Hey all,

When will I know when it is time to move onto a low wing plane ?

When you are comfortable with your trainer and ready for something new. If you're into building, a Tiger 2 is a great low wing plane. Very stable yet ready for some pretty thrilling flying. For an ARF, a Seagull Spacewalker. Just give yourself the tinme to get to know your plane, and then have fun . Really no more difficult to fly, or land than a high wing trainer.

I knew I was ready for a low wing when emergency situations didnt freak me out. When I first started, dead sticking scared the crap out of me.. It still does to an extent, but instead of freaking out I just keep calm and make sure I get on the ground.

From what I have noticed, and Im guilty of this also, people get bored with the trainer and move want to move to a low wing too quick.. They may be able to land the trainer with no problems, but they dont have the experience with dead sticking, stalling, and other problems. Thats whats nice about the trainer, has the HUGE wing and you usually can get it back to the runway. But in alot of cases some low wings have smaller wing area and stall quicker.

Just my two cents.

Thanks for the replies. I have dead sticked a few times already and have always been able to get it back to the runway. I haven't yet stalled out though. Currently I am doing split S, Barrel Rolls, Loops and inverted flights. I have a 40 size extra 300 that I purchased from a fella a while ago and its just sitting up in my attic. Would you say not to touch the extra yet.

Thanks

Mark

Generally an Extra is more 3d type plane. One of the main differences between a trainer and a sport plane is the response time to the controls and flying speed. The trainer is designed to be slow and laid back while the sport plane will respond instantly to your slightest stick movements and fly faster while it is doing it. The Extra is an extreme version of sport plane. An Extra stalls pretty easy and isn't very forgiving. It will not only do things your trainer can't do but do them in a blink of an eye. Its not a time to be guessing about what you did with the sticks or how to correct things. Coming from your trainer, this will most likely catch you off guard and get you in trouble "Extra Fast". I agree with going to a Tiger as a second plane. The plane has a good sized wing on it. This means when things get happening too much, too fast, you can slow the plane down and catch your breath without worrying about the plane suddenly stalling and spinning into the ground. Tigers at our club seem to stay with their pilots for years. Extras are usually gone after 1 or 2 seasons. :

Thanks for the reply -- I will look into an alternative low wing trainer and leave this in the attic a bit longer.

Thanks

Mark

Don't sell a high winged plane like the Avistar short....it can do just about everything many low winged planes can do!

Jerry

I'm going to take the other opinion here. [&:] The Extra 300 in a .40 size can make a decent 2nd plane in the right situation. In fact, this setup was exactly my experience.

I started flying less than 2 months ago with a Midwest Aerostar trainer with a .46 AX engine. On my third day out with the plane I was doing loops, rolls, split S's - kinda like how livinma1 describes above. I was coming around on a turn, nothing extravagant, but the wing snapped in half (the wooden spar snapped and Midwest gave me a whole new plane - great customer service).

So I was already without a plane (before Midwest replaced it) and I was getting bored with the trainer anyway. I wanted to get something sportier that would use my .46 AX, so I bought the Great Planes Extra 300S .40 size. With the maiden flight, she was very responsive to the controls, but I got her trimmed out and landed her safely.

With a .40-.46 size engine the 300 doesn't even really fly faster than the trainer. Leave it at 1/3 throttle with the rates turned down and most people who have soloed a trainer will fly the Extra 300 just as easily. And boy is it a good looking plane.

Before the 2nd flight I turned down the low rates to about 50% and found that the Extra responded fairly like the trainer. One difference being that it likes to stay in the direction you point it, whereas the trainer likes to correct itself. But if you can handle that, its a good thing because it helps you learn faster. My first and only dead stick so far was with the Extra 300 and it was uneventful (other than the engine cutting out on me )

One thing that I would also point out is that I played around on the Simulator (Realflight G2) quite a bit for about 2 weeks right when I was first learning to fly. I would say the sim had a significant role in my learning to fly quickly. I'm already wishing for a plane with more power... or at least a .60 size engine for my current Extra 300.

So the long and the short of it is that your second plane will vary from one person to the next. If you are handling the trainer well, keeping it under control during deadsticks, and finding it kinda boring, I say you could very well be ready for the jump to the trainer. If you just don't feel comfortable, choose a plane that is between the Extra and your trainer.

Good luck and have fun.

Splitwings,
When you upgrade engines on the Extra, I would I would recommend the Saito .72 or even .82 That will give you unlimited vertical performance so you can move into 3D aerobatics later if you want.

Either a Tiger ii/60 or a 4*40/60 would be just the right second plane. You are right to keep the Extra away just yet. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Mark Shuman

TPierce,

Thanks for the suggestion. The larger engine is a great way to get more excitement from my current Extra 300. Then I can go back and put the .46 into my trainer and either sell it or possibly get my brother into the hobby.

That would also allow me to wait until winter to get a larger plane. My wife would have a cow if I bought a 3rd plane right away. If I get one to build over the winter, I'll tell her it will give me something to due while the snow is on the ground.

Joe

Hey Splitwings,

Thanks for the words on the extra. I asked a guy down at the field and he also said its a nice second plane. I would say I fly pretty well.