I recieved a TOWERâ„¢ Trainer .40 MKII ARF as a gift from sombody. I have never flown a rc airplan w/ a wingspan over 12 inches. I am a good builder and I learn very quickly. I have everything needed to build it. I mean everything.

I also own the G3 simulator and was wondering if practicing on the simulator with the Hobbico NEXstar is close enough to my plane so that practice on It will help me to practice flying my plane before I do the real thing?

My last question is... Is the TOWERâ„¢ Trainer .40 MKII ARF a good begginer aircraft?

Thanks in advance

Electrolight

Electrolight,
It's an outstanding trainer. It's what I learned to fly on 11 years ago, and I still have it today. I still fly it every now and then for the fun of it. You'll do fine with it. It's also a pretty easy build as well. Just follow the instructions and you'll have no problems. While it's not specifically this plane, I did a build thread on a Sig LT-40 a couple of years ago. Read through it and a lot of the techniques I used there will apply to your Tower Trainer. You can find the build thread here:

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_3439708/tm.htm]Pay It Forward build thread!! LT-40 build.[/link]

Hope this helps

Ken

Electrolight,

A trainer is pretty much a "trainer". Doesnt matter what brand or type it is. They are all pretty much the same (if you look at different brands and models). The huge wingspan will be good for you because it keeps the plane more stable in the air. Ive flown about 5 different trainers in the past and I can honestly say..they are all pretty much the same. Only difference is, some are a hassle to build and some come together very nicely. I heard the Tower Hobbies trainer isnt a bad choice. Should be no worries with that one.

Good luck on the build and spend some time on the Simulator will defiently build up your cofidence.

Thank you two very much. You answered my questions. RC ken nice thread I haven't read it all yet but I skimmed it and It seems to have a lot of usefull info. I will deffinently read through it.

Electrolight

I was also looking into the tower trainer, anyone know how good the motor it????

Congrats on the Tower trainer. I learned on one, along with real-flight, myself last year. The biggest difference I found between the real-flight Nextstar and the Tower Trainer is that the TT seems more lively in real life. I made no modifications to my control surfaces on my TT, however it responds faster and with more authority than the G3 Nextstar. When using the simulator, make sure you're using the version of the Nextstar that does not have the crash avoidance system active. That is definitely a crutch you don't want to get used to.

Lastly I'll also recommend that you get assistance from a local flying club and instructor. I would never have successfully maidened my trainer without some experienced help.

good luck & safe flying!

Be sure to have an instructor help you with this plane. It WILL be much different than what you have flown before and simulators can only do so much.

Don't trash this plane in the first few seconds.

This will help Mr. Electrolite [link=http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx]AMA club search[/link]

Stick 40

BTW: perform the G3 to G3.5 updates and then fly the PT-40 trainer.

It's identical to the TH trainer.

The Tower trainer is an excellent plane to learn on. The simulator time will help you a lot, but nothing replaces real hands-on experience. PLEASE get hooked up with a local club and/or instructor before trying to fly it. Even with simulator time, the chances you'll crash while trying to fly by yourself are GREAT!

Dr,1

The Tower Hobbies .46 engine included with the Tower Trainer .40 Mk II RTF package is a very powerful, good running 2-stroke engine. They're not as consistently built as some of the more well-known engines on the market (O.S. or Thunder Tiger, to name a couple). Many folks report nothing but good luck and smooth running with their Tower Hobbies brand engines while some folks have trouble getting them tuned in and running smoothly.

I have a Tower Trainer .40 Mk II ARF that I am flying with an O.S. .46 FX engine. I think it's a very good value for a high quality trainer. I would power mine with an O.S. .40 or .46 LA or a Thunder Tiger GP-42 if given the chance to start over. My Tower Hobbies Trainer .40 Mk II is a bit nose heavy with the ball bearing .46 on it, even with the flight pack battery clear back in the tail behind the servo tray. A lighter weight engine would have balanced the plane better while still providing loads of power.

The Tower Trainer .40 Mk II ARF is a very lightweight trainer airframe and should fly well with the O.S. .40 LA.

Yep, the Tower 46 is an excellent engine, although I prefer the OS 46, the Tower engine is a good choice.

I was reading through the ratings on it and ALOT of people said it was a pain to build, one person said the elevator slot was cut wrong... with the stock motor it is a bit nose heavy, I could prob. glue some weight on the back of it. I also wonder if you could take cool aerial vids with it???

My father-in-law purchased a THT ARF after he crashed his nextar. He really didnt like the nextar anyhow. I am new to building in the rc world. I found it really easy to build the TT ARF. Everything went together nicely and it flies great. I have recommended it to several newcomers in our club and they have had great success with it also. GOOD LUCK

Many models will be nose heavy or tail heavy depending on what equipment is installed. Maybe the prototype used a lightweight bushing engine, and the reviewer who experienced a nose heavy condition used a ball bearing engine (which is heavier). Sometimes you can move the battery pack forward or backward enough to balance the model without adding any weight. If not, adding a little weight to either end of most 40 size trainers is not the end of the earth.

I suspect: If you bought ten 'identical' ARFs and assembled all of them with 'identical' parts, each one would require something slightly different to get the balance just right.

Thanks to all I will for sure join a club first for any help possible
btw I have a .40 super tigre engine. I don't know the exact model number though. Anyways thanks alot.

I'll let yall know when I solo ( If I don't crash before then)
Electrolight

Think positive. If you get an instructor to help you out, with a buddy box, your chances of a crash are minimal.

You have a great setup there. My first trainer was the Tower 40 ARF which I later sold and changed over to the Hobbico NexSTAR and solo'ed with that. The Tower was a great flyer, and still is, by the way, with the Tower 46 engine.

CGr

lots of sound advice so far. you might consider changing it to a taildragger. That seems to work better on grass fields but its not a big deal. i just hate fussing with the nose wheel.

ST 40 is just fine for that plane