Hi Guys,

I'm thinking of doing a how-to article for beginners. You know, answer all the questions they often ask. I'm going to include a list of trainers, both kits and ARF's and I want your opinions.

My 2 favorite trainers are the GP PT-40 and the SIG LT-40 So they will be there and you don't need to list them here. But tell me, other than those, what is your favorite trainer, and please follow these guidlines:

It can be a kit or ARF, I would like to list about 5 of each.

Keep it short and to the point. Example: "I like the SIG LT-40. It's well designed, builds easily enough for a beginner, and flys great"

State whether it is a flat bottom or semi symetrical wing.

And if possible, add a link to the plane.

Thanks!

Eaglet 50 - real floater
Thunder tiger 40 - Bought it RTF in '98 and it took longer to charge then assemble
Eagle 2 - Flew one years ago and it reminded my of my eaglet 50

Did I mention Eaglet 50?

I like the Hangar 9 Easy 2 RTF. It is inexpensive, well-built, and gets you in the air and flying. Flying qualities are very good. The OS46LA makes a great engine for the plane because it starts right out of the box and is easy to tune.

hi Mike just wanted to say that the hanger 9 alpha is an awesome plane. it was built with us newbies in mind. took me about an hour to get it together. flys great. instructor said it is the best plane for first timers.. its a RTF (RADIO, MOTOR, PLANE ) all for $300...
thanks spooner

I like my Hobbico Avistar 40 Select. For $300 at most retail and online sellers, you get a nice trainer, with OS .40LA engine and a Futaba 4-channel radio. With a semi-symmetrical wing, it allows a beginner to progress into light aerobatics while retaining stable flying characteristics.

Link to Tower Hobbies: http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXMU53**&P=0

Link to Hobbico:
http://www.hobbico.com/airplanes/hcaa16.html

Spad Spadet LC-40 http://www.spadtothebone.com/SPAD/Spadet/

Spad BUHOR/with dihedral wing http://www.spadtothebone.com/SPAD/Buhor/

Spad Debonair http://www.spadtothebone.com/SPAD/Debonair/


They are not for everyone as they are not ARF's or kits. You have to be willing to search for supplies, namely Coroplast and Gutterpipe or aluminum channel (LOWES). You must be handy and willing to scratchbuild from photo plans. Although they are not kits or ARF's, with a little experience, they can be built from scratch in the same time it takes to prepare an ARF. If you already have the hardware from a previous airplane (engine mount, landing gear, pushrods, fuel tank, small hardware) you can get back into the air with a Spad for about $10. Very little emtional attachment, and very little time and money invested completely removes the fear of crashing so you can concentrate on learning to fly. Although not indestructable, they are very durable...so rough landings don't end the day...and if you do splatter one...it only takes a few bucks and another evening to build a new one.

Learned on A Sr., Kadet, instructed with Lt 25s and 40's, flown eagle twos. telemasters with big engines and small engines. The Senior Kadet is in a class by it's self but hard to control in wind( the worst of the bunch) . The Alpha is as simple as you could ever ask for and would have been great when I was learning. I have flown one and instructed it's owner who was a quick study, sneaked out and soloed himself after two days. I don't recommend this as he scared the hell out of everyone on the flight line from lack of control. The Alpha is the best from a stand point of put it together and fly in an hour.

I agree with Tattoo. SPAD's and beginners are a match made in heaven. SPAD's will take the abuse that a rookie will give them. They are inexpensive and most repairs can be made at the field with packing tape and zip ties. While they are unconventional, they offer some fo the best slow flight characteristic's that are perfect for a new pilot.

Just my .002,

I learned on and am still flying a Golberg Eagle II. It flys in a very stable and predictable fashion and does not float on landings for ever and ever as I have seen the LT-40 do. This model has surviced a few "off runway" landings and come away undamaged. It is a great confidence builder.

Although I only finsihed the last bit if construction of this kit myself, the instruction booklet is very extensive with lots of pictures and clear instructions. I don't think that it would be hard to build at all. I have also seen an ARF version of this plane and it seemed to be very well built and was finished attractivley.

Maker: Hobbico
Model: Superstar 40
Wing Style: I have no clue


Why? This thing is cake to fly, and I learned with no previous flight instruction and was able to keep it airborn on my first flight for about 10 minutes and land fine, and since then have had many successful flights on this plane. It flies great even with no power incase of a deadstick. I bought the RTF kit came with everything in one box except a fuel pump and fuel.

Great starter kit especially for $299.99

Order from Tower Hobbies

Eaglet 50-Great Flying Plane, very stable,cake to build. Low Cost Engine.

Eagle II-Larger Size, Easy to Fly-Stable, l learned on an Eagle 63 back in the day, great Plane. Very Easy to build. Much improved over the old Eagle 63.

Can't go wrong with Goldberg, hands down. Classics.

The Midwest Aerostar series. Flat-bottom wing, great quality wood, and some of the best instructions I've seen. Flies great, and has plenty of available travel in the control surfaces (square loops!).

http://www.midwestproducts.com/aerostar.htm

And the ARF review from RCU:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/reviews.ph...ew&reviewid=70

I second the Avistar, but go with a .46, makes this plane much more interesting for the beginner for a longer period of time.

Allan

The LT25 is my choice. It has a good size flat bottom wing at 63". It goes together faster build than the LT40, has much better wind penetration, is more aerobatic while being very forgiving and covers the tail dragger training at the same time! You can also use the standard cheapo 40 engine on it same as the others such as an LA40.

For newbees in my club who doesn't own a airplane, I give initial training on my sig kadet seniorita, but my restriction to this plane is the building. Building that plane is a long job and need the builder to be meticulous, not easy for a beginer
SIG provide just enough wood, so you are not allowed to miss one part and when the plane is completed, the scrapwood is nearly inexistant
to me this plane forgive more than a LT40 but it is also limited in perfos (no ailerons).

What Mystic6 said about the Avistar. It's a very popular primary trainer.

It gets you started and lets you get into some aerobatics.

Something else to recommed to the beginners: Start out with RealFlight G2 in the winter and play with it until you can fly the Extras and Caps without crashing. Then take your Avistar Select out for some instruction. Chances are, you won't crash anything for some time. That really cuts down on the frustration.

Don't overlook the FREE FMS computer simulator. Money is something a lot of beginners don't have. It might not be as graphic as a G2 or other comercial sims...but it gets the job done, which is get the directional controls setup in your brain. It's very popular for beginners around here...and even using a game joystick will get the right directional reactions down. Not the same feel as a Tx, but guys that show up to train after several hours on FMS, even using a game joystick, start off at the field way ahead of the game.

http://www.bcrcmac.org/FMS.html

More info on the Superstar

Hobbico's Superstar 40, That's what I learned on. It has a flat bottomed wing. ARF comes with 40 LA engine. Easy to start, easy break in and reliable. Oh yeah, easy to repair Can order most replacement parts from Tower Hobbies (wing, fuselage etc) until you get the hang of repairing.

I second Tatoo on the Spad choice for a beginner. Very easy to build in a couple of evenings. Durable as can be. A cartwheel landing with a Spad usually dont require a trip to the hobby store with another $100. I've seen a few guys just give up after "rekitting" their second balsa trainer. With the SPAD, I dont think there is ever such a thing as a total loss (except possibly in full contact air to air combat). A quick repair, or even a new wing or fuselage is just an evening's work with minimal cost. Coro planes got kind of a bad rap with some of the first commercial ARFs that were overweight, and flew like bricks. The designs that Tatoo, Kraut, and others have available for free at http://www.spadtothebone.com are pretty well thought out and fly great. Oh, and did I mention CHEAP

Dwight Hayden

Sims:

I got both FMS and Easyfly off of ebay for around $15 each with tx leads.

With FMS you get what you pay for. The Tx lead plugs into the parallel port which is fine if the back of the PC is easily accessible and you don't need the printer. I had to transfer the files from the CD to a zip disk before it would install. All in all it wasn't worth the effort. Loads of extra junk if you have the time to play around with it, but I'd rather be building and flying...

Easyfly must've been a bargain. The Tx lead has a game port plug on it (which plugs into the front of my PC), and the software is far superior. If you can get it for, say $25, then it's worth every penny.

Trainers:

Hobbico Superstar 60 ARF:

A LOT bigger than yer average 40 sized trainer with a 6ft span and wider chord to match. Loads of room inside fuse for radio install. Easy to see and very stable. Loads of power with an OS 65LA. Unfortunately, it looks like it's ben discontinued. A similar alternative would be the Hobbistar 60 Mk III. Same size but with a semi-semetrical airfoil.

Sturdy Birdy II - NOT recommended.

Higher wing loading makes it fast and more twitchy than Superstar. Tail dragger gear makes it uncontrolable on the ground for a beginner.

Ripmax Zephyr ARF:

Can be built either electric or glow. Vey lightweight 3 channel with polyhedral wing. I built mine using .15 sized glow. I'll hopefully be able to report on flight after this weekend.
I think this might make an excellent cross trainer for those transitioning from electric to glow.

Lot's of good suggestions, Keep them coming.

Does anyone have any experience with the T2000? Have one with an OS 46FX on it. Curious about any mannerisms.

Mannerisms?

I've heard it's very rude.....

Coughs and splutters at the dinner table, gobbles down fuel without so much as a simple 'thank you', and drools slimey stuff down its side.......

should be a good list you got there. how about a list of "non trainer" type planes that can be used as such.

I learned on a hangar 9 80" cub and had no problems with it, the only thing I had to really learn quick was how to land REEEEEEEEAAAAAAALLLL slow so as not to nose over. the advantage is its a great flying plane, goes together quick and easy, and that cub yellow you can see for miles away (I would fly twice as high as everyone else and not have trouble with orientation.)

again not the perfect trainer but for someone that NEEDS a scale plane it works well.

This one gets my vote. Easy to build (everybody should build at least one kit - I've never owned an ARF) and more importantly, easy to repair. Flies on anything from a .25 to a .46. Flies well