What is the new Spektrum DX5e suppose to be like I haven’t found it yet?

Hey everyone, had a question about purchasing the Sundowner 50 as my 3rd plane, my first was a 3 channel parkzone j3 cub, mastered that......second plane is currently a parkzone 4 channel t28 trojan, pretty much mastered flying this plane, i wanted to get the sundowner 50 and use a brushless power setup, so my two questions are

1) would the sundowner 50 be a good 3rd plane?

2)is the recommended brushless setup faster then the recommended gas engine setup??? (i dont neccessarily want a faster power setup, just curious)

Well, the question is not really whether the electric vs. power set-up on the Sundowner is the concern, but rather the fact that no matter what set-up you go with, the Sundowner is going to be MUCH faster. My opinion is that the Sundowner would not be a good choice for a 3rd plane if the only experience you have is with the Parkzone versions of the Cub and the Trojan. The Sundowner is not very forgiving and the flight characteristics are going to be much different. Along those same lines also remember that the flying weight of the Trojan is around 2 lbs. where the Sundowner is going to be in the 6 lb. range.

Before it comes down to the fact that you say you have "mastered" the 2 planes you mention, a plane the size of the Sundowner or any plane in the .40 or .50 size range is going to perform alot different and you will find there are many unexpected things with the Sundowner that you have not been exposed to yet. If you are dead set on getting the Sundowner, keep in mind that there are many more assembly steps than there are with the Parkzone planes, (even though they are far fewer than most ARF's out there). The proper set-up is going to be very important to make it fly right.

If you are planning on stepping up and staying with electric power, there are several other models out there that would be a better choice for your next step.

Just my two-bits.

T.

They have an electric setup on horizon and this is not a 3d plane. I asked that before and all I got was no. if you want to get to this plane a nice trainer would get you up to size maybe a 60 would work.

Thanks for the advice tsawyer, you have any suggestions to point me to a more appropriate 3rd plane, I would prefer an electric / balsa setp, I am a sport flyer so I dont really care to do much 3d flying, thanks again

A little bigger than what you where looking at but can be flown glow or electric is the Great Planes 1/4 scale RV-4.
Great sports flyer and one of my favorite airplanes. I have had a blast flying this airplane.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXPKT5&P=0

wow that thing is giganamous!!! well at least compared to my t28 trojan lol It looks like im probably gonna need to spend at least 800 to get that thing in the air using brushless setup, I was actually considering something a little smaller like the eflite mini pulse xt thanks for the suggestion, once i build some confidence on the smaller balsa planes i will move up to the bigger ones.

No problem. Since this thread is about the Sundowner 50 I made the assumption that that was the size airplane you where looking for.

For some reason that RV4 looks so much bigger then the sundowner 50.......well anyways, I went to my LHS and one of the guys convinced me that I should start out with something a tad bit slower then the sundowner, so i bought a mini pulse, beautiful little plane, but the sundowner 50 is still on my list!!!!!

It is bigger, as I said in my post, but not massively bigger. The Sundowner has a 63" wingspan and the RV-4 has a 70" wingspan.
The Sundowner is a 50 size plane the RV-4 is 60 size.
I am glad you found a plane you will be happy with. The Pulse is a much better choice in your situation.

Altamash I think that was a very good choice. I have seen many Pulse fly and they will also rip the sky. Once you get the hang of the Pulse the Sundowner would be easy as longer as you set the elev throws and recommended. These Fomula 1 type plane like to snap if you have to much elevator. I have this sundowner and started with and Tower 75 on the nose. I just chaged over to an OS 91 after the 75 lost a very bearings. I have video on youtube if you like to check it out. This was just taped yesterday with the 91. I also have video with the 75. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=346Jt3IMWTc

You know, everything about your postings refer to "those, they, them. nothing about "mine,or what I have. Have you even gotten a trainer yet?

me yes, an avistar and hopefuly a second plane soon

Well this is good then. Stay focused on what you have right now and get good at it. With this, you'll kow what your talking about with first hand knowledge. Many pilots get a stick as a second plane. May look like a trinaer but does not fly like a trainer.

You need to pay your dues and work your way up. This will make you good. if you take short cuts, that will make you and idiot and the flight lines are full of them

Well not trying to be a jerk but I had this question for this thread and he had asked it again (the 3D question) and it has a basic electric setup on the horizon page

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdID=HAN4725

What exactly is the question?
The original question was:
is this a possible 2nd or 3rd plane. The answer is NO this is not a good second plane, 3rd plane? Maybe, depends on your skill at that point.
The 3D question? The Sundowner is not a 3D plane. 3D planes have large ailerons that run all the way to the fuselage so you can fly the plane in stall conditions utilizing prop wash. The Sundowners ailerons aren't big enough or close enough to the prop wash to have any effect.
Aerobatic? to a point, 3D? NO.
Make sure you know what the difference between aerobatics and 3D are.

Seemefly this is not a 3D plane. Yes it would KE but also would a P-51, and many other trainer out there. I agree with Cyclic Hardover a Hanger 9 Ultra Stick is a great 2nd plane. You can fly it sport style or 3d style (if you build it right). I am not a big fan of the Great Plane "You Can Do", but this also would be a great choice for a 2nd plane if you want 3d. With the basic electric setup on the sundowner is the same as the basic glow setup for the Sundowner, mean it will not changed the way it flys. The difference will be glow or electric.

Thanks pat, yea i do love the mini pulse, fast plane and seems like it was a good step up from the foam t28 trojan, it has some room for an upgraded motor as well, i hear a 480 eflite brushless turns the mini pulse in to a rocket ship I think ill wait for that upgrade, still have my eye on the sundowner though, gonna practice with the pulse for a few months and then move up to the sundowner, probably will do an electric set up though, happy flying!

great choice

We had another "Just for Fun" race yesterday in Mesquite, Nevada, and some of the flyers used that as a good test bed for the Sundowner. One of the heats pitted two very aggressive racers with their Sundowners together and I gotta tell ya it was one of the most entertaining and exciting races I have seen. Very closely matched and, even though they may not be as fast as some of the Q-500 sport planes we were racing, they looked plenty fast when they are wingtip to wingtip over the length of 10 laps. It was an absolute blast and the weather was very cooperative.

One thing I have found out with the Sundowners is that they are a very robust model. With the many test flights that myself and others have done trying to find the best fuel/prop combination, suffice to say many of the flights and especially the landings have been less than spectacular. However, even with the many bouncy landings, hot landings and skidding runs into the weeds and off the runway, there have been very few that have had any sort of damage. Yesterday, one of the pilots was putting a trim flight on his and the way the field is set-up, there a few trees sitting to the one end of the runway which, if you have to land from that direction, causes you to have to come in a little high to set up for landing. The pilot was doing his approach and got a little crossed up and ended up clipping the top of one of the trees. The plane went into a violent spin and came down hard. We expected to find a mangled mess when we got to it, yet the only problem it had was the motor mount was a little loose. The firewall was in tact, there were no holes in the covering and the other than a little dirt and weeds stuck to it, no other real damage to speak of. It is a great flying plane and stands up to alot of abuse.

T.

alright so i am pretty sure i am ready for the sundowner 50 now!!

let me know your opinions

So here is the order of the planes that i have flown

1) PZ j3 cub

2) PZ trojan

3) E flite Mini Pulse XT w 450 BL motor

4) Eflite Extra 260 480, w/ 480 BL motor

As far as my skills level, i can fly the extra 260 inverted doing oval patterns, loops (outside and inside loops), knife edges, high altitude hovering and of course have landed the planes several times with no damages

so lend me your analysis on whether I can move up to the sundowner 50 (electric setup)??,

much appreciated!

-Alti-

What does "landed several times with no damages" mean? Is landing an airplane second nature yet, or do you find yourself breaking props and bending gear on a fairly regular basis? You models look very nice and well taken care of, so I'm guessing landing is second nature.

If you're doing inverted figure eights with an Extra I would say you could handle the Sundowner 50. Just take it easy in the beginning. Remember, the Sundowner is not an aerobat - it is built for speed. Not that it won't slow down, but it just don't expect to be doing figure M's with 1/4 rolls.

Have fun!

sorry, let me clarify my landing ability, I have not bent, broken, or scaratched any of my planes landing gears , all landings are pretty much 3 point landings.

I know that the sundowner 50 is meant to be a speed only plane, but its funny to see Hangar 9 advertise the plane to be more of an aerobat then a speed plane, if you look at there advertising vids they spcifically call the sundowner 50 a "very fast looking, aerobatic and sport model", so im guessing this plane is for people who want an entry level pylon racing plane huh?

Then the aircraft would be within your skill level. I should probably clarify what I meant by "aerobatic". It can probably do your basic loops, rolls, etc - just don't expect it to be really precise or a pattern plane. If you like it, go for it. It seems like a good sport/racer.

One thing that misses alot of people when describing what airplane should I fly ect...
Alot of airplanes are easy to fly once you are in the air, heck I bet you could handle a Fokker DR1 but try landing it.
That is where the big difference is. "IF" you are real comfortable with your landings and can land without incident 100% of the time Numerous times, not just a few, then you are ready for an ELECTRIC Sundowner. I capitalized electric because I will not recommend it as a first glow plane.