I am thinking of getting a new plane for Christmas, and i cant chose between the hobbyzone super cub, and the eflite apprentice. I have a parkzone J3 cub, i only flew it 5 times tho, it broke really fast. I flew my friends Super cub, and it was awesome, so i thought of getting it, but then i stumbled upon the eflite apprentice that seemed a lot better, and bigger. I AM a beginner, so i would like to know what you would recommend. I kinda like the eflite apprentice more because its 4 channel, and because it comes with a spectrum. IF anyone has one or both of those models, can you please help me and tell me which one i should get. keep in mind im not exactly a great flyer. thanks

What is your goal as far as RC flying goes? Do you plan on sticking to simple little park flyers to "putt around" or eventually move up to larger, more sophisticated airplanes?

Either plane you mentioned will be great. If you want to step up down the road to larger sport planes then the apprentice might be a better to start with since it is a 4-channel plane. The Spektrum radio that the Apprentice comes with is not their best but it IS capable of being put into another plane such as a glow trainer or sport plane.

Like I said though, either is a good choice. It just boils down to where you want to take your flying down the road and how much you want to spend.

I also forgot to mention that where you plan to fly will be a factor. The Super cub is great for school yards, parks and even large yards. The Apprentice might need a little more room though. Are you planning on getting into a local club?

Well alot of people go with the super cub for self teaching. I can't say much for the super cub because I have not owned it however I have tought myself to fly with the Eflite apprentice.
Are you self teaching or going to a club?
If you are going to a club I would defenetly say Apprentice because you have ailerons and a great radio system to use when you progress also it has reasonable basic aerobatic ability , plenty of power and lands perfect.
If you are self teaching then I still say the apprentice because it took one hell of a beating from me and still kept going. the landing gear is fantastic I stalled from about 20ft in the air right onto the mains and it didn't affect it and all the landings after that were greasers. also it takes wind pritty well.
If you have the option GO TO A CLUB! I cannot stress this enough you will learn so much more and you will most likely keep you cool bird in 1 piece.

If you go the Apprentice Order an extra Cowl, eng mount and spinner it will save you alot of down time.
any questions about the Apprentice just PM me!
Peter

Ok, my only flying space is a school yard, and i dont know of any clubs in the area, il have to do some research. Im probably going to go with the apprentice because of its durability, however i do not plan to get into highly sophisticated rc planes. I am teaching myself, and i don't find it too hard either. I can fly my parkzone J3 cub fairly well, and i have to say that plane has problems. The electronics on it are beyond glitchy, the rudder is non responsive half the time, but i still manage to fly it half decently. It looks like il be getting the apprentice then. thanks for your help, and if theres anything else feel free to add it.

my friend has the super cub and it is a very good starter plane and does fly in very tight areas. It seems to be a real popular plane and the price is not too bad. It would be better for you if you could get someone to help get started, my friend broke his right off the bat. I got with him and it went a lot better for him. He went on and got a .40 size trainer and I tought him to fly RC at our field, but he did get a lot of good out of the super cub.

sticks

If you are set on using ailerons then the Apprentice is definetly a good choice. But the Super Cub is much less expensive and cheaper to repair. I have one that is stock but using a 3cell lipo and it will take off from the hood of my truck and land in the infield of a little leage baseball park.

i know the super cub is exellent, my friend has it, but i am commited to ailerons. The durability of the apprentice is not much lower than that of the super cub, so i dont fully understand why its cheaper to repair the supercub. I must admit that making the supercub take off the hood of a truck is very impressive. I have never piloted an aircraft with ailerons before, so im looking forward to trying that, but i also know that the ruder configuration is a lot easier to fly. This is why this choice is so difficult. I am probably going to buy the apprentice because its bigger, and because it has ailerons. And if im having difficulty operating ailerons i can disconnect those servos and just use the rudder untill i get confident.

Keep in mind, the Apprentice is not designed as a teach-yourself-to-fly airplane, it's designed to be flown with an instructor. The Apprentice also needs a LOT of room to fly (think 6 or 7 football fields). The Super Cub is a teach-yourself-to-fly airplane and can be flown in a much smaller area. I would highly recommend going with the Super Cub over the Apprentice if you are teaching yourself to fly. The Apprentice is much more aerobatic than the Super Cub and is not really designed to be flown in an elevator/rudder configuration.

This web site should help you find out if there is a flying club in your area
Model Aeronautics Association of Canada
http://www.maac.ca/

ok thanks for the link, and i think Ram008 is right, i have limited room and i want to teach myself to fly. The apprentice is a lot better, but now that i thought about it the apprentice isnt really suitable for me because of my limited room, limited assistance, and limited skill. Plus im only 14 turning 15 and getting a plane for my birthday. $300 for one is kinda expensive, and i know im gona be crashing it. Il still think about it more, but it looks like il be getting the supercub with maybe a better battery. (i really wana take off from a hood of a truck)
Thanks for all the feedback

If you've some experience with the J3 I'd look at the Multiplex MiniMag, it's as durable if not more so than the Super Cub, can be set up as 3 channel to start with but you install the servo's for ailerons when you build it and then just plug them in when you're ready and you've a 4 channel aileron plane.

Get a Simulator as well as it'll make a huge difference with orientation.

sgt peanut -

These gents are pointing you in the right direction. The Hobbyzone Super Cub is a great start for a 'self learning' pilot. If you're interested, I did a review of the Super Cub on Control Chat. It's just a few more bits of information for you to chew on.

[link=http://controlchat.twointeract.com/2008/hobbyzone-super-cub/]Hobbyzone Super Cub Review[/link]

Best flying to you sgt peanut!

The minimag looks nice but multiplex doesn't ship to Canada and my LHC doesn't have it. thank for the review. Im probably just going to get the supercub, but if when i get to the hobby sotore the apprentice happens to be on sale, i wouldnt be able to resist. if by some odd chance i do get the apprentice though, im gona climb to the roof of my school so i can see farther, so theres more room for it to fly. Thanks for all of your help, and thanks, i wish you good flying too.

One other alternative is teh GWS E-Starter which is similar to the MiniMag

Good luck with whatever you choose, the Super Cub was my 1st plane if you've flying experience though I'd just question how long befroe you want the next step up or do a search for threads which can talk you through it and install ailerons at a later stage.

what about the parkzone super decathlon? Whats the public opinion on it?

I've flown it, but haven't bought one because it's basically a dressed up, clipped wing J-3 brushless, which I already have 3 of. Good flying plane albeit smaller, faster, and more fragile than a Super Cub. Not really a plane I'd reccommend for a true begginer. Since sgt peanut said he has already killed his J-3, I wouldn't reccommend it for him either.

im telling you it WAS NOT WORKING RIGHT. I accidentally dropped the remote controll, and the plane got all twitchy and irresponsible after that. the servos went haywire and one of them was just twitching, and the other kept freezing on the right position, at random times, besides also twitching like mad. As soon as i turn off the controller, all of the madness stops and nothing twitches, thus its not interference. I noticed this problem after the plane was cracked in half. so IM NOT A BAD PILOT. i was very good with it for the 40 minutes (4 flights) before i dropped the controller. plus i flew my friends super cub with no problems at all, act off.

i took all the electronics out of the ruined cub. Im thinking of getting a controller, and programming it to this frequency (because all the electronics inside the plane are fully functional, its all the controllers fault.) and putting them into some other plane, perhaps even something i may build. Im still getting a trainer to learn to fly though.

Ok!!!! Didn't mean to offend you or sound like I was putting down your piloting skills, and you didn't mention dropping the tx before!! But my advice is still the same. For the room you have to fly in, you would be better off with a Super Cub. The J-3/Decathalon is not as good in the wind and is more fragile. But since you already have some parts, you might look at a PnP J-3 or Decathalon as an economic choice! I have 3 parkzone j-3 bl's and have some interference problems in my area on channel 1. I changed the rx/tx in my channel 1 j-3 to a 72mhz tx/rx from a Stryker. Servo's and everthing else are compatible, just dropped the rx right in, no problems. I bought the rx/tx on e-bay for $20, which is cheaper than you could by a stock replacement tx! Lots of people who buy T-28's, Typhoons, and Strykers, are selling the radios cheap on e-bay because they are using better radios like Futaba which they already own or they are changing to spectrum radios. You also might find another J-3 on e-bay cheaper than you could buy a new PnP. Just something to consider. Wish you luck, keep us posted!!!

internet purchasing, although very appealing isn't an option because i do not own a credit card, and my parents dont like the idea. You didnt really offend me, i know i never mentioned me dropping the controller, so dont worry about it. also, a complete noob question. Wats rx/tx? im guessing its the receiver and transmitter, but please clarify. I know it would be cheaper to get a PnP, but i always had a dream of hand making a plane from scratch, and that dream just became closer to realization than ever. i think id rather try to make a plane than buy a PnP.

Your are correct, Tx is abbreviation for transmitter and Rx is Reciever. Hope the build goes well, you're at the right place for help and ideas! Keep us posted

i sure will, maybe not in this thread though because that would be WAY off topic

I recently purchased an apprentice and all i have to recommend is fly in a HUGE sod farm or open area and practice turns with the rudder and elevator first before you jump into the ailerons. I'm looking to get a super-cub for days when i want to just have some relaxation flying and teach my friends and family or even have a plane to mess around with between charges at the field. Plus i live around a lot of water so it would be fun to purchase the floats, and even the drop module for the super-cub.

super cub is a gr8 plane i prefer tht

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXE616

Just a thought. Yes, you'd have to learn to build and might need to acquire a different radio (I'm unfamiliar with yours) but you'd have a large, easy to see, slow flyer.

Good luck,

Clay