Super Cub RTF - 159.99

(OR)

Tower Hobby 40 Trainer w/ .46 O.S. Engine, Futaba 6 ch trans/rec/servos, + all the extras to build(all the required/optional items), etc. - around $550

This is my second plane, and I am not really sure wether to go and make a huge investment or to just spend $160 and not worry about making any mistakes while flying.

If this is your 2nd plane, I would recommend the tower .40 setup. I say this because I belive you are referring to the hobbyzone cub. This is a three channel plane. Now that said. I do not know how well you can fly or what plane was your first, but the tower plane is the way to go if you want to increase ability with alierons and skill. This will be a step up if your first plane was a three channel. Just my two cents..

Read the stickey at the top of the board on what trainers are out there. Gives you a few more options.
If you have a local hobby shop nearby, go see if they have any trainers on consighnment. Sometimes you can get a good deal on one that someone is trying to sale because they moved up to sport or a scale plane.

I am not a very good flyer yet. I am only basic at the skills. My first plane was a 2 channel plane.

You need to seriously consider the Thunder Tiger Easy Trainer 40 Super Combo w/ free TT Side Kick package:

http://www.thundertiger4u.com/thunde...ck-p-7311.html

For $265.99, you get a high quality trainer airframe with a 61" wing span, a powerful and easy-to-tune Thunder Tiger GP-42 2-stroke sport engine pre-installed, and a Hitec Laser 4 radio system with servos and receiver pre-installed.

The free Thunder Tiger Side Kick accessory package that also comes free with the trainer includes glow ignitor w/ charger, starting stick, fuel pump with fuel tubing, fuel cap kit, 4-way prop/glow wrench, and even a carrying caddy. You may eventually want to upgrade to an electric starter and a wooden field box w/ 12v battery, but this accessory kit contains every thing you need to start flying except a gallon of glow fuel.

The folks at thundertiger4u.com ship all orders over $150 for free via UPS Ground, so that $265.99 even includes delivery right to your front door.

Haven't heard of the Thunder Tiger Easy Trainer 40 super combo before? Well check out the excellent and thorough review at the AMA's Sport Aviator website:

http://www.masportaviator.com/ah.asp?CatID=1&ID=124

You don't have to spend a fortune to get started with a high quality glow trainer and all of the field equipment and accessories that you'll need to fly it. This Easy Trainer Super Combo w/ free Side Kick is the best value for a glow powered trainer available on the market. If anybody knows of a better deal for getting started in glow planes, I'd love to hear about it!

That is a thoughtful recommendation, looks like an excellent package.

Putting an ARF together is a really great experience. It gives you the opportunity to know how things work, and why things are the way they are inside the plane. Also might help you be able to make repairs. Last, will let you choose the equipment you want. I got the Nexstar ARF instead of the RTF, which let me get a 6 channel computer radio which will be great on plane #2, or even on this one once I get the hang of things.

With my experience I wouldn't recommend the Nexstar though; building it has been a pain due to bad directions and things not lining up properly.

That deal above is pretty darn good though. TT's supposedly are great engines, and you get a lot of stuff extra that adds up; I saw an RTF package for $379, so thought I'd be spending about that. I'm over $500 already, and still not in the air yet.

There are an awful lot of people that bought and assembled a Nexstar Arf and did not experience any of the problems you mentioned. Either you got a bad one or you didn't follow the assembly directions properly.

But to truly gain the experience and knowledge of the model, a kit is the best way for that. You get to see how the airframe is built, see how the wing is constructed, and get to make some modifications that you cannot make with an ARF.

I've done both.. assembled arfs and built kits and can say that I like both.. just that the ARFs take much less time to assemble.

Notice that I used the term assemble rather than build. Build implies that you did something from scratch, which you almost do with our modern kits.. after all, most now come die cut or laser cut whereas the ARF is already built, and all you do is assemble the built up parts.

CGr.

I am having a hard time finding an instructor in my area. I live in a small town. Would the super cub be a little sturdier, but still be a good aircraft to learn on?

You may already be aware of this:
http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx
The AMA has a club search that uses zip code. You can see if there are any clubs in your area. Often people mention there's nothing available and there's actually a club within easy driving distance; but they had no way to know it was there. The club I'm in is 45 miles from my home so it is a pretty long drive to go flying.

If you do not have transportartion, or if there is nothing reasonably close, I'd say get the Super Cub and learn on it. Then decide whether to move into more advanced electrics or switch to glow powered models. There's a huge variety of both so you'll have plenty of choies when you're ready to move to something different.

You're right, there are THOUSANDS of Nexstar's out there that 'assembled' just fine. My personal experience has been frustrating; I must have 'got a bad one'.

"Either you got a bad one or you didn't follow the assembly directions properly." I'm sure I followed the directions properly; I've been 'assembling' things my whole life.

BigEd, i was looking at this website thunderTiger4u, their prices are lower then tower and lower then ebay, are they updated?
there is no phone number and the copyright mark is from 2005...
when did you ordered from them last time?

Alex

They have an email address listed, so you should be able to confirm the price.
http://www.thundertiger4u.com/aboutus.php
No phone can be a negative, but, not paying people to answer a phone does potentially reduce overhead.

No.

While these are often recommended for the first timer, IMHO these are poor trainers for many reasons.

They have no aileron control, so you will not gain anything with the Supercub over what you have already flown.
They are very light and do not fare well in any winds. Repairs are relatively expensive, given that you are paying for pieces of inexpensive foam.
The provided battery pack is inadecuate, and you'll end up purchasing multiple packs to fly with.
The TX is fairly low end, and does not transfer well to better planes.
The Cub does not land well on grass and tends to nose over.
It will merely teach you orientation, and not how to fly an RC plane...

etc., etc. etc.

In many respects a standard glow trainer is both easier and sturdier to learn on.

A novice can land them fairly easily by aligning the plane with the intended runway, chopping the throttle and just holding a little up elevator.

They are larger, easier to see, fair better in wind, can be refueled quickly, are easy to repair, their components can be transferred to other planes, etc.
They can also be buddy boxed for your initial flights.

Purchase a trainer included in RCKen's list...

Find yourself an instructor to help get you set up and started, and after a few sessions you'll be flying on your own, especially since you already have some experience.

Another thing to consider when making this choice.
The glow plane can be flown on windy days.
The electronics and engine can be used in future planes.
Everything with the glow plane can be sold if you ever decide you want out.
The Super Cub is grounded when it gets windy
If you crash it bad enough that you can't repair it the whole thing goes right in the garbage because you can't re-use the radio equipment.
There is no resale value at all.
With all that said, with no help learning you are very likely to crash either one. The Super Cub is easier to repair and damage is usually less.
IF you can get with an instructor buy the glow trainer hands down.
There are other choices.
I would rather see you get used to flying 4 channel, it will help you advance much smoother.
Maybe something like a Begin Air:
http://www.hobbytron.com/Begin-Air-4...-Aircraft.html

I ordered from them last about 9 months ago. They have updated their website as recently as last week.

They also have a phone number:

"You must email us [email protected] or call 626.679.7025 to obtain pre-authorization before returning/exchange any items."

I've ordered from www.thundertiger4u.com three times, and have always received prompt, curteous service. Their sales folks respond to e-mail questions very quickly as well.

I find that typically a novice will auger in a SuperCub more redily than a trainer.

Why?

Part of this is the marketing behind the push for the Super Cub.

People ASSUME that because they own a SuperCub they can make it fly.

There is far less to hold them back so to speak... after all it's a "harmless" foamy right?

Thinks like trimming is overlooked, and even slapping the wings on the thing is not done well.

Replacing the wings and fuse becomes an expense from the start.


Give them a trainer, and there is a bit of fear over that intimidating engine... so there is a natural inclination to seek help.

Less damage tends to be done to the trainer as a result, and what occurs is typically the front gear or the wings.

Fixing or replacing the front gear is cheap. Wings can often be repaird, but if a replacement is needed they are no more than the fuse and wings for the Cub, combined.

One of the wonderful things about Thunder Tiger ARFs that isn't mentioned often enough is how easy it is to order spare parts:

http://www.acehobby.com/ace/PDF/Airp...asyTrainer.pdf

Every part of the airframe and hardware is broken down into "groups" that describe how they're bagged together inside the box. For example, if you need to order a replacement fuel tank for you Easy Trainer 40, it's listed in the manual as part number 3263. Order part number 3263 from any Ace/Thunder Tiger dealer, and you will get exactly what is shown in the owners manual - fuel tank, fuel tank cap, 90 degree nipple, straight nipple, silicon tube, clunk, and rubber stopper.

You can order the exact replacement part for your ARF by the part number as shown in your manual. When it arrives, it will have exactly all of the accessories that were normally bundled with it in the original box.

Thunder Tiger may be best known for their fantastic engines and wonderful helicopters, but they make some pretty kick-ass airplanes, too. Their overall parts ordering scheme is the best in the business, and I'm surprised more manufacturers aren't copying it they way they are copying Thunder Tiger's slanted needle valve construction on their engines.

Should i go ahead and buy a 6 channel radio or is a 4 ch. good enough?
Can anyone suggest a good radio set that includes rec. and servos?

The closest club is about 40 miles away, and I have been trying to get a hold of an instructor that is from this forum and lives in my town but I have had no luck.

Also is a Deflection Meter and C.G. Machine necessary?

4 channel is plenty good. Airtronics, Futaba, Hitec, JR; all good brands that sell basic complete systems as well as very complicated ones.
Hopefully you'll be able to connect with the instructor.
You don't really need a deflection meter or cg machine. A ruler is a good deflection meter and you can use your fingers (or dowels with pencil erasers as pads) to check CG.

How far could a 4 ch. radio take me.....as in future planes. I was interested in the Futabas, most of the people in the surrounding areas use them from the club websites.

While a 4ch setup is good enough to start with, you can save yourself a lot of money down the road by purchasing a better radio now.

A decent computer controlled radio has the ability to retain configuration information for multiple planes.

This means that one radio can be used to control up to 30+ different airplanes. Which translates to a cheaper overall cost per plane later, and you start out with a radio with better capabilities up front.

Your first big decision will be "Spread Spectrum/Fasst or 72mhz".

The Spread Spectrum/Fasst/DSM radios are quickly gaining favor and are the wave of the future.

However they have a higher initial cost, especially when you take the cost of the receivers into account.

With SS/DSM radios you never have to worry about someone using your channel nor having your plane shot out of the sky by some idiot.

Offerings from JR / Spekrum [link=http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=SPM2710]Click Me![/link] and Futaba & Airtronics [link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0093p?&C=JLL]Click me![/link] work very well.

Note however, unlike 72mhz radios, you cannot mix radio components from different manufacturers, so you are STUCK using whatever you purchase at first.


Another option is to start with an upgradeable 72mHz system.

These have the channel problem, which most fields control...

But they have a lower initial entry cost, you can mix components ( such as receivers ) from other manufacturers, and because of this the long term costs may be lower.

Offerings from JR [link=http://www.horizonhobby.com/Shop/FlexEquip/]Click me![/link] and Futaba [link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0093p?&C=JLJ]Click me![/link] that have replaceable "modules" can later be upgraded with corresponding SS/DSM modules.

"Airpacks" offer servos, a battery and a receiver. These can be purchased seperately for each radio type.

However you are best off purchasing your batteries, servos and receivers seperately...

For instance, for the price of a standard airpack, you can often obtain a better receiver ( check out the BPhobbies 8 channel Coronas receivers for $29.00/ea ), batteries ( check out the Hydrimax at Tower Hobbies ), and Servos ( Check out the Hitecs or any others ), than what you would have received with the airpacks.


Nope...

In place of a deflection meter, a ruler will suffice.

In place of a C.G. machine, your fingers will do, as will two pencils mounted into a block of wood with eraser tips...

Not as far as a 6+ channel computer controlled TX will.

See my prior post.

4 channels give you rudder, elevator, aileron and throttle control. If you want to use flaps or retractable landing gear you will need more channels.
Some people can fly a lifetime on 4 channels and be perfectly happy. Depends on what you want to do in the future.

A 4 channel radio will fly 90% of the planes out there. Gives you aileron, elevator, throttle, rudder. The 4 basic flight controls.

You would need a 6 channel or more if you wanted to experiment with things like flaps/flapperons/spoilers/spoilerons, retractible landing gear, bomb release mechanisms, actuated canopies, transmitter operated kill or choke for gasoline engines (optional, always), etc....

The difference in price between similar 4 and 6 channel radios is usually low, in the 20-50 dollar range. I think it'd be money well spent.

If I were starting today, I'd be looking at 2.4ghz systems, to avoid having issues with frequency control, but if you're on a budget, a 72mhz system works great and saves 50 bucks or so.

If you're gonna go 72mhz, it pays to contact your local club and see what frequencies aren't in use there. That can help avoid being the 3rd flyer on channel 43, like I am

J