Hey guys, I'm just getting into the hobby and am really excited. I have done alot of research and here's where i stand:

1.AMA card on the way.
2.found great local club with instructors
3. bought futaba 6xas w/ 4 ballbearing servos and all the goodies
4.have looked at a number of planes but have decided on the avistar ARF. I dont have time or space to do the full kit build.
5. I have decided on the TT .46 Pro engine -based on alot of forum input and guys at the local club

So...here's how you old pros can help. . .

I'm looking for advice on strengthening the actual plane (any weaknesses, wings, stab , fuse etc . . .). Any important tips on putting together the ARF. Will I have to buy a different engine mount for the .46 engine or does one come with the ARF? Any mods, IE- landing gear,servo tray, gas proofing etc....anything at all you guys cant tell me to do this thing right. ANy quick sketches, or drawings or whatever that show the reinforcement points or anything at all you think I might find useful. I know I'm asking alot, but there has been so much info I've gathered from these forums--maybe one collective post about the avistar and the guys who know 'em backwards and forwards....

Thanks in advance,

Tbird911

I found with my sons Avistar the the vertical stab could use a little more support, or maybe pin it with tooth picks. His broke on the first off field landing. Other than that his has been a tank, tough as nails and a great flyer.

I would suggest a flight sim, G2 helped me alot. Also heed the advice you get from these guys on RCU

Looks like you're on the right track!

The Avistar is a great first plane, Might consider Epoxying the center of wings but doesn't seem to be a real problem unless you really push the plane. Enjoy it...

There are a few different versions of the Avistar, and to be honest, I'm not sure which is which. But one of them uses a plywood joiner to join the wing together. If you have this one, be really sure to get a good epoxy joint. Make sure there is no gap and that the epoxy covers all of the center rib faces and the joiner. We had a wing fail here due to a poorly done epoxy joint. Note that this isn't what I'd consider a problem with the design at all, just something easy to mess up if you aren't paying attention.

Thanks for all the great responses. Will I need a different engine mount got the TT .46 engine ? What about changing the landing gear to the more solid aluminum ones....etc ? How difficult is it to change the color scheme (work with monocote ?) I'm hungry for knowledge ...lol


thanks again

Tbird911

Do a search on this plane you will find oodles of info on it. If there are any areas to be addressed I'm sure you can find them. I have never seen one or used one. So I will not advise on what to modify other than epoxieing some triangle stock to the rear of the firewall and be sure of the stab and fin glue joints as well as the wing joint.

To dress up the plane you can buy Monocote trim sheets in a pile of colours. Just buy the ones you want and cut out whatever exites you the most. An stick the trim on whereever you feel happy with. I like a bright color on the top and bottom of the wing and stab tips. As well as on the top of the rudder and fin. I also like to put a thin strip along the leading edge to aid visibility. Yellow,orang and red are the 3 best colours to add for visibility. It is nice to be able to see orientation easily. Good luck with your new plane and have fun.

Mark Shuman

I have an Avistar with an Evolution .46, which I use for a fun sport plane, and I feel the plane is a terrific advanced (aerobatic) trainer, and a lot of fun to hack around with in between flying my more complex models. I say advanced because the plane has a smaller dihedral than a primary trainer, and it has a semi-symmetrical airfoil, as opposed to the typical flat bottomed airfoil found in primary trainers. The result is that the plane to goes where it is pointed, and in general it will not recover to a straight and level attitude if the sticks are released, as primary trainers will. This may or may not be a handful for a 'new guy'; you may want to consider a simpler trainer, such as the Hanger 9 Alpha. I see a lot of new RCers learning to fly at the local field with these planes (Alphas) and they seem to do just fine. That's just one suggestion, as there are a zillion other good first trainers out there, too. Good luck.

I love my Avistar. The engine mount uses brackets to hold the engine in place, so it allows for flexibility when positioning it. My .46 fx had no problems going in it. Perhaps u can stop by a LHS and measure an OS .46 to compare to your TT .46.

Avistar great plane to start with... But get a flight sim.... I saw a guy a couple weeks ago.... Solo on his first flight and landed it on the first try....... Not the best landing but for a first try it was Amazing... I sure wished they had had those flight sims when I first started flying.... Would have saved a couple balsa trees!!!!!!

I would imagine that the TT 46 will fit fine. Loved my Avistar, enjoy yours!

Allan