I've come down to a few choices for a starter plane. First off, I'm happy to start with a 4 channel radio and i'm happy with a .40 engine. I'm just going to get a RTF package that comes with everything. That being said, i've narrowed these down to my main choices:
Hobbico Superstar Select Package
Hangar 9 Xtra Easy 2 package
Hangar 9 Alpha Trainer package
To me, all of these trainers have certain advantages, the Hobbico with the Futaba radio which I know a lot of people use around here and it comes with a 2-blade prop. The Xtra Easy 2 because it comes with a 5-channel radio, but its a JR.
I just want peoples opinions on these planes, experiences, pros and cons with them. I saw the Alpha in action and was a little disappointed with it. It seemed slow and sluggish (maybe because of the 3-blade props?), but this is just my newbie opinion. Thanks everyone with the help you have given me so far, i'm a few steps closer to getting a trainer. thanks!!

Your going to get different opinions because people like different radio brands and all that stuff. I would say The hanger 9 Alpha becuase thats what i had and i liked it.

well I'm not really looking for "this is what you should get." I have had a lot of people tell me that the Hobbico Superstar Package is a very nice one. I'm just looking for people opinions, just like what you posted. keep em coming!!!

I can vouch for the Hobbico Superstar package. The Futaba radio isn't bad by any standard, and once your OS .40 is tuned, you just about don't have to touch anything ever again. I personally like the combination, and everybody I've talked to at the field where I fly says I got a good package. The only thing better would've been the Nexstar, just because of all the 'extras' it comes with, like the autopilot/autocorrection feature, and the flight sim software, but that would've raised my price another $100 and at the time, I couldn't afford it. I don't know much about the Hangar 9 stuff, but I know with the Hobbico Trainers, you can also buy replacement parts (full wings, fuse, tail assem or the complete plane) for pretty cheap, just in case you happen to destroy it while learning.

My .02 worth.... I have 2 alpha's, they move right along. You may have seen a new one, one that didn't have 40 or more flights on it. Nothing wrong with the easy either, and you are right to wonder about who flies what radio. If the majority of the people fly the futaba, go ahead and use that. You may make a different choice later, but starting out, what you are learning is specific to just flying, not your "style" or whatever. They all do pretty much the same thing when you are starting out, later on you may make some changes depending on what you have learned with hands on, and the people that you learn with. There is no poor choice among the options you've detailed. Just have fun, keep your eyes open, and be safe.

I have the Xtra Easy 2 and its a great plane. I never had the option of learning with an instructor, i had to learn on my own and the XE2 helped me to do so very easily. HOWEVER, i think you should go with the Alpha 60 if you get something. Its a bigger engine, bigger plane ...... therefore more wing area for better stability and more power for when you want to move on after the trainer to something better...... The Evolution Training Power System is nice and reliable, but is really underpowered for the XE2's size. So i would def. look into the Alpha 60.

smoothyfp

Doesn't matter which one you pick they all will do the job.

I would also recomend the Hobico SuperStar. I have on, and I still fly it alot, and it is still good fun. The O.S. .40 LA is a fine engine for learning, and if you want to you can always put in a .46, which I did, And the radio won't give you any problems, just charge the batteries

Hobbico Superstar -- tough, responsive, easy to fly, easy to bash into something more exciting later on. I have a pair that are more than 10 yrs old & are still trukin' along.

The OS 40 LA that comes with the package is basic stuff & will probably need swapping/selling AFTER you have finished learning how to fly & have a solid basis for determining your future needs.

The Futaba radio is a good solid basic 4-channel -- it won't give you grief.

I think for an rtf package you would do good to get the tower trainer package. I think minimal money should be spent on packages such as this. In a year you will probably want a 6 channel radio. A couple of guys at my club have these and are doing great with them. The tower radio you get is nothing more than a futaba with the tower label on it.

Check the priced difference between the 40 and 46 engines and then buy the 46!! I have seen some hobby sortes where the price is the same between the 2 engines. The extra oomph can be very handy on grass fields or when the wind whips up and you want more power to get back to the runway in 1 piece. A lot of trainers come with 10 oz. tanks which is all you need for a 46 engine. If you got to try the same plane with the 2 different engines, you would not want to go back to to 40 engine after you tried the 46!!!

I just looked up the tower trainer 40 and saw that it comes with a tower hobbies .46 engine. Are these engines any good? The radio that comes with it, people say is just a Futaba with a different label, but what about the servos? This has quickly become a new candidate in my list, especailly since it has a little lower price.

I'm sure that this will start an argument, but -- I believe that the Tower Hobbies .46 is not a particularly good choice. The Tower radio is OK.

Since all of the trainers you mentioned are excellant trainers, I recommend that you contact the club where you will be flying and taking lessons from and find out what most instructors are using. It wiil make is easier to find a buddy box without buying one. Our club has the luxury of having three trainers, two use Futaba radios one one an Arrow uses JR so we have buddy boxes for both. Your club may not have the kindness of LHS's who donate trainers to their club, so you decision should be based on buddy box is available.


Terry

The Alpha is a great choice. We have had many at the field all were great the Evolution motor is a godsend to instructors. We don't have to waste time (yours and ours) getting things sorted out. You get lots of flight time and progress alot faster when were not messing with the package to get "it right". Do yourself a big favor find an instuctor and a club. Some will even let you try before you buy.Good Luck-Mike

Pretty much ALL trainers today fly well and will do the job of getting you to the point of soloing.

Most any of the four name brand radios will work fine (Futaba, Hitec, JR and Airtronics). Go with one that's compatible with your instructor's.

There are many good reliable engines on the market. For easy running, relatively powerful, and fairly inexpensive, I'd suggest either a Thunder Tiger 46 Pro, or an Evolution 46.
Dennis-

I've also heard a lot of good things about the Hobbico Avistar. Some have said that it isn't for a newbie, but i will be training with an instructor for a while before i try anything solo. Plus after my first flight this week on a buddy-box with an instructor, he told me (and all the other experienced pilots for that matter) that i did very well for a first flight. That has really helped to boost my confidence to get into the hobby. Its coming down to looking at the Avistar or Superstar, since they have Futaba radios and that is what the club uses for the buddy box. One thing i noticed on Tower Hobbies is that the Avistar package comes with a Futaba 4VF radio, whereas the new Futaba 4 channel radios are 4YF. Is there anything different performance-wise with these radios? I did notice that the 4VF's have a battery indicator needle and the YF has LED indicators (I would actually prefer the needle).

go with the Avistar man, great plane, especially if you have an instructor because you will get alot more out of it since it has a semi symmetrical wing

The only real difference is the needle and the connections for the buddy box are different. go with the old style that comes with the avistar as there will be more cables available to fit it at the field. The diff is the new ones use a sqaure connector and the old ones use round. so if you get the new style radio you will need a connector that is square on one end and round on the other. the old style will need a cable that is round on both ends, there should be plenty of these at your field

Terry

I would go with the Avistar. I learned to fly on a flat bottom trainer while another guy at the field learned on an Avistar with the same instructor. We learned at about the same pace, and when all was said and done he had a much more versatile plane than I had. I envied his enough that I bought one to teach my son with.

I would definitely go with the Tower Hobbies package. You will see no difference in the basic transmitter and all the trainers are about equal. The big selling point is the TH .46. I have two of them and they rival the OS .46 FX for power and reliability. You will not long be happy with the OS.40LA for its lack of power.

I purchased the Tower Hobbies package several years ago. Very easy to fly and and very durable. I still fly it occasionally with the tower .46. ( I would not recommend this engine unless you read AAAALLLLLLLLL the threads and be ready to deal with a finicky engine. A good 40 is just fine. I told one of our members , when I was just getting fair at flying, that I wanted a plane to do some aerobatics. He took my plane up , did a few nice loops , flew it inverted and greased in it. Lesson to me: its mostly the pilot to a certain extent.