Next we'll look at the electristar.

Balsa plane, Large wing with ailerons, good wing loading, may not be as nice on impact.
Futaba 4exa computer radio. 4 model memory, computer mixes and programming,
buddy box capable. You can definitely use the radio for future models. good servos and
RX and full range a plus. C-42 motor and 45 amp ESC. power comparable to .40 glow,
ESC and motor can go into a more "sporty" model if desired, ESC can use lipo or nicad/nimh.
Plane will fly good in mild wind, easy to see.

ok you brought up a good question, when you say that the SC doesn't handle much wind how much are we talking 0-5mph 5-10mph? and also the electricstar

Now the Nexstar electric.

Balsa plane with good wing loading. Comes with wing droops and speed brakes to aid in training.
comes with pilot assistance link. (you may want to diconnect before flight. others will comment)
Futaba 6 channel 6exas computer radio, with more bells and whistles but a good radio that can
be used into the future. good RX and servos again full range. Comes with nexstar simulator.
the ony plane included in sim is the nexstar, but a plus for training help. Very good power system
that can be used on other models in future, Esc can use lipo or Nicad/Nimh. Larger than the others
easily visible.

I flew my nephews supercub a few times and found when it was windy I had a bear of a
time getting it back to me. I would say for new flyer 0-4 for more experienced maybe 6-7mph
after that it's just not fun in my opinion. Even my nitro trainer was a bit of a handful when I was
learning if the wind was over 12mph.

wow i just figured they could handle a little more then that I guess they are kinda like helis the lighter they are the less they can handle

When you get a plane like that into a stiff headwind it wants to stop fying and climb,
also bfore I knew it the plane was getting far away and off course. I have flown my
2 meter pattern plane in a 15mph wind with 20mph gusts and I guess with the 10lb
weight and the big engine it didn't feel like the wind was that bad. That was after I
calmed down a bit.

while learning (without an instructor) 0 to 4 mph with the Super Cub, 0 to 8 with the Electricstar. Once you are capable of handling them the Super Cub can handle up to about 7 or 8 mph the Electricstar up to about 15 to 20 depending on your skill. Ground handling on any high wing airplane in winds above 10 mph can be tricky, wind tends to get under the wing when taxying and trys to tip it over.

I've heard that landing is the toughest part. Is a plane that flys very slow better. or are the bigger planes easier to land. also I've heard the style and shape of the wing is what make a plane harder or easier to fly and land.

The 3 planes discussed in this thread will all have similar landing characteristics.
One of the biggest factors in how slow you can fly an airplane when landing is wing loading, basically wing area divided by model weight.
The foamy cub is smaller with smaller wings and less weight, the other 2 planes are bigger, heavier but have more wing area making all 3 planes with similar wing loading.

I'd say that 4 MPH is optimistic for the SuperCub, especially if it's gusting.

I've seen many a Parkzone cub destroyed at our field by novice flyers who only found out after the fact that 3 channels planes weathervane and loose control.

The bigger trainers are indeed easier to land, deal with wind better, are easier to see, can be upgraded or their parts transferred to other planes, etc.

You also might want to consider that since you will be learning on your own you will have higher chance of crashing. If you crash any of the balsa planes you will most likely have to spend some money and have quite a rebuild process depending on the crash. Where if you crash the super cub you can just put a little tape on and keep flying as long as the crash is really bad.

Austin

I don't buy it.

The Supercub is very lightly built and a crash which a balsa trainer has no problem surviving will rip the Supercub to shreds.

I've seen this occur many times.


For the cost of the replacement parts on the SC, you can just buy another trainer ARF, or at worst find similiarly price parts from Tower, etc.

that is definitily something to consider. like I have said i have 0 experience flying or building planes. I guess that would be one benifit to the super cub. I see hobbyzone sells wings and complete fuslages for fairly cheap. If I wipe out the other 2 I may be SOL for awhile.
Have any of you tried snow skis on any of these 3 planes? I live at 4000 ft and have snow 7 to 8 months out of the year.
the one thing I believe I do have on my side is my real flight simulator. I am always practicing with the helis, but here for the last couple of months I have been playing with the planes quite a bit. I did find that the big 3d plane not sure the name but the wing area is huge is much easier to fly and land.

Not necessarily.

Light weight also means less momentum. And less momentum means the forces on the plane are lower on impact.
I did my GWS E-Starter very light and it survived a few arrivals that made me expect a pile of pop corn. Damage? Broken props, one bent GWS prop shaft, dented cowl, some scuffed foam. My flying was initially over very long grass, and without landing gear, which may have helped.