First Plane
 

Howdy everyone. I have decided to get into RC flying and am having a hard time choosing a trainer plane. The two I am looking at are the Hobbieco NexStar 46 Select and the Hanger 9 P-51 Mustang PTS.

Right now the Mustang is a bit more appealing only because my goal is to fly scale war birds like the Mustang and the Corsair.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Also are there any members of W.A.S.P. in southern New Jersey on here that I could talk to about club membership. I don't want to wait until the next club meeting on July 10th. :D

Thanks everyone.

Jim

RE: First Plane
 

Learning at a club with an instructor either one will work.
The Nexstar is easier to learn on but the P-51 , provided you can keep it in one piece long enough, has more room for growth.
The engine and radio from the Nexstar can be used in the P-51 ARF version which is around $120 so there is another route.

RE: First Plane
 

I agree the Nexstar will be easier to learn on, but the Mustang will be more fun down the road if you don't crash it trying to learn. The Nexstar comes with a great engine, and many people are not a fan of the Evolution engines that come with the H9 planes. I believe the radios are of equal caliber.

It's nice to have a high wing trainer around for a relaxing flight.

If you get the Nexstar RTF, don't use the automated leveling device (I forget what it's called). I used the wing droops and speed flaps for the first day, and I found them helpful to slow things down a bit on the first few flights. Then I took them off and enjoyed the more sporty feel of the plane, which isn't really sporty at all.

The Nexstar can really take a beating.

Most people have at least a couple of planes, so starting with the Nexstar and getting a Mustang for #2 is very reasonable. That is the route I suggest.

RE: First Plane
 

There is nothing inherently wrong with the PTS engine which is part of the P-51D Trainer package.

That said, the limiters can be problematic for someone not used to them, especially if they do not permit you to adjust the engine to it's optimum performance range.

Check the long PTS thread here.

There is a lot of info there which goes into improving the plane.

Don't be put off by all of this as usually all of the provided info is not needed, but it may be a good idea to peruse the rather long thread.

RE: First Plane
 

First of all the Mustang PTS is not scale...It's biggest drawback is the main gear is weak...I promise you will need to repair the main gear before you solo....Once you learn to fly then you have a hotter airplane to fly with....I believe the Nexstar is over priced..and every instructor I know will disconnect the AFS system before you fly.....there are better trainer airplanes out there...but you can learn on the Nexstar..or the Mustang PTS...
It's a grat hobby welcome and Good Luck

RE: First Plane
 

Jim,

Before you buy anything, talk with members of the club you are going to join. I found out too late that the club I joined had a trainer I could have learned to fly on for free!
I had already bought my NexStar RTF which is a great trainer, but there are others that are cheaper. I liked it because everything was in one package so I didn't have to mess with learning how to mount the engine, electronics, etc initially.

Good luck and welcome to RCU and to the RC Plane hobby! Both are a lot of fun.

RE: First Plane
 

Thanks for the advice everyone. I guess I have to resist my basic urge to have to have it now and take my time. I will try and talk to some club members here before I buy anything and see what they think. But the cash is burning a hole in my pocket. ;)

RE: First Plane
 

Jim

Excellent advice so far. I'll add to it by suggesting you check out Ken and MinnFlyer's site (sticky at top of this forurm) too. They have excellent tips for entry level pilots.

-MA

RE: First Plane
 

Forget the Nexstar and the P-51, you will be paying extra for stuff you don't need.

Look at the Hobbico Avistar instead, it is much cheaper, sturdier and many would say flies better than the Nexstar. With the money you save you can almost buy the FULL version of RealFlight. The flight sim software that comes with the Nexstar and the P-51 is very stripped down. Almost useless. You will likely end up purchasing the full version very soon anyway.

If you must have the stripped down software, you could look at the Hangar 9 versions of the Avistar, I think it's called the Alpha or Arrow. They come with the stripped down software and a trainer cord for the same price as the Avistar. The Avistar is a little sturdier than the Alpha or Arrow though.

The Avistar is about $260.00 or so and comes with everything except fuel and a glow starter. Learn to fly it and then sell it to your friends for nearly what you paid for it. Then you'll have money to spend on your new 2.4 ghz radio and warbird a little later, and you'll still have the FULL version of the flight sim software.

RE: First Plane
 

Both the PTS 51 and the nexstar are over hyped, overpriced and overloaded with Gimickry that serves no real purpose but to lengthen the learning curve.

Neither one or any other for that matter is going to alter the fact that the shortest possible learning curve for 'you' will hinge on wether or not you find a good mentor/instructor.

Both can be used successfully with a mentor but neither are the "BEST" trainer of which there are number that fits that description a lot more faithfully.

So go ahead and buy either if you just cannot wait but just don,t make the assumption you have picked the best. The best can only be worked out by you and your future mentor/instructor together.

John

RE: First Plane
 

Why not e-mail the club officers?

Here's the website: [link=http://www.wasprc.org/]Wireless Aircraft Sport Pilots[/link]

Heres a cut and paste of the officers e-mail:


Scott Cooper, President: [email protected]
Chris Thraen, Vice-President: [email protected]
Jesse Gery, Secretary: [email protected]


Apologies to the club officers of W.A.S.P. if my posting of this info is unwanted, but I figured it was on your site so Id help this guy out.

RE: First Plane
 

Thanks Adui. I did that yesterday. And thanks to everyone else for all of their help. I just have to learn patients. LOL

RE: First Plane
 

As far as the cash burning a hole in your pocket; just send it to me and I'll be sure to put it to good use.................



On the AMA club search there is a phone number for the club, most likely one of the officers: 609-624-3834

Snipped the email addresses previously posted..........

With a phone number, and 3 email addresses, you should be able to make contact before July. I recommend calling the phone number since many people rarely check email.

Or, visit the flying site and talk to whoever is there.