I am trying to teach my 14 year old son how to fly, and besides the Wingo we have tried, I was impressed by the nearly indestructable nature of the EPP flying wings. Can anyone suggest a flying wing that would be good for beginners? Has anyone tried the Toro 300?

Thanks!

UHU...flying wings aren't really beginner models. You have to be really easy on the sticks else you will dork it. I would get really good
with what you have now and then get a Unicorn or Wing Warrior. Just go with a speed 400 6 volt motor at first. Get used to it then
put in a brushless motor. Those are about the 2 best wings that I know of. I have a brushless powered 'Corn myself.

Dave...

wings, although durable, are about the hardest to fly. they have a very nasty stall chararistic, so if you do too much on the sticks it wings over and spirals in. they are also by far the hardest to maintain orientation in the air, also something really bad to have for a beginner...

Thanks to both of you for the notes of caution. I'll have him stick with the Wingo for awhile longer, then maybe graduate him to my easiest sailplanes. I bought one of the FMA Co-Pilots to help with flight stabilization, so maybe that will eventually help build his stick skills while easing my fears of another lost plane. I'd really like for him to enjoy flying as much as I do. Any hints from you guys that have trained young newbies would be welcome.

Thanks again!

UHU, for his second plane, you could get him a Multiplex Twinstar. Dual speed 400's and a high wing design. These fly nice plus, it will teach him how to use ailerons. Or, get him a Sky Scooter Plus. Another pretty good aileron trainer. After he is accomplished with that, then I'd get a wing. My first wing was a zagi and it met its demise very quickly. Very sensitive to
CG plus I had too much ego!!!!! I fly glow and brushless wings/sport/sailplanes now but I learned on a T-52 and a Sky Scooter before I moved on.

Dave...

I don't know why people are saying a flying wing is so hard to fly. My son has a non-powered combat wing and I have a zagi 400 with a standard 400 motor in it. The CombatWing is very light, practically indestructable and is easy to fly. We use a wing launcher bungee arrangement for it and when he was learning to fly, we only pulled it back a little for a short flight. As for stalls, they are very gentle and if it hits the ground after a stall in an attitude that would destroy other planes, there is no damage.

The Zagi on the other hand, would be a bit tougher to fly because of the power, but is still a good choice. My son likes the Zagi over his Alpha 9 because he doesn't worry so much when he makes a mistake!

If it were my dime, I'd get a built up Combat Wing (you can check their web site) and go out and have a blast!!! Once your son gets the hang of it and really likes it, the sky literally is the limit!!

By the way, I have been flying for over 25 years, powered, gliders and scale.

Good Luck!!!

Ken

Ken,

Thanks for the vote. Now I'm getting confused. So you're saying start with a non-powered wing for training, then move to a powered wing? Could you explain more about the bungee wing launcher? I have a high start for sailplanes. Is it basically the same?

Also, what do you guys think of the Jet Set Viper and Vertigo?

Allan

Ken,

Sorry for the double response, but I forgot to ask...specifically what Combat Wing were you referring to? I Googled and there seemed to be several "combat wings" available by different companies.

Thanks,

Allan

Hi Allan
The Combat Wings web site is http://www.nesail.com/detail.php?productID=764 My son got one that was complete with the Hi Tec 3 channel radio. The bungee type launcher is very similar to a high start, but without the string (although it could be added) and the way it clips to the wing. Their web site is www.winglauncher.com We (son and I) have used his launcher on both his Combat wings and on my powered Zagi and it works great! I am considering ordering one, but the web site says they are temporarily out of stock. By looking at it, it would be relatively easy to bend one up and use it with a high start.

I am not familiar with the other wings you mentioned.

I wouldn't go with anything exotic like brushless motors yet, they are relatively expensive on a plane that might get banged up a bit.

Best of Luck!!

Ken

Here is a better web site for the combat wings; http://www.combatwings.com/catalog/main.php