Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

Hi.
So Tower's "Big Sale" was ending, and I wanted to take advantage. I'd been all over the board on which plane and setup to get. I decided on the Nexstar ARF because:
It looks good, has the options of ailerons/flaperons/ailerons and flaps, and has the speed restricting flaps and airfoil extensions that can be removed (I'm a mechanical engineering major-I like things that move, like flaps and ailerons and stuff!)
I figured this plane would give me more possibilities once I got past the flight basics. I also got a Futaba 6 channel computer radio, and am getting the Magnum XLS.46 engine.

After buying the plane just in time to make the sale, I read the reviews on this site. Many said the plane was a terrible trainer, and some said it was a great trainer. I also have read that it is heavy, bad in the wind, the covering peels off, and that I will quickly get bored.

Any input (especially on what to do to keep the covering in tact)?

Thanks.

superflea

Ford Chevy. eh you pick. So long as you take advantage of a local club and some one to hook up on the buddy box it will be fine. You migh find that it works well for you, you might find that you dont care for it. But in the end it's what you have some find some one to help you set it up and then fly the heck out of it. Welcome to the hobby.

BTW magnum sucks and Futaba blows. computer radio bah.

j/k

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

Thanks superflea, you almost made me feel better = )

rceric

Hey! I am a huge fan of the Nexstar. I think it is a blast to fly and it will easily take it from just learning to ready for something really cool! I am so glad I chose it as my first trainer. The guys at my field gave me a hard time about it but once they saw how easily I flew it they changed their minds. Yes the covering peels off but so what? The replacment parts are cheap and tower stocks them all. Break your tail, spend $30 and have a new one in two or three days, same for wings, fuselage etc.. and you get to practice covering too. The picture perfect landings on the Nexstar are so coool! I take off just so I can watch her land!

Also you really don't need those speed restrictors... Just start with the airfoil extensions for the first 10-20 flights and then get rid of them too. If you bought the one with the auto flight system make sure you disconnect that too..

Your gonna love it!

Have fun.

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

Awesome. How do you reapply the coating, or do you just replace it?

rceric

There is a ton of information on this topic if you search nexstar covering. The red and gray striping along with the black windows will come off at some point. I just bought a new fuselage and this time spent a few hours and used epoxie around the area where the engine sits and the covering overlaps. Then I applied clear nail polish around all the edges of the black windows and the grey and red striping. I have also learned where some of the weak spots are from the last one so I beefed up inside the fuselage area between where the battery/receiver section is and the fuel tank. That seams to be a weak spot.

I think the best thing you can do is the clear nail polish and then just fly it. Being a trainer is more than just training you on flying... It will train you about repairing these things as well.

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

thanks eric.

rceric

I just realized that you are in Burlington VT. (Best hooters I have ever been in) You should get a pair of skis on that Nexstar and take her out before the snow melts.

NorfolkSouthern

I had a Nexstar and a Hobbico Superstar. If I had to do it all over again, I would pay the extra for the Nexstar. The Superstar was more sluggish, while the Nexstar was more nimble. I could add flaps to the Nexstar easily, with the Superstar it would be a lot more difficult. The Nexstar came with a better engine, the OS 46 FXi as opposed to the Superstar's 40 LA. I ended up donating the Superstar's airframe, but I would have kept my Nexstar if I didn't have to sell it. It may cost a little more, but it's definitely worth the extra. I wish I had known about the nail polish, I would have used that on mine.

NorfolkSouthern

Missileman

Trim on just about any ARF will try to work its way loose, especially on the wet side (muffler side) because of oil working its way under.
You can head off some of it by applying clear fingernail polish along the leading edges of the trim.
The Nexstar is a fine trainer, you did ok. The biggest complaint on the Nexstar is the extra stuff like AFS and speed brakes that are better left off. The price for the ARF when not on sale is comparable to similar trainers so an on sale price= you got a good deal.

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

Missleman - Thanks, feeling better about it. I just saw some videos on Youtube, too, and I'm pretty psyched. When I got my driver's license, I drove my mom's 1988 Dodge Caravan, and I LOVED IT! Wouldn't be caught dead driving it now, but it was all I knew back then. I imagine it will be like this with my plane, too = )

RCEric - Go to Hooters in NJ = )

bigtim

My Feedback: (13)

when you disconnect the AFS( I never connected mine in the first place)remove the sensor from the bottom of the fuselage and cover the hole with a sticker or some WT covering,I left mine in for a few months and started noticing the covering coming loose at the hole,the wood was soaking up the fuel residue,I eventually made a float plane from the Nextar and put a OS 61 in it.
when I stripped the covering off completely after a couple of good years and several hard landings the wood was soft and I had to do some repair work there, if you are not going to use that feature your better off protecting the airframe from the oil and fuel and cover it up.

cruzomatic

My Feedback: (17)

For the money, I think the Nexstar is a great trainer airplane. If I had money to burn for a trainer, I'd get the Sig Senior Kadet, but I don't have money to burn,,,,so I bought the Nexstar. No worries, it'll be a fine trainer for you. Just get some help before you give it a go.

NorfolkSouthern

Wouldn't be caught dead driving a 1988 Dodge Caravan? How about a 1990 Plymouth Voyager? Let me tell ya son, ya gotta have somethin' to haul that Nexstar and other stuff to the field. And an old "grocery getter" ain't all that bad for the purpose. Have you ever tried to stuff a 1/4 scale Extra in the back of a Honda Civic?

NorfolkSouthern

bigedmustafa

My Feedback: (2)

You did good, jerzdvt. Most of what folks don't like about the Nexstar is bundled in the RTF version, not the ARF that you bought. The ALS system in particular is considered useless and adds unnecessarily to the Nexstar Select RTF's price.

The Nexstar ARF will be a wonderful trainer with which to learn takeoffs and landings. It doesn't fly as smoothly in windy conditions as well as some of the other choices available, but you shouldn't be flying in strong winds while you're training anyway.

The Magnum XLS .46A engine that you picked for it is a strong engine and a great value. Spending a little extra and getting a 6-channel computer radio was a good investment as well.

You're going to enjoy flying your Nexstar, and you picked a good outfit all around.

ckangaroo70

My Feedback: (51)

The Nexstar is a good Plane, and it looks great! If someone were to ask my advice on what Trainer to start with...I would probaly say the Sig LT-40, but there is nothing wrong with the Nexstar if you work some of the quirks out of it, and you won't even know there are quirks unless you have flown something else comparable. To you it will be the greatest Plane ever, and loads of fun! Thats whats important! I have owned a Nexstar, Sig LT-40, Tower 40 Trainer, Great Planes Trainer 40, PT 40 Trainer, PT 20 Trainer, H9 Alpha Trainer 40, and they all flew great and any of the ones I owned would work quite fine for a new Pilot to learn on. Get someone to help you out, and you will do just fine with that Nexstar!

rceric

Jerzdvt,

Do yourself a favor and spend $27 bucks on this tail set: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXGAK6&P=Z

Carry it with you when you go flying.. You mentioned something about a Honda Civic and I can tell you from experience that I have broken one tail during transport and one when the wind blew it off my table at the field. They are not the strongest part of the plane by a long shot. (Yes they were techinically both my fault but sh*t happens). Buy it in advance and carry it with you!

Eric

Nick1150

Dear FatOrangeKat,

I am a NexSTAR owner my self. I bought the ARF version just one month ago, and today I did my 4 th flight. I do not have any experience to compare it with any other trainer, but I know that I want to fly and fly and fly every weekend. I love my NexSTAR and I like the looks of it. It flies on its own and today I had an almost 5 bf wind and landed nicely. I heard too bad reviews about that trainer but I know now that I made the right choice.

Just my .02

[8D]

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

Thanks. I haven't flown mine yet, but have become very attached to it. It seems like a lot of the negativity resonates around the RTF package.

tenacious101010

My Feedback: (97)

The NEXTAR is a great trainer, my son and I both learned to fly on it. I have no regrets whatsoever and would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn to fly. Based on my experience, have an instructor help after flying the trainer till you are bored to death with it and can make good landing after good landing with no problems. Disconnect the goofy autopilot gizmo and forget the speed brakes, just start without them and it will be easy to learn.
Good Luck!

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

I've been wondering about the speed flaps and wing droops. Everyone here says to take them off. The instruction manual says not to listen to anyone who says to take them off. I was at my club meeting on Wednesday, and a guy had the p51 mustang pts, which comes with the wing droops, and everyone seemed to think that they are a great idea.

My plan is to leave them on like the book says, and take 'em off when I can fly competently. I don't know what's wrong with leaving them on for the first flights.

On a side note, the instruction manual talks about adding flaps to the Nexstar. I'm thinking that when I'm bored with this plane, I'll end up with flaps and spoilerons to boot, to make it more like a real plane. I'm most interested in scale-like operation of these things, not really any aerobatics. Although the dog fights sound like lots of fun too!

tenacious101010

My Feedback: (97)

I removed my speed brakes because before I flew mine, I was at a field and there was a guy there that had a Nextar, he flew several times with the speed brakes on then took them off, his instructor almost crashed it, it needed so much elevator trim to get to keep from diving to the ground. There was not enough trim to compensate for the speed brakes since they worked like flaps. When the flaps were gone he had to hold an incredible amount of up elevater to land it. A student might not be ready for such an event. After watching that, i figured I could fly it easily without them and would not have to readjust my linkages once I pulled the brakes off. The brakes just add another step in the learning process.

da Rock

OK, it's time to get out and find out for yourself.

You've very neatly listed all you read negative and all you read positive. It's the internet, after all, so you're going to get a bunch of noise no matter what.

The excellent thing about our hobby, which you are about to learn, is that for almost everything, you can very easily and almost always safely, try it out for yourself. It builds experience and self-assurance. And you get some idea who to listen to next time.

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

This is an old post, and I pretty much got over it a day after I wrote it with all the responses I got. People just started to reply to it again, and I'm bored, so I figured I'd chime in again. Our field doesn't open for another month, so I can't try for myself yet. Until that happens, I like to talk about this stuff.

mesaflyer

Well, here is my 2 cents. I am self taught with the Nexstar, and then taught my 11 year old son to fly it. I disconnected the AFS thing, because it works off of sun light, which means that you can only fly during mid day, or you will be fighting the thing. Trust me, you won't need it. I flew mine (no instructor) with the droops and air brakes for the first three flights. The problem is when the wind comes up, and you have to land into the wind, the brakes will slow you down too much. I know this from experience. You probably won't even be able to tell the difference when you take the drops off. My son never used any of the training aids. The bottom line is, if you are going to have an instructor teach you, then take that crap off. If you are going to learn by yourself (like me) then MAYBE keep the brakes on, because everthing will happen a little slower, and give you some time to react.

Do yourself a favor. Don't do the flaps. All you are going to do is loose some aileron area and gain something the plane doesn't need. If you have your heart set on adding flaps, then before you cut up the ailerons, install the air brakes instead. Fly it around awhile, you will see what I am talking about.

After you have some flying time, add the dual aileron servos. It's pretty easy to do, and will give you some good practice for modifying future planes. Hope this helps. The Nexstar is really pretty fun to fly. My cousin has one. His is a little nose heavy, so it's fun to watch him land.[X(]