Rogerbeep

Hi! I'm new to the hobby. there are to many trainers available. Help me chose the best trainer which has the best looks, flight characteristics, and quality. While you are picking me a trainer feel free to recommend a engine as well.

exeter_acres

My Feedback: (2)

LT-40.... easy to build ....VERY DURABLE... (don't ask me how I know but a no wing, lawn dart landing and just need about 15 minutes of fix time!)

and fun to fly

BlenderBender

I trained on the Hobbico Hobbistar 60 MK.III .... has a Semi-Symmetrical wing allows a little more advanced feel when you get to that point.... I still have the plane and it is still a baby to fly... very sweet!

John

bassmanh

My Feedback: (5)

RCM TRAINER


hello all,
well my first couple flights were on a GP PT-40 that a friend had and then he helped me to find a plane we found that the RCM trainer had a deal going buy the plane and get the .40 magnum engine for free. well being money challenged at the time we decided to try it and boy am i ever glad i did it is an easy to put together ARF that is very well made and FLIES AWESOME. it flys as well as the PT-40 if not better than the PT-40. and while i was learning it took quite a beating with hard landings and such and only had a bet nose wheel to show.

now after over 2 years of flying i still have my RCM TRAINER and am planning on converting it to electric for a fun nock around plane.

BUT OVER ALL I HAVE WATCHED MANY PEOPLE COME TO THE FIELD WITH ALL TYPES OF TRAINERS AND THEY ALL FLEW WELL AND WERE BUILT WELL. THEY ALL DO WHAT THEY ARE MADE TO, TEACH YOU TO FLY AND GET YOU OUT TROUBLE IF NEEDED


good luck with which ever you choose and have a blast because it is a fun and addictive sport to get into!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


bassman

hookedonrc

My favorite is the Avistar, which is not on the list. With a OS46fx, semi symetrical wing, and good, tough construction, I would start again with the same plane.

jester125

LT-40 flys by itself. Just solo'ed on mine last week, awesome trainer!
,
Chris

Rubberduck

My trainer isn't on the list...

Rogerbeep, you've hit the nail on the head, there are too many different types of trainers to pick from. I recommend going to your LHS to see what they sell/recommend and also do the same with your local r/c club. Your chances of success increase if you're around people who know your airplane and can assist you with your new ventures into this hobby.

Primodus

My Feedback: (56)

You have to include the Nexstar in that list as well. It is highly popular and well suited to it's task. There are many suitable "trainer" style aircraft that will do the job. I can't say I have heard more on any of them than the LT-40 though.

britbrat

I have three favorites -- all them from Hobbico & any one of them will do the training job superbly. Superstar, Avistar & Nexstar.

The Superstar is a beautifull balance of sensitivity & stability in a conventional trainer. It is suitable for rank beginners, but it can be flown to a high standard of performance by experienced pilots, & it is reasonably easy to bash into a highly capable aerobat. It is big & easy to see, plus it is tough & inexpensive.

The Avistar is an amazingly versatile "trainer" that is suitable for reasonably competent beginners & experts alike. This is a really capable aerobatic model & it is also tough & inexpensive.

The Nexstar, IMHO, is the best all-rounder of the bunch. It covers all of the bases in student pilot ability, from sheer ineptitude to highly co-ordinated "natural" ability. It is large & easy to see, it looks very realistic, it is beautifully made (for an ARF), it comes with a killer motor & it is easily adaptable to higher performance configurations.

FLYBOY

My Feedback: (11)

Its another one of those "really doesn't matter" things. Get the one you like the best, do a good job putting it to gether and it will fly just fine. Its going to be your bird, get the one that fits your personality.

bubbagates

My Feedback: (32)

Rodger,

My favorite was the LT-40. Solid as a rock, and with the OS46AX turning an APC 11X5 on it plenty of power and nice and slow landing speeds.

Turn it into a taildragger when you are ready and change the prop to a 12.25X3.75 and the [X(] factor really goes up.

DBCherry

My Feedback: (4)

Rogerbeep,

Pretty much all trainers today fly well, are built reasonably well, and will do the job. You'll find that most people recommend the trainer they learned on simply because there really isn't a "best".

As for engines, that's a different story. But for a good running engine, with decent power, I'd recommend the Thunder Tiger 46 PRO. Reliable, fair price, and will work well in a second, low wing sport plane.

Good luck and welcome to RCU.
Dennis-

Test005

I'm with Flyboy and DBCherry on this one.
I think if you'd rack up 10 of the most common trainers and do the pepsi challenge, you, as a beginner would have very hard time to tell them apart.
Besides some having a flat wingprofile and some a semi-symetrical wing, I don't think there's that big of a diffrence in flight characteristics.
Of course the build quality and hardware package will differ slightly, but if you find a 40 size trainer bird you like from any recognized manufacturer for a descent price, go for it.
And yep, you won't go wrong if you choose to power it with the very-good-bang-for-the-buck Thunder Tiger .46-PRO swinging an 11X5 APC.

And if in doubt, use the search function, there's a least 10.000 "Which plane for beginner" threads in this forum

raideron

My Feedback: (1)

I agree, Most trainers will do a great job in learning to fly. Semi-symetrical wing
trainers will also take your learning cruve a little further. which was my reason for
getting the Avistar.. Good price, quality and takes quite a bit of punishment and
still flys great.

CRFlyer

I agree that most any trainer would be good, however my biggest problem is that you only put ARF's on your list. I know I will take a lot of heat over this, but IMHO kits are better and when you are finished building, you have something to be proud of.

ballgunner

My Feedback: (1)

Best trainer for the longest time is the Sig Senior Kadet. No bad habits and avilable in build it yourself and ARF. I have assembled a Sig LT 40 ARF and it is a nice sport airplane and not too bad as a trainer.

flyerdarren

I'd say the Midwest Aerobat is a great choice as a first plane. If I would have known about it when I started flying i wouldn't have wasted the money on a "trainer"

Mike Bell

My Feedback: (6)

IMO also the Senior is the best.

YNOT

NexStar?

tailskid

My Feedback: (34)

Casting one vote for Hangar 9's Alpha 60 ARF (RTF is even better )

Jerry

nitrobasher

My Feedback: (2)

the oooolllddd thunder tiger mk2 was my trainer, and i love it. Its perfect for the begginer, very easy to fly and comees in to a crawl for landing

Torqued-Up

My Feedback: (16)

I'm with ballgunner and Mike on this one... The SIG Senior Kadet has alot going for it...

Like you, I wanted the best trainer for the buck, so I hung out at the local flying field to get a better perspective of what newbies were flying... One thing I noticed about the .40 size trainers is that most have about a 48" wingspan with a flat-bottom or semi-semetrical wing... They fly ok, but for a beginner they fly a little too fast and aren't as stable as a larger airplane... That's why I opted for the larger Senior Kadet...

The Senior Kadet has an 80" wingspan with very light wing loading... Therefore it flies a little slower and is more stable than a smaller airplane... The specs call for a .40 - .46 2C engine, but I hung a .61 2C on mine with a 3 blade prop... It will still fly fast if I want it to, but I can fly along at close to stall speed with ease... Another thing, there is NO substitute for horsepower... Doesn't matter if it's airplanes, cars, boats or women... With the .61 hanging out front, I can always get out of trouble by gassing it and pulling up... Important when your trying to learn to land... I've had to do just that many times while learning to land... Screw up an approach, then gas it and go around...

The Senior Kadet will cost you a little more to build than all of the .40 size trainers or "package" deals, but like anything else, you get what you pay for...

I soloed on my Kadet on it's second flight... It actually wasn't what I wanted, but I gave up on our local AMA instructor keeping an appointment... I buddy boxed with him once, then was on my own... That's a true testiment to the Kadet with the way I fly...

Regardless of what you pick, you'll can't go wrong... But IMHO if you want the best, go with the Senior Kadet...

Good Luck...

PS: I am in no way compensated by SIG to endorse their products, but if they want to buy me a beer, it would be ok with me...

XDeathReborn

After reading all the posts in various threads about virtually all trainers flying equally well, I bought the Tower Hobbies MKII trainer. 62" may be a bit large for most people, but it fits right in the car for me. I haven't regretted the decision yet. Flies good enough for me, but I really don't have much to compare it to (still a newbie kinda). I did try to fly my friend's Duraplane, and I do NOT reccomend that to the beginner flyer. Maybe I'll get disagreement, but I found it very hard to get that plane to stay in the air. I had to keep throttling it to get it to stay in flight, and the turning was very jerky and unstable. Maybe those characteristics are for aerobatics, I dunno. I do know it was nothing like a wide wingspan, high wing trainer. I believe the Tower Trainer gives you the best value, at only 70 bucks. I was able to fly it pretty well, and if I can fly it, ANY beginner can fly it

last12know

I agree with hookedonrc that the avistar is the best out there now for the money. I flew the wings off of mine. Then I flew it into the ground. I am gonna miss that plane. got a little too confident on the sticks. with the semi-symetrical wing it will do some aerobatic manouvers and still take off and land like the trainer it is.

YNOT

How about a plane that is not a 25 year old design.

Like a Nexstar. Designed this century. Once you fly one, you will understand. The NexStar is not an updated version of an old plane, its an all new plane. However if we are gonna thow in some old skool, I'll say Falcon 56.

Just disconnect that flight thing on the bottom.