Does the TF Bonanza HAVE to be built as a V-tail? They built straight tail Bonanza's too in full scale. Of course you may want a V-tail.

According to Tower's web site it can be built either way, I am under the impression that since he has the Arrow also, which is a very similar kit that he would want to build it as a V tail.

I have a computer radio so I am going to build the Bonanza as a V tail. I'm just about 80% complete on the Arrow build and so far it has come along nicely. I've had to put everthing on hold because of my wifes illness, but hope to get back to finishing the Arrow soon. I am going to do a build thread on the Bonanza and will post a ton of pictures when I get started. I'm hoping by the time I finish the bonanza I will be a fairly proficient flyer.

chopper man

Well I had everything loaded up yesterday evening hoping to solo my Tower trainer but the wind never really did die done. I came close to still going but then common sense kicked in. I'm going earlier tomorrow morning to give it a shot. Hopefully I'll come back with a plane still intacted[8D]
chopper man

best of luck with that. I've got 3 days of rain in the forcast here.[:'(]

Well I finally soloed my Tower trainer. Everything went find for the first couple of flights until I had an engine problem. The engine was hard to start, but after 20 minutes of doing different things I got it started. It seem to run fine on the ground but after takeoff it just wasn't developing the power and since the plane is a little underpowered with the OS.40LA I had my hands full. Thank goodness I was able to get it on the ground without any harm. The guy that has been helping fly was able to help me out with the engine and got it running ok. He used a tach which seems to be the way to go when tuning. What is your opinion? All in all a good first solo[8D][8D]
chopper man

Chopper Man,
Congrats on the solo. Now go wipe that silly smile off of your face!!!! Yeah, I know you have it!! We all do!! In fact, I had it for about 3 weeks after I soloed!

A solo flight is a great accomplishment and that wins you one genuine RCU ATTABOY (Suitable for framing, wrapping fish, or lining trashcans).

Ken

Congrats Chopper -

Just take it easy and keep it in one piece for a while. Keep some altitude BELOW the plane as you try new things.

Ya think the engine ran bad this time, try it with dirt packed in the carb from a crash.

Thanks!! It feels good to have finally solo the nitro. And yes, I'll have that silly smile for some time
chopper man

Hi everyone.
I'm new to this forum.
I've driven RC cars for 20+ years. Spent the last 8 years driving nitro cars and trucks of every kind.
I think I'm ready to step up into the world of flight. I've been looking at this Tower Trainer .46

Is this a good plane to start out with?
Is it possible to learn to fly w/o an instructor? Or, should I find one?

The Tower trainer with the .46 can be a fairly quick plane. I would not try to learn on my own with this plane. I've been flying an Easy Star electric for 2 years and I still felt that I needed an instrutor to help me with the Tower trainer. I'm glad I did. As far as the plane goes I don't think you can get a finer trainer for the money. It went together great and it flys great.
Good Luck!
chopper man

Chris, you can't go wrong with the Tower Trainer. It is as rugged as most of the trainers on the market.

If you decide to purchase this, you may want to go to the build your own combo option and upgrade to the 6 channel radio. That will give you enough radio to grow into the hobby without having to buy another radio when you want to get into flaps and retracts.

The Tower .46 engine should be a good match for this airplane. You will be flying it most of the time at half throttle anyway. Also the .46 will have enough power for any .40 sized aircraft you may want in the future.

Another Combo you may want to look into is the Hobbico Ultra-tote Field box complete combo. It has most of the things that you will need at the field to be able to enjoy this hobby.

DO NOT USE CAR FUEL IN AN AIRPLANE ENGINE. Most of the car fuels do not have enough oil content for an airplane engine. You want about 20 percent total oil content, preferably with some Castor oil in the mix. Also keep your nitro down to 5 to 15 percent.

You may want to read back through this thread for other things you may need, and make sure you get an instructor. Get involved in a local flying club and join AMA. An instructor will not only help you learn to fly, but also help you to make sure your model is safe, and constructed properly.

When you go to the field with your brand new model airplane, do not put the wing on. Let the instructor inspect the airplane and tell you if there are any changes you need to make before you get to see it fly. Most changes will be things you can do at the field so don't get discouraged.

Ask Chopper man, there is no feeling like getting behind the sticks of an airplane, and no feeling like soloing your first trainer.

How many rubber bands are suppose to be on the wing?
thanks

Nathan

You should use 12 #64 rubber bands to attach the wing. Use 4 on each side going from the front peg to the back peg. Then on the last 4 criss-cross them across the fuselage. Go from the front right peg to the rear left peg, and the front left to the rear right. Criss-crossing them will ensure that all of the rubber bands stay on and don't work off in flight.

Hope this helps

Ken

The Tower 40 ARF is a good way to go. An economical ship that will allow YOU to choose your own radio system and engine combination. If it should sustain severe damage during training a replacement plane isn't too expensive and you can just move your gear over too it.

Is it possible to learn to fly w/o an instructor? Of course it is, but the odds are against you doing it cheaply. You may also hurt yourself or others while doing it. Chances are that you will destroy a couple of planes on the way. Money lost would far exceed the costs of joining a club where the instruction is usually free. If you are one of the "quick learners" you may not need an instructor long though.

Well I haven't flown the Tower trainer that often, but I was able to get some good stick time today. Started trying some new things although I'm not really sure what I should try and not try. Don't want to get in over my head[X(] An suggestion would be appreciated. Straight and level is boring
chopper man

You can "try" almost anything you want. The most important thing to remember is that ALTITUDE is your friend. Get up a bit higher (3 mistakes high) and attempt a maneuver. This should give you plenty of room to recover control if something goes wrong. If you end up diving , reduce power. No sense hurrying into the ground. If you are going to try ANYTHING that really concerns you, get out the buddy cord again. Your instructor will be glad to help. Don't try to group a bunch of new things all at once. Do one, recover, do another, recover, etc.

Basic loops and rolls are well within the capabilities of the Tower Trainer airframe. Flying regular (horizontal) "figure eights" is a good exercise, as well. Once you're comfortable with these manuevers, you can practice a few of the fancier turns like the basic wing-over (sometimes called a stall turn) or the Immelmann turn. The "Split S" turn can also be done, but be sure to practice it from very high altitudes at first. It can be a little scary with planes that don't have a lot of elevator authority.

Once you've gotten comfortable with all of these manuevers, you can try practicing the "Cuban Eight" and getting comfortable simply flying around while inverted. How well your plane flies inverted will depend on the angle of dihedral, however. If your angle of dihedral is shallow, the plane will fly OK inverted, but more dihedral will make it difficult to fly inverted for any length of time.

Once you can fly complete ovals around the field while inverted, and even fly inverted figure eights, then you'll be ready to really tear up the sky with your Kaos .40 ARF and fly it with confidence. Advanced pattern or freestyle aerobatics are flown with the plane inverted a great deal of the time. Getting comfortable with flying your plane upside down is a big step with regard to advancing as an RC pilot.

I just finished building a Tower Trainer .40 MkII ARF for myself. I have several sport planes, but I still enjoy taking my trainer out to the field and concentrating on the fundamentals.

Thanks for the input. I'll take your advise and give it a go. I'm really looking forward to the Kaos, but I'll keep working with the trainer until I feel really good doing basic areobatics. Again thanks[8D]
chopper man