Well I had asked several times about my choice between getting a Multiplex easystar or the super decathlon. I never did get any answers about what ones better. So I stopped by the LHS and got the decathlon today after work for my first plane. I got it put together battery charged went outside and powered to full throttle and threw it. She went nose first into the ground & broke the prop & some other minor damage. This sucks.

Is it the ParkZone Super Decathlon? If so, let me know and I'll give you some suggestions.

Hi There,
Is this your first plane? I hate to be the one to say it but if it is your first plane a Super Decathlon is not the best choice. You need to buy a trainer. If you want to stay electric there are several out there that are great. Keep the decathlon for your second plane. If you can find a club using RCU's club locater or go through the AMA it will be of great help to teach you how to fly. Good luck, Jeff

Multiplex is ****, good luck!

Yes its my first plane[X(]. The guy at the LHS said it would be a good beginner plane to learn to fly with. I dont really have a way to go find a club and join etc. I live outside the cities in the country and am miles from any where. The only sim I have is FMS v8 & I have the super decathlon as a model in it. It flys like crap in the sim though. I can fly other planes alot easier in the sim. And yes its the Park Zone Super Decathlon that I have.

Nitro,
Try here http://www.rcuniverse.com/clubs and see if there is a club close to you. You can also try this site http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx . You may be suprised how close you are to a club or club member. An instructor would be a huge help. I am sure that the other planes you are flying in the sim are probally trainers. Even some areobatic planes like Caps and Extra's fly pretty well but they are not planes for a beginner. If you could find a GWS slow stick or a great planes Yard Stick these would be better for you. They fly slower and are made for learning. If you want a nitro plane any of the dozens of arf's and Rtf's are good. I learned myself hand launching a great planes PT 40 off of a big hill. It was harder than flying with an instructor but I learned how. stay above 40 sized if you go nitro. Have fun, Jeff

Sorry you're getting frustrated. I'd have to agree that the Decathlon is not a beginner plane, but with a little bit of care, you can handle it.

The first recommendation I have is to put your controller on high rates and leave it there. My plane will not fly on low rates and I've found atleast one more person who has this problem.

Second, make sure that you use very small control inputs; your thumb should barely move the stick. I taught my dad to fly on the J-3 cub and his biggest problem was learning not to use large control inputs. Once he got over that (and it didn't take long) he was fine.

Hand launching is not difficult, but it can be intimidating at first. Make sure the plane is at full throttle and give the plane a firm throw making sure to throw it level. I throw the plane about as hard as I would throw a football to a middle school kid: firm and smooth. Also, once the plane is airborne, just concentrate on keeping the wings parallel to the ground. Let the plane build up speed and it will climb by itself.

Finally, I suggest you check this page. http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=492
It has some excellent suggestions from people who know a lot more than I do. I did not change the motor, but I did change the prop and it made a HUGE difference. In my opinion, you *have* to do this before you fly again. Best of luck! If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or post them here.

Thank you all for the helpful replies. I would like to order some of the upgrades mentioned in that review. Can someone tell me what would be a good 2 cell lithium pack to get for this plane? I dont see a specific one listed as being tested in the article.