i'm a new flyer and i'm currently flying a trainer. i'm not planning on flying anything else anytime real soon but i'm wanting to get a second plane so i can start building it so we i'm ready the plane will be too
heres my question what would be a good 40 size plane for second plane?
http://www.valuehobby.com/airplanes/...dy-to-fly.htmlwould this be a good one or is it a little too advanced? i also like the escapade but i'm open to any suggestions and advice
thanks

Why not try a Great Planes 40 size Revolver? It's a mid wing plane with a sheeted two peice foam wing. It's a great flyer and it's pretty sturdy. HTH Rotten

A Stik type plane makes a great second plane. It takes you to the next level of planes with flatter wings(low /no dihedral )unlike your trainer that has a good amount of dihedral . This means you can practice more advanced aerobatics and get familiar with a plane that stays where you point it unlike your trainer that is difficult to perform aerobatics and will always want to correct itself to an upright position. A stik will allow you to slow down for slow fly-bys and that also makes it easier to land. They aren't much in the looks department but it will be a plane that you never get tired of or really outgrow and it makes a good next-step to improve your skills so you can move on to mid and low wing sport, aerobatic, and warbirds.
Good luck !
http://www.valuehobby.com/airplanes/...ik-series.html
http://www.horizonhobby.com/products...40-arf-HAN1730
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...LXBMM9&P=8

The Aeromaster might be a bit of a handful for a recently solo'ed beginner. My second plane was a Tiger 60 but I think they are discotinued. I would opt for a larger plane in the 60 size range because it is more visible and gives you a better view of what you are doing when you apply movement to the controls. Also, the visibility gives you a slightly better view of the aircraft during approaches and landings. I was totally amazed with mine when I would come in for a landing and put slight inputs to the elevator and watch the response of the plane. Mine had an older refurbished OS .61 SF on it and it flew just fine.

The Revolver is also an outstandint sport plane. I have a Skylark 70 sport plane that I really love and believe that it too would be an excellent second plane.

CGr.

You said building in your post so instead of an ARF I have been using the 4* series of kits to teach students how to build there second plane. Before that I used the GP Super Sportster. These are a bit better as a second plane but the Sticks are another good choice. The Aeromaster is a bit more advanced and may not be a good choice for a second plane? If all you want to do is assemble an ARF then a good choice is the H-9 Pulse from Horizon. These planes are designed as a second plane and will be able to help you learn acrobatics but are much more stable. A lot depends on the pilots skill level when they move up to there next plane. There are a lot of good choices and if you do a search you will find a lot of threads asking the same question. Keep in mind therre is a lot of difference between building a plane and assembling an ARF. A kit built plane will take a lot more abuse and the second plane tends to take a beating.

Gene, How true - second plane takes a beating. Mine, as I said, was a Tiger 60. Although it was an arf, it was one tough bird. And, I really put it through the paces. I eventually sold it to someone that wanted it worse than I did, he just didn't want to put an ARF together, he wanted one that was ready to fly, as mine was, even though it had been through the wringer and then some.

I never crashed it, but I did manage to put it through some rather tough landings. But, I learned a lot with it.

Yeah, can't go wrong with a stik; and they're infinitely repairable! Fast, fun, affordable planes that are a great addition to anyone's fleet.

Hey Fly Dat welcome to the forum

It would be a good idea if Ya'll came on back and told us a little bout you and what you want. I know ya said you wanted a forty sized airplane but the airplane you linked is likely a rather poor choice for a second ship but it also electric.

Most of the links so far has been for glow ships (also many are my favorite) but ya really need to make a choice and making that choice now would likely save you a lot of money.

So are you staying with electric or changing to glow? Might also be helpful to know exactly what kind of trainer you have been flying. All important questions.

John

I learned to fly with a Goldberg Falcon 56. My second plane was a Sig 4 star 40, was a good choice for a second plane.

I had two second planes because I had an ultra stick 60 and a 4*60 ready at the same time. I loved flying both and I think you can still get a 4*60 in kit form.

cole455, You did an amazing job rebuilding that wrecked Stick! That second (after) photo makes it look like new!

fly dat, Now, on a serious note.....I agree with the Sig 4-star, Goldberg Tiger, or a Stick as a second plane. As stated a 60 size is a good idea, bigger is better. I would also suggest that a move to a taildragger would be a valuable learning experience while your at it. The Tiger or the stick could be built as a tricycle-gear to start with then later converted to a taildragger if you want to do it in steps. The 4 stars are taildraggers only but are very nice first low wing planes that you won't soon outgrow.

I will go with others in saying that the Aeromaster is 'most likely' a step too far. It might just be OK but with that planform and rather thin looking wing section these can be prone to tip stalling at low speeds especially if on the heavy side. I would keep it as a third model.

Buy a stick or something like a Black Horse Speedair and go fly the snot out of it until you are confident you can handle something hotter. Even then it is a real good idea to get your instructor to buddy box you on the first flight or two.

I love Second plane threads - because I remember how much fun I had flying my second plane after I was 'finished' with my trainer.

I got the Phoenix Dolphin. It was a great value at about $99 (well I guess it went up a few bucks) and felt really sporty. You even get a lumberjack for a pilot, which is fairly comical.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXLGM8&P=ML

Ibid...

A Stik is a PERFECT "second" plane, and even serves as a great first plane too.

Fly dat I would not recommend the aeromaster for a second airplane .. I don't know your skill level and although it is possible you might be able to handle it it is more likely you will not . If you want an ARF the Pulse is a great plane . There is several sizes .. The sticks are also great flyers and you cant go wrong with them...If you are willing to build you will end up with a much better plane in my opinion and a something like a Goldberg Tiger or a Sig 4 Star would be a good choice....A built plane is much sturdier and with take the beating that a second plane is usually subject too...At least my Tiger was.. I thumped it around pretty good , even broke it in half once . But it is still flying today and as much fun as it ever was...

Actually, you can still order the Tiger 60 KIT from Tower. Here's a link to verify this is what you're referring to
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXYXF9&P=0
I'm looking at that one as well as a Sig Kobra
http://www.sigmfg.com/cgi-bin/dpsmar...ftF.html?E+Sig

Ah.. I must have overlooked that. Thanks for the update.

Actually, the only real problem I ever had with the Tiger 60 was the nose gear. Most of the problems I had with it were due to hard landings, though, and that was my fault... but I did learn a lot about landing with that plane. I did literally hundreds of touch-and-go landings with it, which probably did the most to mess up the nose gear. But, I would tighten it up and fly. As a matter of fact, I did that quite often.. .

It was the first plane that I put Sullivan Goldenrods as elevator and rudder "control wires". I found out that these will flex when put under a hard load, like a quick pull of the elevator, for instance, it would appear sluggish. I landed it and found that I could grab the elevator and move it up and down while watching the tube with the goldenrod inside flex by watching it from the wing saddle area (yeah, with the wing off). I removed some covering from the bottom of the plane, it has a flat bottom fuselage, skuffed up the tube next to the formers, and epoxied the tube to the formers. All of them. This ended the flex problem.

Anyway, it was a great second plane for me. I eventually sold it (I think I said that... age, I guess.. ).

CGr.