I thought I knew exactly what I wanted for my first plane, saved up the money, and now that it has come time to purchase I am stuck.
I was going to buy the Nexstar select but now I am questioning it.

Basically I was wanting some advice from anyone who wants to give it. I am a Private Pilot but I don't think that means much in the r/c world other than I know the dynamics of flight.

The reason for my enigma is that I can get a comparable plane for about $260 instead of $399 and even get an upgraded 6ch futaba radio. But seeing as how I probably won't go to a club to learn (because of time and distance constraints) I don't know if it is worth paying the extra money to get the Nexstar and have a little more assurance that I won't wreck it as easily.

I have a bunch more on my mind but let's start with that.

Next will be will should I go electric slow fly or park flyer and then I can fly it more often and in more places.

Thanks in advance.

dsteyn

P.S. I think RCUniverse is the best R/C site on the net. The people and info are phenomenal.

training yourself, you probably have about a 75-80% of the plane not flying twice, even with the flight stabilization... (and yes, i DID train myself, but I started on a smaller electric plane made of foam. any damage could be repaired with a couple minutes and epoxy)

Thanks for the advice. I just don't have the time to travel to the nearest club often enough to learn for an instructor. I currently have a Firebird Outlaw which I forgot to mention initially. I am pretty good with it although it is frustrating not being able to use elevator or any other control surface other than the props.

Hopefully I will be the 20-30 percent that succeed.
If not well I guess such is life. Try try again.

By the way that is a nice web site you have made.

If your going it alone a plus for the Nexstar is that it does come with the computer simulator, it's very realistic.

Thanks Klunky,
Do you think the sim, afs and wing add-ons are worth the extra money?

One other thing is - the other plane I am considering is the Tower Hobbies Tower Trainer 40 MKII ARF with the 6ch Futaba Radio and the O.S. .46 LA. for a grand total of $270

If you are going to learn on your own, the sim is just about a must. It will greatly improve your chances of sucess.

Given your circumstances, the Nexstar is a good choice. Just make sure you have plenty of practice on the sim before flying the actual plane.
Also, the AFS system is known for being a little 'unpredictable' if the weather conditions aren't right. Aside from the AFS the Nexstar is a good package.

Another good option would be to get an LT-40 and an OS 46AX. This is a slow stable plane that would give you a greater chance of success than most other trainers....

The park flyer option could also work, but you can end up spending about the same amount as you would on a glow powered plane for something that's not a great deal more exiting than your Outlaw....

I've just purchased the Nexstar. I am going to train using the Sim for a good while (getting used to taxiing, taking off, flying the landing pattern, getting real comfortable with landings in all kinds of winds.) I intend to be very familiar with the Nexstar befor actually commiting the real aircraft. I will be seeking instruction from a good club and advise you to at least get with one for a few sessions at least. One thing I've learned here at RCU is that learing with an instructor is ALMOST imperative if you expect to have ANY success as an RC pilot. AS for the Nexstar, I 've researched and read just about anything I can get my hands on. The leading edge droops and the speed brakes work tremendously when it comes to keeping the plane flying at low speeds, such as landing approaches. From what I can gather the RC world is pretty much split on the AFS (Active Flight Stabilization System). Some swear by it, others decry it as a sure crash. IMHO, I belive it is of great value to begin with, because just simply letting go of the controls will allow the system to right the plane back to straight and level, provided you have adequate altitude, and from what I've read the AFS doesn't require a lot of it to get corrected. If you're like me, with this sort of investment, crashing is NOT an option and I'll take all the help (whether it be human or otherwise) I can get. One other thought on AFS. You can test it out on the Sim. It is available as an option in the software. One other hint Iv'e gleaned from my research is, if you use the AFS, don't set the sensitiveity above about 35. The AFS is pretty robust and will try to keep the plane S&L at all times if you set it too high. Pay attention to the weather conditions, as well. Read your instructions as they pertain to AFS. They will be far more clear and succinct about proper conditions than I could ever be. Good luck! And if I as a mere Noob myself, may be so bold as to say, Welcome!

Good advice Gringo. That was one of the pluses I saw with the Nexstar as well

Thanks

Thanks tiggerinva,
I keep thinking about the 40 like you suggested but the only reason I go back to the Nexstar is the "Newbie" features.

Good advice lionheart.

Like you I have also read everything I could about the Nexstar. I feel like I have the most research in on the Hobbico and now I am feeling to drained to research another plane as I did the Nexstar. That is why I am turning to all you guys. You guys are a great help.

Thanks again and Thanks to everyone who responds.

dsteyn - I think the add ons are well worth the money, although I never did use the AFS as I had not heard good things about it. I just have mine turned to 0. Another plus is no rubber bands, you just put the wing on with one screw. Between the add ons and the plane being the nicest looking thing out there I think it's worth it. By the way I don't know how familiar you are with setting the trim levels. If I hadn't had help with that there would have been big problems.

Thanks Klunky I'll be sure to check out the trim levels.

You should at least contact that club and go out for a days flying with an instructor. Just getting your plane trimmed out and having someone give you a few lessons your first time out will help.. Use the sim a lot!

dsteyn,
First, welcome to RCU. Great place, good people, and lots of valuable advice.

If you don't go with the Nexstar, research on other trainers is almost useless. From everything I've read, and my personal experiences with different trainers (as an instructor), pretty much all 40 size trainers fly alike. Of course there are minor variations, but nothing that will be recognizable to the beginner.

Secondly, have you used the AMA "Club Locater" page to find the closest club? Many beginners come here saying that there isn't a club closer than an hour's drive, only to find out theat there are a couple withing 20 minutes.

I also agree that having an instructor, even for the first two flights, will add about 20% to your chances of success. A good sim like Real Flight or Aerofly Pro, will ad another 20%. (Percentages vary by individual, no two are the same, contents may settle during shipment.)

Seriously, consider finding an instructor even if only for a day, and spend 20 or 30 hours on a sim before you go.
Dennis-

I've only been rc flying for about 2 months now, but I've gotten in a lot of time since I'm retired and can fly 5 days a week at times. Also, I was a flight instructor in the service. First, real flight experience does help, but not like you think. Air sense helps, of course. Flying a loud, little remote plane is totally unique and your experience won't help you at first. There are a million ways I would have crashed my trainer if I had not buddy boxed. Hell, I did crash it a week later! It wasn't real bad, but a botched landing cost a cracked firewall, busted prop, battery pack thru the floor decking, etc. It patched up okay. I bet you didn't teach yourself to fly real planes. These are real planes too, but very different.

As to the NextStar radio, that is what turned me away from the system. There are quite a few of those Futaba 6 channel radios that you mentioned at my club. I went ahead and bought the 7C. It is very different and much more modern without costing all that much. It is way easier to program in your planes. Also, once you have digital trims on your radio you won't go back to sliding trims. Digital trim remembers everything in memory and it is there the next time you fly the plane, or any of the 10 planes you can store. 10 planes isn't a lot. I've only been at this for 2 months and I have a trainer, a low wing tail dragger, and I'm building a kit now. Your hangar will get full quickly. Since you've flown real planes I bet that the trainer will get old fast.

The NextStar looks like a good plane, but the radio system is really stripped down.

I know that driving to a club is a royal pain in the wazoo, but I don't think there is any other way.....unless you get used to the idea of one time flights on planes. There is a nice guy at the field who is new too. He has been basically flying on his own for the most part and he is on his 3rd ARF. He has had it for 2 weeks and it is banged up already. He taught himself a lot with an electric plane and probably only had a few instructions with the club. I like him a lot, but I went the buddy box route and my first trainer is always ready to fly. I soloed the low wing on Saturday, but I'm only flying with an experienced instructor next to me for a few more times. It's that tail dragger thing wanting to bite my butt every takeoff. Crashing it is not an option right now.

WOW!!! Thanks for all the info. The more I read the more it sinks in that I should just suck it up and go out to a club at least a few times to learn.

I sure appreciate all the good advice and am sorry I can't thank everyone individually.

Look me up if any of you are in or come to Colorado.

Hi from castle rock you have two great options for a flying field. Colorado springs has at least one club and cherry creek state park has a flying field. You should make the trip to cherry creek some Saturday they fly everything out there including jets!

Good luck and welcome to the obsession!

Thanks mstroh3961. I have been looking at the Cherry Creek one and well probably go there. At least for a few times.