Need Advice on Purchasing Electric RTF
 

Dennis,

Thanks for your comments. We have gotten somewhat off topic, but this is interesting. You make many good points in your post. However a couple of your statements confuse me. Perhaps you could clarify your comment about "no comparison to glow powered aircraft"

Why would you think I was trying to make a comparison of the planes I have flown to glo powered planes? What would be the reason that I would want to do that?

While I certainly have been around glo planes and even had a control line .049 when I was a kid, I have no RC experience flying them, nor do I consider them a goal, or a standard against which to measure other planes.

A plane's flight characteristics are defined by air foils, power to weight ratios, glide slope, size and number of control surfaces, high/mid/low wing and the like. Glo is just a differnet power system.

Whether my Electrajet has a brushless motor or not is irrelevent. Whether it has adequate power to meet its intended performance characteristics is all I care about.

I can see myself enjoying the flying and building of model airplanes for decades to come, but I feel it is highly unlikely that I will ever include any glo planes among them. Why? There is no need.

Electric flight is the fastest growing part of RC sport flying so new options, power systems and planes are coming out all the time. In a few years electric power may eclipse glo as the primary power source for RC airplanes, according to some of the business associations. The primary reasons seem to be that they are clean, quiet and simple to manage. In addition, glo fields are being pushed further and further out of urban and surburban areas due to noise, smell and environmental considerations. But I have nothing against glo planes. I just don't really care to own or fly them.

Today electrics can perform virtually all the flight stunts and patterns that glo planes can do. Granted the planes tend to be smaller, but, so what? Unless you are interested in flying very large planes, there is no need to fly glo.

For example, a hacker 50 can fly a 6-8 pound model quite nicely. If I wanted to go larger than that, than I might have to consider glo. But that would be based on the airplane and its power needs, not glo vs electric.

There are electric 3D planes, electric pattern planes, electric pylon racers, sport, stunt, slow flyers, gliders, etc. And I can fly indoors with electrics.

My point is not that electric power is better than glo or glo is better than electric. My point is that the power source is irrelevent as long as it is adequate to meet the flight performance profile intended for the airplane.

And I don't see how any of this has any bearing on whether a plane is a good trainer. But that is just my opinion.

So, having said all that, can you see that at no time have I tried to make any comparison between electric powerd planes and glo powered planes. If you thought I was, I appologize for my lack of clarity.

Crashem, if this was on your mind during our exchanges, I likewise applogize for my lack of clarity.

I see glo or electric as irrelevent in the selection of a trainer. I see flight characteristics, durablity and probability for a successful experience as top priorities for the selection of a first plane, call it trainer or not.

I hope this clears up any confusion I may have caused.

Need Advice on Purchasing Electric RTF
 

I would get and e-starter even though it is arf it takes 3-5 hours to build not including time to wait for glue to dry. Get a 8.4 or 9.6v battery and micro servos. I have it and it flies great. Just don't take it in to much wind. I have gotten flipped over by a gust before landing. The E-starter is made by GWS and is great because it has ailrons. IF you end up getting it i can give you some tips on building it.

Clarity
 

"There is no comparison between a glow trainer and an electric."

I don't want to put words any anyone's mouth, but I've seen many people who think they can just jump to a glow trainer from a park flyer (slowflyer), like a Slow Stick, or even SOME things more advanced, like an e-Trainer.

Since I did that transition as a pure novice, I would have to say that flying liteweight electrics doesn't prepare you (hardly at all) for the weight and speed of a glow trainer.

I remember just how clueless I was when I started 2 years ago, and I know a lot of newbie posters are just that clueless, so I think (IMHO) its very important to be very clear in these threads, so someone who can do a good job flying a slowstick at a local soccer field doesn't pop out there with an Avistar, thinking everything is hunkey dorey. Unlikely, admittedly... or is it?

Need Advice on Purchasing Electric RTF
 

GhostBear

That makes a lot of sense. I would have to agree with you 100% without every trying to make the transition.

Need Advice on Purchasing Electric RTF
 

I hope I'm not stirring things up again, as it's been a while since I posted to this thread. I just feel that I need to add, speaking as an electric purist, that the right combination of plane and brushless motor will outfly ANY glow trainer at any time. Have I ever flown glow? Yes. Have I ever gotten my hands on an electric that was much faster and harder to handle. Absolutely. Power sources do not matter any more. Electric planes now have the capability to fly at extreme speeds and achieve "unlimited vertical". To any who doubt, search this site for Pro Jeti video and prepare to be blown out of your chair. Flame suit on.

Bud

Need Advice on Purchasing Electric RTF
 

Earthdrill,

Good points. Electrics can be 10 or even 15 pounds these days. And you can buy an electric in a hobby store or off a web site that will break 100 MPH stock.

However, I will agree with many of the comments made here that most of us electric flyers have our primary experience with light weight slow to medium speed planes.

I can respect the idea that moving to a 10 pound glow plane doing 60+ MPH would be a change for me. Then again, going to a 10 pound electric with a Hacker 50 and 16 cells doing 60+ MPH would also be a change for me.

I have only flown an Aerobid and a Glider

Need Advice on Purchasing Electric RTF
 

rjeffers what plane did you end up chosing if you have?