I crashed my avistar yesterday evening when i looked at something else for a minute. I looked back at my plane it was already headed for the trees and i didnt have tine to save it. I was doing good with it until yesterday. I want a new plane because i cant fix this one. It has already been fixed once but this time its really mashed up. someone said I should get a spacewalker but they are just too ugly. I wanted a warbird like a spitfire or at6 texan. how hard are these to fly compared to the avistar or the ugly spacewalker. I already have 4 servos battery and a receiver and a 4 channel radio. will I need more room to land them there than the avistar needed. nobody else flys there so I cant go by what somebody else is doing.

airpasta,

Sorry to hear about the Avistar. That plane is a good looking plane. Can't answer your question about the Spitfire flying characteristics but I'm also looking for a warbird plane. I think the Texan was a trainer and never saw combat as a plane, so I don't know if they consider this a "warbird"?

I know that GWS carries a Spitfire but Hobby-Lobby has a version too and it looks more to scale.

Nick

It sounds like you are relatively new to the hobby. How well can you fly AND LAND ? Can you land a plane at about twice the speed of the Avistar ? That is about how fast MANY of the warbirds land.

Warbirds are nice, however, MOST people can not handle them until a 4th (or later plane). A warbird goes where you point it. IT MUST BE FLOWN FROM THE TIME IT LEAVES THE GROUND UNTIL IT GETS BACK ON THE GROUND AGAIN. A warbird NORMALLY has very little (if any) self correction due to lack of dehideral. One moment of inattention and you are USUALLY in trouble. Many warbirds are difficult to take off and land and the majority are VERY SENSITIVE in the air and can tip stall easily. There are exceptions to this - the Bird Dog is a prime example of an exception. And, YES, a Spitfire is quite tricky to take off and land. The Texan isn't as bad as the Spitfire, but it is still tricky. Take offs and landings with a taildragger are a lot different than a tri gear plane.

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but here it is any way.

If you can handle a trainer (Avistar or similar) and CONSISTANTLY do very good take offs AND landings, I would suggest something like the SIG 4 Star or Great Planes Super Sportster. Once you are good with that AND can fly the plane to it's potential, then look at something that is less stable in a taildragger. Somethin like the Lanier 3D. Do the same with that plane. Then you should be ready for the Texan.

Without seeing you fly, it's really not possible to say if you could handle a warbird or not. But odds are against it. Most warbirds (the AT-6 included) have some pretty nasty stall charastics, making them a lot harder to land than a trainer like the Avistar. I've seen plenty of guys get ahead of themselves and plant a warbird just because they got a little too slow or turned a little too tight in the landing pattern. Half the time, they walk around saying "I was hit, who's on my frequency, how did that happen?" while the rest of us are muttering "classic accelerated stall".

If you think you are ready to move beyond the avistar, get one of the planes mentioned in the "second plane" threads on here. There are lots of options with lots of different appearances.

If you do get the warbird, get it up high quickly and then get to work on feeling it out at low speeds. Best to do your first snaproll when you have altitude to get out of it. Just remember to let the speed build back up after the stall. Warbirds take a while to get back to speed after a stall, you can't just hold the up elevator and count on it pulling out eventually like you can with a trainer. "a little up makes you go up. A lot of up makes you go DOWN".

Look at the World Model's T-34. Basically the same plane as the Super Sports 40, but with a different vert fin, graphics and canopy. It flies like the Super Sports, a very forgiving plane with trainer like characteristics, but that is capable of all the aerobatics that your avistar was. Very easy to land, very easy to fly. And the T-34 is a very nice looking airplane. And cheap.


Andy

BTW, I feel your pain!

Minimal pain here. They'll all fly by next weekend.
Left to right:
Eye level rolls were quicker than my thumbs.
First try taking foam glider up with plane didn't work.
Wasn't quite fast enough on kids' first try to take off tail dragger.

Sure was a FUN weekend!

The GWS planes are great fun with 3S lipos and a Speed 400 or brushless motor. Easy to repair, fly nice, cheap to replace, and they bounce.

I think I am going to go with a big stick 40 size. The hobby shop guy said warbirds are heavy. Has anybody flew this airplane? I was confused about the spacewlkewr. i thought it was another airplane that was ugly. Spacewalker is a good looking plane. I already saved 400.00 from moving yards and its not even summer yet.

When you first called the Spacewalker ugly, I was a bit surprised, but I figured, hey, no accounting for some people's taste, or lack thereof [X(].

Hey everyone...

Is everyone giving up on fixing the trainer? I have put my Alpha in the ground at least three times and broken about 18 inches off the front end 2 separate times, I have pictures if you like. Re-building the plane has given me more experience then anything else. You can buy replacement parts for 40 to 75 dollars and continue to learn. Buying another bigger better plane that you still don't know how to fly could end up being a disaster waiting to happen. I only know from experience. After a year of flying the trainer I just now moved up to a H-9 Twist with a Saito .72 engine. I too used the Realflight G2 system over the winter to get better. Just about anything can be fixed, a little wood and some epox, your good to go and continue to learn before you drop $400.00 and have another crash...Of course this is only an opinion, but one with personnel experience.

Good luck what ever you decide to do. BTW if you're looking to get ride of the left over parts let me know, my 11 year old son is looking for a rebuilder to start on. (engine wood radio servos etc...)

Lefty

[sm=thumbup.gif]

You could always look at the Great Planes P51. Its light enough for any 40-46 engine and has the Kaos wing. This means it will fly as fast as you would want at full throttle(for a first warbird) and then will slow down to a near walk for easy landings! Its considered one of the easiest warbirds you can start out with.

I am always very nervous when I hear someone say "I crashed my trainer today, I guess it's time for a warbird" or 3D- ect.ect.ect.

Not to say that you will not succeed plenty of people do this with great success. If you feel you have outgrown you trainer step up. I just think that you should always have help with the second plane. I hate to see someone build a nice model and crack it up on the first day.

A student of mine lost a trainer after about a month of solo flying when he clipped our local plane eating tree. A few weeks later he showed up with a sporty .45 sized extra. He asked me to set the engine and trim it out for him and I did. I then flew it with him on the buddy box about three times. He clearly was not ready (at first) for the quick response and the ability to get into trouble very fast. But he was getting the hang of it.

Later that day he approached me and asked it I thought he should/could fly it solo. (I advised against it) But he was convinced that he had the hang of it. I advised him to spend some time on the runway (since it was empty) getting used to the tail-dragger setup. And he did. I also volunteered to help him get used to flying and landing this model. (I'm always looking for an excuse to go the field). He proceeded to practice taxiing as I packed up to leave.

As I drove off I looked back just in time to see him on a take off roll, or a super fast practice taxi? The plane went up then to the side> and then he must have panicked because the thing was all over the place at about 20 feet off the ground.

You know the rest.

If I sound all doom and gloom I don't mean to- I am just an angry-typer All I really mean is that you can do it just be sure to get help when needed. Never hesitate to ask for assistance because there are always two or three senior pilots who are more than willing to help and fill your ears with loads wisdom at the same time.

Good Luck.....

I fully agree with getting some "buddy box time" on the second plane!! The takeoff speed and super quick response times of a 2nd type plane compared to a trainer will probably take you by surprize! If you start to panic because of this, then the plane is probably headed for a crash! Even a few minutes of help will make a big difference and may be all you need to carry on yourself! Fast low wing sport planes need to have your fingers moving faster than your brain. In other words you had better not have to be thinking about how to move the sticks or it could be too late!.[>:

The kid said he was getting the stick and still no one said it was a good choice. He sounds to me like he is working for his money too. I think that's pretty commendable.

I really think he should get an Edge or an Extra. Why should he keep flying a trainer until he can control it, when he can move on to a much more aerobatic plane and advance his skills so much quicker.

He said he took his eyes off it. He also said it was destroyed. I've heard from more than one experienced pilot who has crashed because they took their eyes off their plane. Do they need to go out and start all over with a trainer? You give good examples of why you should still be flying a trainer. Some people actually learn on big sticks. You make it sound as if he wants a 40% gasser.

Ya see, I take little steps.

Start off with a Superstar 40, repair a PT-20, fly that.

Build a 4 Star 40, fly that.

Then to a build and fly BTE Venture 60.

Fifth plane, a SIG Somethin Extra, build and then fly.

Someday a warbird, but for now I want to learn how to fly, and fly safely.

Zetor,
Yaah, but when is the last time YOU flew your plane in to K-mart?

Don't get me wrong> I fully support stepping up to the next level. It would be hypocritical of me to suggest that I have never been over my head (who hasn't) I just don’t want to see another person get frustrated and give up the hobby as many have.

I just suggest getting help. If you get on the buddy box and fly a hot model like a champ and feel comfortable than rock on. Remove the buddy box on the next flight.

As far as second models go here is a list of second models that I have helped students with. These are models I have flown with students and been impressed by.

http://www.brucknerhobbies.com/image...e/superair.gif

http://www.towerhobbies.com/products/towa2052.html

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXH756&P=0

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXDTM8&P=0

http://www.lanierrc.com/lrcprivate/r...tra300Larf.htm