A good buddy of mine gave me a goldberg Piper cub kit, that he got donated to him from someone else and he just didnt have the room for it with all his other planes...

I have flown electric's like the slow stick's, but I really want me a good trainer glow powered for those more windy days that that most electrics cannot handle...

I have been looking at the hobbico nexstar also for my first trainer...

should I hold off on the cub and just build it in my spair time and get the nexstar, or would the cub be just as suitable for a trainer....

Mind you I can fly, I just can't do aerobatics, or 3d flying... but I can float around and do loops all day long...

Hmmm in my opinion...from what I have heard from others ...The Nexstar is sort of a rip off. Its a trainer like any other but nicer. The problem with that is that we tend to outgrow our trainers quickly or crash them. So why spend the money. If i was to get another trainer I would totally get the Avistar. It can be fast and very aerobatic. If you intend to get into the hobby...dont buy the RTF package....buy everything seperate with an OS .46 AX or something similar. The bearing engine will grow with you. Good Luck!

Build on the GB cub while you fly your arf trainer. I have a GB Cub and have flown several other cubs including the kit from tower and they all can be a handfull on the ground. Throw in a little cross wind for real excitement. Most all cubs fly ok once you get them in the air.
I also like the avistar, I used one to train others for a whole summer, but lately I have helped several newbe's with the Alpha and Arrow models (from horizon I think) and I like the way they fly. The nexstar is ok too, no better or worse than the cheaper models.
Fred

Thier are much better planes out there than the Nextstar. Your better off with a cheap Tower Hobbys trainer with a good .46 engine that you can swap into your second nitro plane. The Tower trainer is a good plane for the price and I believe a trainer teaches you things you wont learn on an aerobatic plane.
I built the GB Cub with a cilpped wing. Nice plane but they well not take a rough landings . They are very weak in the fuse area where the wing bolts on. Ground handling is terrible on Cubs , once you get it down , you can take off anything. The Cub just wont take the beating a trainer can.

Listen to Insanemoondoggie. I have instructed newbies since a couple months after I was one back around 1970. i've used many trainers. The Avistar is a good machine to play with, but so is the Tower Hobbico Trainer. I keep one with a ST 40 for use with newbies, and have instructed others on them with everything from OS LA 40s to .46s of all kinds.
Using a 11-5 wood prop and the ST 40, I can fly inverted horizontal 8s with that machine continuosly.

Once you can fly it well, then go on to a more advanced machine, but keep it in reserve. There will be FUN-FLYs in your area with spot-landins, limbos, loops/rolls and such, and that lil' ol' Tower Trainer can compete with the best of them for most simple club type fun flys. You'll enjoy it.

My grandson when he soloed out on it several years ago. Now at 14, he's too busy to even get him here, but he can fly anything.

[link=http://www.thundertiger4u.com/easy-trainer-super-comboblue-free-side-kick-p-13081.html]Easy Trainer 40H Super Combo w/ Side Kick[/link]

Sorry fellas, but you knew this was coming!

The Thunder Tiger Easy Trainer 40H Super Combo with free Side Kick accessory package is, for now, the best value in a glow trainer setup. You get a high quality 61" wingspan trainer with a semi-symmetrical airfoil and high quality hardware, a Thunder Tiger GP-42 2-stroke glow engine,prop, spinner, glow plug, Hitec Laser 4 sport radio with servos, receiver, charger, and NiCd batteries, and all of the basic field equipment that you'll need to start and operate your new glow plane - glow ignitor with charger, fuel pump, fuel cap kit and fuel line, 4-way glow/prop wrench, and even a "chicken stick" for starting.

All of this is included for $259.99 and UPS Ground shipping is free.

You can read a nice thorough review of the Easy Trainer 40 Super Combo at the AMA's Sport Aviator website:

[link=http://www.masportaviator.com/ah.asp?CatID=1&ID=124]Easy Trainer 40 review[/link]

The Tower Trainer 40 Mk II is a good plane, but keeping the trim covering on can be a full time job. I've also found the nose gear to be a bit soft for not-so-well-kept grass fields. The Tower Trainer .40 MKII RTF package is a very good value, but will be at least as expensive as the Easy Trainer .40 Super Combo by the time you buy your basic field equipment to go with it.

I trained on a Nexstar, it's not a bad package overall, but some of the doodads like the air brakes and the ALS system are unnecessary and contribute to the Nexstar Select RTF's high cost. Simply put, there are better planes for less money.

Sig Mfg now offers it's wonderful Kadet LT-40 in ready-to-fly glow package with a .46 ball-bearing Aviastar engine and radio system all for $319.99.

The Hangar 9 Alpha and Arrow RTF trainers are very nice overall, but also more expensive.

Feel free to ask questions. Good luck and good shopping!

well I thought I was ready to buy until you guys threw all that information out there... much appreciated though....

I am working on a budjet... right now I am just trying to get the best I can with least spent, that will be worth it..

I already plan to get a spektrum in the future but not anytime soon so i need something either ready to fly or a package that will come out just as cheap as the rtf if I buy seperate....

I will do some more research on these

I wont need field equipment, I already have things such as glow plug ignighters, fuel, I can make a chicken stick, and I use a large syrringe for filling tanks.

Hehe, sorry if we bombarded you with information overload there, sputnikxxx! At least the concensus is that a 4-channel glow trainer is a good idea while you're building your J3 Cub.

Don't scrimp on field equipment if you don't have to, having the right tool for the job can make a big difference with glow planes. The fuel pumps are for taking fuel out of your tank as much as they are for putting fuel into them. Having an electric starter and battery is a lot more expensive than simply using a chicken stick, but some new engines can be a lot harder to turn over than others.

i total go with ro347 i havent goten anything yet but the people at the local club say go with avistar and dump nexstar

I know equipment is a must,... I have a lot of rc nitro car's and I am always needing tools.... I have a syringe with fuel line attached to the end... so it can fill or drain a tank... cheap alternative to fuel pumps... If any of these motors are as much of a pain to break in as some of my nitro's im sure im in for a headache here and there,....

does the same thing apply to these engines as the rc cars?... such as having to heat the motor with a heat gun, to allow the motor to losen up to turn over?...

I have a few gel cell batteries, and some rotostarts that can have an end put on them to turn the props...

I think I am deciding to go with the avistar

Sputnik, good luck on going nitro. It sounds like you got a good head on your shoulders and you will do fine.

Nothing wrong with a Cub, but the very reason you want a larger plane (wind) is the Cub's weakness. That is why it is considered an intermediate skill level. The ground handling really does suck...

To answer your question, the nitro engines are fuel and go. At the end of the day, drain the fuel out of the tank, and then run the engine dry. If you live in a humid area, a couple drops of after run oil wouldn't hurt. No need for a heatgun, unless it's below freezing.

My understanding of RC car and truck engines is limited, but I believe most all of them are of the non-ringed ABC 2-stroke variety. With airplane engines, you'll find both ringed and non-ringed engines (ABC or ABN type) as well as 2-strokes and 4-strokes.

Airplane engines are mostly lower compression than car/truck engines and don't take much work to turn over. Certain brands of airplane engines can take a bit of work to start, however, until they get broken in completely and have been flown for a while.

The O.S. and Thunder Tiger engines that are offered with Hobbico and Thunder Tiger RTF packages are not difficult to get running. I've never operated an Evolution glow engine, but folks who have purchased them with their Hangar 9 RTF trainers usually report that they're easy to start.

The Tower Hobbies .46 ball-bearing engine that comes with the Tower Trainer .40 MkII RTF package can be difficult to get running at first. It's a good powerful engine, but they take a little extra work as far as breaking one in or getting it started before it's broken in.

Try a Sig LT 40. It will fly great, and grow with you.
john

My instructor, who flies several planes, including a Yak 54 that is larger than 60 size just bought an 40 ARF trainer (to convert to a float plane just for fun) from texasrcplanes.com for $55 (half price overstock sale) and told me that it's really nice. He said "you can't beat it for the price". I just bought a low wing 40 ARF from the same place and it is nice. There are some problems with the instructions, but the son of the company owner just put the same plane together and has sent me some pics and advice to help with some of the instruction manual problems.