I have just ordered my nexstar and I am wondering if I need to balance it. Thanks.

Well yeah.

Nope.

Only thing you may want to check is the rudder and nose wheel. Several of them are not set up straight. It is a very easy ajustment.

Being a rookie here......first flight was today with my Nexstar......after building the ARF the plane was perfectly balanced
when done.....luck ???? .....not sure but it was very well balanced. I am running an OS 46SF in it.

I understant that you always need to check them......but mine was RIGHT ON.

Hope this helps

Also......VERY IMPORTANT.....CHECK THE LANDING GEAR !!!!! As I said....today was maiden flight but on the second
take-off at taxi....right landing gear just came unsnapped. The Nexstar gear just "snaps" in. Well....had to take out
middle servo, hold the pin down with screwdriver....and applied a few drops of CA. So far seems to have fixed the
problem....but sure could have been worse if it came off at altitude !!!!!

Lucky Day I guess.

YES!!! Get a more experienced pilot to check EVERYTHING from spinner to rudder. This plane is known to have problems.

Dr.1

What do you mean "nope"? The balance on every plane, whether it be an RTF trainer or scratch built war bird, should be checked before the first flight and after any changes which might move the center of gravity. A good example is installing a new engine, unless it's the exact same model.

The NexSTAR 'gadgets' work. We have a student that has the NexSTAR. He said he was not going to learn with the 'gadgets' on his plane. Two flights later he put them on and is now a happy fellow.

The AFS system, well, I started with it but disconnected it after a flight or two. The problem with it is that it really does not like to be used in direct sunlight. If it's cloudy, it works ok, but I learned without it. THAT is a gadget, Chad. The rest of the things, the wing tip spoilers and speed brakes do work and do perform a useful function for anyone that has never flown before. And, once solo'ed, they can come off if the pilot wishes. Mine came off the week after I solo'ed and made a noticeable difference.

I have a feeling that some of the people making the above posts have not flown the NexSTAR and do not know exactly how good these 'gadgets' are for a beginner.

The NexSTAR 'system' comes with the simulator software as well as a complete radio system.

The plane is physically larger and slightly heavier than many 40 size trainers. The larger part gives better visibility than you get from most 40 size trainers, and the wing area is almost a third more than many/most 40 size trainers.

I flew both, the Tower 40 trainer and the NexSTAR. Both flew very well but the NexSTAR was a superior trainer. We had two people at our club that solo'ed in just a few weeks using only the NexSTAR and the simulator. It took me a bit longer but my instructor said I was ready after a month of weekend flying.

Yes, there are many great trainers. It becomes a choice made by the individual flyer. Talk to your instructor and see how he/she feels about the NexSTAR. Personally I give it a thumbs up [sm=thumbup.gif].

That all depends on if you have the money to buy another one.

One of the things you should learn right now is to ALWAYS check your plane. And by that I mean you should do a pre-flight and post-flight exam on it.

Yesterday at our field, a guy lost a beautiful bi-plane that he had just finished building. I don't know how much time he put into it but that really doesn't matter. He balanced it, but did not check the throws. He took off and immediately banked left. He tried banking right but that made it worse. By this time it was heading over the parking lot. He realized his ailerons were backwards so he threw the stick left which banked him right. He tried to circle around to land but lost control and it was totalled.

Lesson learned: Before every flight check balance, throws, do a range check. Make sure hinges, engine, gear are tight.

I even do a post-flight when I get her home in case I miss something during the next pre-flight.

Check everything. The Nexstar Select is specifically designed around the OS .46 FXi -- which means that any engine of similar size & weight, when positioned on the mounts in the same location, will give a C-of-G very close to the design spec. However, that doesn't mean that the owner of a Nexstar ARF can safely launch his bird without checking everything in sight.

Of the possible hundred plus Hobbico NexStars, SuperStars or AvaStars Selects, I have test flown and instruced on, not one of them needed any type of balance ajustment.

However I do agree that proper balance is needed for a properly flying plane. In the case of the Hobbico Select series of aircraft, they have everything placed to ensure perfect balance.

Interesting thing on the NexStar, with the anti stall wing tips and speed brakes installed, it climbs to the moon at full thottle. There is good chance that the elevator trim is not enough to trim the plane at full throttle. A adjustment must be made at the clevis to correct it. I have seen several "experenced" pilots start changing the balance to correct it and there is no need.

Right on Piper!!! Always check the balance, you don't have any idea who put that mess togeather and if they were having a bad day or maybe wanted to get even with the world, besides that is something you should practice with every plane you will ever fly. Who knows how many mice made a home in your tail and now you have a plane that is going to give you a fit. ( Buddy-- this is experience speaking, mice in the tail ), also had a battery shift on a students plane, that was a lot of fun. ENJOY !!!!! RED

If you ordered the select version it should balance on the rear cg mark without any modifaction. Mine did.

sand the paint out of the holes in the landing gear. problem solved