Well guys getting on great with my Phoenix Rainbow trainer and have progressed a little to a Weston Cougar with a 46LA. This allows me to put the pipe and slippers away after flying the trainer and get to try some wilder stuff. I'm going fine with the cougar but is still officially a high wing but more 3D style plane.

Can any of you guys recommend a next step low or mid wing trainer?? I am still pretty green I admit but I am desperate to develop onto bigger stuff. YAK's and Warbirds and ..............agh!!! Give me the sticks back!!!

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers.

Sig 4-star 60 - [link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCHY3&P=0]Sig 4-star 60[/link]
Goldberg Tiger 60 - [link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXH756&P=0]the Tiger 60 [/link]
BTE Venture 60 - [link=http://www.btemodels.com/venture.html]Venture 60 [/link]
Great Planes Easy Sport 40 - [link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXDTM8&P=ML]Great Planes Easy Sport [/link]
Great Planes Super Sportster - [link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXAVR1&P=ML]Great Planes Super Sportster [/link]
Hanger 9 Pulse XT[link=http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=HAN4100]Pulse XT[/link]

More information is available here: [link]http://www.geistware.com/rcmodeling/second_plane.htm[/link]

Ken

Thanks again Ken for your advice.

How about the Hangar 9 Twist or the UCD 46..... you can set both of them up on low rates and they will be easy to control...they both fly slow and land like trainers... you can also use your 46 engine in them

If you are thinking about flying 3D those are good planes to begin with...set them up with low rates and as you get used to it just increase the rates as you grow into the plane instead of buying a plane that doesn't fit the style of flying that you are interested in.

I went from a H9 Alfa trainer to a UCD 46 with a satio 82 with little problems..... my only real problem was that i didn't understand at the time that i should have set it up for low rates, if i did, i wouldn't have knocked off the landing gear all those times. Since i started flying it with the rates on high it took a little longer than it should have for me to get used to the plane but i also realized that it was better to get a plane to grow into instead of growing out of.

I guess it depends on how aggressive you want to be with your learning curve, if you want to go slow at it then RCKen's advice is probably the way to go.

I like my Somethin Extra as my second plane. I use low rates on takeoff and landing, high rates the rest of the time.

I went from my .25 size Seniorita, 7 flights later to my SES. Haven't flown the Seniorita since (except when I'm training my family back home)

if you are fairly good with the cougar on high rates you shouldn't have much trouble with pretty much any basic low winger.

Have you attempted hovering? And other wrong side of the stall manoeuvres, The cougar should be capable of pretty much anything, even with the LA. IMO it's one of the best models out there for messing around

Here is something relatively new & allways over looked in this category. I think however that it is a sharp little plane that will fit the bill quite nicely at a good reasonable price. It only costs $99 & any of your normal 40-46 size Trainer equipment will set it up just fine. It is made by World Models who I have come to like very much when it comes to ARFs. They make a good quality plane that comes with decent hardware packs in my opinion. They do some little things that other companies don't when it comes to ARFs. Just little things like per-drilled control horn holes on control surfaces, when using a dual servo aileron set up they have a piece of string already strung for you to pull your servo wires thru the wing with. A lot of their models already have the firewall pre-drilled with the blind-nuts installed. Just little things like this that make them assemble much quicker & easier than other ARFs I have done. They also have parts available for all current models that they sell. When assembled right, & straight they are great fliers!! At least all the WM planes I have are. So here it is, the LA Racer 40. Once at their site you can look thru all their other models as well. You might find something you like better. Good luck!!


http://ecsvr.com/abm/shopexd.asp?id=2140

I would be willing to bet that you will be amazed at how easy this plane would be to fly with the throws turned down nice & low until you get aquainted with it, and just how Aerobatic it can be after you get comfortable enough to turn the throws back up. I think this one would make a great low-wing Aerobatic Trainer that can go from mild to wild at the flip of a the switch!![sm=thumbup.gif][sm=thumbup.gif][sm=thumbup.gif]

Since this just wouldn't be a, "What airplane should I get?" thread without me pimping for Thunder Tiger and Ace Hobbies, let me throw the Cloud Dancer 40/60 into the ring:

http://www.thundertiger4u.com/cloud-dancer-p-11037.html

http://www.thundertiger4u.com/cloud-dancer-p-11040.html

These are beautiful sport planes, and www.thundertiger4u.com has them bundled with Thunder Tiger Pro-series ball-bearing engines at really good prices, as well.

Cloud Dancers are terrific-looking ARFs, and you'll most likely be the only guy in your club who's flying one.

You're right biged, I like those Cloud Dancers. The 60 size is especially nice looking!! Looks like they would be good all around sport fliers too.[sm=thumbup.gif][sm=thumbup.gif][sm=thumbup.gif]

I'll second tukkus' suggestion of getting a hanger 9 twist. I went from the tower trainer to the twist and got a nice radio and setup dual rates. I don't think I even touched high rate for a month, but on low rate I was able to do my first tail dragger landing without to much issue.

I flew the airplane like that for a while, then when I started getting pretty comfortable with it I started flying on high rates all of the time including takeoffs and landings. A while later I moved the CG back 3/4 of an inch and it took a while to get used to the very fast sink rate on landing and the very touchy elevator, but I now I can blender to inverted flatspin (even to the point of it quit falling), knife edge, hover, and harrier.

My 3rd airplane is a 73" QQ Yak and I can't wait to fly it. Hopefully in two weeks.

schu

Thanks for tha advice guys. Too many planes can't make up my mind!!!

Akschu. You gotta tell me how you get on with the QQ Yak. I absolutley adore the Yaks. I want one!!! But I must get mush better before that happens.

TB's

Try a Goldberg Chipmunk if you don't mind building.

I have a Cloud Dancer 60 built from plans and its a sweet flying plane. [8D]

The Hanger 9 Twist you will love it . I went from a trainer to a 4* .40 which is a very nice plane but a couple weeks later got the Twist and I love flying it . I started with low rates and after a couple months I am no where near 3D and maybe never will but just for fun aerobatics and an easy stable plane to fly and land you can't beat it . Set it up so it isn't tail heavy set dual rates and expo low and it is quite tame if you can already fly a trainer good . Good luck

I've enjoyed flying a Tiger2 ARF the last couple of weeks. I got an OS46AX on it and it's moderately fast. It has a symmetrical wing and flies like it. It will also slow down quite slow. What makes it seem to fill your LowWingTrainer request is that it almost lands itself. I've been amazed by that since day one. No bounce at all. And I've had a couple of students fly it some and they've been comfortable steering it around.

I cant comment on thunder tigers products,,I do like the ACE simple series, but I definatly would NOT buy anything from thundertigerFU.CON...they are school kids that know nothing...no pic on the site, I called and explained in detail that the needle assembly on my GP-07 broke off and I needed a replacement...they sent a needle..so I emailed and said it wasnt what I needed so they sent me the number of the correct part, but couldnt take back the part I ordered..not even for future credit ...which I will never be needing now......Rog

rog, That is sad news indeed to hear about thundertiger4u. I really like their Trainer w/.42 eninge combo for $150. It is a sweet looking little Trainer. I also am becoming a fan of their engines. I don't own any myself yet but my friend has the TT .46 Pro engine in his little Cap & it is a good running engine. Nice & smooth at a very low idle, & flat screams when he pours on the coal!

You said low or mid wing, not mentioned (i think) is the Sig Midstar.
I am flying a Hobbico Brightstar as my second plane and really like it. Too bad they quit making them.

Try the Tiger 60 with a saito 82. or an OS 91 surpass II. Sweet flying stable plane and great runnning and sounding engines! Mine flys like its on rails!