I probably messed up...
 

Like I said I probably messed up b/c I just bought a Phoenix Decathlon. Nothing wrong with the plane it's just that I"ve never flown before lol.. My dad has a friend who has flown since the rc planes came out seems like and he's gona teach me to fly. My question is...is it possible for me to learn to fly on this plane with somebody else teaching me and taking control before I screw up. I knew I should have bought a trainer, but no offense to them but i just don't like the way they look. I figured since the Decathlon is a high wing with a semi-symm. wing it should be somewhat stable to learn on. I already have all the equipment to go in the plane so I'm considering buying a trainer and putting all of the stuff in it until I learn to fly.

RE: I probably messed up...
 

Save yourself and instructor many headaches and buy a trainer.

RE: I probably messed up...
 

The Decathalon is a High Wing aerobatic model and is not really suitable for a novice. It's not forgiving like a trainer, despite having a high wing. The wing position is about all it has in common with a trainer.

I wouldn't even classify it as a good 2nd plane.

You could eventually go solo if you are taught on it, but be prepared to take a far longer time and have quite a few frights and plenty of heartache in between.

Have a look at the KMP F1 Trainer if aesthetics are so important to you. Its also one of the SLOWEST flying trainers around,(as well as looking good) which is a huge asset for the total novice.

But really, bite the bullet and get a cheap trainer to learn on. They are designed to be forgiving and you will find this a huge benefit. Model flying is harder than it looks.

Once you've soloed and got a couple of dozen hours under your belt, (and the trainer is still in one piece) you can always sell it.

RE: I probably messed up...
 

I can tell you something that is far worse in looks than any trainer I have seen, a Phoenix Decathlon lying in a pile of rubble. Having a good instructor will greatly reduce the chance of this happening just as it would with a trainer but the Decathlon will take much longer to learn to fly. If you do get to the point that you can solo the Decathlon, the chances of crashing it are far greater as you practice flying without the instructor. I am sure there are exceptions but Decathlons are notorious for tip stalling at reduced speeds. The Decathlon is far to nice to take a chance on crashing it when there are so many trainers available at a reasonable cost.

RE: I probably messed up...
 

Like said above, get the trainer and save yourself and your instructor a lot of grief.. EGO brakes airplanes and spirits. ENJOY !!!! RED

RE: I probably messed up...
 

Like I said I probably messed up b/c I just bought a Phoenix Decathlon. Nothing wrong with the plane it's just that I"ve never flown before lol..

You did. Although a Decathlon is a high wing plane, it is in NO WAY a trainer. It is a highly aerobatic sport plane. The semi-symetrical airfoil makes it less stable and less self-recovering. It is short coupled which makes it hard to handle on the ground. A tail dragger may also be less "learner friendly" than a trike plane. This also makes it maneuver more quickly. Decathlons are also prone to tip stall badly.

Stop worrying about how the plane looks and worry about how it flys. Save yourself a lot of time, grief, and money, and get a good trainer like the Hobbico Airvista or Tower Trainer 40.

Dr.1

RE: I probably messed up...
 

how big is the decathalon? if its a sixty size plane, look at a .60 size trainer(i like my hobbistar :)), so that the motor will transfer up in the future(im big on saving $$ anywere i can), and drop some $$ on a nice two or four stroke(i wouldnt recommend it from what ive seen out of them but hey...). if its larger.....well might sitll look into a BIG trainer, or get hold of a cheap motor for it(maybe a tower trainer and a LA motor? bought the cheapest i could think of.).just my 2 penies, take it for what its worth

RE: I probably messed up...
 

:eek:

(Edited to remove the other 99.99% of the post)

RE: I probably messed up...
 

CKrehbiel, just an idea. But how about a Duraplane/Sturdy Birdy trainer. Your Decathalon will last longer if it doesn't have to go through the bumps and bruises of training. And when you are ready to get rid of it, your cost was so low it can just be tossed.
If you're obsessed with how others see you, then a model airplane ain't gonna help... If you are really looking for advice, go to your instructer. He's gotta train you so HIS comfort level is more important than yours.

RE: I probably messed up...
 

dr1,
i dontbelieve they make the airvista now, but i heard it was comin back

RE: I probably messed up...
 

Thanks for the update. I hope it does come back, it was a good ARF trainer. The Avistar is also a good trainer, even though it has a symmetrical airfoil.

Dr.1

RE: I probably messed up...
 

Chad,
Where did you hear that it's coming back?

Ken

RE: I probably messed up...
 

I haven't heard that

RE: I probably messed up...
 

RCKen,
someone at my club has one and told me it is coming back. I believe she has the low and high wing, but only flies the lowwing right now. I wanted the lowwing if it comes back.

RE: I probably messed up...
 

i understood the avistar was semi-syetrical like the hobbistar is

RE: I probably messed up...
 

That is correct

RE: I probably messed up...
 

Once again Chad's info is incorrect. I actually took the the time to contact Hobbico and this is their reply:

Hello,

Thank you for your recent e-mail.

I'm sorry, but I don't see any plans to bring back the
Airvista plane.
If this were to change you would see information about the
release on
the web site 1-2 months ahead of time.

www.hobbico.com

Sorry guys.

RE: I probably messed up...
 

guys, i know chad tends to give advice hes GROSSLY underqualified to give(i try not to myself...), but dont be UGLY to him. ive noticed that alot here lately. correct him, but dont be just down right nasty. I think the kid has good intentions, he just gets a little ahead of himself(just like everyone else). unfortunatly, i think the jumping his case is just fueling his fire(last post wasnt that bad, but i finaly ha to pipe up)

RE: I probably messed up...
 

If you want to have a nice trainer, I would recommend the Charter or Colibri (like I have). They both look fine and fly great.

RE: I probably messed up...
 

Check out the new Mustang PST from Hanger 9. There is a trainer that is good looking to boot and oncve you have learned to fly you will still have something you WANT to fly. With a list price of 399.00 you can probably get it from the local H/S for around 375, & It really will grow with ya. I'm thinking about getting one of these just to check out the "trainer" abilities. Looks almost to good to be true.

RE: I probably messed up...
 

I agree. He is just a young kid looking for some attention which is not uncommon for young children. My young Daughters 8 and 10 lie to me on a daily basis. "Who messed with my airplane junk on the table?", Answer: I think the cat did it dad! I try to teach my kids honesty, but to a kid, a good lie beats out the truth any day! So go easy on Chad, and find a nicer way to correct him when he sees the need to stretch things out a bit. He will grow out of it.

RE: I probably messed up...
 

On the subject of the Decathalon..........
Display the Plane to show your friends, and don't be dissapointed you bought it! Its a great Plane and will serve you a whole heap of fun someday. Before you can have that heap of fun on the Decathalon you will need to learn how to fly, and the best way to learn is on a high wing Trainer. Sig, Tower Hobbies, Hobbico, Hangar 9, Lanier all make great Trainers. Just find one you like the looks of, and one within your price range. Any Trainer from any one of these companys will serve you well used with an instructor, and put you on a good track towards flying that Decathalon someday. Good Luck!

RE: I probably messed up...
 

I think i was misunderstood(judging by a pm i just read...i might should have kept my mouth shut...). I was talking more about the .....extreme ugliness ive seen towards him. although if he did what i was told hes done, im not going to say anything else on the subject as hes brought it on himself.

RE: I probably messed up...
 

While on the subject, and then I will shut up and return to Plane talk. I do want to say that it does not do anyone any good if you dish out advise you know to be false or a lie. It does nobody any good if you state opinions on something that you have zero experience with. People who come on here seeking advise(me included), are looking for answers from people who have honest opinions, and knowledge on certain products, etc. Pretending to be an authority could potentially cause someone to buy something that is known by those with real experience to be defective, or shabby. Pretending to be an authority could lead to someone creating damage to their aircraft based upon something you recommended that they do to it. Everyone should be intitled to an opinion about something, and sometimes are opinions are not the best(mine included), but when you deliberately lie to someone, and that lie causes another member problems because of your lie, then that person should be removed as a member from RCU if it is obvious enough that the person is deliberately misleading others, thus causing grief to other members. However with small Children, as I said before, lies will happen because of there need for attention. In cases such as this it should be nicely explained to them that their actions are causing problems, and it would be best if they refrained from giving advise. Make them know that they are welcome to socialize on subjects, but if they continue to dish out fibs, then RCU should have no other course but to remove them. To keep the integrity of these forums I would hope that the mods would see my point of view, and why you cannot have people knowingly spouting off false information.

RE: I probably messed up...
 

Guys,
I have done some things in the past which was dish out bad information. But if you notice on this one i didn't say i was 100% correct.

Again, I am sorry for saying i heard from someone it was coming back, i was just trying to see if it really was by a discusion.