Looking to buy a trainer
 

I have never flown before, and am looking at buying a trainer. Was hoping for suggestions, or tips, or even where to buy.

I was looking at the Alpha Trainer which comes complete with shipping for 289.99

Tower Trainer 40 Kit/O.S. .40 LA/4-Channel Radio Combo Complete kit for 260$ including shipping

Or Tiger Trainer for aroung 250$

Ive decided to not get the Tiger Trainer, because ive read reviews that its a bit flimsy and not strudy at crashes. Not too good for total n00bs I heard.

One last one the Sig LT-40 Kadet which would cost 149$ for plane and engine.

But what would you guys suggest? Hoping not to spend more than 300$ for complete system.

What do you guys think of shopping on fleEBAY for these things? Risky?
Thanks.

Looking to buy a trainer
 

Hi
I have a Train Air 40 58" wimg span. It has a balsa covered foam wing $79.00 and a OS .46 fx $119.00. The plane goes together easy its it will do most airobatics and is a good trainer. I fly off a grass field most of the other guys chop grass with there props. my plane is high enough so thst the prop clears the grass. it handle very good on the grass field.
A popular trainer plane at my club is the LT 40 flys nice.

Looking to buy a trainer
 

I've seen one of the Alpha trainers at the local club field... good flying plane, seems at least as sturdy as any other ARF I've seen.

For a beginner, they are doing you a favor with the special 3-blade prop... its VERY low pitch, keeping the max airspeed down and allowing the plane to slow down well for landings. 3 blade props aren't as efficient at the speed they turn on the models... but you don't need all the power the engine produces on the trainer anyway.

Any of the trainers you listed are decent. The Tiget Trainer really isn't that fragile. But if you want rugged and low cost.... look at www.spadtothebone.com find the Debonair. Its cheap and its ugly it flys very well. Not an ARF... you fold up some plasctic sign material around yardsticks to make the wing comes out about $20 (inclusing wheels and fuel tank) to build the airframe, ant these things tend to bounce rather than break when you cartwheel down the runway.

Whatever you choose... get help. A new plane s never trimmed to fly straight. If the plane doesn't want to fly straight and you don't know hoe to fly, you are asking for the thing to crash. 3 or 4 flights with instruction can save you a dozen airplanes trying to learn on your own.

Looking to buy a trainer
 

The Sig LT40 ARF is very good trainer. It will fly well with an OS .46LA. If you build it yourself and buy a good 4 channel FM radio you can get by without going much over $300/$350. Don't overlook the cost of field equipment such as fuel, glow igniter, props, chicken stick or starter and other miscellaneous little items. Some of the best advice above is to visit your local field and ask questions. Other costs factor in on the BIY route. Glue, both epoxy and CYA, covering material, covering iron etc.. As to buying off Ebay look at the disclaimer at the bottom of each page. Ebay has not checked or confirmed any of the material listed. Caveat emptor. Check RCAirport or RCUniverse which will soon? be one. Buy from other modelers not a bunch of people who say "I'm not a modeler so I don't know anything about this but it was purchased at a yard sale, or It was part of Grandpa's estate". A lot of the people are also dealers who have bought up a bunch of surplus stuff and are trying to sell it for more than it's worth. Stick with the people you can mostly trust. Some of your local pilots may have something you can buy for a reasonable price and you can ask to hear it run and see it fly.

A Newbies View!
 

I am new to the Hobby myself, and having no previous R/C Flight experience before hand, not even on simulator, I recommend the trainer system I purchased and am currently using. The "Extra Easy 2", by Hanger 9. I have been very succesful thus far, and only after 2 short flights, of about 20 minutes each, was able to start doing takeoffs, and landings with this plane. It is a very forgiving plane. The RTF came with the evolution .40 Power Trainer system already installed, broken-in, and adjusted straight from factory. The JR FX421 EX 5 channel, computer Radio system also came pre-installed. Assembly was very simple and only took about 20 minutes. The plane also has self correcting , which in my opion is great for training, especially when first starting solo, if you have control probs, just let go of sticks, and she will fly herself. The price for all this is a mere $379.00 . I looked at several different trainers before purchasing this one, and considered them all for several weeks before deciding, mostly considering the price. And after flying The EX2 for several flights now, i have to say it is worth more than twice the amount I paid for it, atleast to me it is. But no matter what Trainer you decide on, the best decision you can, and need to make is getting an instructor to teach you to fly. Alot of people think, ahhh, I can do it by myself, and you may be able to, but would you buy a real aircraft, climb inside it, and attempt to fly it without taken lessons? Hope this all helps.

A Newbies View!
 

Welcome aboard matrix. It's always nice to hear of a success in the model world. You touched on one of the most important parts of the newcomer experience. GET AN INSTRUCTOR !! I have heard no bad reports on the
Extra Easy 2 and now you've just confirmed that it's a good trainer. Here's hoping you have a long and enjoyable time with your aircraft.

A Newbies View!
 

Well let me guys ask you a personal choice.
What would you say is easier for the n00b.

An Alpha Trainer or HOBBICO SUPERSTAR 40 Select.


Now I know that an alpha trainer has a 3 blade prop which is suppose to be slower and easier to handle for a beginner, and also has a broken-in engine, making it easy to start.

How about the HOBBICO SUPERSTAR ?
Would it be as easy to handle or no?

Is 268$ for a HOBBICO SUPERSTAR (which includes shipping) a good deal, or just fair?

Thanks guys

A Newbies View!
 

thats a pretty fair deal for this plane, mind you its not a steal but....those are hard to come by. I try to keep a trainer in my hanger to sell to newbies, I wish I would have seen this just a month ago or so. I sold a old hobbico trainer (it had been patched and was ugly but had a solid structure) with the engine and radio for $185. There are steals out there like this but they are hard to come buy, generally speaking anything under 350 for the whole outfit is usually a good price. This hobby is expensive and generally you pay for what you get. Its already been mentioned but the LT-40 is a super trainer. I used this airplane to learn on 9 years ago and I have used it since to learn inverted flight. I think for your money an LT-40 with a thunder Tiger Pro .46 and a flash 5 hitech radio is the way to go if your serious about flying. The flash 5 is a very simple computer radio and it will allow you to fly 5 airplanes from the same radio, all for about $180 (its been a while since I bought one).

A Newbies View!
 

I have just gotten an Alpha Trainer myself. But was curious if some experts could answer this. How slow is this trainer compared to other planes? Is it slow enough to allow a beginer to think and manuver his way out of sticky situations? Or is it just as fast as others in sticky situations?

Ive been practicing on a simulator at home and I can fly ok and land ok. But Im worried that perhaps this Alpha Trainer may be too fast? How many MPH would you say this goes? Is it faster than the aerobird?

A Newbies View!
 

Most RC trainers fly at some place between 20-30 MPH. That sounds fast but it really isn't as fast as it seems at first. The larger the airplane the slower it appears in flight. Again, it can't be said too often or loud enough, find an instructor. Before long you'll want something bigger and faster

Looking to buy a trainer
 

As far as Ebay is concerned just remember their own warning. Caveat Emptor. Look around locally. Someone at your local field may have an airplane for sale that will fill your needs. At least you will be able to hear the engine run and see the model fly. On Ebay the shipping charges are usually add more to the cost than buying a new model on the internet from Tower, Horizon, Omni, Hobby Lobby or Hobby People. Another advantage to buying locally, if possible, is that you can probably find an instructor at the same field.