Yetti

Hello, I will soon be purchasing an Avistar RTF. I'm 18 and had a Tower Hobbies trainer years ago. However, one day while cleaning the fuselage in my yard, my brother hurled an apple out his window! Well, needless to say the fuselage was destroyed Oh well. Nevertheless, I have decided to get back into the sport! I have always had a fascination with anything that flys!Anyway, I will be buying the Avistar RTF shortly. I was wondering, however, if anyone had a great experiece with another trainer. Although, I love the idea of the semisemetrical arifoil(in fact, I think everyone does). It's 299.99 which I think is very reasonable. It seems as if this is one of the most popular trainers out there ( though a downside; who wantS to be like the rest of the crowd?).

I was simply wondering if I should be aware of anything concerning the plane. In addition, I have a Tower Hobbies .46 from my old plane. If I feel the need for speed, could I replace the .40OS that comes with the Avistar and put in the TH.46?

ANY RESPONSES WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!

DownSideUp

I have an avistar ARF, with an os.40la. I'm sure the .46 wouldn't be a problem. My only suggestion would be that if you haven't flown for a long time, you might want to start again with another trainer. Although, my avistar is the first plane I've had in which I have been able to fly multiple times(without major crashes). I love it. It flies slow if you want, fast if you want, and does lots of cool aerobatics. Have fun.

Yetti

Thanks for the response. Why would you suggest a different trainer?

How much is fuel these days? I have a few gallons of 15%, and remember buying it for $12 a gallon. Just wondering.

cwat212

go for it. The Avistar is an excellent plane and you should have no problems learning with it. Price is right.

You can use the .46 in the Avisar later or save it for your next plane. I have a tower .46 in a Ultra Stick and it screams!!!!!

Fuel is around $14 a gallon for 15%

DownSideUp

I would suggest a different trainer, or getting someone with experience to help you, because the Avistar is not quite a trainer. Because of the assymetrical airfoil, it does fly faster and is not quite as easy to land and does modest aerobatics, whereas a trainer would be slower, and more stable. I know it is classified as a trainer, but most refer to it as an in-between. In between a trainer and a 2nd plane. A second plane usually is graduation from a trainer, and an avistar is in between these two.

Yetti

I plan on having an instruction help. Although, we all know how hard it is to find someone willing. I plan on buying a sim too. Oh welll, I just want to have some fun. I was also considering buying an electric; I won't be livid if I put it in the dirt. I appreciate your concern. I'm simply afraid that if I buy an all out trainer I will master it and become bored. :/

vinnie

My Feedback: (1)

Yetti, go for the Avistar but why the RTF? Use the .46 you have and use the money for a better radio. Just by the ARF Monokote version ($99) at Tower. That leaves you $200 for a radio.

cwat212

Find the help of an instructor and you will do fine. Once you have soloed the Avistar will keep your interest for much longer.

Yetti

Hmmmm....my first plane was an ARF and it went together perfectly. It was fun to do as well. Although, I like the idea of charging the RTFt up and the next day getting it started.... running it on the ground. Plus, I'm one of those people who feel anything I do is flawed. I suppose I am afraid of messing something up. Plus, I would have to buy the epoxy etc. haha, what a lazy child I am. Beside the amount of channels, how would a better radio behoove me? I suppose once I step up with a better plane....
Thanks so much !
Your p

cwat212

glue the wings together and the tail sections in with epoxy!!!!

The directions will not tell you this.

DownSideUp

Look, I said before that you MIGHT want to get a different trainer. If you're going to have help, get the Avistar, but the other guy is right, get the ARF. I can't build anything, and I got the ARF. They are easy, and he's exactly right, you have an engine, then you can save money for a good radio. They one you'll get with the RTF, won't satisfy you for long. I'd be patient and build the ARF, it's only 99$! You're just getting ripped if you already have an engine and you've built an ARF before.

Yetti

Well, I'll take everything into consideration. I think you may have swayed me into getting the arf. I appreciate your input...................just out of curiosity, what isn't so hot about these stock radios?

Yetti

How would a higher % nitro fuel affect a plane requiring 15%?

Mystic6

My Feedback: (1)

Yetti,

I run my Avistar with the OS .40LA it came with. I started out with 10%, it ran fine. After I soloed and ran down the 10%, I went up to 15% (also since it was getting colder here). Mine runs better on the 15% and seems slightly faster. You can run a .46 on this plane, I've seen them at my field. They really start to scream.

The only "problem" with the radio that comes with is that it's limiting. It's a basic 4 channel radio. Eventually you will want to move up to more channels with dual-rate and mixing capabilities. I think the previous suggestion on using the $200 for a better radio was just taking this into account.

jduran280

cwat - I put together an Avistar 40 last weekend, and the instructions said to glue the wing halves and tail sections with epoxy. I installed a O.S. .46LA in it, and had to trim the nose section to get it to fit. Otherwise, it went together very easily. Unfortunately, the temperature dropped to below zero, and we had several inches of snow, so I won't be out flying any time soon . I got a USB cable for my Futaba 9c so I can play with the simulator until the weather gets a little better.

rajul

My Feedback: (58)

Hi yetti, the avistar is a great trainer and allows you to do some basic aerobatics. The .46 engine is a good choice but you'll need to shift your batt pack towards the tail to get the right cg. Wouldn't the arf version be cheaper than the rtf ? It's not that difficult to put an arf together, with some basic tools........

lookinup

I bought the RTF as my first plane and tried to teach myself and destroyed it. I didn't want to wait while I put an ARF together so I bought another RTF and got help the second time around. It is true that it doesn't take long to put an ARF together but If you have no patience like me go for the RTF.

Yetti

yea, im not going to try to fly myself... too much waiting and saving cash to destroy a plain in one flight....The arf would be cheaper, but not by much.. the plane is 100, the radio 100, engine 65 plus all of the building accesories and field eqip.. for the few extra bucks i'm willing to buy the RTF for 299....no hassle and less opportunities to make mistakes... thanks everyone for your help!

How much more powerful is the .46 than the .40... they price differnce is only slight....

rajul

My Feedback: (58)

you're right on, and you can transfer it to your second plane when you're done with your trainer

Yetti

I was wondering if someone would mind looking at this ebay auction to let me know if it would be a good deal or not, and if the damage could be repaired.


http://cgi.aol.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI...category=19164

Spaceman Spiff

My Feedback: (1)

Yetti, buying used airplanes is risky.

So far the price is reasonable, but the "reserve" is not met. He is not selling it for that price. I've only followed Ebay auctions a couple times but it seems they get very large prices, for what is often junk. A used engine may look good in a picture, but you don't know that it is good. A freind i fly with, bought a used trainer last week. Looked good, but turned out to be junk.

You are on the right track with the Avistar. Stay the course, and keep those apples away from your brother!

PS RC simulators are stupendous! best thing that ever happened to this sport!

Yetti

Haha. No need to worry, he's in college now! Yes, I'm going to stick with the avistar. I love the idea of a semisymetrical airfoil. I won't outgrow it too dam fast... Is the avistar relatively quick?
Can u also elaborate on the Dihedral?

Spaceman Spiff

My Feedback: (1)

Mine was fast! It had an irvine 53 on the front! and i made a few modifications to keep the weight down. Unlimited vertical at half throttle!, i could hover it for 15 seconds or more... unfortunatly i used soft rubberbands to hold the wing last weekend :stupid: , and the wing lifted off the saddle in flight and snapped it in half. i loved that plane! :cry: so i am building another one this week.

I reduced the dihedral on my first one to make it more like a sport plane, but the standard dihedral is not enough to make it fly too much like a trainer, the roll rates can be relativley high, but you can set them for any rate you want by adjusting the pushrod positions, or if you have a computer radio, by adjusting the programming. Digital radio kicks. I think the JR 421 is around 170$?

You won't out grow it anytime soon. It is a trainer that thinks it is a sport plane. i bought mine because i teach with it, but i didn't want somthing that i would be bored flying in case my student doesn't show. The only bad thing is the main landing gear tends to sag after a few landings so you might want to add some piano wie and a spring between the wheels to boost it.

rajul

My Feedback: (58)

you can use a spring or just make a "v" bend in the middle of the 2-56 piano wire brace. very effective in eliminating bent gear and reduce bouncing. I think there was a thread somewhere on this "how to take out the bounce of a landing gear" or something that sounds like that. Do a search. Otherwise I'll post a pic of mine.......

Spaceman Spiff

My Feedback: (1)

Sounds like a cool idea.

I'd love to see a pick if you have one handy.