jeffie8696

Just curious to see who all still has their trainer plane from the experienced flyers that visit this forum to help out. .

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

15 years and I still have my trainer that I learned on. I still take it out as well. It's a blast to get back on your trainer after you've flown more advanced planes. It can make for a very relaxing day of flying!! I also like to use my trainer for practicing new maneuvers on as well.

Ken

proptop

My Feedback: (8)

My original trainer, a Goldberg Falcon 56, is long gone...swapped it for something...don't recall exactly what anymore, back around 1976...

I do have a couple trainers on hand though...
One is an old PT-40 ARF that has been converted to elec. with an E-Flite Power 46.
The other is a H9 Xtra Easy 2 that is used occasionally as a club trainer / engine test bed...etc.


They are nice to take to the field when you just want to relax...shoot touch-and-go landings, etc.

Luchnia

My Feedback: (21)

I still have my Alpha 40 trainer in fantastic shape, but don't fly it much...maybe a couple times a year. I plan to keep it because I learned and solo-ed on it.

gene6029

I Still have an Avistar & Sr Kadet hanging in the garage. Every now & then i take them out & enjoy the relaxed feeling of flying a trainer. I'll allways have at least one trainer in my shop! Gene

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

I built a Sr, Telemaster for the club to use as a trainer and learned on it myself. Three of us soloed on it. As no new students joined the club all the gear and engine was removed and the plane pu ton the burn pile, no one wanted to store it.
I have trainers given to me and I use them for teaching then let the students fly it until it gets destroyed.
At the moment I have no students or a trainer but when someone asks to learn to fly I spread the word I need another trainer and someone give me one.

ChuckW

I asked a similar question 2-3 years ago and ended up getting myself a World Models Skyraider Mach-1 to have around. Sometimes it is just nice to fly.

bingo field

I still have my original Alpha 40 from about 10 yrs ago. It has survived a lot and has trained a number of people successfully, and I still use it first in the season to get my fingers back.

Top_Gunn

My Feedback: (6)

I'm am instructor, so I need a trainer for that, but in addition I've got a Kadet Senior modified to have ailerons and less dihedral which is lots of fun to fly.

hugger-4641

My Feedback: (6)

I am also an instructor and have 2 stock Avistars with LA .40's that do a lot of buddy box duty. But I also have another Avistar that I use both for training and to fly for fun. This one has had dihedral removed, custom made larger rudder, moved cg way aft, and runs with Magnum .46 xls and 11x6 APC. Flew a tank thru it this evening just to wind down after flying my Venus and my Dazzler! I will always keep an Avistar in my hangar.

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

My first trainer in RC was called an Airco Aero 9 That I built in 57 when I was twelve. Had a Torp .09 with no throttle and used Babcock Magic Carpet system that I soldered up from a kit purchased at Reginald Dennys. It used an escapement and only on the rudder.

I attemped RC many times for almost a year and all the flights ended with no control and me in hot pursuit on my bicylcle. When the system finally functioned for about four or five commands it was electrifying. I had actually remotely controlled the airplane for a few turns. It of course reverted back to free flight and the chase was on agine.

The differance this time was when I got to the landing spot I was so excited I threw the bike down and ran to the airplane where I proceded to stumble and fall on it complely destroying it.
So thats my story and its sadly gone.

Fast forward to about seven years ago, I found the original plans in the old John Pond collection and imediately ordered them.

The new airplane I powered with the same old Torp .09 but this time used a modern hitec with a small servo but not using a normal pushrod but instead actuated the rudder with a torque rod just like the original. The landing gear folded back with rubber bands for those hard landing that could occur with no elevator.

The first flight started with a strong climb, to strong and I was unable to spiral to lose altitude. This flight almost ended up with a repeat flyaway just as before only this time my wheelchair can,t keep up with a bicyle. luckily some of the fellows with better eysite were able to relay to me directions for the return and finally the engine ran out of fuel. I did make it back to the field barely.

Man that did that and pulled that engine and installed a contemperary OS .099 Pet with an articulated baffle throttle and added another small servo. That did the trick and have had many wonderful 'rudder only' retro flights bringing it out three or four times a year ever since.

John

Warbird Joe

I love to fly my trainer. It is always nice to fly it especially when I haven't flown in a while it gets the butterflies out of my stomach.

Joe

rcjetflyer0718-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

I don't have my 1st trainer, a Goldberg Eaglet it was doing loops as it flew away in 1984. Since then I have had a trainer, I had a Goldberg Eagle2 from 1986 til 2008, it had been recovered 3 times and met it end in a trainer race wind was blowing hard and banking around a pylon a little too low and caught a wingtip. I've always kept one to take up someone interested in rc flying and for the club pylon races.

jeffie8696

Iguess Ishould have added a category of "Istill own a trainer and fly it even if it wasnt my first".

HighPlains

My Feedback: (1)

Yes and no on still having my first RC airplane.

In 1967 when I was 13, I built a Sterling Mambo with a Cox 15 Sportsman, Bonner SN escapement and a Ace receiver kit that I built that was designed by Phil Kraft. But I didn't yet have a transmitter, so my dad talked me into test flying the airplane as a free flight. We went out behind the house and launched it, and it flew a terrifying flight of stalls and recoveries for three or four minutes over a empty field. Dad advised me to shim the rear of the wing slightly, and the second flight was another 3 or 4 minutes of flight at about 20 feet of altitude. At that point, I called it good, and the Mambo never took to the air again. I still have it all these years later.

Later in 1969 I started construction of a Falcon 56, and finished the next summer. Silk and dope takes time when you have to avoid ticking off your mother, so you wait till it's warmer and it can be done in the garage with the door open. This one had a carefully broke in OS .19, and was equipped with an 4 channel Orbit proportional with three servos on rudder, elevator, and throttle.
My entire flight training was three flights at the Beech field in Wichita, 300 miles from home.

Fortunately, RCM wrote quite a number of very good articles on learning to fly, plus I had flown CL models for a solid 5 years prior to my RC lesson. With the Falcon trimmed out, I flew it around and landed it myself on the first flight. I did the take-off on the second flight, with my instructor landing it, and the third flight was completely solo. The Falcon survived for about 70 flights, upgraded with ailerons and a bigger motor, until it suffered a wing failure due to a ST G21-35 combat motor that didn't idle too well with a Kavan carburetor, and additional up elevator (moved the clevis up a hole) to try to spin the Falcon. All these years later, I am building another Falcon 56, even have another Orbit radio to fly it with if I can get it working.

frets24

My Feedback: (15)

My first plane was a Goldberg Sr Falcon. After many crashes and repairs it disintegrated in mid air sometime around '90-'91. It was @12 years old. Missed having a trainer around so I built an Eagle II. Still have it and still take it out to the field and fly it two or four times a year. It's a good one to buddy box with as well, which is nice for those times a co-worker, an aquintance, or a friend wants to come out to the field to see what all the fuss is about.

mike109

G'day

I was a late comer to RC. I did not start out until I was about 40 in 1989. My first trainer was picked for me by my instructor. He wanted me to get a Thunder Tiger Eagle 40 but they weren't available so he got me a Great Planes Trainer 40. It was a disaster.

Firstly it was quite a complicated model to build and I was a beginner (though I had flown control line earlier). I managed to build quite a nice warp into the wing.

Secondly it was quite fast with its Super Tigre 40

But mostly because GP had put a very soft piece of balsa in the kit for the elevators. With my CL experience I wondered at the strength of the balsa when I was putting the elevator horn in and it turned out that I was right. My teacher liked to fly fast and furious models and he ripped the elevator horn out when he tried a Split S when lining up to land. The plane was a total write off.

My second trainer was actually built for my son who was about 12 at the time. It was also a GP kit but this time it was a PT 40 which was a far better trainer though my teacher hated it and because of this he lost interest in me and I ended up having to teach myself to land. To do this I built a Dynaflyte Butterfly. I still have one. Shoftly afterwards, and after several planes that were either disasters or had very short lives, I discovered the SIG Kadet Senior.

I have had many planes since but I keep coming back to the Senior. I have just built another two of them. One has a Saito 90R3 radial in it and the one I am just finishing now (and which will be called Patches because it has been built from a spare wing kit and a spare fuse kit and any covering I can find) will have a Saito 72. I have built it with ailerons similar to the ARF version and have reduced the dihedral as well.

So do I still have my original trainer? No, it died years ago but I still have several of the best trainer I have ever had.

Photo is of the Zeraux (faux Zero) with its radial engine.

Mike in Oz

ameyam

Cant call myself an experienced flier, just intermediate. I started flying with a Explorer-40 from those nameless brands but which had a 65" span and semi-symmetric airfoil. I was able to do everything other than KE and hover on it. Then after a year I moved to a Phoenix Tiger 40 and then to a Phoenix Topstar (Flip-3D) and Reactor 46. Today I have a number of other airplanes in the boxes but I still have my trainer. Its without engine and servos, those I used for other airplanes. But I repaired and recovered my trainer in bright colors for a rainy day

Ameyam

airplanenut1

My Feedback: (19)

the first plane i learned to fly with was a sig piper cub and to this day i still have a cub in the hanger would never go without one but i've bought my share of trainer aircraft for cheap beaters the best one to date was and old 40 size arf off of ebay for 40 bucks i put in some gear i had laying around. That had to be one of fun flying aircraft and it was oh so forgiving until the metal clevis on the elevator broke and it turned into diced airplane as it went thru some trees at almost full throttle (one of thee most amazing crashes i've seen in person to date). I now have a PT-40 (off ebay for 45 bucks) but its highly modified it has an OS 61 FX i flattened the wing added an extra servo to the wing, bolts instead of rubber bands and shear webs in the wing doubled all the surface sizes and it's no longer a trike gear to help with the bigger prop its just another fun slap in down and fly the crap out of it plane and by the way my cub has an OS 120 Gemini twin on it looks and sounds great

wazzbat

I think I will probably buy a cheap ARF to learn on but in the meantime I will be building an LT-40 which I will move on to once it is finished.  I can see myself ditching/selling/giving away the ARF but will almost definately keep the LT-40 for a long time and end up using it as a relaxing flyer as many people here seem to do.

thailazer

Been in the hobby for 30 years, but just back into it a few years ago after a decade break. In the active years, I have always had a "trainer-type" airplane to kick around, and to give other people stick time. I've had a lot of scale ships and heavy pattern birds, but no gassers yet. We're building a house right now that will have an RC runway and I can't wait for the first evening where I shoot endless touch-and-go's with a nice relaxed trainer until it is too dark to fly. All flight time is good time!

TimBle

I still have my trainer. Its a little beat up due to some deadstick's not making it all the way to the runway - at our club the runway is like an aircraft carrier, you either safe or you or the dog dodo.

I keep it for training others. I seldom if ever fly it for fun. If I wanted a fun flyer I'd opt for something like a Toledo Special from H-9

mike109

G'day Wazzbat. What engine are you putting in your LT-40?

If you are looking around for a cheap trainer, the World Models Skyraider Mach 1 is a good one. It is light, flies really well and is cheap too. If it has a downside it is that it is a "one crash" plane. I had one years ago with an LA 46 in it. It flew so well that I rarely got to fly it. The club instructors used to borrow it to teach new comers.

I bought another one recently and put a Saito 62 in it. It is a really nice plane to fly. Very steady but also quite aerobatic.

The other trainers around here are the Phoenix Classic (too small and most people over power it), the Boomerang 40 ( not bad but the Skyraider is better as it is larger) and the Boomerang 60 (really good with a 60 two stroke or better still with a 70 to 90 four stroke). The Boomerang 60, in particular, is surprisingly good in the wind and is large enough to always be easy to see. The only down side is stick on covering which is difficult to re-tighten.

Cheers

Mike in Dubbo

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

Well, I sort of fit in the none of the above category. I kept my trainer for quite some time, but sold it to someone that crashed his and really couldn't afford a replacement (sold it to him for a very reasonable price. he had his engine and radio so I sold him the aircraft for $20.00).

Anyway, a few months later, I realized that I missed flying it, and really enjoyed going back to basics so I bought a second one, but used it as both a relaxing flyer for me as well as a club trainer. One of those things where we would bring someone in that wasn't sure about joining the hobby and didn't want to spend the money until he/she was sure. So, we would put him/her up on it with the buddy box for a few flights until they decided on if it's what they want to do.. and I must say that we never had someone decide against flying RC. They went out and bought their own.

So, the answer is yes, I still have and still fly a trainer, but not the one I originally had.

CGr.

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

Jeeeeeez.. Mike.. that's quite an interesting looking rig you have there.

CGr