Hello,

I just wanted a few opinions on which trainer foam electric plane i should get. I am between 2 planes and wanted some opinions, if you have another plane in mind please suggest that as well, and explain why.

Plane 1 Choice - Hoirzon Hobby Super Cub RTF

Plane 2 Choice - J-5 Cub Trainer RTF


Yes both of these are the same plane design but I have heard they are both great trainers. The only reason I am liking the J-5 model a little better is that I can turn the plane into a 4 channel when I am ready rather than having to purchase another plane to train further on.

I do not know if this will come into play or matter but I do have a simulator which i have been practicing on. So I have a very basic knowledge of how to fly a plane rather than just jumping into a real rc plane.

Other trainer suggestions are welcome.


Thanks in advance for the help,


Drew<br type="_moz" />

Horizon Hobby - Apprentice 15E.

First don't start out with a 3 channel if you are getting help from an instructor.

3 Channel planes are best left for those going it alone, and willing to re-learn to fly after they've mastered orientation using the 3 channel.

An instructor will get you through the start safely and will prefer you to have a full aileron plane, preferably something larger that will hold up in light winds.

I would advise you NOT to make any purchase yet.

Instead find a local club that offers training, and attend a session or two.

Doing so may open your eyes to what is available, what you may want to do, and what will be best for you and your area.


IMHO Foam Cubs while usable in some instances, are NOT the best "trainer" planes.

They weathervane into even light winds.
They tend to be pushed out/away from you in a wind and too often do not have enough power to return.
They tend to nose over on landings, particulaly on grass.
They are not as easy or cheap to repair as the advertizing makes them out to be.
They are not often used by clubs for their training classes because they are, too small, harder to see, more difficult to land, etc.
They have no dihedral nor self righting capabilities.
They are often sold as 3 channel planes.

In the hands of a pilot who has already learned to fly they can be gentle flyers and can land on a dime.

But to learn on, there are better options.

Though check with your club first.

opjose has your answer. As an instructor I hate to have someone come to me and want me to teach them on something " they " bought ( probably cheap and not a good trainer ) without knowing what they were doing. Most instructors have certain planes that they like to teach on and with that in mind ( yours and his ) he will probably do you a better job of training.

I am NOT a fan of cubs for trainers or even 3 channel planes and tail draggers. I do own some but don't like them for students.

I have only had one flight on the Apprentice but if you are going electric it appears that that is going to be a good one. Another instructor was teaching on one and it was interesting watching the progress the student was making, and how at ease he was . ENJOY !!! RED

Another for the Apprentice 15e. I've taught 4 or 5 lately on that one. Another I like is the Alpha 450e. Its wood vesus the foam 15e. I'm not a fan of foam planes. But they work ok. Both are 4 channel and should be ok on the buddy box.
Edwin

There were several folks using the Apprentice 15e in flight school this year. However, most stayed on the ground when it got windy, and there were plenty of windy days at our field.

Yep, thats the draw back. It can fly in 10mph winds, IF you're experienced. Students are just not steady enough for that, and mine were grounded too. But my glow students flew in winds up to 15mph. My favorite trainer is the Hobbistar 60 with the Alpha 40 next. I point everybody away from the Nexstar. They're just not durable enough to take the punishment a student is gonna give it. The main problem is the landing gear. It usually rips out the under carrige when it hits something. The trainers with wire gear just bend. Bend it back to shape and you're good to go. So far, every student that changed from Nexstar to something else notices the difference right away. If they insist, I'll train them on the Nexstar, it doesnt matter to me.
Edwin

+1 for the Hobbistar 60.

Ilearned on this plane this year and it's an amazing trainer. I still very much enjoy flying it.

Please correct me if i am wrong, but a couple people are mentioning planes like the hobbistar 60.

I am not interested in a nitro trainer plane right now, only electric.

So which electric trainers are decent?


People keep mentioning the apprentice, but seeing how that is $300 is there a cheaper plane that is maybe smaller and easier to learn off? Basically if i crash it or beat it up it wouldnt be so bad as wrecking a $300 trainer.

I am not concerned with money really when it comes to model planes but if a know i am going to crash a trainer (a bunch) why spend $300? Just asking.


Thanks,

Drew<br type="_moz" />

I understand that, just wanted to point out some pitfalls and my personal favorite. What you are looking at are considered disposable toys (at least in our club). But they should be able to do the job. You see them show up every now and then with an experienced pilot that will use them when they travel. There are many stories of people here that learned by themselves on just such a plane and with practice on a simulator. Personally, I think an instructor (since I am one ) is the better way to go. A totally biased opinion. You learn more than just stick control. I taught myself how to fly some 22 years ago, it was pretty expensive and took a long time. But we didnt have planes like we do now and simulators were not as good as they are now. Simulators have come a long way. I used to not care for them but have since changed my mind. Many years back a guy came to me and we were able to solo him in 5 flights. I was amazed, until he finally grinned and admitted he had 40 hours of simulator time. That is when I changed my mind about them, they obviously work. But it takes a real plane to learn how to land. Thats all he needed. My average student takes about 30 to 40 flights to solo and I teach him a program. He needs to be able to put the plane where I tell him, not let the plane fly him. After they solo, I teach how to handle emergency situations. Its kinda fun to take them up high, kill the engine, roll inverted and put it in a spin, then give it back to them. 100% of the time they panic. But after 3 or 4 times they get used to it and develop an automatic response and can right the plane and dead stick with no problems. Either way, stick with it. Practice is what it takes. This is one of those hobbies that can be as cheap as you want, or as expensive as you want.
Edwin

In the case of learning to fly R/C bigger is better and a whole lot easier. You mention that you expect to crash a lot... Why, are you planning to do this on your own without the assistance of an instructor? If that is the case then yes, you will crash a lot. I would also recomend you get a good R/C simulator as that will give you plenty of practical practice without destroying planes.

You're approaching this backward.

You already have something in mind, without having first checked out requirements for training sessions at local clubs.

Some clubs require that you start with glow powered planes, others accept certain electrics.

You need to go to your local club's training sessions and see what goes on there.

You can use the AMA's club finder if you don't think that there is one near by.


You can buy a cheap plane, crash it doing things incorrectly, buy another and crash it, then either give up ( as many do ) or end up spending more than you would have doing things correctly in the first place.

The Apprentice is a good package for a relatively low price versus a cheaper useless alternative. It is permitted at some or many clubs for training. You'll need at least a couple of extra batteries too as with all electrics.

The whole point of joining a club and taking their training, is to COMPLETELY avoid crashing even as you learn.

The proper plane/TX can be "buddy boxed" with an instructor, who can take over in the event your plane is about to crash and save it from destruction.

The instructor will see you through to the point that your chance of future crashes are greatly reduced.

This means that $300.00 investment is far more likely to survive, compared to a string of cheaper failures.

Also if you do crash the Apprentice, parts are available, and the components are good enough that they can be transferred to another airframe later.


BTW: Electrics are great, but you are paying for "fuel" up front.

By the time you factor in the cost of several batteries, a good computer controlled balance charger, adapters, power supply, field charger, field batter, etc. they can be more expensive to start out with than a glow plane.

What dictates the choice, should be your club's flying field, any noise restrictions, and what the instructors recommend.


All too often newbie's come here with a pre-conceived notion of how they are going to do things, then they ask for advice.

That good advice goes against their own misconceived plans.

Instead of heading the advice given by those who actually TEACH others SUCCESSFULLY, many newbie's get frustrated and fail to listen to the tried and true manner of getting into this hobby and succeeding. Don't be one of them.

Another thing about the Apprentice is parts are very cheap. I stuffed mine and broke the motor mount and cowl. Both were repairable, but when I saw that like $8 gets you both parts...

The only drawback of the RTF package with Dx5, at least for me, was as soon as I bought another plane I was shopping for a computer radio.

If I were to do it again I'd have gotten the bind and fly version and a dx8 or whatever right off the bat.