I've been out of this hobby for a while (chip Hide was flying a Dalotel and Ivan Christiensen was flying his summit series, and the Curare was the king in pattern) so it's been a while. about a year after I soloed we lost our flying field and I moved on to other hobbies. I had learned on an Eagle 63 that had been converted to tail-drager after a funfly incident invloving a rapid deceleration at the end of a split-s. At the time I stoped flying I was flying a Kaos with a supertigre 46. This is also the only plane I still have. I'm thinking about another High wing just to get back into the swing of things. I'm looking at either a Cub, a Decathalon or something similar preferably in a size that I can use the motor from my Kaos. I just don't know about the Decathalon, or a T-craft based on weather they would be stable enough. I'm not compleately new but it has been a while I I think the Kaos would be a little hotter than I should get back in with. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

With your past experience, I suspect that you don't need a high-wing model -- except maybe a Rascal or a Decathlon.

A Tiger II should do the job for you -- & make it a tail dragger.

I think I would go with one of the many cookie cutter ARF trainers raidentech has theirs on sale for like $40 check it out,,not a cub ....no experience but I understand they stall badly....Rog

You might consider stepping up to control line.

Hi kaos2,

I was in your situation a few years back and went with a ARF trainer and instructor for a few flights whilst I was building a kit. Once I had my confidence back it seemed like I had never stopped flying and was quickly back to the old skill levels (or lack of skill?).

Maybe it is because there was a twenty odd year break but I am now much more relaxed flying than I was in my twenties and thirties. Maybe its' the Prozac???

Good Luck and Welcome back,


Colin

A lot has happened while you were gone.

Americans have stopped building. ( most of them )

American kit manufactures have dried up and blown away. ( most of them )

ARF's are everywhere. Some are good and some are junk. (most of them )

IF you want a kit that you might recognize, you will need to check out Ebay. ( all of them )

There is a really great ARF trainer ( that I like ). Its called the Avistar. It has a semi symetrical wing. It handles the wind pretty good. A 46 will fly the pee out of it. The plane is docile enough for you to get your confidence back and yet has enough potential to keep you interested for a good while. They run about 100 bucks.

PS. There are several trainers that sound like " AVISTAR" .

Hi kaos2
Welcome back !!!!!
I went though the same thing. (out of the sport for about 15 years) I started back with a Hobbico Avistar. http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXPY56&P=ML ( advanced trainer with a Semi-Symmetrical wing ) It is not quite as mild as a flat bottom trainer but not nearly as hot as the Kaos !!! It's a pretty stable plane and can do some decent acrobatics. I had one of the club instructors help me on take offs and landings for a couple of weeks until I got my thumbs back and had no problems after that. Also bashed it into a taildragger while I was working my way up to my Sig Somethin Extra. Made the transition much easier.

Dale

My second was a Tiger 60 with an OS61SF. I still fly it except it now has a Super Tigre 75 with a tuned pipe. Great plane. If you have any experience at all, this is a great one to move into because it flys very gracefully, will do just about anything, and lands like a trainer.

Another one that is a good post-trainer, but could be used as a trainer is the Midwest Aerobat. High-wing with very little dihedral but flys like a trainer but a tad bit faster. Also is totally aerobatic capable, again, lands like a trainer but a tad bit faster. Mine has an OS46AX and flys like a dream.

The above are good choices if you don't want to start out with a trainer, yet have trainer-like handling with good flying capabilities.

AMA's Sport Aviator on-line magazine has a review on the Tiger II as well as the Aerobat. You might take a look at those reviews. I bougth the Aerobat based on that and on what one of the RCU moderators had to say about it.

DS

Another excellent ARF to consider is the Midwest Aerobat

You could also go with the sig four star series. I believe the four star forty would handle your engine. This is a very docile sport flyer that would also keep your interest up after you get your thumbs back. This is the plane that I used to get back into the hobby, and I was not that advanced when i left it to go to college.

I also agree with the MIDWEST AEROBAT, I have 2, one with an OS52 ( tail dragger ) and one with a Sato 56 ( Trike ) my first had an OS 46 till my wife got the 52 for me. I fly the CRAP out of them and also teach on them. They probably go togeather better and easier then most as they use the MIDWEST manual which is really hard to beat. You can see them at www.falcon-trading.com and also see a review on www.masportaviator.com. ENJOY !!! RED

I`ll second the Avistar. It`s quite a plane with a .46 up front. Balanced a little forward it`s quite manageable but will still do basic aerobatics albeit a tad sloppy. A little further back and there`s not much it won`t do just short of 3D. I`ll probably always have one.

Having just come back to the hobby myself after maybe as long a hiatus, I understand what you are faced with.

My choice was an Ultra Stick .40 sized, by Hanger 9. This plane will get you back flying in no time! It has very docile slow flight and predictable stalls. Once you get past the nerves and realize you still have some of the abilities you worried you might have lost, this plane is capable of all the aerobatics you want, excluding the huge rage now, 3D. I didn't need a basic trainer, and if you were comfortable with your Kaos, you might not either.

The Ultra Stick is well build and a real bargain at $129.

If you would like to contact me, here is my email address [email protected]

I just got back in about 6 months ago after being out for 9 yrs. It all comes back very quickly anyway.
I got back into it with a profile type plane and have others now. If I were to do it again I would go with a
GP Big Stik, like the ultra stick they are very stable but will do just about anything you want except for
3D.

The .40 size is around $129 on Tower, I am putting together a .60 size for my father that quit when I did
so that will be his first one back into it. Very forgiving airplane and simple to put together. ARF's have
come a LONG way in just 9 yrs.

I did loose my Ultra Stick a few weeks ago after 71 flights, over 14 hours of flight time and 185 landings. The reason was dumb thumbs, however, I made good use of it and feel I got my moneys worth. I won a Hanger 9 P-40 Warhawk and bought a Funtana .40 to replace the stick. Both are ready to go and I did get 6 flights on the Funtana, before the weather finally changed to winter here in Northern Minnesota. I have always felt building was 1/2 the fun of this hobby and am building from plans a .40 sized "THE HOTS" and am considering the purchase of a Dynaflite SE5A. Yes, ARFs are good airplanes now and may even be cheaper than many kits. However, I will always love to build!, So, you don't necessarily have to go with an ARF!

Building is by far more fun, but with less and less time some people
have the ARF is a great way to get into the air quicker. My first plane
when I got back in 6 months ago was a kit and all I wanted to do was
fly. Should have went the ARF route to get me into the air quicker.

I will always prefer kits, just much more fun and satisfaction when they
are complete.