I am going to be buying a new trainer for my nexstar that i totaled. I am looking for something that may be ARF, i don't really have time to assemble one. I am also looking for something fairly cheap and easy to fly. Also i am looking for an airplane that in the future i can put floats on it and fly it out of my pond.

Look at the World Models Super Stunts .40. Big wing, really floats around, and is also surprisingly aerobatic. I don't see why it couldn't be modified for floats.

You might want to consider an Avistar, as well. Fairly aerobatic but easy enough to start one.

Andy

I second the recommendation for an avistar.
It is a great flying plane that is a lot of fun

Take a look at the Midwest Aerobat too:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=164

I also like the Avistar and have considered buying the Aerobat just to have another trainer. (Lost my Avistar to a mid-air with a bird.) If cost is a big factor, the Avistar ARF is less than the Aerobat, and even the assembly with the ARF should not be that hard to overcome. The Avistar is pretty easy to put together.

Avistar is a good trainer.

What happened to your Nexstar? Why wouldn't you get another one? I heard these were pretty good trainers...would like to hear your thoughts on this.

Were you able to salvage the engine, servos, etc.?

Avistar Avistar Avistar Avistar

Avistar is the way to go I fly one and my friend has one that is on floats in the summer
skies during the winter

I crashed my nexstar.... I learned on the computer with the simulator and i didn't think there were any flying fields around here so i went by my house. I flew this thing probably 15 flights without a hitch. THen one day it was a little windy and i was doing a steep bank coming around to land and either wind hit it or i had reciever failure and it flipped upside down.... I was going to try to pull up to just spin out of it with a loop and it ended up pulling up just enough to head straight down into a tree really really fast. THe fuse busted right in half by the servo tray and the tail feathers pretty much went down in pieces. The wing is actually in good shape, all in one piece with one hole in the wood, but many holes in the covering. Personally i think the nexstar flew sluggish and the reaction to the sticks were almost delayed in some instances.

I'll second that!

I had a similar thing happen to me a couple years ago (not a Nexstar obviously, but a Hobbico 60 trainer). My problem was that my turn for the approach was too steep and I wound up stalling the plane, burying it into the ground. Thank god for epoxy.

I had a similar situation, not in the crash itself, but just about everything else. I had a NexSTAR, crashed after flying inverted toward myself (had put about 25-30 flights on it) so I was in the market for something that I was not going to get bored with but at the same time, I hadn't "mastered" my trainer by any stretch of the imagination, so I needed something that still landed slow enough and didn't have bad stall characteristics. I went with MinnFlyer's recommendation on the Midwest Aerobat, and it was a perfect choice! It comes in almost just as slow as the NexSTAR did with the speed brakes and leading edge extensions off (it just doesn't float forever like the NexSTAR did). It is surely not sluggish in the air, it is VERY responsive compared to the NexSTAR. It can go vertical on takeoff with the engine from the NexSTAR (not unlimited, but very good), it flies inverted very stable (doesn't want to flip over like the NexSTAR did when upside down, and just flies like a dream all the way around. It has very good aerobatic abililities as far as I'm concerned, but take that with a grain of salt, considering I only have the NexSTAR to compare it against.

I cannot speak for the Avistar, although I hear nothing but good things about it, but I can speak for the Aerobat, and as far as I'm concerned, it is the "Perfect 2nd Plane" as they (Falcon and Minnflyer's review) said.

As far as not having the time to assemble it, I've already explored this avenue, and after your trainer RTF, I don't think that you're going to find anything even close to as easy to put together. I think once you have your radio and engine, from that point on your putting it together yourself, unless you pay to have someone you know and trust build it for you. The Aerobat, although you have to put on the control horns, servos, engine, glue the wing halves, etc. it is a fairly easy build compared to other ARFs if you have someone with you who has built a plane before (they will speed things up and have tricks for certain things). They say this plane goes together in about 6 hours. Not if you've never built a plane before, but it's not outrageous. I have no idea how easy/hard the Avistar is to build compared to the Aerobat.

The choice is up to you, but I really don't think you can go wrong with either of these 2 planes. The only factor would be which one is more aerobatic since they both handle slow landings and very stable takeoffs very well. I think if your wringin' out either one of them, it's time to move on to a fully aerobatic plane. Anyway, sorry for the long post, but I figured since our situation is so similar, my input may help you. Take it for what it's worth. Let me know if you have any questions.

Joe

You could be flying a Kyosho Calmato in 3-4 hours.
I did.

Backwing:
That Kyosho looks like a good airplane, and it does look like an easy build. The only thing I don't like about it is the wing bolts on. Unless it's a different design than the NexSTAR's. The NexSTAR had 1 wooden dowel that locks in the leading edge of the wing, and a nylon bolt that secured the trailing edge. It was supposed to shear off in the event of a hard impact to protect the fuselage - Good theory but it didn't happen. So for someone still looking to get into some kind of trainer, I would recommend one with rubberbands. Just a personal preference since I had a bad experience, but if my NexSTAR had rubberbands, it would have likely been salvageable. Other than that it looks like a nice, quick-put-together trainer. How aerobatic is it? I'm not trying to take over the thread, but I think this info will be helpful to poorkid.

Joe

It has two dowels on the leading edge. And two bolts at the trailing edge.
I prefer the bolts over rubber bands any day.
I had rubber bands on my old trainer, and it was such a hassle. But that's my preference.

It's pretty aerobatic for a trainer. It's got a semi-symmetrical wing with little dihedral. It flies great upsidedown, and will even do a bit of a knife edge, but I'm still working on that. Rolls, loops, etc... just fine.

I have the Avistar... I love how she flies.. My first flight was on 2/15
or so.. I'm working on my 6th gal. of fuel, The people at the field say
I'm doing things trainers should not be doing.. My pick would be the
Avistar!!! At $99 (ARF) and your 46 and radio system.. The Avistar
would be hard to beat!! Of course that's just my opinion..
I flew a friends nexstar with all the added goodies off/ wing things
removed... I'd take my avistar anyday..

R T W.. On your friends Avistar with floats..What engine does he use?
I have been thinking of adding floats to my Avistar.

Radieron

My friend's avistar that is on floats has a O.S. 61 FX Slightly more power than needed But a blast to fly Has been totally striped, reinforced and recovered

Thanks for the reply R T W..

I have an LA 46 on mine, While watching a float fly I saw a plane
about the size of the Avistar with the same engine and he had
some trouble getting it to plane.. So I was just wondering..
Thanks again

Oh.. Wrong thread... Sorry bout that:-)

What size prop are you using? My float plane is about the same size as the Avistar. I have a OS 46 FX using an 11x7 prop and have no trouble getting on plane. It is a little tought to do a loop because of the added weight of the floats, but it does get around.