which to get?
 

im interested in learning to fly and need some opinons on what to buy?i was looking at the tower hobbies TOWER Trainer 40 MKII 4-Channel RTF 62" and the Hobbico NexSTAR 46 Select 4-Channel RTF 68.75" which would be the better plane?the $100 price difference isnt a issue.
thanks for any replies..

RE: which to get?
 

Ken, are you a member of a club? If so, check with the club instructors and see what trainer(s) they are comfortable teaching with. If you are not a member of a club, are you going to try to teach yourself to fly? That would not be recommended and would end up being a very expensive venture. Good luck in what ever you decide...

RE: which to get?
 

both the trainers are a good choice, I went for the NEXTAR because of the name brand components and the basic sim they offered as long as you have a instructor you will be successful with both of these planes.

RE: which to get?
 

thanks guys!!im not a member of a club yet but have talked with the pres. of one and he says either plane will be good for them to train me with and says alot of the guys that have been trained there went with NexStar,is it any better than tower hobbies?

RE: which to get?
 

im going to go with the NexStar.i dont know what ill need to go with it though,can someone give me a list of things?thanks

RE: which to get?
 

I'll take a shot. Others may add, subtract, or have comments; which is what you need.

You need a way to put fuel into the plane
Fuel bulb, inexpensive and very simple
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFU12&P=0
Hand crank fuel pump, simple, to me more convenient than a bulb, costs a little more
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFAW2&P=0
Electric pump, costs a little more, requires 12 volt battery (more $). I like my electric pump.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXDES1&P=0

You need a way to power the glow plug for starting the engine. This one has rechargeable battery and comes with a charger
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXJ803&P=0

You need a way to spin the engine to get it started. A stick, about a foot long, wrapped with electrical tape is fine. A commercially made stick is available for less than 3 bucks
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFU02&P=0
I personally use an electric starter. It hooks up to the same 12 volt battery as my fuel pump
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXJC37&P=0

The engine in the Nexstar select comes with an OS #A3 glow plug. You’ll want to get a couple of spares. If you have them, the original plug will last a long time. If you don’t, it will burn out immediately.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXCB26&P=ML

Props get broken as part of learning. The plane comes with a 11x5 nylon prop. Again, if you have spares you’re less likely to break one than if you do not have them. Exact replacements are 1.99 each. Other brands are 2.49 to 3.79 each.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXGAK9&P=M

You need a gallon of fuel. Fuel is very expensive to order online. If you can buy locally it is much better. In most cases, fuel with 10% nitro is plenty for this engine.

You’ll need some basic hand tools; screwdrivers, small wrenches, pliers, and a medium sized crescent wrench for installing props. Everyone has their favorite brands for this stuff; and the brands they hate. The links are just examples of what’s available.

You’ll need something to carry all of this ‘stuff.’ A sturdy cardboard box or an empty 5 gallon paint bucket is perfectly fine. People use various plastic tool boxes and tackle boxes also. There are also many different field boxes available from hobby suppliers. Don’t buy anything too specialized for a while. See what other people are using. Ask a lot of questions at the field about field boxes and equipment; specifically what people do NOT like about the things they have.

RE: which to get?
 

thanks a bunch,you helped out a lot..i seen a kit on towerhobbies http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXL419 is it a good kit to go with?

RE: which to get?
 

That kit will give you all the basic equipment you need all in one shot. You'll find after you get going there will be more stuff you'll want, but that comes from experience.

Hogflyer.

RE: which to get?
 

heres what I did ken, when I ordered my NEXTAR I put my list of things together I wanted from the box you had listed, carrell pretty much nailed it ,and ordered the generic ( Tower Hobbies) version and saved about 40$ and got some extras that I wanted, some stock NEXTAR props ,also APC props are pretty good, hot shot glow plug igniter( doesn't have wires to your panel to get hung up in your spinning prop) some extra wheels, my NEXTAR kept breaking the foam ones so I got some dubro rubber wheels, and spent the rest on fuel at 15$ a gal.from the LHS adds up.
forgot to add my plane came stock with the os #8 glow plug some of the OS 46's come with the #3 they are the cheaper one's and also burn a little hotter I prefer the #8 they seem to last a bit longer and cost a little bit more, but you will need extras no matter what # you choose

RE: which to get?
 

A box of rubber bands (if your wing uses them for mounting)
A bottle of cleaner (I use Windex) and roll of paper towels to clean your plane up after flying.
Glow plug wrench.
The Hobbico combo box you posted is the one I use.
Pre-flight checklist
another list for things to do before going to the field and things to bring (my first trip to the field I forgot my transmitter)

RE: which to get?
 

The package is a good value, I spent more by doing it one piece at a time.
I would throw the coiled hose away and replace it with medium size fuel hose like this
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXD753&P=7
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXD731&P=7
It should be available at your hobby shop if there is one nearby.

I like glow drivers with a larger finger grip like this but the blue one will work fine.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXVZ07&P=0

RE: which to get?
 

I think you should WAIT. Don't buy anything until you meet with your instructor and see what he says you need. Sometimes a student will get other people's old stuff for free. I give away things occasionally and I have been at this for less than a year.

Your instructor will help you find the proper equipment.

As far as trainers go, most of them are more than adequate to learn on, although I lean toward the Nexstar as it is a lighter plane. You will find that if you stay in this hobby for more than 100 hours of stick-time, (and believe me that's a lot), you will FORGET how to fly a trainer.

Get your choice in a trainer and get to solo. Then fly as much as possible. It gets really good once all 4 controls become automatic in all directions and attitudes.

Come to the dark side Luke...we need to fill a vacancy in our RC addicts therapy group.....MY vacancy that is......I CAN STOP ANY TIME I WANT!!!

RE: which to get?
 

there are allot of opinions on this subject,
I posted my equip cost about 80 bucks. no I didn't get the 30$ glow starter I spent 15$ on the hot shot, also I didnt buy from the local store, I got the tower stuff,most of it cheaper than the hobico brand or others for that matter, after 4 years it is still going strong.
if you go to Home depot you can get a flight box for cheap,or the basic tower one is another 15$or so, most of the tools you need are available at a hardware store, you are going to spend more for allen wrenches and screw drivers by buying from a hobby store obviously.
look around ask questions like your doing here and from club members . havn't had too many people give away stuff other than a glow plug, different clubs do different things but have had allot of help with my planes flying and setting them up to fly.
start with the basics is what I would advise your instructor will appreciate it. and keep asking questions .

RE: which to get?
 

You're looking at RTFs. That works.

The NEXSTAR comes with a basic sim. That is a big plus. You're smart enough to have talked to an instructor so should understand that the sim is simply a supplemental tool. But it's a GOOD tool. And it's worth it.

The other things on the NEXSTAR really aren't significant. If you go with it, the gadgets really should be turned off. You'll learn to fly better without them.

Truth is, I'd go with the Tower Trainer. The ones I've seen compared to the Nexstars were lighter and seemed to fly a bit better. And the TTrainer is actually $120 less. If a hundred dollars difference isn't a big deal, then buy the cheaper RTF and also pickup the complete G3 sim. The sim is worth having BIG TIME and it's only going to cost you $80 more, right? ;) It will help you learn to fly, and will save you a few crashes (the kind that cost money and time), and it's a lot of fun. However, you're going to learn to fly from an instructor. The sim just helps.

I'd go with the Tower Trainer and G3.

RE: which to get?
 

I personally have no experience with the nexstar but, I learned on the tower. I don't know if it is an option but, buy the tower ARF, possibly save money to use on good radio equipment that can be useful later on different planes. Just a thought.


Layne

RE: which to get?
 

The most important thing with the Nexstar is to 'TURN OFF THE AFS'. You'll want to get your instructor to concur but it will only teach you BAAAADDDDD habits.

RE: which to get?
 

Very BAD habits!!!

Ken

RE: which to get?
 

i got my nexstar from towerbobbies today and put it together tonight,it looks to be a pretty nice plane except for one of the graphic strips is comming off a little on one end,is there a proper way to get it to re-stick?ive been flying on the simulator,its pretty tricky at first but ive already got a few good landings.i cant wait to learn to fly this thing,its going to be so much fun.thanks for any help...

RE: which to get?
 

a old iron not your wife's or girl friends, with a old T-shirt for a pad works well for sticking the trim back on eventually it peels off at least mine did. work that sim to the bone try to make perfect landings it will all make sense when you get your plane in the air.
also don't bother hooking up the AFS like bruce has said . get a exhaust deflector it helps keep the slime off your plane one thing that I noticed was where the AFS sensor is on the bottom of my fuselage after a few flights fuel residue was soaking under the covering since I wasn't using the AFS anyway I removed the sensor and sealed the hole with white covering ask your instructor what he thinks. congrats your on your way !

RE: which to get?
 

Here's what I did on my son's NextStar - I rotated the muffler and put a deflector on the plane. It really cut down on the exhaust residue that accumulates on the airframe. If you rotate the muffler, make sure you clean the nut and bolt in alcohol, then hit the threads with loctite - this will keep the muffler from coming apart.

As far as the trim on the plane, well, its just going to end up coming off. Use a low temp iron to stick it down, but eventually it'll become a loosing battle. I've lost one window, the covering is lifing in several other place, and some of the plastic coating has come off the adhesive/coloring. [>:][:o] It's in its second season of flying, and I figure one more season and I'll probably have to recover it. The structure appears to be holding up quite well.

Hogflyer