I was wondering if there is any chance that one could get an Extra 300 as a second plane. I was thinking about the phoenix models ARF or the Great Planes kit. Is it under all circumstances an impossible step to accomplish or is it possible to go from mastering a trainer to an extra?

In most cases the thin winged double tapered scale aerobatic types make very poor second airplanes. Is it impossible? no of course not. However its only likely to live very long doing this if you are willing to find a competant instructor/mentor to buddy box with you and you do not rush the process (key point).

Trouble with this senario is at this stage most folks will do anything not to be seen on a buddy box, even to the point of wasting airplanes.

John

I have a couple of suggestions for you if an extra is what your after.


In a nitro plane, look into the sig something extra. My instructor actually recommended one to me as a first kit(cause there as easy as a four star to build) and a good second airplane.


If you'lld like to step back to a smaller electric and give it a go, my LHS owner says he has sold several of the Herr "little" extras and had people putting outrunners on them. He says they fly exceptionally well, and I know he has two in stock at the moment.




As wierd as this sounds, you might also look into a U-can-do. That advice does not come from me, but came from my instructor. They do fly VERY well as I understand it, and are built lightly and should survive an impact well enough.

Of course there are always options like a four-star or tiger. I believe[link=http://www.texasrcplanes.com/explorerl1.html]these[/link] have proven to be decent cheap alternatives, you might consider making a pit stop on one of them before attempting to tackle something like an extra......


If your interested in building a kit, maybe pick a four star capable of handling the motor and servo setup you will need for the kit(they produce ARF's in all three sizes now), start flying it, and really take your time to make the kit turn out well.

I wouldn't suggest it as a 2nd airplane. Perhaps a 4 star 60 or a tiger 60.

really good 2nd plane is a ultra stick

Any chance? yup, but you need to know that it is an airplane that is designed to be aerobatic. That means it will do snap rolls and stalled wing maneuvers easily. That means the elevator will stall the wing at the lower flying speeds, if not normal cruise speeds. Can you cure the airplane of that? Probably not to your satisfaction.

I wish I had a dollar for every time someone who had just bought a CAP, Edge, Extra, Giles, or Sukhoi wanted to cure them of their "tip stalling" behavior. They're designed to do what they do. And experienced flyers know how to deal with them. Learning to trim one and to fly it is a way to become an experienced flyer.

(You can adjust your CG and elevator throws and setup your dual rates around those throws to help with the flying part. But you still need to learn to fly them.)

Yes, the biggest mistake people make is flying models outside of the intended envelope they were designed for. Chances are that a second pilot won't be able to use an Extra for its intended use because of their relative inexperience. This always causes problems. I'd stick with a Sig Somethin' Extra, Four Star, Tiger, or a U Can Do. There's also a great sticky in the Beginners Forum called "Looking for a Trainer?" that has a list of second airplanes toward the bottom.

As the others above have said, this is a pretty poor choice for a second plane. One big problem is that a plane like this requires constant attention from the pilot. And for a new pilot that has just learned to fly the pilot it always trying to keep up with what the plane is doing. In an aerobatic plane like an Extra this is a recipe for trouble. A plane like this needs to be flown where the pilot is always ahead of the plane knowing what they are going to do next with it. Everybody has given great advice about second plane choices..... Something Extra, 4-Star, or a Tiger II are all great choices. These are forgiving planes that are actually quite capable aerobats.

Ken

i had a 60 size kangke extra 300 and i have to say it was a real easy plane to fly with no nasty habits,at least it didn't have any until the 5 ounces of nose weight fell off whilst 100 foot up![X(]

You don't say to what level you're at, I was much the same wanting something more aerobatic and was thinking about the EFlight Mini Edge 540 or an Extreme Flight Extra 300, someone with 20 yrs experience has pointed me in the Multiplex Acromaster direction instead for 2 reasons, it's not so scary on the lower settings and they can then be upped to full 3d when you're more used to it and it's much easier to repair as there will be accidents. I put the decals in last night, have to put velcro and small amount of nose weight in tonight for the COG and the ready to go, if I get out over the next few days I'll let you know how I get on with it if yo'ev any interest. The person that reccommended it has over 50 planes himself 20 yrs flying and still puts it in his top 4.

This is exactly what I'm planning to do. I am starting with a Hangar 9 Arrow (recommended by the instructor because of my sim time allowing me to "jump" over the normal Alpha Trainer). I just bought the Four-Star 40 kit and will be putting that together slowly and methodically while I fly the Arrow.

This advice was given to me by many online as well as instructors at the club. SIG also makes very good instructions for their kits and the Four Star is supposed to be a great kit to build for a beginner.

The Four Star kit is about as easy to build as kits can come and a great choice for a beginning aerobatic pilot. It's actually quite a capable airplane too. I just took someone up on a buddy box with one and it flew like a dream; I was even able to impress him by easily completing a square loop with one half rolls with it. It will slow to a crawl like a trainer without stalling if you let it.

Some great advice here. But to be honest I did exactly what you are thinking. I quickly grew bored with my trainer and began to push it beyond its limits to the point of damge to the airframe. So I went out and got a Hobbico Extra 300s Kit and off I went. I buddy boxed one time then took over from there and never looked back. It was an exceptionaly well built plane and very easy to fly. With low rates it flew just like a trainer except quite a bit FASTER!! It is also NOT a 3D capable Airplane. This particular kit has smaller control surfaces which makes it alot more managable for the novice. I took it slow and learned to understand the charateristics of the plane and the exteme differences in how the plane reacts. I flew hundres of boring ovals at my local field till I really got ahold of it. I hundreds of flights on that plane til I had a wingfailure in flight. Could have been prevented with a better preflight but stuff happens right? This is possible if you don't want to waste time on an inferior plane for your tastes but be sure to be ptient. The advanced maneuvers and stunts will come in time. Good Luck!

Hmmm...

I wanted to check the specs on the "Hobbico Extra 300s" as I never heard of it, and couldn't find it listed... at Tower.

Which plane did you get?

I don't think Hobbico makes an Extra, I've only seen their Sukhoi. I know Great Planes makes a 300s.

Sorry man they do not make it anymore. I should said that earlier. BUT there is one for sale on Ebay right now. That is where I got my current one. The one ebay is new in the box and never opened. Just search for "Hobbico Extra 300s" and it should come up. t is also a very durable plane. I attached a pic of my newest one I got off ebay with a new trim scheme. About ready to take it out on its maiden.

Has this plane got a cowl?

Yes, here's the item number for the NIB Extra ARF on Ebay: 260140129594

You will find the wing loading on the aerobatic planes a little higher than your trainer. Therefore the plane won't be as easy to land. If you can get some instructor time with this type the rest of the fight is stick and rudder, just like your trainer plane but a lot less sluggish. I think a better choice would be a semi-semetrical wing or full semtrical wing low wing load type.
Sticks are a great second plane. The can fly fast or extremely slow and perform most aerobatic manuevers. They have a large level, semetrical wing and most are tail draggers, a change from your trainer. Mine was (is) Hanger 9's Utra Stick 60 with a Saito 100.
I made the mistake of going to an extra 300 too soon. I had to fix it many times and finally had to salvage the parts. But there is hope, I fly giant scale 260's and 330L's now and always take them home. (knock on (balsa) wood) Good luck

Yeah it has a cowl I just haven't installed it yet. I am not going to use the ABS plastic one from the kit. I got one from these guys. [link=http://www.fiberglassspecialtiesinc.com]Fiberglass specialties[/link] It is a one piece Fiberglass cowling that is amazing quality.

Hi Plugin,

My "trainer" was an Extra 260, 33% gas airplane, belonging to the person teaching me. But I stayed on the buddy-box for a long time (many months of practicing several times a week). If you do get an aerobatic plane, you will probably have to stay on the buddy-box with it for a while too; I really didn't mind, but, it depends on your ego

It depends on your personality, experience and talent. My best advice would be, ask someone if you can try their aerobatic plane (on a buddy-box!) and see if it is something you can learn to handle quick enough for your taste. And if you don't want to go back to the buddy-box (or don't have a willing instructor), it is probably better to go to a more standard second plane.

Isabel

I don't mean to brag but everyone at my field insists that I should go directly to an extra instead of stepping through an intermediate second plane. They even say that they feel discouraged by my flying because I've been doing it for 3 months and they feel I fly much better than some that have 3+ years of experience. The field owner who happens to be the LHS owner constantly displays me to encourage people to buy a NexStar. I do feel really comfortable and can do pretty much any maneuver that my NexStar will allow. I can Roll, Loop, Spin, Trying to flat spin (but dont think the airplane will allow), Stall Turn, Cuban 8, 3ft inverted low flybys, full speed touch and gos, and have attempted one successful inverted landing. I'm on a tight budget so I really want to know if I should still go through a Pulse XT which I plan to be my second plane or if I can jump directly to an extra. I'm thinking the phoenix models one, or the great planes.

If you do would try and get some time on a flight simulator 1st, mainly the response to the stick is Soooooooo much more severe and if you have FMS and download the EFlight Mini Edge and Funtana and the Extreme Flight Extra 300 from http://www.rc-sim.de/ at least you'll get an idea of exactly how different they feel which is the man thing you'll find hard to adjust to and if you've gone to much one way you'll panic and over correct the other which is like the very 1st time you try to fly !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't forget put the plane on thelowest setting / thows you can as well and if yo're transmitter has the function put in quite a high exponential as well !!!
Good luck !!!!!!

Yes.

To simulate the responsiveness of my real Extra 300S in G3, I had to edit the model and put in NEGATIVE Expo...

( e.g. INCREASED sensitivity around the zero point ).


The first time I flew the real plane I was unprepared for how it responded.

I guess your going to have to make the decision. Personally, I feel like it's fool hardy to rush the point on something like this that costs hundreds of dollars(wich I sure as blazes don't have maybe you do).