I am looking to find me a cool looking, inexpensive, with very good directions and easily assembled plane for my second plane.

Now this will be my first experience in building a plane so good peices and good instructions will be a must.

Any ideas???

Well, it sounds like you are looking for a kit. Any great planes kit will have great directions. A Goldberg Tiger 2 is a good second plane, low wing trainer. The directions are not as good as Great Planes, but they suffice.

If you are looking for an ARF any Hangar 9 ARF will be first rate. I personally went with a Great Planes U-Can-Do 3D 46. It lands a lot better than my trainer and is a great platform for learning Advanced 3D Aerobatics. I enjoy it a lot. VERY easy to fly around the sky not doing 3D.

I actually want to try my hand at a kit plane where I pretty much build from scratch. But, it needs good instructions with good cut out peices that will go together well and fit right.

Something that I know will take a while to build but is still a beginner kit that when it's done will look cool.

Steve, try the new Rapture From Great Planes:

http://www.greatplanes.com/airplanes/gpma0220.html

get a sig 4-star 40. good instructions, excellent handling, simple build. and the structure is very tolerant of inexperience. if you warp the wing, you can shrink it out when covering. not much sanding. they come out light. It is not "new and improved", just a good plane. they are laser cut now, also, which is nice.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend a g.p. kit for first build, as they tend to come out heavy if you aren't careful. and sheeted structures, like most g.p. stuff and the tiger from goldberg (an excellent flying plane, by the way) are difficult to un-warp if you mistakenly sheet one in. I say build a 4-star, and make your mistakes on that. then build anything you want; but take it easy at first!

now, I'm a builder, been building since 76 and controline and rubber before that. and that's my 2 cents worth! but ask around and ask about sheeting, weight and the like and take your best shot; AND- build what you like, regardless of what me or anyone else says; it is your plane!!

To be perfectly honest, the first kit I EVER bought was a Great Planes P-51 Mustang 40. This was before I flew for the first time. It went together really quickly and perfectly straight. There are several pieces of balsa to carve but the instructions tell you exactly how to do it and when you are done carving a wingtip from a block of balsa, you have a great sense of satisfaction. So there is a lot of carving, sanding and shaping but it's fun and easy.

i am at the same stage as you,
i am getting the Blackhorse Super air as my next plane
http://www.alshobbiesstore.com/acata...rvine_113.html
take a look at it

I'll come at this from a different direction. Most of the planes mentioned will be a challenge to build, but one that you will be able to handle. Always read the directions more than once as you do each step and you will be fine.

I recommend the Tiger 2 or Tiger 60 as the best second plane. The reason is that of all the planes mentioned it will be the best transition for you from trainer to low wing. It will make you look like an expert at take off's, and landings. The longer tail moment will give you a more stable flying plane as you start to learn aerobatics. In other words, the confidence you will gain from the Tiger will allow you to tackle another type of plane that comes along.

Based upon 47 years of flying RC and 40+ of teaching others to fly.

Rich

Kits are always cheaper.
Maybe look at the sig 4 star or astro hog

um... dont want to soundl like a no it all or anything but,

kits are not always the cheapest. The kit is cheap, but then you have to go through all of the little odds and ends covering, glue, more glue, epoxy, ect so just keep that in mind.. hope this helps!

That is why I buy ARF's

The Great Planes Rapture is one of the newest planes in their line up. It looks to be directly targeting the 4* market. Easy to build, lots of lightening holes, no LE sheeting, no cap strips, no carving. All in all, a very easy build, just like the 4*. And IMHO MUCH better looking.

The Tigers have long been a favorite of mine, but until the new owners get a better grip on QC, they have been coming out with lots of mismatched parts.

Another vote for the 4* series. You can't go wrong with it. I like SIG kits. Just be aware that thier older kits take a lot of building. They are craftsman's kits. But the 4* is as modern and easy as it gets. Great instructions as well. I have a 60 waiting a turn on the bench.

Mark Shuman

Any other idea suggestions for what I am looking for???

If you go to great planes website you can see a whole list. I have heard a lot of good about the ultra sport, teaches you tail dragger technique and a little speed but lands like a trainer.

Yep -- I suggest you go with experience.

There are two planes that have been the standard recommendations as a second plane for years. You already know their names since they're discussed above: the CGM Tiger II and the SIG Four-Star 40. Both are easy to build and are excellent flyers, combining the stability and maneuverability needed to go from a first plane primary trainer skill level toperforming all of the basic aerobatics.

I think I would agree that the Great Planes Rapture is a better looking plane, and I'll attest to the super ability of Great Planes kits to build easily and to assure that things come out straight and true, BUT... even Great Planes doesn't choose the Rapture for this purpose... their recommendation for your purpose is the Easy Sport -- a way less accepted airplane than the other ones mentioned. My feeling is that the Rapture may be better than the Tiger of the 4-Star,... but for your second plane, do you really want to be the test pilot who first discovers whether it is or not -- especially when even its maker doesn't recommend it for this use?

Personally, I'd go with the Tiger II or the 4-Star.

If you go for the 4-star, check out this wonderful website:

[link=http://www.renderwurx.com/rc/sig4star/]Tom Pierce's 4 Star Customisation Page[/link]

I am going to build my second plane soon too and decided on the 4 Star after seeing his modified one on the web. I think his 4 Star is WAY nicer looking than the Rapture. I'm just confused as to whether I should build a 40 or a 60. From what I can tell, I can get a nice big 4 stroke for the 60 which will be usful in years to come too. I read that 60's handle much better too.

Hope that helps,
P.

If you're thinking about the SIG Four-Star-60, you might also want to consider the [link=http://www.venture60.com]BTE Venture 60[/link].

The Venture 60 is an improved version of the Four-Star, and it's designed by the designer of several SIG planes (including the Four-Stars), Bruce Tharpe. Bruce has been producing his own planes as Bruce Tharpe Engineering (BTE) for several years and turns out only top quality machine cut kits. (He's also earned some impressive credentials at the Nats and was a forum moderator on this site's predecessor a while back.) Anyway, think about taking a peek at the Venture, too.

What about a Sig Kavalier or Kougar? I know, they're sheeted foam wings, but (I hear) both are very good low/mid wing transition planes, and will go aerobatic if you want. I almost had a Kougar built a few years ago, was about ready to cover it when we had a an "incident" at the barracks. Nice building airplane.. a little more difficult than the Kadet, but not bad.
One plus to doing a kit is yes, at first it will cost you a bit because you need some tools, a building surface, covering irons, etc, but that's a one time thing, and most of the tools (and experience) you get will help you with mods, or rebuilding if first louie moves you out of your room while you're out...

Andy

One more vote for the Sig 4-star. I was never crazy about the way this plane looked, but after hearing for years about what a great flier it is I broke down and built two of them (one for me and one for my flying buddy). I will always have one of these planes in my hangar now. This is the smoothest flying plane I have ever flown. My buddy and I joke that we feel like we're cheating when we fly it because it makes us look like better pilots than we really are. The construction is only slightly more involved than a trainer, and with a few easy modifications it can come out looking pretty sharp. This is an ideal second plane.

SIG Kobra .25 size, you`ll love it. JT