Well, I was quite excited when I finally soloed for the first time last week. I have every intention of wringing every hour of experience I can out of my trainer over the next few months. However, even as I work on the fine controls and practice my landings, I can see already that the trainer, while fun, will only take me so far. Now, I am trying to do a bit of research into what type of plane would make a good second after a trainer. I figure it will take me a few months to get the money (probably xmas), but figure I should start looking now. Does anyone have any recommendations? I want to get a plane to start into aerobatics, but not sure where to start.

the search is your friend, there are lots of threads on second planes.

Four star series is a good choice

Welcome to RCU. Great place with a lot of info and good advice.

I agree, do a search for "second plane" or something like that. It's been covered dozens of times in the past, but the Sig Four Star 40 is a good choice, as is the Goldberg Tiger 2 or the Great Planes Super Sportster. (Some will say the Sportster is too much, but it was my second plane and I did fine with it.)

Good luck with whatever you choose.
Dennis-

get a u-can-do, it will do anything, i just wish i trained on one, lols..........

Depends on how comfy you are, but even the ultra stick could be a good choice.

I was also going to say look at the Goldberg Tiger 60, but another person already said soemthing very similar. Hey, now you have two recommendations for that (type) plane.

BRAVO!!!!
To many newbies solo, then jump into a 2nd plane!
Get all you can with what you got is the right track.
Speaking from experience, I think poor boy fliers like us advance faster because we have to!

If Xmas is your goal, I would not bother with the 4star, you will get bored with it to fast.
It flys just like your trainer. A U-Can-Do is to fragile for a 2nd plane.
But a Sig Somthin' Extra or a Hanger9 Twist will be great!
If you just want to fly, put what they say to put on the firewall.
But if you want to start learning 3D, put 50% more on, even a 4stroke.
The Somthin' Extra will hover with a 46 Irvine, but you will be at the top of the power-band.

Darwin Storm:

I wouldn't worry about your second plane just yet....you just soloed last week and a trainer can actually be alot of relaxing fun once you have alot of stick time under your belt. In our small flying group there is usually 8-10 of us out at the airport (yes it's a REAL airport with a 5000 foot x 60 foot paved runway) on any given saturday or sunday and of all the planes and heli's there are normally 5-6 trainers there. Of all the guys flying there the ones with the most stick time (just about 3 1/2 years now) are still playing around with the trainers. Increase the control surface travel - take the dihedral out of the wing - convert it to a tail dragger all good options to make a trainer perform a bit different and keep you interested in flying it. Don't be so quick to give up on a trainer and move onto other faster better handling planes....after all it IS a trainer.

Madd_Maxx

Good point. It seems too many people today are in a hurry to advance to that second plane. Then they end up crashing it within a month (or less) because they weren't really ready.

Your trainer is capable of a lot more than you might think. I'll usually show my students that their trainer CAN fly inverted circuits, and split S's, and cuban 8's, and with sufficient power, outside loops. And that's with a stock trainer. Increasing the throws and reducing the dihedral makes them even more aerobatic.

Don't be afraid to fly the wings off the trainer before moving on.
Dennis-

I have an ultrastick for a my 2nd plane and I am very satisfied,has some of the qualities of a trainer such as stable easy landings but can really go once you get used it.

Phoenix Models Cap 232 or the Sukhoi [>:]

Dont sell your trainer yet...hehehe