It's time to get my son into flying and I thought a DuraPlane would be the perfect first plane for him. It seems they don't make it anymore? My second thought was an Airmadillo trainer. Sent them an email about ordering and haven't heard back, are they gone as well?

What other trainers can take a real hit and not need serious repairs?


thanks!

EPP foam airplanes are fairly durable, check them out on Google.

Bob

All kinds of products come and go in this hobby. Won't miss the Duraplane, they fly like crap.

The short answer is none that fly well. Duraplanes, US Aircore, and a few others were designed to sell, not designed to work. The Hobbyzone Super Cub bounces well and is passable for a toy. A well built balsa trainer is remarkably durable but not like the dismiss. The upshot of balsa is they fly better, so they don't crash as much.

don't overlook the bixler / easystar / sky surfer ... very very easy to fly and it'll take a heck of a beating...

Thanks for the info. I'm liking OMP profiles right now, I start up in front of the garage and fly over the field out my back door.

As for the Duraplanes, I had a 20 size with the fiberglass coated wing when I was in junior high. Loved that thing, until friend of mine destroyed it about 8 years ago - and I'm over 40!

;-)

I guess people rate whether planes fly well in different ways. My rating system values smooth maneuvering, slow landings, consistent control response, no weird coupling issues, moderate wind tolerance, and basic aerobatic capability for trainers. I want my students to have a plane that is light on the wing and does what the pilot wants it to. You get that from a Sig Kadet, Hobbico Avistar, and a number of others. With the Super Cub you get a plane that will fly in a straight line pretty reliably and do turns it if has to, but forget rolls or loops of any size. The Bixler and others like it aren't even that capable, and can be quite frustrating for pilots who truly want to learn piloting instead of just watch a toy buzz through the air.

Mind you, I don't judge the toy crowd. It's just a different way to approach flying than the serious piloting crowd.

I'd have to respectfully disagree about the bixler not being that capable... when setup well it's capable of just about any (non 3D) aerobatic maneuver... ;D
(I do rolling circles with my Kid's Bix all day long) it will not snap, hover or even spin well, but in terms of looping and rolling maneuvers (including outside loops), it does them very well.

Just make a SPAD. It is about as easy as they get, and cheap to rebuild. http://www.spadtothebone.net/SPAD/ There are a few trainers in there depending on the size motor you choose.

How about the BalsaUSA Stick Plus 40 kit?

http://shop.balsausa.com/product_p/434.htm

It flies well, builds easily, and if you damage it in a crash you'll have the plans handy for an easy repair.