John: If spelling and grammar are your pet peeves, you should know how to spell grammar.

I would have to agree with thisstatement. I have flown a couple of these PTS trainers and while they are not "perfect", the Mustang would fill the gap until you are ready for the P47.

KaP2011
Ultra Sport Brotherhood #110

As a trainer? Nothing beats the Telemaster (electric of course)

Gerry
PS: It is so much fun I still fly mine, and I purchased it when it came out (arf). Many years back I had a TM Senior, and it was a blast, but more fun is the 40 electric size ARF.

Peeves make terrible pets....

Maybe, but they don't eat much,

I have an Avistar that I knock around with....It's big and gentle but you can make it super responsive.
I stripped the trim off of it and put my own color scheme on top of the white covering.

As for warbirds, I feel the P-47 is the most stable to fly.Not a begginner plane but flies great. Do yourself a favor and start with a trainer on a buddy box with a good pilot teaching you and you won"t be sorry.

probably not my first choice for a first plane, even though the TF P-47 ARF is the most forgiving of the TF warbirds, a big wing, wide gear stance, and stable in the air,its possible with some close instruction and allot of sim time to pull it off.

the negatives are warbirds have many moving parts, retracts that often require tinkering with, flaps,coweled engine, that is going to be at least a 91 4stroke min power range etc...is just a small sample of the stuff you encounter in a 60 size warbird, all these details can be overwhelming for the first time pilot, you also have a low wing plane that tends to be just a little less stable in the air, these planes tend to drop out of the sky when the power is cut too soon,and are not real glide friendly, you should figure at least a 800.00 investment just to get it flying.

many of the choices given for a real world trainer have been given, LT-40 ,a NEXTAR is what I relearned on
I then moved up to a high performance sport plane that I overpowered with a OS46 called a Gizmo,I built it from a kit its comparable to a Sig Something Extra type plane, both my Nextar and the Gizmo have been rebuilt from crashes some my fault(my Nextar)some not radio shoot down of my Gizmo.

my third and 4th planes are Warbirds both from Hangar-9 a P-40,and a Mustang, both powered by OS 914st engines, there really sport planes with warbird looks there about 8lb planes,they fly light, and have retracts that come with the plane, good first time warbirds after getting some stick time,the TF P-47 is in this class of plane, well trimmed by a expert pilot there nice and stable and look cool, the secret to a warbird is don't rush it and be confident in your landing skills, the worst thing is having a great flight and then pancaking it on the landing

my progression
after retiring my NEXTAR I rebuilt it into a float plane tail dragger
before and after crash pics of my Gizmo this plane was a great pre warbird trainer its loose and highly manuverable when powered by a OS46 AX
my P-40
my P-51
and yes I have a TF P-47 that is built from a kit powered by a OS120 4st

don't waste time with a trainer. Get yourself a big stik 60 with a big Saito or OS engine. Keep the rates on low and buddy box with an instructor. Fly the Stik until you think you could land it blindfolded. Then move the servos and engine from the Stik into a P47.

Just a warning....The Stik will spoil you. Many people decide not to fly anything else after getting used to flying the Stik. They really are that good.

Grammer? Try grammar.

Hookah,

I've been an instructor for 16 yrs. and have 46 solo students to my credit. I've also owned and flown a myriad of planes from micro electrics to 10' winged Extra 300's and Ultimate bipes. My first word of advice is to find and ask YOUR instructor not only what he recommends, but what he's willing to train on. I would straight-up refuse to train anyone on ANY warbird. 1st, success is unlikely, and secondly why waste my time on someone unwilling to ask for and/or heed my advice?

I've seen other instructors take on situations like this, and soon after getting blamed for turning their gorgeous warbird into a gooey pile of toothpicks or smoking hole.

The PTS (PROGRESSIVE Trainer System) is just that, a part of a training SYSTEM. The concept is for you to "progress" from a trainer, to the PTS, THEN to more advanced birds. The factory doesn't make the distinction in their ads, but they don't have to deal with what happens after the sale.

Also mentioned before, the Avistar is an excellent trainer if you have good reflexes. If not, you might as well forget warbirds anyway. The Avistar has a semi-symmetrical (warbirds are all symmetrical) airfoil with no dihedral providing much better performance and aerobatics train-abilities. One of your better bets.

Good luck. Don't forget, patience pays off. Do it right, and when you get to a warbird, you'll likely get to keep and fly it for awhile.

Badger

PS - I see that others have recommended Sticks. ABSOLUTELY!!! I second that everyone needs a Stick. I love 'em! Low, easy maintenance, GREAT flyers, uncomplicated and dependable. I've had electric (still), Sticks, Ultra Sticks, Super Sticks, and Giant Sticks and they've all been great.

My grammer died about 40 years ago. She was 90 years old.

Stick with a good trainer. You'll be surprised just how "cool" they can be. Heck, you might even discover its your favorite plane to fly!

Once you get started, you'll probably  have more then 1 plane anyhow. You'll want one that you can just fly, not work on all the time. Warbirds are high maintainence. Sticks are a little hotter then a normal trainer, yet can be set up quite wild, check one of them out. Everybody needs a stick anyhow, I think.

G'day

I agree with hemiflyer1, people rarely stop at one plane. When I was learning with my son about 23 years ago, I started with one plane, then two, then three and before long I had about 5 or 6. The problem was also that I had 5 radios as each radio could only handle one plane.

These days, inexpensive computer radios solve this problem for you. Radios like the Hitec Optic 6 or the Futaba and Spektrum equivalents, can handle up to 20 or more planes so you only need to buy new receivers and servos and not a new transmitter for each plane. I wish this was the case when I was starting out.

Engines tend to breed too. First you have one but before long you will be surprised at how many you can accumulate.

So don't be too worried about buying a trainer. You can always buy something else as you get better at flying. I still fly my old trainers. I just like to fly them. Scale models do tend to be "different" to fly too. They don't all fly as predictably as trainers. Some can be complete pigs to fly. I have a Decathlon that needs a very firm hand and it absolutely MUST have the rudder used in turns or it hangs its tail and skids wide in turns. Cubs do this too.

I did have a P47 at one stage. It was a Black Horse ARF and I powered it with a 91 four stroke. It was surprisingly nice to fly and even dead stick, it glided well. But it was not a trainer.

The whole point of trainers is that they are stable enough to give a learner time to make mistakes. And you will make mistakes even when you think you are going quite well. It only takes a moment of inattention and your pride and joy may be heading rapidly towards the ground.

Have fun in the hobby, find a good instructor and you will be well on your way.

Mike from Oz

<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">Don't be impatiant it will cost ya a lot in the end. My advice is go get a sig senior kadet Lock off the ailerons learn to fly 3 channel (Throttle elivator and rudder) make sure the RUDDER is on the left stick so U learn to use the rudder. The rudder is the most important flight surface when it comes to presicion flying ... after U learn how to take off and land and basically put the plane where U want it ( not where it ends up ) then transition to alerions and U will automaticly be using the rudder. And anyone that says ya don't need rudder is a "PISS POOR PILOT"</span></span></span>

Hookah
You should go to Santa Clara County Model Aircraft Sky Park club in Morgan Hill and check out the field as well as the training that is offered there before you spend the money on the P-47. There are issues with the 60 size P-47 landing gear that require extra work. If I were you I would find a local builder so you can keep an eye on your plane while it is being built. Are you looking at getting the 60 size or the larger P-4. Top Flite makes them in 2 sizes.

P-47s land in a very well-mannered fashion vs Mustangs, P-40s, and some others. I actually have a P-38 55" foamie electric twin that lands VERY easily too, even better than any of the many Stiks I've had and they are great fliers. The UCanDo 46 can also be landed and flown better than many alleged trainers out there when set up correctly. The only people that would deny that never had one. But lest I digress, the guys on here that are telling you not to try to fly a P-47 yet are very smart. If you insist, get an electric foam one. You would at least have a better shot at it, and might land it in the high grass with the wheels off or up. Survivability would be much better than a nitro version, especially one with a 30+ ounce wing loading. By the way, check out the wing loading on whatever you are buying. Stay in the 10-20 ounce range and you'll be OK. One last thing.... the space bar on your computer sim is your best friend. There are no "space bars" at the field.

I think you should start with a p47d parkzone electric.  You gotta have a warbird   here it is.  They fly well, you will need help setting the throws and trimming it out   and a buddy box at first, but if you crash it a complete airframe is $80-90 and a few hours to put togather.  You can install retracts and flaps and have more fun factor.  It however will be a ***** as a new pilot to take off, but lands very easy.  When you get done learning to fly you can soup that plane up and have fun.  I stuck a aluminum motor mount, a power 25 1250 K.V. motor, a ice lite 75 amp esc and a 4cell 2650 pack in mine.   On a 10/8 prop it easily flies over 100mph.  Make sure you reglue the wing spar!!!!  If not you will have pile of styro and smoking battery. This is not a absolute entry level plane, but it does fly very well and is not heavy like a (real) warbird.  Also, if you soup it up and fly it fast, it will go a long way towards getting you ready for a larger plane, if you can fly a 100mph foam and not trash it you can fly bigger planes.

Hi;
If wind is not too much of a factor you might want to start with an electric like the Syncro or the Switch. Both of these have good presence in the air and have both a glider configuration and a sports plane configuration. They also can be used with a buddy box and buying replacement parts are readily available and fairly cheap.

Hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ........... your so silly !

A P47 is not a good idea for a first plane. Do this instead:

1. Train on a simulator for a few weeks.
2. Get a Hobbistar 60 MK III ARF and learn to fly it. http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXCSY9&P=ML
3. Get a SIG FourStar 60 and learn to fly it.

The P47 can come later.

ps: electric airplanes are better than glow-fueled planes in some respects. If you do go electric, just make sure you don't slice your fingers off. An electric motor/prop for a .60-sized plane can slice alot of salami.

Absolutely no. Would you teach to drive your 16 y/o daughter in a Convertible stick Porche in a busy highway??<div>Same principle, babies crawl, then walk then run.</div><div>
</div><div>Grammar is important but not essential to fly</div>

<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">Where do U think Danica Patrick learned ... In a parcking lot.
My daughter got her temps and I taught her to drive stick on the way to Florida. Got on the on ramp, Had her push in the clutch, put it in second release the brack and away we went. She drove the first 250 miles thru Indana on the way to a jet rally in Deland Florida in the late 90's.
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I learned to fly with a Topflight Headmaster Sport 40. Excellent flying, but no longer kitted :-(. Plans are available through RCM Plans service though. My Second plane was a Topflight P-39 (original kit, not the gold edition). The easiest, most forgiving warbird I've flown is the pica FW-190.

<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">I took on the duities of an Instructor While in Arizona this winter</span></span></span>. <span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">This was a real EYE OPENER. First Student Pilots arn't created equal and what they bring to fly range from piles of Junk to brand new never flown trainers. First of all not every one is equiped with the same abilities. I had a 13 year old (man) not boy that had flown a couple of Fomies in his back yard and showed up with a new never flowen electric T-28</span></span></span>. <span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">I checked it out and fixed a couple of minor things like reversed ailerons, and maidened it. Because he had only 1 battery and no charger, he asked if he could attempt to fly it. Reluctently I took it up high, ya know the 3 mistakes high. Handed him the Xmitter and said now keep it in close and keep it up there. Well 4 minutes into a 6 minute flight he asking to attempt a landing. I take a quick look at tne wind sock and it's a direct moderate cross wind from our back. I reinerate "It's your airplane. Well Long storry short, He had just soloed and didn't need any more help. Wonderfull feeling to turn a student loose, even if all I really did was maiden his plane.
Then their is the OLD GEEZER with the biggest pile of JUNK for a trainer. at least 6 different color pataches and fixes. He shakes so bad he can't hardly hold onto the sticks. Nice guy and I can tell he wants to learn. He had started with our head instructor with a Trainer P-51. ya know the one with the air bracks and wing cuffs ect. Whell he had a spectrum 5ie and 6i as he buddy box. I witnessed the pland after several flights, and the Instructor flying, This P-51 trainer dig a hole in the desert, no reasn at all, just decided it was tired of living and WHAM.
Anyway he comes to me with this God afull peice of JUNK and asks if I'll train him because I'm there every day and the other instructors only instruct on week ends. Suprisingly the "Peice of JUNK" Flies fairly well. The ground handeling is attrociuos and a lot of trouble to take off.
Well after about 5 weeks and 3 major crashes, he declares he's ready to solo him self. OK go for it. OH this is after he does major repair to the plane because it quit on take off and I didn't get it back to the runway and it broke in half when it hit a rock pile we affectonily call the "BERM'.
Mind U he had never taken off because the plane was so squarilly. But he had converted it to a tail drager and it was easier to taxi. After 3 attempts to take off him self and hitting the fenc 3 times he picked up his "BALL" and wet home. Now the stories not over. Next day he comes along with one of these "LECTRIC" T-28's. has someone else maiden it for him and he's off to the races. Got to hand it too him he did real well. Took off like a pro, flew around the pattern like a pro and landed ok. Kept this up for a couple of days, Even flying formation with the young man with the other T-28. Then one day I was helping one of my other students and I hear heads up and low and behold here's this T-28 in about 20 peices in the parking lot. Well since then, and befor I left on April 12 he had killed 7 more airplnes all to gether.
Everyone has differant abilities, I have seen people struggle for years trying to master this hobby/sport and the U have the 13 year old that flying IMAC and blowing every on out of the water. We all know some one that will have problems flying R/C for ever and those that are just naturals. We are all here to have Fun and so long as a person flys SAFE is all that counts. Doesn't mater what you try to learn to fly on. Everyone has their opunions and differant answers to the same question. If your lucky a ear from now it will all be a MOOT Question. and you will have your opinuon on the subject. Just remember Safty First and Have Fun.
And for those that don't like the RED or the BIG type. Don't read it.go on the next post PLZ.
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