I would like to used the Mudduck as a trainer plane powered with a gasoline engine.Would this be a good choice to make because of the slow flying,I figured it would give me a better chance to respond to the plane in controlling it and the size would be easier for me to see.I would like to add I am planning on learning with an experienced instructor.

Kenny J

with an experiance trainer you can fly just about anything. Were do you get a mudduck now a days, I haven't seen one in a decade.

There is a new foam-core version on the market:<a href="http://www.mudduckaviation.com/">

http://www.mudduckaviation.com/</a>

looks unique, if they made an arf of the Agroduck, id buy one!!!!!!

Well, it's a "kit" but it's all coroplast, so it's almost like an ARF

Hi Guys,

I just stumbled across this thread and felt compelled to chime in on two points.

MinnFlyer,

Thanks for the comment about it being "like and ARF"; it really is very fast to assemble since it is all sheets (basically an exoskeleton). I had one customer build one from the plans and had it in the air in less than 4 days (working evenings after work). I could build several of these in the time it has taken me to assemble some "ARF's" out there. But what I wanted to point out that the "kits" are foamboard material not corroplast. Similar materials, but the foamboard is lighter and will require painting (with cheap Krylonto seal the material) if you use a combustion engine for power. If building it from the plans, corroplast is a good alternative material; many modelers have used it on their Duck's with success.

Kenny,

This may the biggest marketing No-No in the world but I will tell you not to use the Mud Duck as a "trainer". I do not market the Mud Duck as a "trainer" because I do not believe it is the "best" plane to get your pilot rating with. Sure it is stable and slow and will make it a cinch to fly circuits around the patch, but it is limited in many ways. You should have an aircraft that can do more manuevers.

I am an instructor for my club and I would not want to teach someone to fly on the Mud Duck. Our club has a requirement that a student pilot needs to be able to (among other things the Mud Duck can do) complete 3 horizontal rolls, a "true" Stall turn, and fly an inverted pass. The purpose is they are all elements of understanding the how to control an aircraft and recover your aircraft from a bad situation. The Mud Duck can not fly inverted due to the undercambered wing, that right there takes out two of the training requirements, and although a Mud Duck can do a Wing-Over, that is not a stall turn which requires different skills.

If you were to use the Mud Duck to start with, you would quickly surpass it's abilities and need another aircraft to continue your training. I think you would enjoy the Mud Duck (with a gas engine), but save it for a plane to "enjoy" after you learn on another airplane.

With that said, I have given this advice to some other experienced modelers that wanted to use it to train their kid(s), and they tried it anyway. The reports I got were that it worked fine. So I guess the answer lies with what your requirements and expectaions of "learning to fly" are. At my club, it wouldn't cut it by itself; at another club that doesn't have as strict requirements or if it is okay to just do the pattern, then maybe it will be okay. I just don't want to see the Mud Duck getting dubbed a "trainer" because although it looks the part, that is not what it is designed for.

Greg

Greg,

I admire your honesty. It's refreshing considering that so many guys are pushing their products on everybody claiming it's everything everybody ever wanted. I agree that, while the Mud Duck is a cool airplane and easy to fly, a student would be better served with something else.