CamNuge

My Feedback: (2)

Hello everyone,

I'm new to the forum here and thought start by asking whether or not I'm making a mistake

I started out on sailplanes as advised by the person who got me into the hobby, and made my way to a PT 20 shortly thereafter as it was at the time (10 years ago) one of the better full power trainers that I had seen in action. (See my post under http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.a...805&tostyle=tm for details on the fate of the PT) My concern is that as I have been trolling the boards for some time now I see very little mention of them at all as the trainer to go for. I have for the most part salvaged the fuse of the PT and what wasnt salvaged I am rebuilding from stock bought down at the local hobby shop. I would like to get this bird flying again and could do so at little cost, but I am worried that I'm wasting my time if there are far better trainers out there now. I would almost rather drop the dime on something that will be a better first plane as I havent flown at all in 10 years. I would like to be sure I will be able to comfortably handle any plane I take up as it will be most likely Solo unless I work up the gumption to go ask for help from the local Club. Anyways, I ramble on .. 6 AM here and havent slept yet. Any opinions on the situation would be much appreciated.

Also, as my Radios were made in 1991?, I think... Is there any way to ensure they are Narrowband? or do I need to ship them off to the manufacturer? They are Airtronics Vanguard.

Thanks again for any help!

Cameron

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

There's nothing wrong with the PT series, they are excellent. Like anything, as time goes by, new products come out with other features. The PT's have been on the market for a while, and many people just like to see a "New Face" now and then.

As for your radio... If you bought it in 91, it SHOULD be narrow banded (Check for a gold sticker on the back).

And as for the local club: If they are local, GO VISIT THEM! There's no need to have to swallow your pride, they will be happy to talk to you, and they will most likely prevent you from eating crow when you crash your newly rebuilt airplane!

MikeL

My Feedback: (3)

The PTs are great trainers. I've got a friend who flies one every year. You don't see nearly as many kit-built trainers anymore, but that doesn't change that they're for what they were designed for!

If I recall, all Airtronics Vanguards were narrow-band, 1991-compliant. If it is 13 years old you'll want to purchase new batteries, for both the transmitter and the receiver.

Fastsky

Hi Cam, the PT came with instructions for 2 different dihedral settings. The first one was a lot of dihedral which was supoosed to make the plane more stable but which actually had the result of making the plane difficult to handle on windy days. The second dihedral listed was called sport dihedral or something similiar. If the wing was glued together using this smaller dihedral setting then the plane was a pretty decent trainer and handled the same as other trainers out there like the LT40. Hope this helps, Fast![8D]

tailskid

My Feedback: (34)

The problem with PT's is that they have to be built .....seriously, they are a very good trainer and if it weren't for the ARF wave, you would be hearing a lot more about them!

Jerry

CamNuge

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks for the replies ,

I have noticed the ARF wave mentioned here and I cant see myself following suit. I have to know what is wrong w/ the plane before I taxi it out! lol![sm=lol.gif]

I guess its just a trust thing, and the pride of building it yourself. As for the dihedral, it is the larger dihedral wing. I have noticed it being kinda squirrley in a crosswind in the past but it didnt seem too terrible. Also I checked the Tx and there is a gold sticker on it .. on the bottom.. it reads:

|~~~~~~~~~~~|
| R/CMA RFCHECK |
| AMA date 10/91 |
|~~~~~~~~~~~|

Is this the sticker referred to? I havent found anything on the Tx that says Narrow band. Its a 72Mhz on channel 27 if that helps.

Thanks again for the help! [sm=thumbup.gif]

Cameron

TerrellFlyer

you are good to go,check and or recycle the batteries,have fun.

fly-boy

My Feedback: (1)

I have noticed the ARF wave mentioned here and I cant see myself following suit. I have to know what is wrong w/ the plane before I taxi it out! lol![sm=lol.gif]

I guess its just a trust thing, and the pride of building it yourself. As for the dihedral, it is the larger dihedral wing. I have noticed it being kinda squirrley in a crosswind in the past but it didnt seem too terrible. Also I checked the Tx and there is a gold sticker on it .. on the bottom.. it reads:

Stick to your guns. Alot of people don't care or even want to know what goes into building planes. If something goes wrong and it breaks, don't worry about why. Just go out and get a different ARF and tell everybody the last one was junk.

If you build your own from scratch or plans and it breaks you know where to strengthen and where to lighten.


You ever thought about going back to the glider? Maybe with a electric motor to get you started.


when in doubt use the k.i.s.s. system (keep it simple stupid)

john 8750

Nothing beats the feeling of building your plane.
I build more than I fly.

phread59

Hey I am just getting back in again after a long lay off. My original PT40 is behind me getting an engine (Irvine 53) refit and radio refit (Futaba 7uaf). I will be beating it around the sky for a while this summer. I DO NOT buy ARF's. I will not Sam I Am. Not even for green eggs and ham. But seriosly I do like my PT. And I think people should build their trainer. So when it or a later plane breaks they have the tools and technology to fix it. Just my 2 cents worth. I may just get a nice 25 size trainer for an old Royal 25 I have laying around. Just to build and knock around.

Mark Shuman

glueboy

I am building a PT20 right now. It is the original version, not the newer Mark II model. I bought the kit at a local swap. The larger dihedral is for flying with 3 channels. The smaller dihedral wing is the setup for 4 channel flying.

CamNuge

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks for the support guys ,

Yah I did think about goin back to the glider but I dont really have the cash atm to invest in another plane (buying a house here in a month or so). I have most of the parts and pieces of the PT but the glider, engine / power pod, and second set of radios was gifted to my old man and he promptly sent it into the nearest tree and has since lost intrest. I could get the engine from him but the rest isn't worth salvageing (some VERY old radios). As for the PT I do have most of the parts and enough scrap to put it back together. The only piece that was unsalvageable from that wreck was the engine. It hit primarily on the Spinner hub at a near 90 angle into concrete and proceded to bend the hell out of the shaft. To much epoxy on the firewall area I guess.. chaulk it up to experience. **shrug**

Anyway I plan on getting into low wing sport / aerobatic planes and possibly some combat planes and figured the PT would be a better place to start than the glider. I've contacted the local club about joining and am going to my first meeting next wednesday if everything works out right, so I shouldn't have a terrible time finding help w/ instruction.

See ya on the flightline!

Cameron