I was reading through my latest issue of the AMA magazine and I saw a new PTS trainer plane.
This time an electric in about a 40 size airframe. A T-34 Mentor.
I like the fact that it comes with a 2.4 Ghz full range Specktrum 6 channel radio, brushless motor, lipo battery and balance charger.
RTF is $450 range.
http://www.redrockethobbies.com/E_Fl..._p/efl4800.htm

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdID=EFL4800
also at Horizon

Looks nice... better than the F-22 PTS. Kind of big for a Power 25 on 11.1 volts, but then again the PTS series are ment to be under powered for the novice. This will be like the Mustang PTS, if you power it a little better it can be a nice sport aircraft.

So, how many times can a company sell a sport scale model as a trainer to beginners who don't know any better?

At least once more...

Horizon is not tyring to pass of a sport model as a trainer to poor unsuspecting newbies.... This is not just a sport scale model, the PTS series really are set up well for training. They just look alot better than the typical boxy trainer. I have seen many train on the PTS Mustang sucessfully with an instuctor. Once soloed they can start removing the training gear and have an aircraft more capable than the traditional trainer. Just because it doesn't look like a trainer, does not mean it isn't.

Sure looks nice but are the flaps necessary?

For a student (it is a trainer) they make the plane fly a bit slower for any given power setting and also allow the plane to fly a bit slower without stalling. You know, the same thing flaps do on almost any plane.

Necessary? Maybe not. Nice to have? Probably.

You forgot to ask about the wing extensions/droops. Same answer.

I've heard both good and bad about the PTS Mustang trainer. For as long as my trainer lasted me, I say just get a regular trainer, or maybe a little more aerobatic trainer like the Avistar. Odds are you'll crash your trainer before you get too board with it, then you can move onto a more advanced plane.

What Horizon really needs to make is an RTF 25e version of the Alpha trainer. An e40 RTF version wouldn't suck, either.

They can't. Hangar 9 might object to them using the name. Yeah, I know their business relationship.

Like Hangar 9 objected to the E-Flight Mini Ultra Stik or the E-Flight Mini Pulse XT?

Same thing here, the new PTS T-34 is E-Flite, not Hangar 9. Same company probably.

A lot of the companies may operate under the same major corporate umbrella but that doesn't mean they will share their names/products.

Yeah, but that's why I mentioned the E-Flight Mini Ultra Stik and the E-Flight Mini Pulse XT. Both of those were originally Hangar 9 trademarks and they now are the names of E-Flight products as well. Making an E-Flight 25e Alpha trainer wouldn't be any problem at all; clearly putting the E-Flight name on small electric versions of H9 designs has already occurred.

To quote the product description for the E-Flight Mini Pulse XT:

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdID=EFL2450

"Design based on Hangar 9’s popular Pulse™ 40 XT"

Anyway, like I was saying, what the world really needs is a 25e Mini Alpha Trainer...

About the same number of times Hobbyzone does with their Supercub and tries to convince them it is a trainer...

You ever look at the wing loading for the Mustang PTS ?

25 oz - 27 oz is A BIT HIGH FOR A TRAINER.