What is the most inexpensive place to buy a nexstar. I know a guy who said he got his for 300 I might ask him where he got it because it looks like the best price i find on the web is like 400. Anyone have a used one they have graduated from they want to sell?

let me know,
nutsch

IMHO, stay away from the NexStar. The AFS is a piece of junk that will cause many more problems than it is worth. Most people who have this plane turn the AFS off VERY QUICKLY. Do a search here on NexStar, especially the AFS, and you will understand better.

Yeah, i dont feel the Nexstar is worth the 400 bucks..... if everyone ends up taking off the AVS or whatever the hell is it, and the speed brakes, and the Wing Extensions, thats alot of stuff you're not using yet you paid for. Look into aircraft make by Hangar 9, Great Planes, Sig, or other Hobbico planes. They all have much better trainers than the Nexstar and will be worth it in the long run when you realize how much money you just spent on something you won't even use. Just research, theres plenty of information on this site to help you. happy hunting!

Yep, save yourself alot of aggravation and don't get a nexstar.
Buy the best radio system and engine you can afford. Then buy
an Avistar or some other trainer that actually flys well. Then get
an instructor.
Jerry

it makes me laugh when i see people saying the nexstar is not worth the money. my question to most of these people is have you flew it? did you learn to fly with one, did you even bother to set up the AFS properly. the nexstar is a great flying planeand really good for instruction. I have a nexstar and i love it for days when i want to take things easy. If you are thinking of getting a nexstar go for it. as was said above you could do a search on RCU and you will see most of the people saying things about it are either rookies that still have not even soloed or people that have never even flew this plane. There was a review that was done on RCU and it got a great review.

All The RCU reviews of products come out Great

The reason why is called advertising.

There was a thread about a year and half ago where RCADMIN the owner of this site stated that they don't publish bad reviews they give the manufacturer a chance to fix the product or they simply don't publish the review.
This isn't a direct quote.... If you are interested and the thread is still there in an unedited state you'll see the post I'm referring to

How many bad reviews have you seen? Probably none, except
perhaps in RCReports. Bad reviews result in lost revenues from
manufactors canceling advertising.
Heck, even the kyosho DC3 got good reviews when it came out,
that alone should tell you something.
Jerry

hey jerry have you ever flew this plane?. ok granted reviews will always paint a better picture but it makes me sick when some people say this is a bad plane especailly when they are rookies that have only ever used one trainer

Not rookie Paul, been flying for 27 yrs. Compared to other trainers,
such as the Avistar, the Nexstar wallows around the sky, nothing
precise about the aircraft.
Another thing, the AFS can be turned off but it still seems to
drain the flight pack battery much quicker than normal,
usually allowing no more that four flights per charge.
Anyone else notice this?
I'm not saying the Nexstar is a bad plane, I am saying there's
much better trainers available for alot less money.
Jerry

I've seen a NIB Nexstar on ebay for $300 when I was looking.. But
even though I never had a problem on ebay, you know you have to be
careful... I think I recently just saw one for $350 on ebay..
Though I never owned a Nexstar, And per say I'm not bashing it.. but the
two I have seen at our field, One by a old timer and the other a newbie
both removed the wing things and shut-off the AFS and liked the plane
a lot better after that... That's things paid for, and you don't get the use
out of it... Your money, Your choice..
I did fly the old timers Nexstar with the AFS on low setting and off...
I'd take my Avistar any day....

jerry sorry i was not implying you were a rookie, i was just trying to say most of the time people that make a lot of comments are and have only experience flying one plane. just because i like the nexstar it does not mean everybody has to like it, i have my opinions and other people are entitled to theirs

wow, ok, then I probably want the Avistar??? If not what do I want? Anyone have a used traner they want to sell that would suit? Where is the best place for prices on another plane other then the nexstar?

thanx,
nutsch

I've flown the nexstar a few times, and have extensive experience with trainers. Nexstar is a desent trainer will all the crap taken off of it. But why pay an extra $100 for stuff you're not going to use. A few people at the field were getting all messed up with the speed brakes and extensions .... after all that garbage was taken off, it flew ok. Nothing spectacular. Avistar is a good one, but be sure to have an instructor help you fly it. It has a semi-semetrical wing so its capable of more aerobatics than a flat bottom trainer, which is simply just for learning. I like the Hobbico Avistar, Hangar 9 Arrow for semi-sem. wing trainers. Flat bottomes, i like the Hangar 9's Alpha 60, and Xtra Easy 2, from Hobbico, the Superstar and Sig makes a good one, the LT-60 i think ...

No worries Paul, not everyone likes the same planes.
Nutsch, is there a local club near you? If so, it would be best
for you to contact them and talk to the local instructors.
Instructors, not hobby shop owners.
Ask them for their recommendations about the aircraft, radios,
engines, and support equipment. They can help you make
your choices (chances are, they will be training you if you join).
Many club instructors will advise getting equipment that is
compatible with what is being used in the area which can
greatly facilitate the training.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

Jerry

I have a Nexstar, and continue to use it even tho I solo a while back.

You pay for the AFS, the extra flight aids, the flight sim. If like many, you do not intend to use them, its too expensive. I never used AFS but flew with flaps and tips for a while. Its a very stable plane. If you feel u will struggle to learn, you are not too coordinated, dont want to use an instructor (bad idea), then this plane is for you.

If you dont want the extra toys, save yourself the money and buy another trainer.

jworosylo -- I'm a well experienced flight instructor who has hundreds of flights on dozens of different trainer types (I've been flying models for 55 yrs) & I think that the Nexstar is a superb trainer, particularly for the students who aren't naturals at this game. Additionally, the Nexstar has a semi-symetrical wing (not flat-bottomed) & with the flat-bottomed LE extensions removed, it is solidly aerobatic. It is a much larger ac than an Avistar & isn't quite as agile, but it sure isn't a pig (the FX engine is a great tractor) -- it is also much easier to see in the sky than an Avistar. I have, however, encountered a faulty example that wanted to do nothing other than turn right -- it was virtually uncontrollable under power -- Hobbico replaced it.

Like i said, it is an OK trainer. But you failed to mention how after a few flights, the owner will want to yank off the $100 worth of crap attached to the thing, therefore, losing that $$ right there. The Alpha 60 is a much better plane, its built better and has better flight characteristics. I do not second guess you're ability and experience as a pilot , especially for 55years, however, as a recent graduate of a trainer, i can honestly say that the Nexstar is just not as good as alot of the others ont he market, especially $$ worth. I learned by myself because i am not in the vicinity of any local clubs. If you use you're intelligent about flying, then you can do it by yourself. Granted, i dont recommend it to anyone, but it can be done. Therefore, i had to do everything on my own. I bought an Xtra Easy 2 because it was bigger than most trainers. If i had to do it again, i would get an Aplha 60 or Kadet Senior. Not a .40 size because you just grow out of it too quickly and the .60 size engines can be used for many applications.

jworosylo, I truly congratulate you on your successfull self-teaching --- this is no mean feat -- I had to do it too, a long time ago & I buried a lot of birds doing so. Re the Nexstar -- we have conflicting opinions, & that is not a bad thing. I like it -- you don't. I respect your opinion, & I hope that you respect mine. There are hundreds of different types of models because there are thousands of differing ideas about what makes a good model airplane -- & that is a great thing.


Regards

Had my first CRASH with a NexStar yesterday, post a couple pics. of the minor damage to it later. Been learning to fly with this aircraft for the last 6 weeks and it has been a great plane to learn with. Also using a Kadet LT40 Trainer, but I prefer the Nexstar for newbie pilots like myself. This plane takes off and lands very well. Inflight is pretty good for a trainer also. As most have said, AFS was disconnected right after it came out of the box, speed flaps were never put on the wings, and the wings set was removed from the wings right away. ( Was advised by instructor ) even before I bought the plane that it would be much better to do it now rather than later.
Great thing about the Nexstar is it flies very smoothly and responds very well.
--> Did a classic newbie pilot error though.......kept flying until the sun went down and...presto, it got to dark to fast and it ended up clipping a tree and coming back to earth upside down....

I hope that the damage wasn't too extensive. I agreewith you that the Nexstar is a great trainer -- it can do decent aerobatics as well.

I would like to start out by saying that I have NOT had any personal experience flying the Nexstar, and from what I have seen and heard it is a decent/great flying trainer. That being said I think for the price you could do better. This is what I would personally do… I would get the ARF version of the Hobbico Avistar for $100. I would get a thunder tiger .46 engine for $80.(this engine will really haul the Avistar around the sky at a good clip) I would get the Futaba 7 channel computer radio for $240.(a radio you can use in planes for years to come as you progress and your flying style changes)
Total price about $420

There are many good trainers out there, and it appears that the Nexstar is one of them. I just thought I would show you an example of what else you could get for a similar price. Of course, if money is an issue you could always get the RTF version of the avistar for $270, and still have a great flying plane that is a ball to fly.

The Nexstar select package is aimed at a very broad spectrum of trainee pilots, ranging from those who may have no support resources except themselves, to those who have access to instructors & buddy boxes. And again, ranging from individuals who have severe difficulty learning this activity, to those who find it easy to learn. The "extras" in the package have their place in this wide spectrum -- the flight sim is particularly usefull to all students, as is the excellent FXi engine. Those elements alone are worth a big chunk of the extra $100. The FSI, plus the removable anti-spin tips & speed brakes are also of value to a specific class of student. Finally, the airframe itself is large & attractive -- a slick piece of work for a trainer -- it is easy to see in flight, is stable and forgiving, yet is surprisingly agile when flown hard -- and of considerable importance to a significant number of modellers, it looks like a real airplane in flight. In my opinion, these attributes make the entire Nexstar package worth considerably more than the extra $100.

If you don't need the FSI, speed brakes & anti-stall tips, you still get good value out of the balance of the package.

How ya doin, I am very interested in rc airplanes. I have been lookin at this site and some hobbie stores in my area and i "was" interested in the nexstar because of all the extras that came on it. I also like that it comes with a flight sim, for me i think that would be good because i have never flown.. Is the nexstar any good, or no good?? I have read good and bad reports on it, now i am thinking of getting a different trainer.. thanks for reading and hopefully resonding
Jcedor

I bought a Nexstar as my first plane. I still fly it all the time. I love doing touch and goes with it. Sure you pay $100 more than some of the other RTF trainers out there. But you also get (aside from the AFS, speed brakes, and airfoil extensions) and O.S. 46 FX engine, and the simulator (which in my opinion, is priceless). Because of having the sim, I actually made my first landing on my second flight. I'm not sorry I spent the extra money. The plane looks great compared to most trainers. And i'm sure the AFS, speed brakes, and airfoil extensions could really help some people out. Especially if you're attempted to learn to fly on your own, or if you're one of the people that needs a little extra support to get the hang of flying. I'm happy with mine. I'll be putting floats on it this spring for our annual float fly. Can't wait!

i have been flyin for 11 years now. My neihgbore got the nextar as his first plane. I thought it was a lil pricey, but i think it helped is confidence level. if ur a new pilot and u feel the nextar is gonna give u that extra edge cuz it has the auto pilot, well then freakin go for it!! I personally think u will learn quicker with the nextar and be less lkely to pick up bad habbits. Im always open to opinions and helpin the new guys out I guess im just passin along the knowledge my dad and flyin buddies taught me over the years.