I looked for several days on this site on my own, but have decided It may be easier and more effective to pose my question. I am looking for my second plane, and have narrowed it down to two choices, the Hangar 9 p-51 Mustang Pts, and one of the various forms of Stick's. I would like to hear pros and cons on both planes, from any one with experience with either. Another thing I would like to do is build a plane, and I know the mustang does not come in a Kit, and have been unable to find a kit for a Stick but figure since it is such an old design there maya kit out there. I have been unable to track down one as I am new and don't know all the places to check, so if you know where I can Find a Kit that may make my decision for me. I really want to be able to express my own tastes in the covering, and make a plane my own.

Thank you all in advance for you help.

If you are looking to build a plane, a great choice is a Goldberg Tiger II or Goldberg Tiger 60 kit. Excellent choices. My second was the Tiger 60 ARF and I loved that plane. I eventually sold it, but beat it up (the nature of a second plane is to take a beating almost as bad as you may have given your trainer.. and keep on flying! )

CGr

I have seen the Mustang PTS and I think that it could be a good choice for a second plane, it is a plane that upgrades its self, when you feel comfortable you can add flaps and detach the airbrakes, and then it is a great choice to grow with. I have had some sticks and they are fun, I would recommend the GP version with its tricycle landing gear set up, as a second plane for those who have graduated successfully from a trainer and fly with great confidence. If you want to build I recommend the 4 star 40, it is also a great second plane and a good builder trainer.

Either choice will be a good second plane. Personally, I say go for a GP Big Stik.

There are several out of production Stik kits too. Unfortunately you may end up paying a premium for one on eBay or here on RCU. Sometimes estate sales have some nice finds though. The 4-Star as others recommended, would be a great kit choice.

Thank you all for your help so far, I have looked at the 4* and just really don't like the lines. I am wondering since kits are hard to come by, would it be hard to recover the GP big stick If i went that route?

Tim, have you seen an actual photo of the four star? They look a lot better in person than on the websites.

It's a great crime that there is no good Stik kit available. Though it/they are as easy a model to scratch build from plans as ever there was.

I had a G.P. Big Stik converted to a tail dragger and it was (IMHO) an ideal second plane. Had very good slow speed characteristics and was agile but predictable. Lost mine to a mid-air. Only one I've ever had. :-( My wife always had hated the iron crosses and offerred to replace it if she could approve the model on looks. Worked for me.

Another good choice would be the Kangke SK-50. I had a Super Tigre (how come they spell "super" right but "tiger" wrong? ) .51 in that one (I actually flew 4 different engine makes and sizes in her over several years) and that also was a good choice for #2. Be cautious of the "cheap" Chinese Kangke engines (again IMHO - mine was a loser until I changed to a Perry carb that cost 60% as much as the engine had - though it's a trooper since then).

This is a good point and it applies to a lot of airplanes. Take World Models for instance. I don't know who their photographer is but he should be fired. The web site pictures make some of their planes look downright goofy but most are beautiful in real life.

Yeah when I got to the field for the first time, I almost didn't recognize any of the planes; I knew them all, but they ALL looked so great sitting on the line. Every one, I was like "geez, I thought that plane was UGLY, but it's BEAUTIFUL!"

Especially my Dolphin, (which is a COPY of the FOUR STAR!!!) I think it's one of the best looking planes out there, and some of the experienced guys actually commented that it's got great classic lines, but maybe could use a new covering job.

I dont know if there is or not,but I would NEVER believe there isnt a stick KIT! That would be a shocker.

Anyways,if your interested in a Great Planes Big Stick......It was my second plane and I couldnt have asked for a better plane. If I crashed mine tomarrow I'd have another one on my building table by the end of the week. Its still my favorite plane of my fleet. So easy and relaxing to fly,yet is alot of fun and will do about whatever I want it to. I'd recommend a .60 sized stick too with a .90 size motor. Sticks freakin' RULE!! I always tell the guys at my flying field........."you should have to own a big stick in order to join the AMA."

As far as buying the ARF and recovering it......go for it if you wish. I just did that on a brand new ARF here a few months back. The wing tips might be a bit tricky on a big stick if you've never covered before and would require the proper use of a heat gun(coverings best friend). And good luck with the scallops on the trailing edges of the wings too. Those might pose quite a challenge too.

Personally I would recommend buying the big stick ARF and leave its covering on becuase that big stick covering scheme is what makes a big stick a big stick! Having a Red White and Black Big Stick with the cross's is like being in a club. Keep in mind its a BIG risk trying to fly a plane your not sure if your ready for after spending 100+ hours building. Its actually best to build something below you flying ability for your first build,so you can get the "beginner's" instruction manual(which you'll need for your first build) without the super high stress of flying it with all that work into it.

Let us know what you decide!

The Great Planes Easy Sport .40 is essentially a Stik variation with a canopy attached to the top of the wing. It flies like the Big Stik and shares virtually all of the same terrific flying characteristics.

The Easy Sport .40 is available as a kit or an ARF.

I have noticed a differince in online photos, and have seen the four star in real life. Several guys at the field have them, also a reason I dont want to go with that plane. I realize I cant have a plane no one else has, but I have only seen two sticks there, both of the GP bigstick variety. I just want to be a little bit different than everyone else, kinda the way I am. [8D] I am really leaning toward the Stick and Living with the covering untill my first over eventfull flight/landing then recovering. I really wanted a Kit, as I am still verry much on my trainer, several months away from a second plane and a Kit would keep me on the trainer longer than an arf, thus increasing the likley hood of my second plane surviving.

Biged, I will have to look a Little closer at the great Planes easy sport, the Kit really strikes my fancy. I dont know of any one that has that plane so i will have to check youtube.

The Sig Mid Star is similar in design to the Easy Sport as well.

I have decided to get the GP bigstick, now I need to know if I have enough motor for it. (can you ever have enough?) I have an OS .40la will that be enough to be an enjoyable flyer?

I take it your looking at the Big Stik 40 (they make a 60 and 1.20 size also). The OS 40LA will fly it if you just want to putt around. If you want to do any aerobatics I would go with either a 46 or 55AX or equivalent. You can always throttle back and the extra power may save you in some cases. Our club recommends the 60 size, seems to handle windy conditions better. Good luck, which ever one you get will be a nice choice!

You'll be surprised what the .40-LA is capable of. True, it won't have the same power as a high performance .46 but it will fly your Stik fine. In fact, a guy at our field modified a .40-LA so he could bolt on a Tower Hobbies .46 muffler. Hearing it and watching the plane fly, I swore he had a bigger motor. It really ran great.