I'm currently flying an avistar (very good plane by the way) that I've been flying for about two months and am beginning to look at what I want for a 2nd plane. I don't plan on flying it until I get REALLY confident w/ the avistar. I have it narrowed down to a few planes and would value anyone's opinion on them. I'm looking at a tiger2 (.40 either kit or ARF) or a big stik .40 (they only sell it as an ARF) or a tower kaos. please give me your opinions, maybe you can think of a better 2nd plane than I've listed. Please let me know.

You are flying a pretty good second plane right now. The Avistar can be turned into a serious hot rod that can entertain you & keep teaching you.

Remove the dihedral, & clip the wings by ~ 2" each side.

Convert to a tail dragger.

Install a BB .46, like a TT .46 Pro, with an APC 11-6.

Crank up the control throws.

Launch it & Hang on tight.

This will save you a bunch of $ and still let you have a blast while you are deciding on which direction you want to take your RC flying career.

Any Stick plane. Big Stick, Ultra Stick, Tiger Stick.

A Stick will teach you more and fly anyway you want. Fast, Slow, Aerobatic, 3D, allmost anything.

You can never go wrong with a stick for a 2nd plane.

I learned on an Avistar, as well, beginning last season and stayed with it for about half of this season. I think our approaches to learning are the same. I finally decided it was time to move on after getting proficient at spins and snaps etc. I could have learned even more but decided another platform would be fun and take me further. My take was to not mod the Avistar but keep it for fun and to let my girls fly it after turning the throws back down. I chose the Four Star 40 kit as my next plane but ended up getting a Super Sporster 40 at a swap meet and flying it first. Either would be a good next plane. The SS is great. It can fly fast and slow. It handles the wind very well and really is point and fly. It will more of a jump than the Four Star but it wasn't too much like I thought it might be. This route costs a bit more than the mod route but then you have two planes in case of a crash. Having a second plane makes me a lot more confident. :-) From what I have seen any plane like the Tiger, Four Star, SS, or stick would be a great next plane though. I think the SS is the best looking of the lot. The SS has gotten me really excited about aerobatics, I just ordered a Vectorflight Edge 540 60 for next year.

I second the Tiger2 or the Super Sportster. The Tiger lands about as slow as your Avistar and the SS likes to land a bit faster but not a lot of difference. Both will fly pretty fast but then so will your Avistar at full throttle. If you can handle that without sweating then either of the other 2 shouldn't be a problem for you. If ARFs don't bother you a World Models Super Sports 40 is very well built, inexpensive and wold be a good choce for a 2nd type plane. I would keep the Avistar as is and get a new engine for your 2nd. Its always nice to have 2 planes at the field. [8D]

My vote for a second plane is either a Sig 4* 40 or Sig Midstar. The 4*40 was a good low wing trainer for me and also easy to build.

Tiger 2 for sure! Good planes mentioned here, but I would have to say from my experience not many have a WIDER range than the Tiger.

I'd say the Tiger 2. I don't have the 2 but I do have the 60 sized. I'm just now getting her ready for her first flight under my ownership. My best friend had her as his second plane before i bought it, he even maidened it himself as I will do.. He said he enjoyed flying it alot more than his trainer and while i was still learning he let me on the buddy box with it and I was more comfortable with it in the wind than i was with my trainer. He bought a UCD 3d and sold me the tiger. I have a Saito .91 in it which hauls it fine.. One thing though, If eventually you want knife edges and stable hovers make the rudder 1.5-2 inches longer. Another friend has a Tiger two with thi mod and it flies very nice KE's with a Vmax .52.

The best 2nd plane I think is the World Models "Skyraider mach-2". Do a search and you will see that everyone that has one loves'em. You will see I have a bunch of posts around for the mach-2 and think it can't be beat. Also it only costs 69.99 and is an ARF. You can not build a kit for that price and the thing flies just great. I can land the mach-2 better than my fathers trainer.

If you have any interest feel free to PM me.

Dave

You should also take a look at the World Models Rambler 30 and Rambler 45 (has retracts). They are both ARFS and exceptionally well made. The Rambler 30 is a floater, can be a hot rod with a BB 46, but lands at trainer speeds. Either one is a great 2nd plane.

Flying a Superstar 40 w/ an Evolution TPS (.46) and pretty much decided on a GP Ultra Sport Plus kit for my second plane and 1st kit. Hear they're great kits, easy handlers on low rates, with a very aerobatic side. Engine and radio gear will be transferable (+1 servo). Don't like the looks of the Tiger 2 or 4*, plus looking for something a little different.

the ultra sport 40 plus has to be the best plane I have ever flown. Very stable and forgiving and fast when you want it to be. Plane radared at 92 mph straight and level flight. Definetly a pattern plane. Install the engine sideways instead of upside down. Extra cutting on the cowl is all that is needed.[img][/img]

www.geocities.com/fisherofky

Thread Hijack!

what are peoples thoughts on the Thunder Tiger Lazy Tiger P-51 as a second plane??

[link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXAVN4&P=0]http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXAVN4&P=0[/link]

There are a couple folks at our field with them and they love them....

Hey there, try this on for size.

One plane I have not heard any mention of is the VENTURE 60. I had one of these and man did it build nioce and fly like a ***** cat. I was very impressed with the flight of this plane. And it looks really great too.

http://www.btemodels.com/venture.html

I really like my 4*60 for my second plane.

exeter, The Lazy Tiger P-51 is a great plane......but it can be a handfull on the gound (on an asphalt runway). The short tail makes it very succeptable to ground loops, and it has a tendency to nose over on landing if your flair is less than perfect. It probably wouldn't make a good first taildragger.

My second plane was a profile Hotts. That is the best plane I have ever flown! It is stable as a brick wall, but you can also do insane 3d flying if you increase the control throws. A must have for everybody I think. About the same time, I got a gas stick 10 from Global, which no longer manufactures that plane. I put a OS .25 on it and took out the dihedral. I was just as pleased with that plane and flew it for about 5 years. I would agree that any stick would make a good second plane as they are pretty stable and forgiving as well as aerobatic.

The GP Big Stick 60 worked out great for me. I also wouldn't chop up your trainer as a backup plane comes in very handy sometimes.

Wing-D:

I'm looking at this plane too for a second plane (4 star 60). I'm deciding on it or a Tiger 60. How does the Sig fly?