another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

ok i know this has been asked one cabillion times before, but i did search and couldnt find an answer that satisfied me.......

Im probably in the next month or so going to start looking into a second airplane. my problem is, im realy not into the fourstar or the tiger 2(i beleive thats the other plane yallve been advising. i would realy like to go to a scale'ish plane(not perfect but yall get my meaning.....a model of a real aircraft.), but im not shure if any can be flown. i would love it if there was some form of warbird that might be possible but im doubting it. The only one i could think of might be the pt-19 trainer or an under powered at-6(theye were both military trainer aircraft. i wouldnt mind a bipe either, but i understand those are VERY difficult to fly.

please dont smack me down to hard. Im probably going to get alot of negative responses, but its worth asking the question.

I had also looked at a cub but the man who will be my instructor(i finaly after almost 8yrs of WANTING to get into get to fly tommorow. i even got my AMA membership e-card today) says they require quite a bit of skill to fly.

Thanks and Gig'em

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

I would recommend any of the Warbirds that have fixed gear. Just make sure you put oversize tires on it and keep your weight down. You will be OK.

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

realy? wow i wouldnt have expected that response...nor this quick thanks.

im gonna fly the mess outta this trainer before i start flying another plane(unles my kadet conversion gets done......). any suggestion on a fairly forgiving bird?

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

Biplanes are not necessarily difficult to fly, but there is a lot of setup. The wings must be mounted with the correct incidence, and if ailerons are used on both wings, they must be adjusted correctly. In addition, it is best to set up a biplane with some really low control surface deflection, at least on your low rate setting. At least while you're learning.

Cubs are taildraggers, and the taildragger introduces certain taxiing requirements that you must handle. There is really no need to learn these things at first, but you will want to learn about taxiing and taking off with taildraggers eventually. I suggest you make it easier on your instructor and yourself by sticking with the high wing tricycle gear trainer, for a while. Sounds like you have already chosen to do that, and I endorse your decision.

I also endorse your decision to fly the trainer for all it's worth. Do learn everything you can with it, especially emergency procedures, throttle management, and rudder use. Those may come later in the training process.

Welcome aboard, and best wishes,
Dave Olson

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

Try perhaps WM Rambler ... WM T34 ... they are both easy to fly. If you are very confident then try the WM Super Chipmunk ... super lovely to fly!

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

don't be scared of the bipes either...they aren't as difficult to fly as you might think...I bought a used Aeromaster bipe with a OS 91 in it not long after i moved on from my trainer to a UCD .46 and i was told that i should have someone take it up and give me a run down of the basics of bipes. After reading up on the bipes i just decided that the hardest part would be the landing since it just doesn't float in like my UCD, so i took it up on my own and noticed that it flew better than my trainer and the only part that was difficult was the landing, it took my three passes until i was able to judge how much speed was needed for a safe landing....I'm not saying that I'm an expert but it really wasn't as difficult to land as i was lead to believe and like i said i think it flew better than my trainer.

I was pretty much told the same thing when i jumped from my Alfa trainer to a UCD .46 with a Satio.82...that it might be too much for me to handle. What i realized is that you don't have to max out the throws on any of the planes and you can use expo on your radio(if you have it) to make the wildest 3D machine to behave. The UCD comes in for a slower landing than my trainer and the takeoff is much quicker too. It take a few flights to get used to but i think i grew into it quickly and now i'm glad i didn't waste my money on a 2nd or 3rd type of a trainer plane. I don't care for how they look or fly either. I consider the UCD as my 3d trainer and I'm more interested in 3D and biplanes.

If you can use your rudder for a straight taxi on takeoff and landing, use low rates until you get a feel for the plane and feel like skipping some of the middle type planes then i say go for it. Don't let someone talk you out of what you really want and ask as many questions at the field and here as you can think of.

good luck and have fun

tukkus

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

Don't know how you feel about cubs, but the goldberg anniversary cub is as easy to fly as a trainer. I would teach anyone on it. Great plane and a ton of fun.

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

I also agree on a cub or other high wing. I think they would fly quite well for a seocnd plane

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

the thing he talked about with cubs was the necessity for ALOT of rudder control. it wasnt that he didnt like them, he just said there not the easiest things to fly in wind(welcome to southheast texas....). i realy like the way the cub looks personaly........

another question, is big bad? would flying a larger plane be more difficult than one of the smaller ones(say a larger cub or bipe, or maybe even a warbird). im also glad to hear that on the bipes, it wideens my looking a bit :).

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

general premise, the larger they are, the easier they fly.

As for the cub, it flys awsome. You will learn to use the rudder, but it doesn't take much. It is really an easy plane to fly. The goldberg handles better than any cub I have flown, and I have flown more than I care to remember. It is a sweet bird. Anyone that says it flys hard hasn't flown a goldberg.

There are a lot of good planes. Get some help and you will have fun with any of them.

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

I believe you originally stated a somewhat scale "war-bird", then somehow the cub got mentioned. If you fly in an area with crosswinds, the cub is not a good second airplane, It weather vanes and tip stalls easily, compared to your trainer. There are several threads on the cubs bad habits. If you want that type of plane, a Decathalon or Citabria has similar geometry, but has washout in the wings, to elimate the bad stall characteristics of the cub.

If you are just moving out of your trainer and want a low wing, scale like plane, the World Models T-34 Mentor is a decent second airplane, has a tri-cycle gear and is very aerobatic as well. Seen many Newbies very satisfied with this plane, some for a couple of years.

Good luck on your search for that second plane!

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

From your fist post..... it sounds like you have not flown your trainer yet....

what I would do is wait until you have flown a few times to even think about your second plane...

Why? tastes change... before my first flight on my trainer, my goal was to go the warbird route (and I have one in the building stage:D) but after flying my trainer for a while, I realized that the warbird route wasn't really going to be my focus... I'm (for now) going down the IMAC precision flying with a smattering of 3D...

I had no thoughts of this until AFTER I had several flights on my trainer.....


just something to think about

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

i am going to wait till after the trainer, im just thinking(saving for a second plane is gonna take a while on limited income, i want to plan ahead......i want a LARGE plane) i know im interested in scale because of the modeling aspect, i just dont know what yet. scale may coincide with aerobatic flying(i like the way some of the scal aerobatic and 3-d planes look to). the cub got mentioned in my first post as another area of thought.

btw what mike talked about was what my instructor was talking about.

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

I will second the Goldberg Anniversary Cub, but you gotta build the clipped wing or you WILL need to use a lot of rudder.

Even with the clipped wing, this thing flies like a trainer.

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

Take a look at the GP Contender. It's got tricycle gear, has the outline of a military trainer and would look great with any type of military scheme. The kit has been around for a very long time and has a good reputation as a second plane for people looking toward military aircraft. Most importantly, it's not a time intensive kit to build, has great instructions and it flies great.

Damon

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

Great Suggestion. A friend has one of those and put the landing flap option on it. It slows to a crawl and nearly lands on the head of pin.

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

what plane that i could handle(after extensive work on the trainer) would work well with 30-40cc gas engine? i have a homelite 40cc chainsaw motor........for a few bucks i could have it running as an airplane engine, soooo.....im looking at maybe building something large enough to handle it. obviously a large cub would take it, but what other kits might accept it? a bipe or a warplane would be the nicest, but any suggestions would work

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

If you want a good second plane that is aerobatic and easy to fly the Tower Hobbies Uproar is a good choice. It is also cheap. I have the .40 size one, it handles good in wind (10-15mph.).

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

Tx,

Any of the big (read that as 1/4 scale cubs)

Off the top of my head for a gas engine that size would be the Great Planes Super Stearman bipe. Most everyone is putting a Zenoah G26 on them because when you use the recommended glow einge (OS120FS) you need 18oz of weight in the nose. So if you can keep that engine in the 50 to 60 ounce range then you have a perfect match and a very scale looking plane but throttle management is an absolute must. Most of them flying with the G26 only need 1/2 throttle for takeoff and 1/3 throttle for scale like flight.

Great Planes also has the military version of the Stearman, Saw it in Toledo bit have not heard much about it and what you need to do to get it balanced. Both are very nice looking and pics do not do them justice, you have to really see one in person to see just how beuatiful a plane they really are.

I am almost done with the Super Stearman and what a stunner it is.

Aeroworks has an scale Ultimate Bipe that would also be just about perfect for that gas engine. I just do not remember the exact percentagfe at this moment.

Now as far as gas versus glow, the initial outlay of funds will be higher, but if you are like me and fly almost every day and at least 4 flights per day, you will recope the cost in fuel savings pretty quickly. Last year I spent a little over $1700.00 in glow fuel alone.

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

well if i go to gas(wich is likely) ill use this engine to start with, then get a new one and put the electric ignition etc. on it. its a homelite 40cc(wich is supposed to weigh aprox. the same as a 30cc with alot more power. ) there realy not HORRIBLE in price, when you consider the size of the engine your getting, even the ones you buy that were built for airplanes

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

The 1/4 scale Cubs aren't that big. You need something really big like a 1/3 scale Cub. And they ain't cheap. And like Mike says, the Cub in a crosswind takes surprisingly advanced skill. Slipping is one of the hardest things to do with a model.

Wait. Dreaming of the next plane is just part of the hobby. I will just be in love with one plane. Got to have it now. And by the time I am finished with the current project, that next plane has changed 4 or 5 times. Who knows ? You might feel like something entirely different in a few weeks, let alone in a few months.

And scale planes, although my favorite, don't always have the forgiving tendencies that sport planes have. I think I would recommend steering clear of scale for a while. The first few planes don't always live that long. And scale planes tend to take a little while to build. Long enough to fall in love with them. It can really be upsetting to loose one.

So I would wait and see how things go for you. The next plane will most likely need to be an advanced trainer. I know you said you don't like the 4*'s and Tigers. But they are excellent advanced trainers. And you can slap some sort of military scheme on one.

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

Texas:

Getting back to your original question, I chose a Hangar 9 T-34 Mentor for my second plane. I've flown it twice so far, and the biggest difference is that it's more reactive to control input, especially aileron (first impression was that it was really twitchy, with lots of accidental knife-edge flight!). You also have to keep the speed up, not full throttle all the time, but by adding a couple of clicks before you enter a turn to help with stability. Take-offs are also different, it needs a bit more ground speed to get into the air, translating into a longer take-off roll. Landing, it won't float in, with the T-34 you've got to fly it all the way to the ground at a reasonable speed and land it "hotter" than a trainer.

Is it the easiest 2nd plane? Probably not. But it's an idea.

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

This is a growing problem I see at our field. At least the pilots I didn't train to fly. IF you learn how to use ailerons and rudder together from the get go this is a non-issue. What is this about needing allot of rudder control on a cub. You must be talking about The Carl Goldberg cub cause the great planes cub doesn't have this issue. It does have the tendency too snap if to much rudder is used. But when ailerons and rudder is used together without over control this isn't an issue either.

Go for the cub it's a great second plane. Heck I've taught several guy on one as a first plane. I do recommend the kit since it make it that much more enjoyable.

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

Hi all I am kinda A new polit I been flying sence last July.I have 6differnt airplane and the last one I got is the 60 sig Mayhem 3 D plane and it flys better than all my other plane and I know ( not a thing about 3 D flying ).But any one can fly this plane and land it in 15 too 20 mi wind.I live in LoneGrove Oklahoma and the wind has been blowing here for the last 2 months.So if you want too fly here you have too fly in the wind.This is a well built plane I have a Saito 150 in it and fly at 1/2 too 1/4 througle.This is a thought hope you find the right plane for you and have fun Good luck.

Joe.

RE: another second plane advice thread....but a bit different
 

My second plane after 2 weeks of flying alone was the 1/4 scale Spacewalker from Great Planes. This was relatively inexpensive for a scale plane and handles beautifully! Flies like a dream! I still fly my trainer and find I'm more comfortable (and take more chances with it).