Hi all.. thinking of getting a trainer and have read through this forum a bit the last day or two.. I see alot of people reccomending the sig lt40 kadet as a first plane. Ive also read a few posts where people reccomended Us Aircore 40 trainer mainly because of its durability it seems and that it can take some crashes, I believe due to its plastic type construction?. Also the Us Aircore is about half the price of the lt40. Putting these guys side by side which is the best choice? And why?

Thanks in advance and I must say these forums are a great resource!

Be careful when comparing prices. Some planes are sold with all three major components included (airframe, engine and radio system). Others are sold with just the airframe. Generally, I recommend a .40 sized trainer for beginners. The total package will come out at least $300 for this type of system. You can get started with smaller planes, typically electric powered, but I find they are harder to fly, require calmer days, and generally are not as successful in learning how to fly.

like previously stated you have to watch whats included.

I don't wanna start a flame war on which is better. But i think starting out an avistar RTF with controller engine everything for $270 you can't go wrong, throw in a few feild support items and you have a good setup. Plus the avistar lets you advance into mild aerobatics.

I did a lot of research and settled on the LT-40. It seems to be very well acclaimed. Just do a search for LT-40 in the forums, there are hundreds of articles and just a tiny percentage of them are negative. I am beginning to frequent the local R/C club and all the guys rave about the LT-40s stability and wonderful flying characteristics. The local hobbyshop guys know the plane....there are several members building them now...its a very easy build, I am working on mine right now. I prefer kits because I love to build these things, but the LT-40 is available in ARF too. Either way you'll probably be ok....but with the LT-40, I KNOW you'll be ok. Just get a good instructor, it probably isnt quite as durable as the other one you mentioned.

The LT40 is 1 of the best trainers you can get and will work as a trainer for anybody. The Avistar is a great flying plane also but as a trainer it flys too fast and is too responsive for some flyers to learn on. Yes it can be slowed down but then you hit the throttle and get taken by surprize at the quick leap ahead in the sky. I have watched some do just fine with it and others have had to park it in the basement and buy an LT40 to train on. It does say on the box "makes a great 2nd plane!". I would only suggest an Aircore if you absolutely can not find a club with an instructor and are forced to try it alone. Ya the plane is tough but it weighs like a brick and flys like one. Hope this helps, Fast![8D]

I haven't flown the LT40, so cannot comment on it, but my favorite trainer is the Goldberg Eagle 2. I soloed very quickly when I started flying, and have to attribute a lot of that to the Eagle. It's rock solid in the air, and slows down ooh so well. Its been 10 years since I've had a trainer, but am currently building another Eagle just to have something to buzz around with for a relaxing flight, and to practice spot landings and such. The fact that my son will soon be ready to start flying is just another good reason to have one around.

I am going to stick my 2 cents in here.

The Aircore is ok as a trainer because it is pretty rugged, but it is a BRICK. It is heavy compared to other trainers out there. For a trainer, you want a high wing plane with dihedral. The plane, ideally, should be a flat bottom airfoil and have a wingspan of ABOUT 60" - 70" (40 size trainer). The TOTAL WEIGHT (ready to fly, less fuel) should be ABOUT 5 1/2 lbs (40 size trainer).

Much lighter than that and the plane MAY have difficulty with wind. Much heavier than that and the plane WILL have a minimal glide factor (In laymans terms - the glide factor of a rock).

The SIG LT-40 is an excellent trainer. There are several others that are excellent also - Hobbico SuperStar, Tower 40 trainer, Thunder Tiger trainer, etc.

With VERY FEW EXCEPTIONS, trainers fly pretty much the same.

If you have a taste for the classics, and are interested in a build, a Kadet MKII is one of the all time great trainers. The Kadet LT 40 is almost the same airplane, but with simplified construction and a little different arrangement of the tail feathers.

I remember my MKII as being a very forgiving, very slow plane that was just tremendously strong. A little heavy, maybee, but that's not always a bad thing. I have another MKII that I'm piecing back together and hope to fly next weekend. Always nice to have a slow, stable plane to fall back on on those days when your thumbs don't do exactally what your brain tells them to.....

Andy

Must be all that "cold/open beer"........ [&:]

I would recommend checking out the Realflight G2 simulator. Of course it's not flying the real thing but it gives you stick time which is it's most valuable asset. I flew with the G2 sim all winter and when spring hit, I flew my first gas plane. I went with the Tower trainer 40. Very stable plane and forgiving as well. I got everything I needed to fly for about $350. Have not crashed yet and have flown the plane 11 times. No instructor but I would recommend one if you are not familiar with the way an RC plane flies. Nothing worse than spending all that money and crashing the first time out. Good Luck.

Ive been looking around more and more after reading your posts.. the sig looks good but Im thinking now about the tower trainer just based on expense.. you can get a combo for about $250.. The radio included is only a 4 channel but im on a tight budget and was thinking of trying to pick up a copy of that real flight software.. I noticed you can get the sim software for about $100 plus or minus used off of classifieds on this site or on ebay used. I could go for the sig and not get the software, but im thinking maybe with the money ill be saving on the set up for my first plane, it would pay to get the sim. Trying to do all of this for under $350 to start..lol I know its hard but I think its possible. What do you guys think?

And thanks again for all your responses, your input is definately helpful.

Save your flight sim money and download the free flight sim called FMS. Ya its not real fancy but it works well and lots of FMS fans have created different planes that you can download as well. I have been instructor for the past 4 seasons. Once the trainers are in the air, there rreally isn't a "big" difference between them. The Tower trainer will work fine and nothing wrong with a 4 channel radio. I still have mine along with a newer 6 channel. The extra 2 channels are usually used for flaps and retrracts. Our field eats retracts for breakfast so the only use for the extra channel is flaps. Planes that need flaps are usually bigger, heavier, faster planes that you won't to be trying to fly for a few seasons any way![

Hey everyone,
I agree Fastsky, Once you get up your going to have about the same...same. The only thing I would have changed when I bought my trainer (last year) would be to go bigger. I would have bought a .60 engine only for the expandability and power. I bought the Alpha trainer .40 with the evolution engine. I love the engine and have had no problems with it and yes I have crashed it about 7-8 times, three drastically. I used some new wood and epox and went right back to flying a day or two later. As always More power = more speed, but the tri prop blades let you fly slower and land under more control.

Good Luck
Lefty
[sm=thumbup.gif]

I've flown quite a few different trainers, and the LT-40 is probably the best I've flown....although quite a few were also excellent. These included the PT-40, Superstar, and Alpha. In my opinion, any lightweight balsa/ply trainer will fly better than the Aircore trainer.......the aircore might be somewhat "indestructable", but if you have help from an instructor with a balsa trainer, odds are you won't crash it anyway. If you need an indestructable trainer, check out the SPAD trainers, flight reports seem to be better than the Aircore's.

Before you buy, I hope you've established where you are going to fly, and how you're going to learn. That's going to make a big difference in what you should buy (if anything). If you're going to join a club (figure another $100 for AMA and club dues, maybe more), you may find someone in the club with a used trainer and other equipment.

On the issue of the Aircore, understand that it's a kit. It's much easier than a balsa kit, but nowhere near as easy as some of the ARFs these days. On the other hand, the chances are high that the Aircore will last longer than 2 or 3 LT40s. Also, as you've noticed here, a lot of guys don't like the Aircore. What if you have to depend on one of those guys to teach you? It's not a good feeling when your instructor thinks you're a fool for buying the plane you bought.

So, check out the club before you buy anything.

I got an Extra Easy from Horizon Hobby. Excellent. I understand the Extra Easy II is also a good choice. I would recommend a 60 size plane, they fly better and are easier to see in the air
Good luck
Luis

Lots of different opinions! It seems to me that there are alot of good trainers to start with, so I think what I'm looking for now is the best "deal"..lol Maybe thats not the best way exactly but I figure its my first plane and as long as I pick from one of these trainers that most of you have mentioned I think I'll be ok.(plus I dont have alot of money to start with) I plan on joining the club and ama as required by the club. My only problem is the club field is about 30-40 min from my house. This isnt too bad, but I'm hoping I can find some free space where I can take my planes out when I dont have time to drive to the club field. In colorado here we have lots of space east of the rockies that is practically empty.. so Ill have to do a bit of research to find a good spot. My plan though is to use the club field when I can, but reality is I wont be able to every time..


The aircore obviously seems one of the most resilient to crashes, so may be good for me learning on my own.. but I think I will go with one of the other trainers since im hoping I can at least get a few lessons at the local field. I honestly would like to build a kit over a ready to fly but I live in a apartment and dont have much space, and I have a young son who would be grabbing at anything I left out.. so unless I sacrificed my bed(which I doubt my wife would go for..lol) I will have to be a ARF or RTF.

Ive been thinking about getting into planes for a long long time.. my grandfather used to own a hobby shop a long time ago and flew them and ever since then it has always been on the backburner. Another year or so I will be out of this dinky apt and on to a house in which I hope I can fill a garage up with these guys! lol

This may be a silly question, but im kind of dumb with this stuff as of yet(but learning)..lol These planes seem pretty large and I need to fit them in a compact car.. im assuming the wings are detachable on most of them?.. if not that will play a large decision on the plane I pick also.

Yes, the wings are detachable on every trainer that I've seen! (and 99% of other planes too)