alpha 40trainor or hobbico electristar
 

which one is better for a beginner which one is easier to fly dont care about how fast it is just easier to fly thanks

RE: alpha 40trainor or hobbico electristar
 

Hi, I don't know about the electristar but I can tell you the Alpha is flying great. I own one, and I don't regret it at all. Easy to fly and very stable. You can't go wrong with it.

Regards

Pierre

RE: alpha 40trainor or hobbico electristar
 

I second the Alpha 40. I've instructed on one and found it to be a very good trainer. I picked up an Alpha 40 that was damaged last spring and found the qualify of the plane very good (shipping damage to the wings and fuselage, and missing parts - it was new). I just picked up a new Alpha 60 RTF with damaged wings from shipping to rebuild - the reason I went with it was the quality of the 40 size plane, the price is right, and this one I may keep to use for an intro plane and giving instruction.

If you get the Alpha 40, go with the RTF version that has the JR radio and engine already installed.

Hogflyer

RE: alpha 40trainor or hobbico electristar
 

The Electricstar is "easier" IMHO.

I have both ( purchased to teach my daughter ) , and while the Alpha is such a forgiving beast, there is something to be said about not having to worry about engine tuning and response for a newbie.

That said the Electricstar is a dog with the included batteries, and you really need to change them for LiPo's ASAP.

Do that and it is a worthwhile, but ultimately a bit more expensive trainer.

Flying the Alpha is much like flying a docile sailplane ( this is good ).

The Electricstar just removes dealing with glow fuel and engines from the mix. Sooner or later though a newbie may want to try glow/gas.

RE: alpha 40trainor or hobbico electristar
 

Nothing wrong at all with glow IF you are going to go to a club and get an instructor.
He will make sure your engine running right.
IF, on the other hand you are going it alone (not recommended) electric may be a better bet.

RE: alpha 40trainor or hobbico electristar
 

Having owned the Electristar...I say Skip the Electristar....start with glow. Go wit the alpha 40 if you like....or start with the Arrow if you choose to stay with Hanger 9. Make sure you get an instructor and set the throws at low levels to begin. With a plane like this....you will be able to grow with it for a bit as you get better a begin to get more aerobatic. Use a .46 engine. The electristar gets rather boring pretty quick....the batteries arent cheap either. Just my opinion!

RE: alpha 40trainor or hobbico electristar
 

"Boring" is VERY good when you are learning.

The best trainers are very forgiving.

Your subsequent planes are a good avenue for more excitement.

RE: alpha 40trainor or hobbico electristar
 

THANKS EVERYONE

RE: alpha 40trainor or hobbico electristar
 

In my opinion, electrics are not that great for trainers. Why do I say that? Well, consider that electrics do require some discipline when it comes to throttle management. New students will initially be taught to put the throttle at one point, say half throttle, and fly left and right orbits, figure eights, and so on, at one constant speed. Adding more or less throttle means trim adjustment. So, leaving the throttle at one point, rather than reducing or adjusting it for various maneuvers, will quickly run down the normal battery pack. When I started electrics, I could not get a battery pack last for more than four or five minutes where other guys were getting ten to twelve minutes out of the same battery pack on the same type aircraft and motor setup. It took me some time to learn the differences between glow throttle control and that requried to get some duration out of electrics.

There is enough going on in the brain of a new student already, and to try to add throttle management on top of that is a bit much to ask.

Now, please, don't get your dander up.. consider that what I just said would apply to most students in their first few outtings AS students. Yeah, I know.. eventually, they gotta learn throttle management, but for the first few flights, perhaps even the first few days out there, they are more focused on learning to fly straight and turn and do approaches without worrying about battery depletion.

Now, with that said.. there are some definite advantages to electric, and post clean up is one of those, but, hey, students really ought to get their experience cleaning up that mess, right? Right??? Aw, come-on folks.. ;)

RE: alpha 40trainor or hobbico electristar
 

Well you said it "with the stock batteries".

IMHO the Electricstar with the stock batteries is a dog. Short flight times too.

I've tried it in this configuration and your observations are pretty accurate.

Swap out the batteries for LiPo's and it's a VERY easy to handle plane for beginners and you can fly for quite a while at 60% throttle w/o loss of power.

My 10 year old daughter does not "fear" this plane as much as she does the glow engined trainers, because she is fully aware of the arming sequence that is very simple for her to handle.

With the LiPo's engine tuning and break in is not something a newbie has to worry about... nor dead sticks, etc.

It's much easier to concentrate on flying.

Not that I'm knocking glow, I prefer glow on .40+ planes.

The Electricstar removes a layer of initial complexity which ultimately does what the OP asked about... Ease of use for a beginner.

RE: alpha 40trainor or hobbico electristar
 

go for glo! trainers get beat up so repairing is an issue. the glo plane will be overall easier to fly and care for IMHO. i do a lot of training and the alpha will do fine. most often see a .45 recomended over a 40. i really like an LA 45 for a first motor (on a budget).
its simple very reliable and fairly bulit pruff.

RE: alpha 40trainor or hobbico electristar
 

Eh, the Electricfly is basically a balsa Electric "glow" type trainer of .40+ size.

So there is no difference vis-a-vis repairs.

The ease of the electric plane for someone just starting out has a lot to be said for it.

RE: alpha 40trainor or hobbico electristar
 

I just finished training on the Alpha 40 and I would recommend it. It is a very stable trainer that is capable of aerobatics as well. First, however, I would recommend you find a local club and talk to their trainers before you buy anything. Your instructors will be a wealth of knowledge and they can help you choose between the two. I also would ask yourself if you want to fly glow or electric after training is over. It is easy to start off in one or the other, but it can be expensive to move from glow to electric, or electric to glow since different field equipment is sometimes needed.

Indy Park Flyer
Hangar 9 Alpha 40
Hangar 9 Pulse XT

RE: alpha 40trainor or hobbico electristar
 

I bought a slightly used Alpha 40 and it's great. As for tuning, The evolution engine has stops on the needle valve. You can't over richen or over lean it to the point where it won't fly. The flywheel system makes it smooth running as well. I would recommend it highly as a trainer. Even after crashing and rebuilding it (battery failure, not pilot error) it flies great. http://web.tampabay.rr.com/wdsummers/crash.html I considered electric, but the expense was one reason I went with glow. Getting this one a little less than a new one was another reason. Finally, I just love the sound of glow engines.

RE: alpha 40trainor or hobbico electristar
 

what about the alpha 60 would that be easier to fly because its bigger

RE: alpha 40trainor or hobbico electristar
 

Bigger is better... within reason. They tend to be easier to see (based on size) and are usually a bit more docile and easier to handle. That is because of the size, turns tend to be a tad bit slower and landings tend to be easier because of the larger wing.

Now, with that said, don't confuse that with other, more capable aircraft. A plane, such as a Venus II (using one of my aircraft as an example) can really snap around and lands faster than a 60 size trainer would, but that's based on the design and is supposed to be used by a more experienced pilot than a trainer.

You WANT a trainer to be slow reacting so that you can try to "stay ahead" of the aircraft while learning to fly.

So, the answer to the question is yes. The 60 would tend to be easier to fly than, say a 40 trainer, again, based on size and the tendency to react slower than a smaller aircraft. Consider the mass that you are trying to move and you can understand why this is so.