I'm researching a low wing tail dragger trainer. I would also like it to have flaps. Kit or ARF ok.

I'm building a Brian Taylor 82" F4U Corsair and want to practice with comparable flight characteristics - or at least close.

Thanks for your recommendations.

Something along the lines of a Sig Four Star or Goldberg Tiger?

Hangar-9 Pulse XT is a great low-wing tail dragger too. But I have no idea how it compares to the Brian F-4

Unless I am not looking in the right place, the SIG does not have flaps and the Tiger is not a taildragger. I'll look again.

The Hangar-9 Pulse XT looks good, but no flaps. I guess since I am looking for a "trainer" I may not find one that has flaps right?

With a good computer radio, you can mix flaps into the ailerons. That's what I have done for my last 2 planes.

Yeah, I have flaperons now with my Cessna but not really what I am looking for. I want to get into the habit of having and using both ailerons and flaps on separate channels.
I'm just wanting to get closer to the actual scale warbird flying so I'll feel comfortable (or at least won't be scared) flying the Corsair.

Hanger 9 P51 PTS trainer, has flaps and you can add a flap servo to make them fully functional, I added one to mine, then epoxied the wings together, plus it is a tail dragger

Thanks. I forgot about the PTS. That just may be the ticket.

Thanks everyone!

Flaps on a trainer? If you have never flown before, perhaps it's best for you to focus on the basic four controls without having to deal with flaps.

Best of luck with that.

DS.

Actually, I think either the Top Flight T-34B Mentor kit or Top Flight Contender kit might be a good choice for you:

http://www.top-flite.com/airplanes/topa0160.html

http://www.top-flite.com/airplanes/topa0210.html

Both of these kits can be built with flaps, and both would be pretty good transitional planes to fly before stepping up to a scale warbird. The only drawback is that both of these kits are designed for tricycle landing gear.

You might also wish to reconsider the Sig Four Star kit. One of the reasons that this kit is so beloved is that it is very "bashable." If you want to make your Four Star .60 kit with full flaps and ailerons and put four servos in the wing, you can do it. You can also take a rib out of each wing half to make your Four Star less of a "floater" so that it handles more like a Super Sportster instead of a low wing trainer.

I think building a Sig Four Star .60 kit and modifying it to your preferences will be the simplest path for getting exactly what you want. Your second best choice would be to build and fly the Top Flite T-34B kit with flaps. Then the biggest change moving to the Corsair will simply be the tail-dragger gear setup and the higher wing loading.

I have flown before, see my post about the Cessna.

I am looking for a trainer that closely resembles the Corsair I mentioned. I think of it like this: There are trainers that teach the basic 4 channels, but I am also looking for a "warbird-like" trainer if that makes sense.

I learned to fly on a NexStar and am proficient with it. My 2nd plane is the Cessna and I am proficient with it. I use the flaperons too, so I wanted to move up to a more advanced trainer. I know that may not make sense, but I am looking for a trainer that will teach me low-wing flight, tail dragger ground handling, and one with flaps.

I hope that cleared up any confusion I may have caused.

rwright,
Unfortunately there isn't going to be a trainer that "closely resembles" the Corsair. You are going to find it hard to go from a trainer to a warbird. Warbirds are some of the most demanding planes to fly because of their very nature. Real warbirds are fast and nimble and a challenge to fly for full scale pilots, and those traits often translate to scale models too. It might take several planes for you to aquire the skills you need to successfully fly your warbird. I know know that's not what you want to hear, but that's the reality of the situation.

Ken

Good choices, and ideas too, thanks.

However right now I would prefer to have a trainer that is close to being ready to fly because I spend my free time working on the Corsair and do not want to bash at this time.

Thanks again.

I agree with the H9 Mustang PTS. i've seen numerous beginners at the local field fly with success. An instructor is a must as well as a buddy cord/link. Great introduction to tail draggers, i don't think you can go wrong with it.

Flaps are fixed until your ready. You can purchase a servo and it can easily be transformed.

Give it a shot, you can't go wrong.

Thanks Ken, I knew that already so it was not a surprise to hear. I will definitely buddy-box the Corsair - probably for a long time, and am prepared for that.

I'm hoping that the PTS (or similar trainer) will teach me some of the skills required. Perhaps I should not have said "trainer" because that implies I have not flown before.

I feel quite comfortable with my skills now - I haven't crashed in months! hahaha

Here is my plan, feel free to comment:

1. Basic trainer: NexStar (completed)
2. 2nd plane: Cessna (currently flying)
3. 3rd plane: low-wing, tail dragger, with flaps
4. 4th plane same style as 3# but faster, larger, and with retracts
5. Lots of flying time with the above
6. Lots of buddyBox time with Corsair

Thanks blueprint012, I am leaning in that direction.

If I understand this, you are looking for an "advanced" trainer, having flown R/C high wing trainer(s) and want something to mimic a warbird? There are ways to do this. Build yourself a Sig FourStar 60 and shorten the wing one panel on each side and fly it with very low rates at the rearmost C.G. You can rig flaperons using a computer radio.

For an ARF you could try the Sig Mayhem with the smallest recommended engine and also at very low rates with the rearmost recommended C.G. Something "cheap" with tapered wings like a Sukhoi or Cap 232 would be good, also, with the low rates.

The small engine and low rates will keep you from "cheating" and trying to fly on the prop instead of the wing or snapping out of situations unrealistically quickly. Warbirds are not 3-D capable, stall and snap roll, and take a run before take-off to get up to speed. The C.G suggestion is to get you into the habit of needing to control the model at all times - which you will have to do with a Corsair.

Remove all the training aids for the PTS and it flys semi-scale. Takes offs require higher airspeed and a gentler touch on the elevator. In the air it still fly's like a "advanced trainer" (snaps like no war bird should). Landing take more attention as the ailerons are less effective and you most be a lot more careful with the elevator! After flying it as a trainer and then flying a semi-sport/race plane I went to fly it as a sport plane and it still had tendencies of a trainer (slow roles, mushy stalls, ext.) but could snap role so fast that it caused the screws holding one aileron servo tray into the wing to strip and then it flung the servo tray out! but all was well as i had became good at landing it.

Charlie P.,
You are correct. The FourStar is a good candidate but I did not want to do any bashing. Thanks for the comments on engines and low rates, I'll make sure I keep that in mind.

zachmccool,
Thanks for the info on the PTS. I will definitely fly it with everything on first. I did the same with my NexStar - I flew with everything on (except AFS). It did not take me long to remove them tho, once I fely comfortable flying it with them on. So I will probably keep the same approach with the P51 PTS if that is what I decide on moving on to.

It really is a very good plane to learn on, but since you are soloing it might come off as boring, but it dose look scale!

I'm sure you are right, because I have been flying for a couple of years now, but I want to start slow just to make sure I don't bite off more than I can chew.
My concern is that I don't know exactly what to expect when moving from a high-wing to a low-wing. I know I will have to be careful with the elevator on takeoff and landing so I don't nose over. I know I will have to come in hot to land, etc.

Thanks again!

Low-wing trainers, and even tail-dragger sport planes, aren't going to handle like a scale warbird. The Mustang P-51 PTS is a primary trainer because it takes off easily, ground handles well, and won't nose over. Stiks and low wing trainers like the Four Star land like trainers.

If you REALLY want to practice flying your corsair that you're building, you will probably be best served by simply finding a reasonably priced F4U Corsair ARF and flying that while you're finishing your kit. That P-51 PTS is nice looking and fun to fly, but it isn't going to prepare you for your Corsair any better than your Cessna that you are currently flying.

Find a Corsair ARF that you like that will go together reasonably quickly and fly that for practice. Once your masterpiece is finished, you'll feel comfortable flying it:

http://www.richmondrc.com/vma/storec..._vma_c260u.htm

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdID=HAN2575

http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/127534.asp

http://www.nitroplanes.com/f4ucorsair.html

I realize the P51 PTS won't handle like the scale warbirds, but will it be close? Will it teach me the basics of flying scale warbirds?
If not then you may be on to something by recommending the smaller Corsairs. I just didn't know if they would require more skills than I possess at the moment. That's the reason for asking for a plane that will help me learn the skills needed to fly the 1/6 scale F4U Corsair.

The PTS P 51 will not demonstrate typical warbird manners. It is very docile and has very good low speed qualities that you will not find in any warbird.

The PTS will help you learn how to land a tail dragger however the gear is so far in front of the CG that it will not prepare you for the difficulty in landing a tail dragger where the gear is mounted right at the CG

If you build a PTS and want to correctly model it to fly scale I suggest you overpower it, and add a bunch of ballast to it, then relocate the landing gear further to the rear. Then you will be tasked with the true scale manners that a War bird demonstrates.