plane itself, isn't the tower trainer built by Great Planes with a Tower Hobbies label on it? If so, I would consider it a pretty decent plane. If it isn't, please let me know. Also, the radio in the tower trainer is made by Futaba right? So is the radio in the Avistar. The really nice part about all of this is that the Tower trainer is about $20 cheaper than the Avistar. Is this a good deal or not? I would really value everyone's input on this.

Samsdad

RE: Tower trainer rtf
 

Tower engines in my experince with em are crap. But if you cant get them to run right there a powerhouse. LA's are a degraded performace type of engine. Made that way to make them Ecomical but it should do well on a trainer. Personally i would buy everything individually and opt for a 6 channel radio and Thunder tiger .46 or a Fox .46.

RE: Tower trainer rtf
 

Tower engines qre notoiously "iffy." They are either incredible or rotten. Those small trainers are really not the way to go. The Sig Cadet is the trainer of choice for many knowledgeable pilots. They are big enough to see really well, fly really well VERY slow as well as fast, and land like a ***** cat.

Please dont try and save a buck or two-- you will be disappointed if you do. Go with the Sig,either OS 46 or Magnum or Thunder tiger. DONT BUY A 4 channel radio. You will outgrow it quickly, and it has no resale value. I know this is not a cheap hobby, but give yourself the benefit of good stuff to geet a feeling for it. You can always sell your good stuff and not take too much of a beating. Good luck!

RE: Tower trainer rtf
 

I own the Tower Trainer 60 with an OS 61 and Futaba 6 channel... this is a fantastic combo..lot of power...lot of size and great radio....