I am looking into a second plane, and was wondering what are the best brands of these planes? i want a kit that i can build because i have almost more fun building as i do flying..... also, i am looking into getting something like a 25% edge 540, so once i am good enogh i can keep the plane as long as it stays in one piece...i want to do lots of 3d as well as IMAC because IMAC is big where i fly..... thank you for any reply!!!

-Phil

most people opt for a low wing trainer like a 4* as a second plane. Don't bite off more then you can chew

yes, i have read about that in many other threads, but my instructer thinks i can handle a mid wing plane.....his first suggestion was the sig somethin extra....i love that plane, but now i am kinda looking at something bigger. also my instructer..(with over 25 years experience) said along with the plane i build, he has a 25% edge 540 he said i can have till i finnish my plane.

If you are coming off a trainer you aren't ready for anything like that and won't be for a while.

if you're instructor is confident that you can handle a plane like that then just be careful, keep her on low rates, and make you're first couple flights on a buddy box. My instructor said I could get a U CAN DO 3D for my second one so i bought the .46 one with saito 91 and have yet to fly it. Gonna fly the trainer a while.

It's amazing how fast some people try to advance or move up to a hot rod plane.

You shouldn't even be building a 4* untill you can fly inverted with your trainer.

Learn to fly your trainer inverted. Learn to do rolling circles with it. Yes- you can do rolling circles with a trainer. It's not pretty, but you learn how to use the rudder and power to manage the plane. Now learn to rolling circles in the opposite direction. Deadstick it from ANYWHERE in the field. Deadstick it in the weeds on purpose. Learn to handle the plane at a near stall. Learn to handle it at a stall. Learn how to magane throttle for altitude and just generally fly the trainer untill you can almost do it with your eyes closed and you NEVER have a close call anymore.

THEN your ready for a 4*.

Fly for a few years and get 3 or 4 low wing planes under your belt and THEN tackle a 25% Edge or Extra.

Trust me- you'll crash fewer planes and have a lot more fun in the long run.

I've seen quite a few guys jump from a trainer to a 40 or 60 size aerobatic plane. They go from the LT-40 to a 40 size Extra or 60 size Cap 232. 100% of them smack it within a couple of weeks and they go away sad.

Why not progress through the hobby at a more reasonable rate? Fly a LOT of different planes and learn how different wings stall and behave. You aren't really doing yourself any favors by tackling a hot rod plane like that so fast. There's a lot you still don't know about flying and crashing planes.

I'm not saying you can't fly it. Hell, go for it! But, when you loose a few thousand $$$ worth of Extra or Edge and you get kinda down with the hobby, go and get a 4* and start having fun again.

Just an opinion

In my opinion...

I think you should try something like an Ultra Stick before moving on to aerobats. Most people won't believe what you can learn from these planes. And fly it A LOT...Get used to it...get crazy with it. Learn how to react in different situations, until it becomes habit. Then fly some more...THEN move up to something else...

Again, it's just my opinion...

Mark

Try the Seagull Edge from Horizon.
As far as an extra Great Planes has several that may work.

yea, I would have to agree with them. I went from a trainer to a 4* .60, and I didn't do that untill I could hover my trainer for 7-8 seconds, next I plan on going to a plane someone gave me called The Hammer, and I worried about that because it is a .25 size pattern plane

I do agree with most of what was said, but some people are ready to move up quicker than others.

I am not trying to toot my own horn, rather give an example of my progression:

About 8 years ago, I got a Goldberg Electra. I had an experienced pilot help me on the first 2 flights, then I was able to solo it. Had about 20 flights before I lost it due to dis-orientation due to darkness.

About 3 months later, had one sailplane, a Dynaflite Wanderer. 2 flights and the wing snapped. My fault for not building it properly.

2 years after that - bought and built another Goldberg Electra. Had 5 flights on it before a friend corkscrewed it into the ground.

Fast forward to fall 2003 - flew an Aerobird for a while before it finally died from crashing too much.

March 2004 - Completed a Thunder Tiger Trainer .25 - soloed it for the maiden, without incident. Compiled about 13-15 flights before the engine would not run well(I now believe there is an air leak somewhere, but it's sitting on the shelf anyways).

April 2004 - Bought a friend's Modeltech Magic after he let me fly it. I was able to handle it with no problem and after about 10 flights it met up with a soccer goalpost. I did have one crash with it, trying to fly inverted, got my thumbs reversed.

Completed my UCD .46/Saito .91 in the last week of May 2004. Maidened it on May 23rd. As of this afternoon, I have 64 flights on it. One crash due to me trying to harrier very low. I have also had the gear rip out about 6 or 7 times on not so smooth landings, and I tore the rudder hinges trying to do an inverted tail drag on the grass. I can do blenders, waterfalls, harriers(well everyone knows the UCD harriers like junk), low inverted flight, knife edge, and some limited hovering and torque rolling.

Had a .40 size H9 Cap 232, with a gutless Magnum .46(pirated out of the deceased Magic). I didn't like the way it flew after about 6 flights, so I sold it.

I have a Parkzone F-27 that I like to bomb around in my front yard with. Crashed it several times, more due to my own stupidity than anything.

I have a H9 Funtana .90 waiting for an engine, otherwise completed.

I will recieve my newest plane, a Wild Hare 28% Edge 540 sometime this week.

I don't believe that I am typical of the averege modeler. Some people take a lot longer to pick things up, and I have seen guys fly a 4* for months and not be able to handle it. I think that there are a few out there who could, even without a lot of stick time, jump to something aerobatic(above the level of a 4*, Super Sportster etc) and fly it successfully.

All I can say is if you think you can't handle it, don't do it! First time I flew the UCD, my knees were shaking, I was that nervous. Everything else I had flown was high wing, and I was worried that this thing would be so unstable that I couldn't keep it in the air. Not to mention I was maidening it without any help or a buddy box. Turned out I handled it fine and subsequent flights I became much more relaxed. If you have the confidence to do it, go ahead and do so. However, be warned that you could be in for a handfull, or worse a pile of firewood. Others here that advise you to take a smaller leap, are doing so from experience, either their own or from something they've seen. I myself do not recommend that you make such a big leap to an Edge or Extra, due to the fact that I'll assume you're like an averege person learning RC.

I guess I sound contradictory, but I take issue with some that say an aerobat-capable airplane such as a 3D mid-wing is a bad choice for a second airplane. Turned down to low rates, a Funtana or a UCD is docile with their light wingloading, and will allow the pilot to grow far beyond what a more limited low-winger would allow. The only thing they don't possess is self-righting charachteristics(anyone competent with a trainer should have this skill down anyways).


Good luck whatever you choose to do.

The only thing I would add is that Magics and UCDs have low wing loading, just like you said, however, edges and extras don't. I don't think there's a whole lot of difference between a trainer and a .46 UCD, but there's much more difference between a UCD and a 28% Edge or Extra!! Granted, larger planes are easier to fly, but you still have to get used to them. They are not the same as a .40 sized trainer. I think that's a big leap. Even small edges especially, drop when coming in to land too slow, they tip stall and snap if given too much elevator throw. They are just harder to handle, and I haven't even flown the big ones much. Just my opinion.

Hello all,
I was just reading thru here and couldn't resist this. Maybe I'm reading this wrong or something. What do you mean by not tooting your own horn? Sounds like you crashed everything you've had with the exeption of the plane with no engine yet. Like I said, maybe I am reading wrong, but maybe you're not the best person to get advise from on 2nd, 3rd or any plane. Other than that, have a nice day.

When I started flying, I went from a Seniorita to a thunder Tiger P-51 to a Kaos, HOB P-51, then a GP Cap 232 all within 1 year. I have added to my collection extensively since then, and all the above mentioned are still flying. Not everyone progresses at the same rate but you might surprise us all. I would still recommend a better first low wing plane. By the way, if you come across a 25% Edge KIT, I want one too.

Probably not what you want to hear, but I would also advise a different plane for a second. I have seen many want to move to an extra or an edge as a second, and they crash shortly there after. One guy built another edge as his third and crashed it quickly and then quit citing expense as his problem. It was more of a problem of being in way over his head. If you move to a plane that snaps easy as a second, you won't have the experience to know what to do and WILL crash it sooner than later.

The somethin extra will teach you a great deal and isn't so big. If you get a large edge or extra and get behind it, which you will, you stand the chance of hitting someone or something trying to save it from a crash and flying it into the pits or other.

I know it looks easy, but if you try to jump too fast, you could get in way over your head. I would suggest getting on the sim if you have to have a plane like that and learn to throw the high performance planes around on high rates at slow speeds so you get used to how to get out of situations the torque is going to put you in. Stick time is the only way you will ever get good enough to fly those. The more stick time you get, the better you will be.

Don't get in over your head.

I'll second What FLYBOY said...........somethin extra, 4*, Venture, etc, etc. Be Safe, and have fun flying.

A trainer to a low wing offers many learning challenges. The most prdominant is the speed increase, second it the fact that the plane tends to stay in the same orientations as where you left it. The plane does not help you out a lot but this is something that can be easily learned. The 3d planes have a whole lot of other traits that come with them. You are flying an overpowered aircraft that can literally fly itself apart if you throttle up too high,( the large aeilerons will flutter at high speed and tear apart the plane). 3d planes transition from normal flying on the wing to below stall speed flying on the engine. When you fly slow you have to gauge if you are going to use more rudder to turn the plane or throttle the engine for more thrust over the surface. I have not even started mastering some of the finer points of control. The more I learn the more I realize how much more I need to learn. 3d airplanes are really fun but you should really learn the finer points of handling a low wing especially in winds above 12 mph and especially in cross wind conditions