iv been on a trainer for a few months and am looking for a second plane that is a tail drager. i would like a kit but a good arf is not out of the question. im mainly self taught and have not buillding experiance in the rc world except putting the super trainer 60 together. i was wondering what you guys would suggest for a second plane. i felt that the trainer was a little to easy to fly and it did not offer enough. i was looking at great planes rv-4 and liked how it looked and the review off of rcu seemed that it was a fairly easy build and not a hard plane to fly. i hope you guys can give me a little guidance and all suggestions are welcome. thanks in advance.

I had the RV-4 ARF with an OS90. Loved it. Great flying airplane. I believe the kit is a smaller plane but should still be alot of fun.

Sig Four-Star 60 with a Honking 4-stroke like a Saito 100. It's just right if your bored with a trainer like a Kadet LT-40 and want a little more. Actually, a little bit more than just a little bit more. You won't bore quickly with a 4*, trust me!

My Maiden was two days ago and I still can't sleep.

Edit: Pic

You can't go wrong with an Ultra Stick.. I have a 60 size that was my second plane.. BLAST to fly..

The RV-4 ARF will require some soldering, but it is a 60 sized plane which shouldn't be too difficult to fly. My experience on the simulator is that the .40 sized one has a habit of continuing to fly during the landing approach, but doesn't have too much of a tendency to tip-stall. Scale birds are not generally recommended as a second plane, because they may be a little more fragile than standard RC models. Another plane that's similar would be the Great Planes Cherokee, which I saw at a hobby shop. It is durable and very easy to build for an ARF, with excellent flying capabilities. Here is the review from RCKen:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...rticle_id=1039

Since you are looking for something more aerobatic than your LT-40, you describe yourself as having a limited amount of building experience, and you were considering an RV-4, I think the Cherokee would be your best candidate. As per the review, RCKen gave it some very high marks and is among his second-plane recommendations. Best of luck.

NorfolkSouthern

I would second the Sig Four star 60 or 40 kit or the Sig Mid star 40, these kits are so easy for a beginner and teaching you a lot, any of them fly's very well, take abuse and come back for more.
fuselage from light plywood and all parts are laser cut fit each other like a puzzle, the instructions are written for a beginner.
I myself built two midstars and a 4*60 (2/3) now for the second year and the stubborn things are still flying well!
there are a lot of building threads here at RCU.
the Four stars are available as ARFs as well you can find them at www.sigmfg.com

Alex

Take a look at the Phoenix Models Dolphin 40. Low wing semi-symetrical tail dragger. $100, flies great, and a lot of the work is already done. I changed the wire gear out after the 2nd landing.

Mike

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXLGM8&P=0

My opinion...for second plane..keep it simple till you know you can truly fly well(my experience). I really liked the Hanger 9 Pulse XT; it was alot of fun and easy to fly. Great Planes has the Escapade which is said to be similar...but almost half the price. That would be my choice at $99.

IMO,

A Stik is great, Here's a pic of my second plane.


Bob

[link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXLGM8&P=ML]Cheap Thrills[/link]

I would recommend a Phoenix Dolphin (.40) ARF. Its only $99 bucks and it is very durable. Its an easy put together. Although, I'm not to fond of the pink interior but, that can be fixed w/ blue trim sheet. My dad and me have flown the covering off and really had a fun time w/ it. I currently have a 4 Star .40 that is very, very similar to the Dolphin (Though a bit faster) and IMO either one will do great. Plus the Sig 4 Star comes in Kit or ARF form.

Phoenix Dolphin - http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXLGM8&P=ML

Sig 4 Star ARF - (Comes in Red or Yellow) - http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFKB0&P=7

Sig 4 Star Kit - http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFG06&P=7

TF96

If all you want from a second plane is tail dragger experience why not just convert your trainer to a tail dragger? You'll just need to move the main wheels forward an inch or three, build in a little reinforcing for the new wheel position, remove the nosewheel and mount a tail wheel that's driven by the rudder. That will also help your build/repair skills and cost you next to nothing to learn to take-off & land a tail dragger, so you don't have as steep a learning curve when you move to a low-wing plane.

i thought about that but i have spent alot of time and mony reinforcing my gear now to accomidate for my rough terrain i land on.