I am a first year rookie pilot, starting with a Nexstar back in March/April. I have moved up to flying a 30% WH Edge 540, and have approx 120 flights on it. Two weekends ago, during a heli fun fly at our club, I went back to my Nexstar at a different field and had a blast. Also have a couple electrics. I love flying all the planes, but at the end of the day the GS plane is what I enjoy the most.

I went from flying Satio 100`s for 7 years. I made the jump to gas about a month ago. The only thing that scared me at first was starting it. It is a Sundancer with a 50cc DL engine. The first time you start it up you know it is a diff. ballgame. But honestly, after the first 3 flights i flew it just like my Satio 100 planes. It rolls just as fast and i make low and fast passes just like i did before. It does pull like a mule. But there is throttle management. I flew last week before a rain storm and it became gusty before i landed. Just like my smaller planes it threw it around a bit but i corrected it and landed. I still flew my small plane a couple of times. There is not a big diff. once you get over the intimadation factor of starting it. The distance and size factor is not an issue. But a 4-star can do some wild things if set-up with a lot of throw. If you are not ready, don`t do it. If you think you are missing out on something don`t. You are having the same amount of fun.

Small planes are only advantageous in regards to dollars spent, ease of transportation, and ease of storage.

They do not fly as well in the wind. They do not look as good on the ground, or in the air.

All my fleet is between .60 to 1.20 size.....and not because I have poor vision. The larger models are definetly better....

Easier to set up..more room for radio gear, keeping options open.

Bigger planes fly better. Its a fact, not opinion.

Yes, they are, as said, more expensive, harder to transport, but they fly better. Which is the whole point. After all don't we all want a fantastic flying aircraft?

And its actually a bit less expensive to run my larger planes since they are gas, the smaller planes are glow. Gas is far less expensive per tank than glow is. By a HUGE margin.

Thanks guys. Yall sparked my thought process.

If you want to stay in this hobby cheap, 40 size is the way to go. You can find ARF`s and engines cheap. But for example, my Satio 100 Duster with all servo`s i have around $900.00 investment. The Gas DL- 50, Sundancer, i have around $1,200.00 into it. I paid close to the same price for the 50cc engine as i did for the Satio 100. So when you start getting bigger than a 90 size plane it is almost feasible to fly gas. But if you were on a budget there is nothing wrong with flying 40 size planes. I fact i have one 40 sized electric that i love because it is easy to take it and fly at a soccer field,baseball field and smaller area`s. In fact i was thinking about getting a 40 size Mustang or P-40 glow to train me to fly bigger warbirds later. I wouldn`t feel so bad if i got crazy and bashed one up.

Evil Merlin, I've got some 12 ounce planes that I guarantee can do several things in the air better than your giant plane. Larger planes ARE easier to fly 3D with, basically too easy.

You're also wrong about the whole point of this hobby....the whole point is to have fun and stay within your comfort zone, not to keep up with the Jones's.

I think you have hit upon the OP's real problem. Losing sight of enjoying oneself as opposed to keeping up with the Jones. My Dad who taught me how to build models when I was a kid still enjoys stick and tissue free flight that he can fly in his basement. At 85 he's been flying them, by his reckoning, about 79 years. He has flown many things in those years but little free flight rubber powered planes of his own design have always been his first aviation love.

Fly what YOU enjoy and don't be concerned about anyone else's opinion.

The fun factor is the joy of the hobby, I enjoy planes of all types and sizes myself. I had one club member I have never seen fly a plane but he owns planes from micro to 40%, seeing this mans hanger brings a tear to my eyes!! He has the money to just have his planes built for him then go out to his hanger and look at them. He must have over 50 planes out there. It seems to bring a lot of joy to his life.
As I mentioned, I fly my smaller planes a lot but enjoy my big planes too, that's one of the reasons I like IMAA so much. No contests at all, just showing off your giant scale planes to other people and flying them as often as you like. Then in the evening you can fly anything you like from electric to the big guys.
I find my giants fly smoother but I can do things with my small ones I can't even think about doing with the big ones. Well, maybe I can but it scares the heck out of me when I think about the wings folding. Just love flying my HOTS!!!

I had an absolute blast teaching myself to fly RC with an .049 powered trainer with a 40 inch wingspan. If things got out of hand, I would cut the engine (which was was happened when you throttled down the little Cox) and spiral it right into the ground. Then I'd dust it off and fly again. I enjoyed that plane so much I scratch built a lighter one and flew it for years too. Caught thermals, did simple three channel aerobatics, let it run out of fuel when it was a speck in the sky and learned to do really precise dead stick landings. It looked more realistic in the air than most larger planes because it was flying slower in proportion to it's size. I'm amazed at how fast most trainers are being flown these days. It isn't always an enjoyable training experience for the beginner.

Then I decided I wanted to do touch and goes so I got a much bigger plane...a .15 powered Live Wire Champ, which was about the size of a modern .40 powered trainer...loved that plane and flew it for years. I've had much bigger, faster and more aerobatic planes since then, but I've never had more fun than I had with those lightweight trainers.

To each his own. So try some things and decide for yourself what you like best.

Jim

How in the world did you come up with this?

Simply because it appears by your statements that you found some of the larger planes a little more difficult to fly. The trend for most people once they solo is to get bigger planes, thats pretty obvious at any field. But it seems you are not comfortable or as comfortable with bigger and you'd prefer smaller. Which is fine. But as has been said there is no problem flying large planes in close or in confined areas and thats just how it is. But there is no reason not to fly smaller if you enjoy that. But enjoying it and it being better are 2 different things. Currently I fly planes with 9" to 7' wingspans and enjoy them all. They all fly differently and that is part of the fun. Unlike my father I enjoy "Odd Scale Aircraft" the most. If you like small planes please enjoy yourself and don't worry about what the rest of us think.

I have planes from 38" to 104" wingspan. The only difference I see is one fits assembled in the back seat, and the other rides in the box of the pickup. If I feel really lazy, I'll leave the big one assembled and strap it in the box with the last foot or so of wing hanging out each side of the box! (no it doesn't try to fly away)

I am not the best pilot, but it seems to me that flying large or small is really no different. You can keep a small airplane closer to you, but the large ones should never get so far away that they look small! :-)

Give the four star a small vacation and fly the trainer some more . Comfort will come with time in the sky . These two planes will always fly differently however in time you will want more from your airplanes . I personally fly fourty size and sixty size as well as a 120 Saito in my Funtana . Flight time = comfort . Flying new planes until you reach a comfort level will always make you nervous a bit . Just my opinion you will surely get more of these . Just keep flying whatever it is fly fly again .

I subscribe to the notion that bigger planes are more easily controlled than really small ones but having said that I have flown larger planes considered giant scale .at this stage of the hobby I fly what and build planes that I really want.I have a 3Dhobby shop edge 540 with a 40 inch wing that makes for shock and awe especially on full throttle blenders.I flew my SE5A yesterday with a 60 inch span gracefully putting around the sky imagining a dawn patrol.I have a 90 four stroke mustange thats a joy to fly so much so I want to build a top flight mustang ..my biggest is an older dynaflite PT-19 and 1/4 scale L-4 cub with a zenoah 23.

its easy to be intimidated at your stage of flying but as you progress you might feel differently and enjoy 60 sized aircraft.Or you may decide as a personal preference you really do love smaller planes.certainly cost wise the smaller planes are less expensive to operate.I had a lanier giant stinger with a 3w 60 and it was awkward to store and transport not to mention expensive to biuld.but I enjoyed every second it was in the air.I plan to purchase another gasser in the area of 25 percent or around 65 to 78 inches and about 12 to 15 pounds.oddly I find myself going to scale but I still love aerobatics hence my extra 260 with a satio 180.

just keep an open mind and dont box yourself in just yet.I have even bought my first electric multiplex funjet.its small but man is it FAST.an adrealnine rush for sure at nearly 100mph.I cant wait for the NEAT fair this weekend.and someone mentioned elie .he is about as good as they come flying his 35 40 plus percent planes in oneonta.that is coming soon as well.this a great hobby and I enjoy all aspects big or small.fly what suits your lifestyle best!

I'd like to clear things up a bit....bigger is better...for the most part.......the heavier the airplane the less the wind and turbulence bothers you, bigger airplanes usually means gas powered......2 1/2 gallons of fuel using Redline oil mixed 40:1 costs around 11 bucks...verus 19 to 25 for a gallon of glow fuel. I don't fly my gassers any further away than I do glow.....on the up wind side......the downwind side is further away but it doesn't have to be........I don't need a glow stick or a starter.....
Downside to bigger is more gear in the airplane...more money.....bigger means you need a bigger runway........most clubs fields can handle a gassser...so it not an airplane for a ball park somewhere.......and then you need a truck, van, or trailer for transport......
When I first started flying I never thought I'd be flying a gasser... but here I am.....
Like everyone else I keep a glow trainer when I just want to be lazy and work on touch and go's
Good flyin and have fun

i don't know...........i fly my giant super sportster 50 cc gas,three feet off the groung, inverted yet, with smoke on, it looks like a choo- choo train . go for it! RON...the GEETER

Large aircraft are for people with slow reactions and/or failing eyesight or for people who can't build light. [8D]

Well I am joking, I hope you all understand that.

IMHO, large aircraft are easier to control because in general they react slower to control inputs than small aircraft do. Also relative to their size, they fly slower than small aircraft. Because large aircraft have more inertia, they are less easily disturbed by turbulence. If building scale aircraft one can add a lot more scale detail without significantly affecting flying performance due to the increased weight.

That being said, after flying many different types of aircraft of different sizes over the years (1/2A to giant scale) I have come to the conclusion that for me, aircraft larger than say 80" have very little to offer in terms of increased performance or flying qualities. For most part I prefer aircraft smaller than that, say around 55-72 in. wingspan.

As long as we are not talking competetive flying (aerobatics etc.) where the best route is to fly the same size aircraft as everybody else do, I see many advantages to smaller aircraft (in the size range mentioned above):
[ul][*] They can handle any weather situation larger aircraft are capable of handling. In my experience people flying large aircraft have a lower tolerance to bad weather conditions than people flying smaller aircraft. I do not thing this is due to the flying qualities of the aircraft, but rather due to the fact that the larger aircraft in general represents a bigger economic investment. [*] They can fly any aerobatic schedule the larger aircraft can do, if the pilot is up to it. The one possible exeption may be gyroscopic maneuvers such as Lomcevaks, where large diameter, high inertia propellers is a definite advantage.[*] They require rather inexpensive radio equipment, standard servos are sufficient and there is no need for power-boxes etcetera. The same goes for most of the other equipment such as propellers and control linkage. [*] Because of the lower inertia smaller incidents, e.g., hard landings, that may cause serios damage to large aircraft often only result in minor damage to smaller aircraft. [*] Obviously, smaller models are easier to transport and store.
[/ul]
Of course, there are some negatives as well:
[ul][*] In most parts of the world methanol based fuels are more expensive than gas. This may become a non-issue when as more and more small gas engines becomes availabe, e.g.. the Saito FG series.[*] Small models does not attract as much attention as large one do.
[/ul]

I like my planes big, the bigger they are the better. They just take up a little more room and the wife yells at me more when I knock over a lamp trying to move it around the house.


Pete

it depends on what you are doing. bigger does fly better, just as a .40 sized flies better than a foamy, a 50cc+ gasser flies better than a .40.
if you are doing presicion stuff, pattern/imac/ect, get a bigger plane, the difference is very noticable (got to fly a friends 100cc yak54, its way more stable than my .40 sized yak)
however if you just like to throw the plane around 40-60 sized planes are great, combat 25 and smaller, stress free flying a good old 40 sized is perfect. if you arnt full throttle a gallon of nitro will last quite a while with a .46 sized engine.

Red
I fly larger airplanes because I enjoy them.....so do my flying buddies.......compaired to them I fly small.......we fly larger airplanes not because we can't see, or can't handle the weather, we enjoy them. I can't see me flying glow as a primary power source again.......
As for flying in wind I've made many approaches at 1/2 throttle just to get to the threshold.......My flying buddies, about 1/2 fly IMAC........I know they can handle windy days too.
Come on out.......we'll show you how much fun bigger is

Dadgummit Gary, looks like you've started something here....[8D]

I think part of my problem is coming from racing cars. I allways liked the lighter more nimble cars than the big 1/8 scale stuff.

If that's the case then take a little look at some of the racing type of planes, a Shoe String in 1/4 scale is really small and there are many different models in this class. Now you have a giant scale that is fast and nimble plus they can be flown in IMAA. Bigger isn't always bigger.

I've flown the LT-40 and the Four Star 60. The Four Star would float in almost walking speed on a landing, and was very easy to manage. What you should do is fly what you feel comfortable with and gain more experience before moving up to more advanced aircraft.
If you don't feel the larger plane is a benefit, back down to a .40 again. Personally bigger is easier for me to fly and see. They resist wind better too. As stated earlier, adjusting your rates, and have dual rate radios, its the best way to adjust upward, where the radio compensates for some quick responses some planes have moving out of the trainer level. Exponential is a great tool to also use, while still having enough rate to get it out of a turn/dive/trouble at any speed.
I recently flew a few .25 combat series Great Pains ARFs and had a blast with those, especially going back to hand launching a small easy to transport plane. The 25 FX screamed and kept up with the faster planes in the air too. I had no trouble with it and due to it's speed, I was flying the same pattern as the .60 sized planes.