Hi There!

While I am not that new to RC flying, the only plane I ever flew is a Great Planes Piper Cub I built from a kit which, contrary to what the person who sold it to me said, is not a trainer. I am now looking for a real trainer but I don't really like any of the normal trainers because part of what attracts me to the RC flying hobby is the beautiful planes. I've looked at the Nexstar and Vmar's Discovery and the like and they just don't interest me. Does anybody know of any really nice (perhaps Scale) trainers?

IMO,

A Stik would make a great trainer.

Bob

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I've put together a list of planes that make good trainers and second planes. All of them on the list are proven planes that are well suited for successfully letting students learn to fly, or advance to a second plane. Check out the list here</p>

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Hope this helps</p>

Ken</p></font></font></font><u><font color="#0000ff" size="2"><font color="#0000ff" size="2">Looking for a trainer- what's available. (Updated 01-03-2009)</font></font></u>

Take a look at the Goldberg Tiger II or Tiger 60

Thanks guys, especially for the list RCKen! I guess it'll probably end up being a toss-up between the Nextar and the Hangar 9 P-51. How does a low-wing plane become a trainer though? Isn't it less stable than a high-wing?

A low-wing plane is often less stable than a high-wing plane, but other differences come into play; such as, how much dihedral it has and what the airfoil is like.

In the case of the Tiger, the airfoil is thick and it has a good amount of dihedral. It is my favorite choice for training students.

As for the H-9 PTS Mustang, it has clear plastic boots that fit over the froward edge of the wing which increase the wing area and provide more lift. It is a good trainer as long as you are on a buddy box with an instructor - which you should do regardless of the plane you are flying.

The most beautiful trainer around is the Sig Kadet Sr.

Note the Photos are of fellow RCU members planes.

wow[X(] those are some nice looking kadets man!

Does the Sig Kadet Sr come in an ARF or RTF? And where can I buy one (I can't find it anywhere)?</p>

Look for the Sig LT-40 it's basically the same plane with a solid frame

It comes as an ARF or a kit. You can get it direct from Sig here: http://www.sigmfg.com/cgi-bin/dpsmar...FV4.html?E+Sig

Has Tower had a falling out with Sig? The Kadet is no longer listed there...

Yep, that's the word on the street.... (Heard it from a friend of a friend who heard it directly from Sig.)

That's too bad too, Tower lost my business on my next kit purchase...

Careful when buying a Sig Senior ARF... if you can find one.. But bar none they have to be the very best trainer there is and then some. I was lucky to grab an ARF or two or three, ( I'm bettting they wont be around any more) and have stripped one and bashed it for a tail dragger with lots of support and stiffining. Putting some GP Stearman landing gear on with a Saito 82.. and changing the cover to Ultracoat.

The secound kit will be a low wing bash and the third for parts.......... Yes they are that good...

Most of the things that make a plane "beautiful" are the things that make them NOT trainers.

I think the best thing to do is get a trainer that looks and flies like a trainer and learn to fly it.

Once you can fly, and know what you want next; if you really cannot stand to look at the trainer any more, sell it or give it away, and get the "beautiful" plane.

You can't just glaze over the original post... He already stated that he has succesfully flown a GP Piper Cub.

great list!!! my first airplane was a Kadet Mark II(jr.) and i really love it!!!, 20 years later is still on the air. Really hard to destroy cause that kit is really good.

DITTO. You are going to ding it up learning to fly. Do you really want to damage a "beautiful" plane?

I already know how to fly; I learned on a plane that was definitely not a trainer. I want a trainer now just for a relaxing flight, not really to learn much on. I doubt I'd ding it up.

??????????????????????????????????????????????? Already knows how to fly, but wants a trainer to relax with? I cant think of a more relaxing plane to fly than a gp cub. And it looks nice too....... I dont get it, pass on a cub to fly a "beutiful" trainer? to each his own i guess. Have fun with the trainer, I am glad mine is gone and love to relax with my cub!

It's never relaxing with my Cub because it gets blown all over the place by a little wind. If you have the same Cub I have I'd guess you have clipped wings. I have the full monty!

Whoa... Almost any trainer is going to be effected by the wind probably more so than your Cub. Good windy day flyer... Sig Something Extra.

Actually the original post did not say the Cub was flown successfully, it just says the only plane he has flown was the Cub. I got the impression that Cub experience was not successful, hence the search for a real trainer.

A follow up does say he does know how to fly.

Look at a T-34 mentor. You can build one from top-flite or there are a few ARF's out there. It flies very well and can do aerobatics. I have flown a few different ones and enjoyed them all. It will also satify the scale request you made. The Trojan is also another good one. If you want to try your skills at scratch building Wendell Hostetler has plans for a Navion. That plane is very close to the T-34. Stay away from those large wings like on a cub. The sig rascal also has alot of wing area so be carful there too. If you want a big lazy trainer to float around on give the telemaster a look from Hobby-Lobby.com. It comes in many different sizes and in kit or ARF form.

I learned on the Sig LT-40 (kit-built). Never crashed it or even had a hard landing. The only "dings" it suffered were from transporting it through a doorway. I did wind up beefing up the landing gear and made it a bit longer. A .46 engine with an 11" prop leaves a minimal ground clearance, inviting prop strikes on the runway.

The Sterling Fledgeling was a good looking bird. Not run of the mill thats for sure sigs senior and seniorita also are good looking birds. Keep in mond that whatever you build you can cover to look how you want.