I've been lurking since January. Bought LT-40 ARF then based on the recommendation of local club members. Have .46 Thunder Tiger Pro.

I've been flying RealFlight simulator for 2 months. Turned on the wind up to 20 MPH with gusts - shot landing with all different angles of wind.

Last weekend had first flying - windy and no buddy box so just flew high and demonstrated that I had the fly towards me stuff down.

Saturday - nice day here - 2nd session with instructor - buddy box - worked a couple of approaches and then some landings. Not perfect but showed that I could get it down without being a danger to the other guys on the flight line. Did stalls, loop, rolls. The instructor signed off on me that day. I've had a couple of hard landings but some nice ones too now. No damage to plane yet. Forgot to tighten the wing bolts down on one flight - the plane was acting pretty flaky but got it down in one piece. Discovered the loose (1/4 inch or so) bolts and realized that I was very lucky.

Lots of hours on the simulator made a huge difference in the amount of time needed to solo. BUT it was really great having the instructor checkout the plane, do the first flight and trim it out, talk me though the first approaches and save a couple (thanks Mark). Flying the LT-40 is easier than the simulator PT-40.

The .46 TT Pro has plenty of power for this plane. Takeoff runs of 50 feet or so if I push it.

So - a great weekend - keep the advice coming - I used lots of the comments and suggestions from here.

Oh yeah - do all of you have funny sunburns from looking up all weekend?

Dude that's sweet.. good to hear... and yes... I have "racoon eyes" from this weekend also.. my wife has been making fun of me all evening LOL...

Casey

Hey Casey, Where do you fly from? I used to live in Visalia and flew from the Farm Equip show fairgrounds. I also flew from a small full-scale field in Exeter. BTW, Congrats!

Warhwk....
Yup.. I fly with the condors from the international Ag Center parking lot.. was a great day flying today...

smwalter,

That is great to hear. Sounds like you have it well thought out . The sim does help although you have probably noticed that flying the real thing is definitely different. The LT-40 is a great plane and when you are done training with it turn it into a taildragger and it becomes a totally different plane. There are so many things to do with a trainer after training is done. Do a search here on the LT-40 and grab a coffee, beer, soda, or whatever you like and read.

Some people use a bigger engine and tow gliders into the air, some people put bomb drops on them and drop parachutes from them, we have a guy that tows small banners for a local radio station, plus if you belong to a club, they are a blast at fun flys.

Our favorite thing at fun flys is trainer races, we pull the wings off so the planes will not take off, setup an oval track on the runway, and run heat races all the way down to the winner. It takes so much time as we get a lot of entries, but by the time it's all done, you side hurts from laughing so much.

These are just so many things for a trainer after training but as you can see it's tons o' fun .

Oh, by the way, congrats on the solo...[sm=thumbup.gif]

smwalter, congrats on your first successful flights!! Sounds like you are doing well. Now just for something to think about. I have heard more than a few times somebody suddenly yelling "does anyone see my plane?!?". This is because their plane got a bit too far toward the sun. Get a hat, make it a big one like the Aussie style that you can clip up one side or the other, not a baseball cap! Spring is just starting and you are just beginning to get in stick time. Sooner or later something is going to happen and you will find your plane heading toward the Sun. If you have the big hat on then its not such a big deal. The wide brim keeps your eyes in the shade and you can correct the situation. You can fly toward the sun if you have to by making sure that the plane is below the "brim level" of the hat. The wider the brim, the higher you can fly. No hat and all of a sudden all you see is bright glare followed by the sound of a crash!! Another thing, this hobby gets us out in the sun for days at a time and the UV rays aren't as friendly as they used to be. A wide brim hat will keep the sun off your face and your neck. [8D]I never train anyone unless they are wearing a hat. I bring spares so no excuses!

Congratulations on the solo.

Don't worry, the knees will stop shaking in a day or two.

Sounds like an "ATTABOY" is in order!

Congrats!