I am looking for opinions on learning to fly on a super stick 40. I will have an experienced r/c instructor with me on a buddy cord but i am curious if this plane is ok to start with. I hate all the other trainers as they all look the same and they are HUGE!!!!

thanks......Bob

I just bought a Great Planes Big Stick 40 ARF. Its not here yet but I should be getting it in a couple of days. I watched this model fly all weekend and it flies great. The thing that I liked about it most is the design and color. It is one of the most visible planes that I have seen in the air. While watching it fly I had no problems at all telling the orientation.
This will be my second plane, and I would suggest you follow the same route and start out with a trainer.
Something like the SIG LT40, Avistar or Superstar would be a great choice.
If you are already flying a trainer then I think the Stick would be a great choice.
I am making the transition because a tree reached out and abducted my trainer this past weekend.
I was able to salvage the engine and all the electronics, so they will be going into the stick when it gets here.

As for the Super stick I suggest you do a search on this forum because I have read that they have a lot of problems.
Let me say that I have never owned one so I am going by what I have read.
I have seen one fly on a couple of occasions but I did not talk with the owner, it seemed to fly good though.

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.


Dbow

Bob:

Trainer aircraft have built-in dihedral in the wing. (The wing is kind of v-shaped). This allows the trainers to be somewhat self-correcting from a turn, etc. If you are high enough and run into trouble you can let go of the sticks and the trainer will try to correct itself and fly straight again.

As a rule, the "sticks" have no or very little dihedral in the wing. This means you will have to use opposite control input to bring the plane back from a maneuver. Simply: Input left aileron to start the turn and then feed in right aileron to straighten out from the turn.

As long as you are flying with an instructor and a buddy box I see no problem learning on a stick.

Good luck.

Pat

The biggest problem you will have learning on most Stick-type planes is that they frequently have symetrical airfoils and higher wingloadings, and are are set up to fly faster than most trainers.

Higher airspeed means you have to react faster, and the ground gets closer much sooner. That's not to say all symetrical airfoils are bad for training, there have been some really great, slow flying symetrical wings out there.

My first plane (on bad advice I got years ago) was a stick-type, and while I learned on it, I broke it more than I should have, and it took me longer to learn than it should have.

That said, I haven't flown the exact model you refer to, so I can't actually speak to it's suitability as a primary trainer.

If you can see one in person, compare it to a trainer. Compare the weight, and the overall size of the wing (span and chord) to get a rough guess at the relitive wingloading. Lower wing loading will lead to slower flight and easier learning. And compare the thickness of the wing. The symetrical section will have to be a tad thicker than the flat-bottom airfoil found on most trainers to have simular slow-flight qualities.

I taught myself on the GP Big Stik 40 (with A LOT of sim time). Sticks are great choices to start out with. Set the throws low and they are very tame, but there is plenty of room to grow. My stick can fly slowly enough that I could probably run along side of it and snatch it out of the air. Its controls also remain strong even near the stall.

I would go for a trainer type of plane rather than a stick to learn to fly. Trainers are much more forgiving than Sticks, but the stick is a really fun second plane!

Hi Bob,

I started with a trainer and went onto my SuperStick 40 days after soloing. It flew so well that I was disappointed that I spent money on a trainer... So my recommendation is to get the SS 40. However, I would would ask your instructor for honest feedback on how well you are progressing once you begin training. If you are having trouble, and the SS 40 turns out to have been a bad idea, it will be simple matter to swap the engine and electronics into a traditional trainer. If you end up with a trainer you will still want the SS 40 as a second plane anyway so you won't have lost anything, and you might just save something in the process.

My second plane is a Super Stick 60 which flies so well, I find it easier to fly than my H9 Extra Easy trainer and a whole lot more fun. It goes exactly where you point it and lands easier because it doesn't have the float tendencies of the trainer. With all of that said, I am glad I started with the trainer first. It just gives you more time to think and react when you get into trouble. Don't be impatient. Learn the basics and then step up.

A beginner may start with a stick plane rather than a proper trainer plane, PROVIDED that, the control throws must be set within reasonable range to the trainee reflex.

I am of the opinion that, based on previous training experience given to new pilots, they ACTUALLY were having difficulty with some of the trainer planes as the planes do not response accurately to their intended direction or control and this has some sort of making them less confident with the control of the plane. I believe this could be due to the large diheadral on those trainer plane which in some cases caused the plane to self correct on every control inputs.

Whereas the stick response is quite accurate to the direction as intended by the trainee. No doubt that the plane could not 'float' as good as a trainer plane, but the character of 'trainer floating' has actually caused concern by some trainee as they find it even difficult to direct the plane to landing. The floating tendency of the trainer has also caused landing procedure to be much influence by the slight varying wind condition, as compared to stick plane which has/no float tendency. With a proper elevator setting, a stick can land by itself if the altitude and the descending degree and the throttle is cut at a right approach time.

BUT my personal advise DO NOT get a Hangar 9 Super Stick 40 as it is by far the worst ARF I have experienced as the tail section of the plane is too fragile especially for beginner opting for a stick plane to take up flying. This problem is impounding if you make it tail dragger instead of having a main wheel.

Get a World Model Stick 40 or even better the 60 size (bigger is better).

However, to even make a learning fast go and get someone to build a SPAD plane for you or find it yourself at spadtothebone.com or in the SPAD forum.

Attached is my self built SPAD CAP and it really flies fantastic.

Go with the Stick. Ive had several and the thing that really got me going on RC Planes was the Great Planes Big Stick 40. Im flying an H9 Super Stick and it flys just as good if not better. You can learn on it you just gotta have patents.

my advice?

ask your instructor.

you might show up with the stick and the buddy cable and he might keep you grounded.


or he might take you up and let you fly it, but its up to him so get his advice.