Well i went to my hobby store and looked around and i was instantly atracted to the P-51.....but i knew i have to start off with a trainer so i pulled myself away and looked at what they had. iI hummed and hawed for about 20 minutes and i really like the PT-40. i didn't want to go with the PT-50 because it's a little to big for me. So do you think it would be good for a beginner with some balsa model expeirence but no flying expeirence?

Hi,

Just looked the plane info up and yes seems like a very good trainer as the main statement on the info page was

'Extremely stable, self righting, confidence building flight almost lands itself' which is ideal for a trainer.

I would recommend a Flight Simulator for your pc first to train on then get an instructer.

I learnt on FMS which can be downloaded free from http://n.ethz.ch/student/mmoeller/fms/index_e.html

Then learnt with a trainer and an instructer picked it up in about 4 lessons and im now onto my second plane a low wing. BE warned this hobby is dam addicitive and expensive lol. I did learn thou the cheapest isnt allways the best i would recommend paying a bit more for a computer radio so you can have more then one model when the time comes as it will save you money in the long run.

Hope thats of some help.

The PT-40 is a very solid, proven design. A good choice.

Righty,

You will get all kinds of "advice" on which trainer is better and why but the "truth" is when comparing performance one trainer is as good as another so it makes the "which trainer should I get question" moot.

The secret to a successful introduction to this hobby is picking a GOOD Instructor.

Go find the instructor and see what he/she reccomends if you like or go out buy a trainer package and go to the field.

Ditto to what Crashem said. A good instructor is worth his weight in gold.
PS, instruction is free!

One advantage of having the PT-40 is that it already exists in the Realflight G2 sim as the standard package. It is set up for the latest MKII design, so you can fly it at home on the computer and get the feel of the airplane before risking the real one at the field, should you be considering gettiing a flight sim as well.

I have the original PT40 design I built from a kit. It is a VERY docile trainer and a real floater. Set it up correctly, and it will literally land itself.

thanks for the link for the free sim dragonheart. one of the guys who works at the hobby shop where im getting the trainer said he will train me when im ready. he's a very nice fellow and he has lots of experience. I thank you guys for all the help you have provided me with as i hope i have many years with this wonderful sport.

question about the FMS simulator. Does it matter i use my keyboard to fly?

not at all, but it will be a little bit weird... You don't fly your aircraft with the keyboard do you???
But other than this, I see no problem....

The PT-40 is a very good trainer when built with the sport wing (less dihedral). I have two of them and just converted one of them to a tail dragger.

it is a good plane. it will stall at about the speed you can run, but it screams at 70 mph in a dive no problem. it can do an inverted loop with a .46 fx, (really impressive for a trainer) and flies with only about half down elevator as opposed to around full with some trainers. it has survived a lot, has a nice color scheme. it is easy to tell bottom from top, and stands out in any weather.

Yep, I agree with everyone else, PT-40 is a good plane to start with and Realflight comes with it as well. Very good choice.

I trained on a PT-40, and it was a good trainer, but IMHO the AVISTAR SELECT 40 is a BETTER choice.
One thing about the Avistar is once you learn to fly, it is capable of more aerobatics.
IMHO

Tom

trainers are not aerobatic planes. if you want aerobatics, get an aerobatic plane. the avistar will not perform aerobatics either. it is just more responsive when you tell it to roll or do a loop

I second the Avistar. If you learn fairly quickly, you'll like the extra capability the Avistar has over the PT-40 or other flat bottom wing trainers.

The Avistar is just a little faster, tracks better and is less "floaty" than the flat wing trainers. It handles the wind better and can do basic acrobatics - inverted, rolls, loops, hammerheads, etc.

Sure - trainers are not sport planes, but they still can do some cool tricks. Someone can learn easily on the Avistar and once they learn, can still get a kick out of the flying it regularly.