Hello,
I have recently purchased a hobbico avistar used from a gentleman who assembled the plane and was afraid to fly so he sold the plane, the engine (OS40LA), radio (futaba 4ch) and all the inexpensive field equipment. I have never flown before and was wondering if this was a wise investment, or should I have gone w/a true trainer plane?
Thank you all for your time,
Shane

great investment i had a avistar to learn on now i'm going to a kaos.......have fun with it it's a great plane......think about a bigger engine though .40 la is alittle underpowerd i fly with a .46 la.

Great. Thanks for the reply. I'll give it a whirl with the 40, but we have a grass field so I might need the 46. It came with a chix stick to start it. Would you recomend purchasing a battery, starter, and panel, or is that okay for the time being. I havent had a chance to even start it up yet, and I'm not sure how difficult the engines are to start.
Thanks again,
Shane

you can start it with a chix stick it should start up with in the first 5 trys........if you get a starter.....DONT get a pannel i have one and all the wires get in the way.

That sounds like it'll work for the time being.
Thank you for the replies.
Shane

The .40LA should be fine to learn on. If you find you want more power after a while, consider a ball-bearing motor like an OS .40 FX or TT Pro .40.
You don't need a power panel/battery/electric starter yet... Maybe never?
I haven't been flying that long, but OS engines start pretty easy after dialing in and all that extra stuff is alot to carry around.

Whatever you do or don't do... Get with an instructor!!! It could be the difference between learning to fly and ending up with a small pile of very expensive kindling.

See the AMA website to find a club near you.

Welcome to the sport!

Thank you so much. I have been to the local hobby shop and they are very helpful. From what I hear there is a very kind gentleman that has been in this for a very long time who welcomes new comers. I will have to get in touch with him. Is it a law of some kind that you have to be a member of AMA to fly?
Thanks,
Shane

One more vote for "great plane". It's what I learned on and I still enjoy flying it. If you do have to geta new engine, I would advise you to go ahead with an 40 FX rather than a 46 LA. Mine is actually flying with a 32 SX right now, and it pulls it great with a 10X6 prop.

I learned on an Avistar last week and haven't had much trouble flying it. I always assumed it was a basic trainer, it is what my local instructor recommended. Mine is powered by a 46 LA.

TailDraggins correct! Get someone to help you. I've been in R/C for over 15 years, and am an active instructor in my club. You'll have a lawn dart the first flight if you don't. Use the buddy system. That's what I use, and it's saved more planes than I can count. Futaba is what I use, but there's other good radios brands out there.

The LA 40 is a good first engine. I have two of them. Eventually you'll want to progress into a ball bearing 40. An O.S. FX 46 is a great motor. So is the Super Tiger .45. I have them both! The power difference is like night and day!

As far as a starter goes, I couldn't go without one. It's nice to set-up, squeeze the starter for about a second, and taxi down the run-way. You could use a chicken stick, but I'd get a starter and battery. I also have a panel. Use it all the time without any problems. My 2 cents!

Good Luck! It's a wonderful hobby. There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not doing something with R/C. If you have a spouse, hopefully she is understanding. Mine is!! She always knows where to find me. Either in the basement, or at the field.

Doug

Thank you all so much for your input. There is an understanding wife involved, and 2 girls (6 months and 5 years), that will hopefully get into this as well. I know I will offer. When the weather breaks, I'll be out there
Shane

The Avistar was my first plane/trainer. I still fly it when I just want to have fun. It still flies very well and is very easy to handle. I have the OS46FX installed and it has provided all the power and reliability I want. I second Taildraggin, PLEASE get an instructor, or your investment could pretty expensive if you lose it in a crash. On the electric starter, only you can decide if you want to use one. Just get input before you decide and try it without, but not without an experienced person to help you. There also a lot of threads in this forum where this is discussed. A search will help you find them, everyone has his/her preference.

Good Luck and Happy Flying.

Well, not exactly. One of the more prominent of the many benefits of AMA membership is liability insurance. Most club fields will not let you fly without it. And if you should damage someone or their property, wherever you fly, without that insurance you could end up with some serious legal/financial problems.
Like the Nike commercial says... Just Do It. You won't regret it.

If theres not enough already I'll go ahead and say yes great investment, I learned on an avistar, nice plane.

I originally learned on a SR Falcon under the guidance of Joe Bridi in 1968, I got out for several years and when I returned to the fold, I relearned on an Avistar, great little plane. My first experience with it was on a misty morning at the field and I was the only one there, and thought I would check the ground tracking on this new plane while I waited for an instructor, so I went out on the runway, throttled up and the darn thing took off, I remembered how to land in a hurry, but qualified after only three flights. and two pairs of underwear

Terry

Thanks for the laugh Terry. I will definitly wait for the trainer.
Shane

Also Shane

Is this the Avistar Select?? That is are the wing halves held together with a steel rod and two small straps on the bottom of the wing> If it is I strongly recommend your pull them apart, and glue them together with some 30 min expoxy and then reattache the strap on the bottom of the wing

Terry

Im not quite sure which avistar it is. The wings are in 2 pieces witha medal doul and some balsa wood that slips together. I've been told to do so. That is odd that the directions don't tell you that. Thank you for the advise.
Shane

I had the Avistar and retired it after over 300 flights. Great plane. My wings are now oiled soaked, but I will not get rid of it. Mine was the fastest trainer at the field. I had a TT 46 and that is still running on another plane. Once you break it in the right way you have more than enough power. I was lapping guys with a 46FX's. But that combo is the greatest.

Thumbs up on the Avistar. Great plane and will do arobatics very well. But it is good to learn on too.

THE Avistar is a true trainer and one that will teach you well.

I practiced with FMS simulator and the avistar model. I put in about 40 hours of simulator time.

I took my avistar to the field, linked up to buddy box to instructor. On my first flight, instructor took off and let me control it. After a couple or circles, I was doing flips and rolls. On my 3rd flight, I landed by myself. That was a great day.

I'm a noob, but I love the plane. I could not believe that it could do stunts.

I started last year and have flown mine quite a bit. I still take it out and fly when I just want to have fun or practice new things. In fact I had to replace the front nose gear because it collapsed breaking the firewall. Got it fixed and flew it yesterday, I still get a kick out of flying it.

BTW: You "may" want to eventually move the front gear from the firewall up to the two holes in the motor mount if you haven't done it already. It is much stronger there. You can buy a longer landing gear post at you LHS. Just a suggestion, it flys great either way.