I built an LT-40 by sig and have been work up to flying solo. I want to start building another plane and was looking for some insight.

See the "good low wing (2nd plane) " thread about 5 threads down.

I am a bit biased 'cause I just finished my first kit. It is a TF Contender gold edition. I haven't flown it yet but here is a pic.

AL

Do a forum search and you should get a squillion hits. personaly i like tha "stick" type planes as a second plane.

Stick or Four Star are the two best types of second planes in my opinion.

I agree with Crasher, sticks and Four Star are good second planes. Four Star designer was Bruce Tharpe, who left Sig and started his own operation, where he designed a new model incorporating all the mods he thought would improve the Four Star, and called it the Venture 60. Costs a bit more than the Four Star, but those who have had a chance to compare usually like the Venture better. Easier to build, flies better. Check out btemodels.com for details (not sold in stores that I know of). I also like the Easysport, and if you are aerobatically inclined the Sig Somethin' Extra can be flown mild or wild.

Something no one is taking into consideration is your abilities, and/or luck. remember that your second plane just might be another trainer should your first one (God forbid) be destroyed. Also, the while the planes mentioned are good second planes for some, they are not good for all.

A "typical" second plane has these two features: A semi-symmetrical airfoil, and a shoulder or mid mounted wing.

You might be ready for a low wing plane right after your trainer, but don't put the horse before the cart.

A VERY good one to consider is the Great Planes Easy Sport.

A stik can be good, but look for one with a semi-symmetrical wing.

And don't be too anxious to lose the rubber bands. Remember, in your second plane, you're learning new things. Every learning process has it's bumps, and those rubber bands will ease some of them.

Thanks for the insight. I have heard of the stick as a second plane from my airfield also. Another question I have is does anyone have a preference between the diferent brands? Do they build any different? The way Sig had it presented I thought was put togeather quite well.

Go for the .60 size Big Stick, rather than the .40...size matters.
(The Hanger 9 jobs are nice...but "2nd plane"??)
;-)

omerniar:
If you express yourself like that of a SIG kit, you can buy any brand out there, Sig is old design; You are a gifted buider!!

I like Great planes kits and I believe they sell a Stick, however the easy sport that Minnflyer recommeds Its also a good choise!

enjoy!

l

well its tough to really tell a person what a good 2nd plane is becuase there is so many me having 3 planes trainer big stik and cap 232 i would say that either the hobbico brightstar(low wing looks like a cherokee) or the GP big stik 40 with OS 46(makes it really fast). the big stik is best to excell in aerobatics when i got mine i came from being scared to do loops and rolls to doing simple knife edges and snap rolls in about a month then i got a cap 232(mistake for 3rd plane :P) wow squally had to LEARN to fly that lol. people often wonder how me being 14 how im doing all of this.




what gos up must come down, just hope its down on the shelf after 5 hrs at the field.

the sig 4* has to be the easiest plane i built, and it built fast. The fuz is interlocking plywood, and went together fast.

I second the vote for rubber bands. I had a nasty cartwheeling crash yesterday in a Phaeton Bipe. Boh wings are rubber banded and both survived with only small dents in the leading edge at the mounting point. the right horizontal stabilizer was badly creased and the elevator on that side pulled from its hinges. Needless to say, the elevator is fixed.

That said. My second plane is a fourstar 60. Flies gently and is easy to land and take off but wings bolt on.

Jeff

Good advise from Minnflyer.........as a second plane I built the Great Planes Easy sport 40 / shoulder wing and semi. Flies great and very stable, this gives you some training in aerobatics. As a beginner I had to take a step at a time, can't rush or else you crush. This plane will teach you a lot of control. It took me a long time to decide, I built the Easy Sport because I like building planes. For a bit more dollars you can buy the Easy Sport as an ARF, either way you can't go wrong.
Good luck on your second plane.
Regards
Garthwood

i have my airmadillo pieced together and want to start piecing together a few kits for future ventures.. is it feesible or possible to just build up a kit without covering or engine? Or do i need to have an engine and such before i start building for measuring firewall cuts and such? anyone do this ? I love building the kits its a lot of fun, i just dont have the money to toss into new motors all the time..i want to build the kits all the way to thepoint where all i'll have to do is cover them, put in an engine and radio and then rock and roll.. dont know if this makes sense.. but the kits im looking at currently are the eagle 2, the bte venture 60 and an eagle 2 (non ARF's) anyone else do this?


g.

Take a look at the Goldberg Tiger 2 as a second plane. It can be flown nearly as gently as a trainer, and it is an easy build.

esacjack---- That is what I am hoping to do also. I really enjoyed building my first plane but it took a long time to finish it up. I toted wing frame and fuselage around almost 2 years before I finished it. This is also a good way to spread out the cost. I would have to say that the Venture 60 looks like a great plane.

If you are looking for a great flying and easy building model then I'd recommend the Bruce Tharpe (BTE ) Venture 60. You can learn more at www.btemodels.com A search here on RCU will also yield a lot of good information...

I remember going through this decision, it can be fun and frustrating but Don't rush your decision. Try to narrow it down to a few planes based on solid recommendations from here and from your fellow club members who know how you fly. Then research the suggested planes to narrow down to the 1 or maybe 2 (You may even go through the same process to find the right engine). It was a good chance to learn a lot about the various planes and enjoyed the experience. I found than many people will suggest a plane just because they like theirs, yet after researching I discovered the suggestions, in some cases, would have been poor choices for me. I ended up with a 4*60 ARF but think my number 2 and 3 choices would have been ok (I can't recall the models) due to the research. Have fun and enjoy the learnings.

Well, I am in the market for #2 build also. I am on the list for a Venture 60 as soon as Bruce has some available, but looking at Minnflyers post, I think I will also check out the easy sport..His advice is always dead on..

Get the Big Stik 40. It can be flown slow or fast even with a
tame .40 in it. You can do most basic aerobatics. It is easy to land and take off. As for rubber bands, nice to have if your flying skills are marginal, even on a 3rd or 4th plane.

Hiya 40Flier
Which Cap 232 did you get? and did it crash or just make you mess your pants?