There was a list of decent trainer planes in the forum before the change. I'm really getting the itch to pick something up but I'd like to look at that for a reference. If anyone wants to give some advice on some of the more reliable trainers, that would be great. If I'm just missing that post (was topped) and someone has a link, that would rock too.

Tripper

Tripper,

I don't know what happened to this list but there a great big selection of good trainers out there that don't cost you a fortune.

If you are willing to build your own plane, Great Planes have the PT20/40/60 series.
These are excellent trainers and with minor modifications can be turned into a very good sunday sport flyer.

I used to have a PT-40 which I had modified by taking the dihedral out of the wing and it was a fantastic little plane. I flew it 100ds of flights and finally gave it to someone who was starting out.
You can easily build it in a week or so.

There are many good ARF planes there as well. Check out the World Model series. They make good planes.

I would suggest you go for something that is at least 40 size, as smaller planes tend to be harder to see when you are flying high and therefore easy to get disoriented.

Hope this helps

Best regards

Ari

I started on a superstar that was for sale at the hobby shop, its a good plane i think
but it wants to bounce around alot. one guy said it was because of the wing shape?

I soled in three weekends wit a guy who teaches, and now i can do loops and some rolls if the wind is ok. I bought the engine and radio and plane all for 200 bucks, it was used but it had never been flown. the engine was older but i have no trouble with it, its a super tiger 40 or 46 i forget for sure, i think its the 40 though.

Tripper, I think you would be happy with a Arising Star by Seagull. These planes are cheap. If you do not want that plane, you could try a PT 40 which is kinda good stuff. I heard LT 40 by Sig is good; but that is rather expensive here.

Whatever you choose, I wish you the best.

[&:]Tripper ---
I have been training for about five/six years and have seen and flown many trainer type aircraft . I have a personal preference , it is the Sig LT 40 . It is very stable and durable for a trainer . A good 40 or 46 engine and you're ready to fly . It is sold as a kit and as an ARF. I like them so much I obtained one and put it on floats and can't tell you how happy I am with it . Visit your local hobby shop and clubs , ask questions , then make your choice . Happy flying ----

Take a look at the Beginner's Guide on my web page. There is a table that lists the trainers that are most often recommended.

MADTRAINER,

I'm on my second trainer as I screwed my first one into the ground in a freak-ish wind accident. (I shouldn't have been flying due to the conditions!) It was a HAngar 9 Easy Fly 40, wasn't too bad. Took a while to assemble and the landing gear wasn't quite as rugged as I wanted it to be.

Moved into an RCM Trainer 40 that's wonderful. No glue, all screw! Comes with excellent instructions ( I assembled it in two evenings) and the flight characteristics are almost idiot proof. (I can even fly it!) I've been a "Newbie" for three years because of my job and family but every time I hit the field I get a little more daring and the plane does what I ask it to. It'll do loops and rolls with relative ease and the stall characteristics are incredibly gentle. It just "mushes" straight ahead with no violent tendencies. It dead-sticks like a pro as well.

Good luck to you.

Just got the RCM Trainer 40 myself. I have yet to fly it but so far the assembly is going well. Bakes65, did you have any trouble mounting the engine? The stupid blind nuts keep popping out on mine so I can't tighten it down. I'll get it though. It's taking me a bit long to build it as I only have a little time each evening but I'll second that the assembly is easy and the instructions are very well written, easy to follow for a first timer. She'll be taking to the skies this weekend!

I would have to say that the best trainer that I have flown was the Sig LT-40.....but I have not flown the RCM trainer. I had a PT-40 and it was a nice flyer too. I think that it would be very hard to find a "bad" trainer.....they all share the same basic design.

The LT-40 is probably one of the best trainers out there, it is priced a little higher but SIG is good quality stuff.

I started on a Hobbico Superstar and it turned out to be a great plane. I read a lot of good stuff about it and like I say, it was all true.

To be honest I dont think trainers matter as much as your second or third plane. Most trainers exhibit the same basic traits.

If you want to go with the most popular stuff (always a good idea for starters) then it would have to be either the Avistar, the LT-40, or the Superstar.
The Alpha trainer is also fairly popular.

Any of these planes would be great and offer everything you need in a plane to learn to fly.

Dbow

I have had a Great Planes PT-40, a Sig LT-40 and a Sig LT-25. By far, the most fun I have had and the best trainer I have had is the Sig LT-25. It flies well with just a OS .25 FP, and contains virtually no lite plywood. The wing loading is less than the LT-40. It is a tail dragger but it's not any more difficult to take off than the LT-40. My instructor likes it better than my LT-40.

MadTripper -

I picked up the Avistar RTF as my first plane, and haven't regretted a minute of it.

I came with a Futaba Skysport 4 radio, and an O.S. 40 La engine. From store to completely built, and on the charger took about 2 hours... and that's only because we epoxied the wing halves and the landing gear into place.

It's been a very reliable plane. It's been crashed a couple times, been lodged into 2 trees, and still looks and runs perfectly. Only repair I've ever had to do was a small bit of monokote, the front gear bracket, and now I need to epoxy the firewall... nothing unreasonable considering the beating it's taken.

It's a very gentle trainer for learning. The flight characteristics have always been smooth, even in a decent wind. And after getting the hang of it all, I was able to pull the baffle from the stock muffler, throw on a new prop, and the thing had a completely different feel... it's got more power and speed... all with a $4 modification.

My little sister is thinking about getting into the sport, and it's the plane I recommended her to buy.

I bought a pt 40 arf. It went together fast and flies really good. My instructor said it was the best landing plane he had seen.

Thanks for all the input! Of course I'm not sure if my decision has become any easier but so far, I'm really looking into the SuperStar Select MKII RTF. I'm particularly looking into RTF's because while I enjoy building many things, if I spent the time to put a decent plane together and then crashed it shortly after, it may disgust me to the point of avoiding the hobby altogether. If I crash something like this, its just some money I'm out and not the time also. I definitely want to build my own eventually but for a beginner, I want to get some enjoyment and training before I completely dive in. If you all have any pros or cons about this unit, let me know and thanks again for all of the information.


Link to the plane:
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXEKF3**&P=0

Tripper