I have been in the RC hobby for years. i tarted off with cars, then flew a few planes into the ground, and crashed many helicopters. I have been out of the hobby for about a 1 1/2 years and want to slowly get back in. I figured I would get a plane. I am pretty proficient in RC's, but I wanted to know what size plane I should buy? I am not too concerned about the cost, but I want a very stable plane. I would like something that very slow with a low stall speed. the last trainer i had was a .40, should i bump up to a .60 to get a larger plane? or should i go down? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I am also looking for others to fly with, I live in Orange CA so if you live in the area or know of a website of a local club that would be also be very appreciated. Thanks for all of the feedback.

[email protected]

a .60 is a lot more stable and easy to see.....

What do you think about park fliers? i just noticed that there is a special section for them, but at this point i want to get good at flying, the nicer planes will come with time. thanks

I have been flying for 3 years atleast 3 times a week if the weather is right... I have never been on a buddy box... I learned to fly with RealFlight G2... My first plane was a Avistar RTF... I am now flying an Extra 300L with a GMS .61 on it... I have had about 10 planes between the Avistar and the 300L... Do you use a simulator?

honestly i have used simulators before, i just dont like them. i would much rather goto the field and learn to fly. when i am on the simulators i treat it as a game rather than a learning tool. i figured i would get a RTF and just goto town with an instructor, or if it is slow enough i might be able to handle it on my own. I would be very confortable on a buddy box setup too. I guess my only concern at this point is to have a slow plane. thank you for you quick feedback.

Well, you definitely don't want to go smaller. A 40 size is good and has many options as far as 40 size trainers. if you want more stable, move up to a .60 size trainer. Here is an excellent one:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXJ558&P=0

how much bigger is a 60 vs a 40, will it be really that much more stable? i like the idea of having it bigger b/c it would help me with orientation as well. thanks

Clear your pre-conceived notion that the simulator is a game. It's whatever YOU make of it. If you approach it with the mindset that it's a game, it will be a game. If you treat it as a serious training tool, you can learn a LOT and avoid spending a lot of time and money repairing and replacing models.

Lots of people have learned on simulators and managed to fly for a long time before crashing. Your original post is a good sign that you can benefit from some time on a sim. Imagine if all those crashes had been on a sim. How much money and time could you have saved?

A simulator is just a tool. How you use it is up to you.

To give you an idea, The GP...

PT-20 has a 52 3/4" wing.
PT-40 has a 60" wing
PT-60 has a 71" wing

Is it THAT much more stable? It depends on your definition of "THAT" (I know, I sound like Bill Clinton) but it WILL be more stable much the way a hawk is more stable than a housefly. How much is a relative term. I would say that if you intend to stay with 60 powered planes, go with the 60 size trainer so the engine will move up with you. Or get a 91 4-stroke if that's what you want to move up to. If you want to eventually fly a 91 4 stroke, but can't afford one right now, but you have a 40 2 stroke, then don't waste your money buying a 60. Learn on a 40 trainer and save your money for later.

Do I have you sufficiently confused now? LOL

thanks for the info, it has helped me a lot. what do you guys think of the hobbico avistar series planes? thanks

I don't have any direct experience with them, but I have heard very good things.

SoCalHeli,

From the points that have been raised so far I can divide your choices into two options:

1. You wan't a slow flying plane you can fly yourself:

Start with a lightweight 3 channel park flyer like the GWS Tiger Moth. Provided you hand launch it and land it on grass you probably won't damage it unless you purposely ram it into the ground.

When you are proficient, you can then graduate to a slow flying 3 channel glow plane. Look at the Ripmax Zephyr as an example.

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXAHR0&P=7

It plods around at just over idle using an OS15LA. You can fly this one at the RC club and practice touch and goes with it. This can be either hand launched or taken off from ground.

By the time time you're proficient with this plane, almost any trainer should be easy to fly and you'll be solo on a 'proper' 4 channel in no time.

I don't have one but I would look into a SIG Senior ARF as a big easy trainer (in red or blue). It has an 80" span and only needs a .40 engine. That should tell you how light and slow it should be:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXBDE9&P=7

The kit version is a box of sticks and will take ages to build (I know I've got a Seniorita).

2. Go straight to the 4 channel trainer with a buddy box:

I've got a Superstar 60 for exactly the same reason, bigger plane, more visable, more stable etc.....

Here it is:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXK975&P=7

Again, the Senior above would be a good choice....

I read on another thread someone has a Tower Trainer 60, same size as the Superstar. After some discussion they decided to try it with the TT pro .46 they had. Apparantly it flew well.

Just goes to show you don't need a 60 to fly a 60 sized trainer...


There's also a selction of 'out of the box' trainers to choose from in 40 size, but If you've already been in the hobby you probably have engines and radios already around.

Hope that helps....

tiggerinva-thank you for all of the information, and the links were very helpful as to showing exactly what you were referring to. if i can find a decent local field ill probably get a 40 trainer and buddy box it. otherwise ill get the ripmax, in the 3 channel setup i am only missing the servo on the wing right? but from previous experience i used that servo more than the rudder. how well will it fly with only 3 servos? thanks

4 Channel.

With a 4 channel plane you mainly use the ailerons and the evaluators to turn i.e. you bank the plane with the ailerons and pull back (up) on the elevator to pull the plane round into a turn.
You're also supposed to feed in some rudder as well, but I think many instructors don't teach this as it only complicates things. You can learn to coordinate all 3 surfaces at a later time.

In terms of actual stick movement, you are moving the stick to one side then pulling back slightly to make the turn and maintain height.

3 Channel

On a 3 channel plane you just have the rudder and elevator, no ailerons (no need to remember to plug in the servo when you put the wings on). The wings also have more built in dihedral. The dihedral makes the plane more stable and also has the effect of banking the plane when the rudder is applied. The polyhedral wing on the Zephyr increases this affect. i.e. it can make quite tight turns even though it only appears to have a small rudder.

When you set the radio up, you usually plug the rudder servo into the aileron channel so it is on the right stick with the elevator.

So, when you make a turn you move the rudder and pull slightly up on the elevator.

The stick movement is therefore very similar to a 4 channel, the plane just behaves differently in the turn.

When you transition from 3 to 4 channel the main difference is in take off and landing. When you take off on a 3 channel you'll be using the rudder on the right stick to steer, on a 4 channel you'll also need to use the rudder, but it will be on the left stick with the throttle. You then will need to remember to switch to the ailerons on the right stick when the plane is airborne.

The reason I suggested this route is because park flyer's behave very differently from larger glow planes. The Zephyr is really just like a large park fayer with an engine, easy to get used to after a small electric.

I decided to go this route after I was having trouble getting enough instructor time on the Superstar with the buddy box . I have loads of flights on my Tiger Moth but just getting the odd flight on the big plane was going to make 'going solo' at my local club a long drawn out process.

On Saturday I had the flying field all to myself, so I got plenty of flights in with no hassle from other club members. So, when I went back Sunday (there were other people there) all I needed was for someone to stand next to me (rules), no buddy box. This also means its easier to persuade someone to stay with me as they have nothing really to do.

Soon I'll be back on my Superstar 60 and soloing....

well i ended up getting a 40 size trainer, i bought a hobbico superstar, i liked it becasue it came with an OS engine and a Futaba radio. i have owned both brands and have had no bad experiences. hopefully ill be in the air soon. if anyone knows of someone in the southern california region that is willing to fly with me please let me know. thanks for all the input

Glad to see you got a good one. Just read all the posts and was going to steer you away from the park flyers. They are small, not real easy to fly, and very delicate. I have been flying over 25 years and got the tigermoth to fly in the yard. It is a blast and I do a lot with it, but if you have not flown and took it you, you would rip the wings off of it or tear it up landing. They are built from light foam and if you grab it wrong, you can total it. You made a good choice. Happy flying. Look on the AMA web site and find a club near you for help. Its better to get someone to help and stay with it, than to crash and quit. Its a great hobby.

There's two people in our club with Superstars. They fly a little faster than the average 40 size trainer, but you will do fine if you have help. Your choice of engine and radio are great. Make sure you have an instructor and everything will go great.

Go as big as you can afford. I had the Hobbico 60 Trainer and I loved it. It was stable and predictable. The only thing I changed was I made it a tail dragger.

just a quick note on the simulator. Try not to bore holes in the sky, but sit down with a flight plan or manuever in mind. Try to NEVER crash. level circles and perfect figure 8's first. Enjoy flying slow and playing with stall speed. I, for instance, try to do ten consequtive no crash landings. The sim is a low cost way of learning to fly toward youself (prop up the low wing with the stick!). YMMV

ps I found the midwest areostar to be a great trainer. (I think there is an ARf version -falcon models sound right?)

Don't forget, An LT-40 has a 70 inch wingspan and 900 sq.in. of wing area. That's as big as most 60 size trainers. To boot ,it flies beautifully.