I was hoping for some input on which RTF Trainer is the best? I have narrowed it down to:

Nexstar .46
Hanger 9 Alpha Trainer .40
Hobbico Super Star Select .40
Hanger 9 P-51 PTS

Any opinions/recomendations would be appreciated.
Thanks

As an instructor my personal recommendations would be either the Super Star or the Alpha.
IMO the Nexstar is too expensive for what you get although it does fly OK. It has features (gimmicks) that you don't need and in fact should not have on it.
I also feel the PTS P-51 is a better second plane than first.

Any way you choose, please utlize an instructor to make the choice last more than a few seconds (on average). You'll hear this repeated a lot. Also check with your local club as the instructors there may have an opinion that will influence your choice as well.

Welcome to the hobby and good luck.

I'll start out by saying that all of them are good, and you can't go wrong with any of them.

That said, the next order of business is, regardless of which one you choose, you'll need an instructor. Without proper instruction, whichever one you choose will become a pile of splinters within a few seconds of takeoff.

Now, for the specifics.

The Nexstar has a feature than most people feel needs to be removed right from the get-go, and that is it's built-in autopilot. I have not tried it, but many people here who's opinions I respect say to disable it. The RTF version comes with an excellent engine

The Alpha and Superstar are about equal. Everything comes with them, and they are RTF in minutes. But for the extra 10 bucks, the Alpha has a MUCH better engine.

The Mustang PTS does not have the self-righting characteristics of a basic trainer, however if you ARE GOING TO HAVE A GOOD INSTRUCTOR, it gives the most bang for the buck since it can grow with you as your skills improve.

As the others have said, the first three are great trainers and the P-51 PTS depends on your instructor. The PTS is really an advanced/intermediate trainer and you're instructor will need to be comfortable training you on this one. If you are thinking about the PTS you might want to hook up with an instructor before you purchase it.

Ken

tunder tiger trainer 40

Thanks for all of the input, I am not a begginer, I have been flying for 5 years now. I am just interested in getting a new trainer and wanted some other pilots input on some of the newer planes.

My post stands as is above.

I know you don't have'em listed but I love the Sig Kadet airplanes such as:

LT-40
Seniorita
Mark II Trainer

greyhnd1, If you've been flying for 5 yrs, I would suggest the Mustang PTS

I would give a try to a Big Stik 40 or 60 very docile on low rates and will grow with you.

The Hangar 9 Alpha .60 RTF trainer package is the best on the market, although Sig is now starting to offer the LT-40 with an Aviastar AV-46 motor and a Hitec Laser 4 radio system as a RTF package. In terms of features, the Alpha .60 RTF package would have a few extra bells and whistles, but for overall quality and flight characteristics of the airframe, either one of these could be considered "The Best" of the RTF trainer packages.

Thunder Tiger offers their excellent Tiger Trainer .60 with their GP-60 engine and a Hitec 4-channel radio in a "Super Combo" RTF package. This would also be an outstanding trainer combo that I would consider superior to any of the original ones listed.

.60-sized trainers are more stable and easier to see than .40-sized trainers. The engines included with these three airframes are all very high quality. The flight quality of each of the airframes I've listed here are outstanding, and it's only a matter of personal preference as to which is "the best."

Maybe I'm just a sucker for Sig, but if I were in your shoes, I'd be really looking hard at the new LT-40 RTF package. The Tiger Trainer .60 and the H9 Alpha .60 are both great airframes, but the Kadet LT-40 is in a class by itself. All three are head-and-shoulders above the Nexstar, Mustang P-51 PTS, Super Star .40, and the Alpha .40.

Good luck, and have fun shopping!

I'd suggest the Goldberg Tiger 2 ARF if you want some real action with a trainer!

With your 5 years of experience you should be able to handle it.

Other wise try a Goldberg Eagle ll or a Goldberg Piper Cub.

Or better yet, git whatever flips ur trigger! lol

Or even better yet...git em all!

The Nexstar is goofy to land. The fly-by-wire system seems to turn your rate inputs into position inputs. It teaches you the wrong things and makes it difficult to advance to rate control which is what you need to do any type of fun or interesting flying. Too bad, because it is a really neat idea. It's just not the right thing.

Sig Kadet is fantastic. The price is good, it's easy to put together and it is tough. They land like a dream and they will fly fast with a .46. I have owned two of them and trained 2 more guys with their own.

Even as an experienced RC pilot, I still love to fly the Kadet. The landings are so smooth it is freaky.

Fly-by-wire? If you mean the AFS, that is crap and should be turned off before you even charge the batteries IMO for the reasons you gave. Fly-by-wire? Give me a break.[:'(]

Hello,

I asked the same question when I got started. Now I am asking my self what 3rd 4th plane....

Anyways, I started with the Hangar 9 P-51 PTS and I can't be any happier. I purchased the Arf kit, not the ready to fly version only because I all ready had a Futaba 9CHP super Radio. Well I installed a Thunder tiger GP 42 engine & pipe with standard hitec servos. The plane only cost me a total of $300. CND.

After assembly I had my instructor fly the plane to make sure all was good. After a few flights we had the plane staight and smooth. The only Problem was POWER! I used the supplied 3 blade prop & spinned that is included in the kit and found that it was to slow. Actually, the plane seemed very unstable at low speeds.

I decided to put on a 2 blade 10x6 prop. Man what a difference, the plane flies amazing now. Super fast and very stable. To be honest, I skipped the hole trainer mode. I got a few hours on the simulator and My first flight I was completing rolls, loops curcuits and a a 1/2 cuban eight.

http://www.geistware.com/rcmodeling/...uban_eight.htm


I thought I did very well for my first flight.

My advise is the P-51, nice looking plane very fun to fly and at a low cost.

Take my advise as a new pilot, You are wasting your money on a TRAINER! After 1-2 flight you should be ready to go! The best trainer is a simulator!!!

Well that's my story!

Thank you!

Rolly

As an instructor, I would definately recommend any of the top three as a good trainer.
I wold ask that you look at one other posibility.
The Hanger 9 Arrow Trainer.
This is a great trainer that can take you a little farther down the learning curve.
THe Evolution engine is exceptionally strong.

I learned on an Avistar. I think of all the trainers I have flown, the Avistar is the easiest to learn on myself. Just my opinion...

What makes the Best Trainer.

A while back (about 6 years) I was helping another new student, Grant. He has a PT60 with a OS FP60 and a 4 four channel radio. He got everything as a package. Teaching him to fly with this plane is almost impossible. The engine is great, the plane takes off and lands ok, but it is a pig in the air and difficult to fly. He built it according to the instructions with an obscene amount of dihedral. We were flying in a moderately stiff breeze, 12-15mph. The plane had slightly more throws than recommended. Turning down wind tool a little aileron and let go of the sticks and it completed the turn and headed down wind on it’s own. Turning up wind was almost impossible without coordinated use of aileron, rudder, and elevator. Flying it seems more like fighting the plane to get it where we want it than having it fly where we tell it. It does not respond to control inputs in a uniform manner. It is difficult to teach a skill when identical actions get different responses. I will again start a thread on what makes a good trainer.

The current dogma says to learn to fly RC model airplanes the best way to start is with a “Trainer� that has a high flat bottom wing with generous dihedral so it self corrects. I believe this is wrong! I believe the following are the best characteristics for a trainer.

1. Flies Slow (light wing loading)
2. Flies Very Stable
3. Responds to controls in a uniform fashion (Does What it’s told When it’s told the same way every time)
4. Inexpensive and easy to repair

Take note, nowhere in that list do I list the type of plane, high wing, low wing, mid, wing shoulder wing, doesn’t make that big a difference as long as it is slow stable responds to it’s controls uniformly. It is an easy task to limit the amount of control to get the control rate at an acceptable level for a beginner.

Nowhere in the list is the term “Self Correcting�. Planes designed to self-correct are harder to fly. If you try to allow them to self correct they will crash long before finish correcting themselves or you fly them so high you can’t tell what the plane is doing. “Self Correcting� also means that you will have to fight the plane to turn up wind, fight the plane to turn it in general. We are teaching people to fly R/C models not guide free flight models. The early days of RC we used modified free flight models. Current Trainers reflect our free flight heritage.

My experience has shown that people who learn with typical Trainers all learn in about the same amount of time as somebody who learns with a “Sport� plane. I know a lot of people have successfully learned to fly with Eagle II’s and the like but from what I’ve seen the people who learn with a “Trainer� crash more after they solo, especially when they go to something sportier. After learning with a “Trainer� they pretty much have to re-learn to fly anything else. People who learn with a “Sport� plane learn to fly just as fast, crash less after they solo, and can fly a larger variety of aircraft sooner.

Planes I think make good trainers and that I have successfully taught people to fly with:
1. Four Star 40 (probably the best trainer ever!!!)
2. Ugly Stick (any of several variations)
3. Easy Sport 40
4. Airmidillo Trainer
5. Sig LT25 (very slow, very responsive, way better flier than LT40)
6. Sig Midstar 40

All these planes are very stable, don’t tip stall, can fly very slowly, respond uniformly to controls, and have fairly light wing loading. These characteristics make better trainers than typical Trainers. Now all we have to do is get instructors to take a critical look at Trainers. I don’t buy arguments like: “The XYZ trainer has worked great to train zillions of students for years�, or “I learned on a SR. Kadet, so that’s the best trainer�. Doctors used to bleed people that didn’t make it right. With the absolutely dependable radios of today, and buddy cords, we don’t need to learn with glorified free flight models.

My vote is the Hanger 9 arrow trainer. [sm=thumbup.gif]

yes, i agree.. the hanger 9 arrow is an awesome plane,, it can be very mellow and used as a trainer,
however, once you get the hang of it , the semi-semetrical airfoil will unleash some aerobatic ability...

one of the Avistars is also semi-semetircal,,, i learned on one,, it's a bit smaller than the arrow, still flys great.

i have seen a few NexStars at the field, and i think they are cool, and do seem to fly well, but yeah,
you don't need to pay for all that extra non sence...

for sure you need an instructor!

I'm an Instructor...Avistar 40, powered by a good 46 2 stroke...Hands Down!

There are many more good trainers out there, I usually tell people to learn on a Foam RTF Electric Trainer. It's a little cheaper than Glow, and it doesn't hurt as mush if it crashes. (Speaking for myself that is.) After I "Mastered" my Hobby Lobby trainer, I moved up to Glow Planes.


To say what is best is kind of difficult to answer. There are so many on the market and many balances out equally for the "Best" Category.

However, I agree... Hanger 9 is on top in the ARF league. Most of the Planes that will be in my Hanger will be Hanger 9, Goldberg and Great Planes. Oh yea... Sig isn't bad either.




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

anyone looking to sell an Alpha 60?

My vote goes for the Alpha. I've learned to fly with it and still continue to fly it to this day. The package, quality and stable flight characteristics make this plane a favorite for me. Like someone pointed out earlier you should consider giving electrics a shot first. My first plane was a Wattage Cessna 180 RTF and while it was a small aircraft it provided the basic foundation for flight. I did not have an instructor and my first flight involved a bit of wind. It did not go well so i waited until a perfect day and what a difference.

I stepped up to a parkflyers.com "Begin-Air" to learn ailerons and it better prepared me for the Alpha. Look into it, you can't go wrong with any of the planes you are looking at with the exception of the Mustang.

Good Luck.

Just bought an Irvine Tutor 40/ OS 46 AX. Anyone have one them as a first plane.?