hey guys, i've been on the universe for awhile but for cars and just recently have been eyeing planes....specifically a P-51. just curious if this Ultrafly Model P-51 Mustang arf would make a good beginner plane. i have been messin around with the air hogs aero ace but nothing too big. i just like the looks of the mustang and from the preview videos looks even better in flight. hit me up and let me know if you would.

...if this isn't a good begginer plane lend me some suggestions

no, its not the plane to start with, at top of the beginners page is a huge list of starter planes glow and electric start there and then check what you want to spend.
the mustang any mustang is a quick flying and hard to control plane and you will most likely crash it before you start having fun better to spend your good $$ on a little easier plane and work your way into the sporty planes slowly, it hasn't taken long for me to get to the warbirds but there is a method to the madness.

You should start with a slow, gentle plane like the Eagle, Kadet, Tower Hobbies Trainer, or any of the Hobbico trainers. There are others. ANY P-51, even one that's on teh market now, labeled as a "trainer", is NOT a good plane to start with. No matter how you modify a P-51, it's still a P-51, and will act like one.

If you like warbirds, your natural progression of planes will be:
High wing trainer
Low wing sport plane
Warbird

I know you want to jump right into the warbirds, but save yoursaelf some grief, time, and money and take it slow. You gotta walk before you can run.

Dr.1

Dr-1 is exactly right, and so is Big Tim... there's a good chance you'll have problems with it if you hadn't had much " Stick Time." And if you really want not to crash your first plane, get something that can hook into a " Buddy Box." That way you can find someone with experience to help you.

Also it's good to have a R/C Flight Simulator for your PC. I have one and it got me ready big time before my flight lessons at my Club. Two flights at the field and I was already flying Solo on my 16 year old Goldberg OS 40 Glow Eagle. Warbirds are less forgiving and has much more Prop Torque than a trainer, not to mention they can be very touchy on the controls. Some have a great tendancy to Tip Stall, and some are very fast and or do both. Another thing is Tail Dragers can be a little tricky if you're not used to them. One step at a time, rushing it will only cost you a lot of $$ in the end. We are trying to help you so you don't make some of the mistakes we've made, or others that we've seen make. JMO


Peter Dowling aka Luftwaffe Oberst
AMA District II # 865404
Aero Modelers Club
Pulaski, NY

all THE time I see people spelling THE thusly[TEH] I didn't know there was so many idiots out there

excellent! thanks a lot guys. ill check out the other planes before wasting money....i hate doin that

You can start with a high wing trainer then go the Hanger 9 P-51 mustang pts it is a "trainer" but i would get the high wing trainer first. The mustang pts has training stuff with it and can later be taken off to be a sportish warbird. I have one for my 2nd plane. I love it and i am thinking of taking the droops of it soon. For a trainer i would recomend a Hanger 9 Alpha that is what i had and i liked it a lot.

If you take the time to learn on the trainer and even after you solo fly the trainer for a while to get good, then you could move on to the mustang pts.

The most important thing i can say is GET A INSTRUCTOR, they can save you a lot of MONEY!!

Chris

P.s if you do get the pts dont use the gear doors/air brakes they slow the plane down way to much!!

I don't have much stick time with planes but these guys speak the truth. I have been flying helicopter for 5 years now. I bought a World Models P-51 off o f E-bay. I powered it with a YS FS-91AC. I took it to a field were I took flying lessons. We put it away after the second day of lessons and bought a 60 size Big stick powered by a Thunder Tiger FS-91. This is a very nice plane to fly and very stable. I have been flying a Hyperion Yak 54 40e and it flies like a dream. I still don't think I am ready for the P-51 yet.

I am going to start a Sportman Aviation WACO Biplane. It is a 60 size airplane I am going to convert to electric.

RCDriv3R
I agree the P-51 is not a trainer. However, I will make a suggestion if you want something more "Scale" to start with. Take a look at the Goldberg Piper Cub. Now, a lot of folks here are going to say, "Are you crazy FlaK"? No, I'm not. The Cub will teach you something right from the start. You will learn to operate a Tail Dragger, (A P-51 is a Tail Dragger) You will learn to use the RUDDER, and you will learn to use the throttle and elevator. However, once this is accomplished, only takes a couple of flights, you will be flying a Scale type aircraft. Make sure the instructor teaching you is proficient at flying Cubs. Cubs can fly anywhere from very slow, to moderate and relatively fast speeds. I wish I had started with a Cub instead of the Eagle trainer I used many moons ago. My second plane was a Spitfire and the rest in history in the fogged over anals of my mind...LOL! I currently have a couple of cubs, the one I recently picked up at a swap meet and a Balsa USA 1/4 scale version. Whatever you choose, get a flight sim and practice your tail off before ever going to the flying field, then keep practicing. Crashing on the sim doesn't cost you anything more. Welcome to this wonderful hobby. Good Luck and Happy Landings.

I know this post has been here a while, but maybe you will read my reply anyway. I started out in glow fuel planes (previous experience with hobby zone electric products) with a P-51 Mustang PTS (Progressive Trainer System) made by Hangar-9. This plane has been in several pieces since i crashed it about 6 months ago, I have recently gotten a Hobbico Superstar high wing trainer. If you must get a mustang the PTS is the way to go... BUT BEWARE Many people, all the experienced pilots i know of anyway say that the PTS is a decent plane, but not necessarily a good trainer. What i am trying to say is that i wish i had not jumpped in like i did, it would have saved me some money in the long run. Keep in mind that i am not an experienced pilot ive been flying glow fuel for about 10 months so this is all just a beginners opinion

i have a f27b striker and i have flown it for about a year and I want to start getting into gas poured planes and I love the look of the hanger 9 p-51 mustang pts and I wounderd if I would be good enough to fly it solo on the madden flight any hints ore suggestions also I live in Seattle Washington and am looking for a rc plane club near me and a large enough field to fly my hanger 9 p-51 mustang pts near ore in Seattle due to I am only 13 and don’t have a car and don’t want to have to have my parents drive very far just so I can fly my plane [8D]

manuel - I'm betting your parents will be glad to drive you a reasonable distance to fly. A good safe hobby with mature (who us?[sm=bananahead.gif]) friends and role models is a great envirnment for you. It sure beats a lot of the negative things you could get involved with.

Hangar 9's P51 Mustang PTS is a good trainer which comes with droops, air-brakes and fixed flaps, which can be adjusted and operational by adding servos, so this plane is a good first start plane ofcourse with an instructor a professional one, and by removing droops airbrakes it can be a good fast flying second plane.


Mody