ARF for first trainer
 

I am seeking some advise. Please give me any thought you may have as to whether or not a "Clipped wing cub", ARF would be a good first trainer. I will have an instructor, but will this particular bird be relatively easy to learn on? I thank you in advance for any input concerning this matter. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

ARF for first trainer
 

If you have never flown before then I don't think a clipped wing anything would be a good place to start. Flying R/C is definitely one of those things that looks easier than it is.

Buying an ARF may not be a bad idea since alignment won't be an issue, but I would suggest something wth a lot of wing. You'll be happy for it when you start shooting approaches.

ARF for first trainer
 

Rick, you could learn on it but it will slow the process down. Learning to fly can be frustrating. Agood trainer can make all the difference. I taught my nephew on a Trainer .60 from Great Planes. This was a mistake. The Trainer .60 has only a little diehedral and a symetrical wing. He could have soloed in half the time on a
Sig LT-40. later daveo

ARF for first trainer
 

I'll throw in a quick comment: Cubs are generally known to be slow and steady fliers.

But: They are also known to be difficult to handle on the ground. With a properly set up trainer with nosewheel, you can more or less push the throttle, wait for the plane to get up to flying speed, and pull elevator to get it off the ground. With a taildragger (and especially a Cub) you will have to use elevator and rudder to keep the plane going straight down the runway and to prevent it from stalling on takeoff.

And: Cubs have no wash-out. This means that the wing stalls harder. A trainer with wash-out will stall the center of the wing first, preventing the plane from dropping a wing. The plane will just drop its nose and start sinking.

Ground handling and stall recovery are things that I consider important when learning to fly. A Cub isn't hard to fly, but there are more things that you have to concentrate on at the same time. I remember when I learned to drive a car; when I shifted gears, it was hard to keep the car going straight because I had to concentrate hard on both shifting and steering.

I agree with daveo. It is possible to learn on a Cub, but there are planes that IMO are better suited to teach people to fly.

ARF for first trainer
 

I couldn't agree more with the previous posts. Don't risk it and just buy an ARF trainer. I think they make the Sig LT-40 in a trainer version. Excellent plane. Also, tower hobbies has a good ARF trainer. There's plenty of them out there. But do like everybody will tell you, and just start with a trainer. You won't be sorry! Matt