Beginning in 3D flight
 

I am not new to rc planes i am just new to 3d flying so i need some help on figuring out which plane( 3D ) i should get next.It has to be a reasonable size (nothing huge) and electric unless it is a small nitro powered plane. These are some of the ones i have been looking at.
- Fliton mini extra 260
- Fliton mini edge 540
- EFlite mini pulse xt (not sure if it is completely 3D)
- Or any of your suggestions
Are any of these planes good, bad, ect.
Thanks for any suggestions:D

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

U-Can-Do 3D is one of the best 3D trainers out there. I think there is a .40 glow.

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

I will preface this with the fact that I've never flown a U-Can-Do, but I have heard from a reputable source that a 40 sized glow engine is not enough to hover it.

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

Yeah i have heard that also is a good plane but one of the main manuevers that i want to learn to do is hovering. But i will do more research on that plane but is there any comments on the above planes???
Thanks

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

would a 55ax be enough to hover good in a u can do 40 ?

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

There are a bunch of UCD .40's at my club. Most of them have a Magnum .70 four stroke, one has a Magnum .91 four stroke, and one has a .46 two stroke (don't know brand). The two stroke is OK for easy flying, not for 3D, the .91 might be a little too much, but literally unlimited vertical.

People say really, really good things about that plane. It can float in without power from anywhere you can see it; lands very gently, flies easy, etc.

One guy says he wishes he got the .60 size. Most of them love the Magnum .70

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

You might want to ask the question in the 3D forum or the profile forum. 3D is a little advanced for a beginners discussion.

Having said that, get a 3D profile. Check out www.ohiomodelplanes.com or www.swanyshouse.com

The will outperform just about anything, you'll have an easier time doing it and they are tougher in my opinion.

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

I agree with Chuck. A profile is where you need to be with a 46-55 sized glow engine. They fly 3d much better than a full fuse because of the weight. The Mojo 40 would be excellent.
If you want to stay with Electric than the Funtana X Mini is a good choice. Why not start off with a foamy, dwfoamies.com? They are a lot of fun and are very durable when you flop one in from hovering low.

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

Some electric suggestions are

Balsa
Extreme Flight - Extra, Yak or Edge
Precision Aerobatics - Extra 260, Katana or Addiction

Foam
Flash, Super Zoom or any of the MS Composit EPP's
Multiplex - Acromaster ot the Parkmaster which I'm not sure it's out there yet but is over here now.

The Fliton, I've looked at and considered them for a while and if I did get one would probably go for the Mini Edge but have heard quite a few comments on build quality / poor UC which has put me off.

Don't think the Mini Pulse is a 3D machine.

Personally I'd probably go for a foamie if it's a 1st 3D and probably the Acromaster as it's one of the toughest and will handle the most wind so can be an everyday flier although a number of people including myself seem to be suffering some motor mount vibration which can drive you nuts but think it's down to how well you glue the nose of the plane together on the build ansd the same with the motor mount as some don't suffer it at all, its' the one niggle on an otherwise excellent product.

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

I definately will consider the u-can-do and put a larger engine on it, the acromaster, and i do like the extreme flight planes but they seem expensive and they do not seem like a "begginer 3D" but they do look cool:eek: . I did some research on the flitons and it seems that the mini edge 540 isnt very good, but the mini extra 260 got very good reviews and positive comments.
Thanks for all the suggestions

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

Oh!!! i was looking at some edge 540s and i came across this one: http://www.raidentech.com/reded5402545.html
It looks cool but do you think it is any good?

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

Flying brick. Those planes have been sold out at Raidentech and Nitroplanes for a long time.

Here is some helpful advice. Learn to fly 3D using a lightweight plane. Look for a large thick wing and a large wing surface to weight ratio.

Profiles are not the prettiest, but they are good at 3d training. They are more stable in almost all manuvers because of the low wing loading. You can overpower them so that you have more than 2 / 1 power ratio.

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

Thanks for the info.

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

how about a foamie like the Eflite extra or one of the great planes flatouts?
They are great for learning 3d on and can be flown at a baseball diamond or something.

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

also inexpensive and easier to repair than a glow plane

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

You should check out [link]http://www.3dhobbyshop.com/[/link]

Their name says it all

Rob

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

I went on to 3d hobbyshop and i really like the katana and yak. Do those fly well for beginning 3D flying.
Fflier9, that e-flight looks like a good starter and i really like the size and the price!!!
Thanks

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

I have the 47" Extra 300 SHP so I am not sure of the flight characteristic's of the Katana and Yak but there are links at [link]http://3dhobbyshop.com[/link] that will take you to amother forum where the owner and a couple of the designers (that also happen to fly the full scale versions) hang out and can help you much better than I can

Rob

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

I would like to get my next bird up and running without spending more than 300.00(is there a website with discount electrics), that is why i am starting to be attracted to the foamies(E-Flight Extra 260 3D Profile).

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

hey Big M check this website out. If you really want to learn 3D on a budget you can look at these electronics.
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...&ParentCat=192
for BL motor/ESC combo
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...ec_Micro_Servo
for servos
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s..._20C_Lipo_pack
for lipo

I have put together a great planes flatouts foamie
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...outs&search=Go
with these exact products or less than $100 and it will do any 3D maneuver I ask of it.
Hope this helps.

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

I dont know why the top 3 links wont work you just have to copy and paste them without the **** after the www. part

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

That was a BIG help! Which do you think is better - the e-flight extra 260 or a great planes flatout(extra 300 or cap 580).
Thanks again for all the help!!!

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

I have been real happy with my 90 size Hangar9 Showtime which is a great 3D plane and they do make a smaller electric version.

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

I have heard that the park flyer gee bee 3D is a good starter so you might want to look at that plane. Has anyone else heard good things about this plane??? It comes RTF and ARF which is another advantage for a begginer.

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

Big M
I would definitely say that the GP flatout series would be the better buy in your case
1. They are half the price, but virtually the same thing,
2. Replacement parts are cheaper (trust me, you're going to be making mistakes.)
Hope this helps.

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

Just so you know, most experienced 3d'ers make fun of the U-can-do series of planes. Get yourself a profile plane. To go a step further, skip the .40-50 sized profile and jump to the .60 sized You'll thank me.......

Here is my .40 sized primo and my .60 sized Mojo.....The Mojo is 10X easier to hover than the primo.

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

Try the Edge 540bp with the eflite 450 outrunner. Real simple assembly... Fully 3d ..On a windy day I can keep mine in the air fifteen minutes by getting it to altitude and using minimal throttle input to keep it there. For intermediate pilots start on lo rates which give full aerobatic capabilities then switch to hi rates for 3d stuff. Uses a 13oo milliamp battery (get two)..8 minutes is pretty standard air time. Hand launches easily. Takes off from the ground in about ten feet.

Building notes:
1.Landing gear should be reinforced with stronger mounting bolts.
2.Be careful when assembling the two piece elevator. You may have to carve out the space where the two pieces meet under the vertical fin to give them freedom of movement.
3.There are wooden guides for the elevator and rudder servo push rods. The mounting holes for the guides in the side of the fuse may be difficult to find. One was evident visually. The other I had to hunt for.
4.Control horns are a breeze to install.
5.I used model tape to secure the servo wires under the belly of the plane.
6.The mount for the motor has to be cut to length. This was not a problem but a bumpy landing caused the motor mount (a balsa would stick) to fracture. I cut a new stick made of harder wood and mounted it with about a 5 degree right thrust angle. It worked like a champ.

I'M NOT A SKILLED 3D PILOT BUT I DO LIKE TO HANG IT OFF THE PROP ONCE IN AWHILE. I LOVE THIS PLANE. IT LOOKS GREAT (MANY COMPLIMENTS ON THE PLANE ITSELF) AND FLYS EASY. IT WILL TAKE YOU ANYWHERE YOU WANT TO GO IN RC FLYING.


HOME THIS HELPS..GOOD LUCK AND GOOD FLYING..RCinfo:)

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

if you're looking for a small 3D plane, look at Valuehobby 35 Sabre. Another great choice are the flat profile foamies from DW Foamies. Those things fly like nothing you've ever seen. You can walk out and grab it from the air on a slow fly by.

Most of the serious 3D electric balsa fliers usually go with 3dhobbyshop, extreme flight or precision aerobatics. Skip the mass produced stuff from Great Planes and Horizon.

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

A little fragile, can be a easy fix,has a big thick wing, big surfaces, very light wing loading, not too expensive; the PA Addiction... been flying mine for two years and still love it in all flying conditions. Fits in my car RTF, put a battery in and fly.

Cheers,
Steve

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

i second the mojo .40
any .46 sized engine has enough power to hover and give a decent pullout, ax55 i had a hard time with because right where it wanted to hover was right where the ax55 has a midrange deadspot so it would always die on me, put a gms.47 in it and couldnt be happier
just put whatever engine you have a few galloins through and you would trust your life on.....if you cant trust your life on it dont put it in your 3d plane....just asking for trouble

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

how does the mojo .60 fly with the magnum .91??? enough power?

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

Maybe, but not perfect.


Saito 100 and mojo 60 are a match made in heaven. It's the perfect combo.

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

I own two and they are light planes.

Mine are both electrics.

That said, I would not recommend them as 3D planes...

They are

- Too small ( the larger the better for 3D learning )
- Wrong airfoil for slow 3D
- These are really more small aerobatic planes.
- Edge's tend to tip stall when loaded down because of the purposely snap friendly design of the wings.

All bad for a beginner 3D'er.

I'll echo ChuckW's suggestion of the OMP profile plane.
The profile fuselage adds lateral stability in high alpha flight regimes.

I have a Twist 40 practically the same size as the OMP 40 Extra profile, and the latter is far more stable...
However again bigger is better and the larger planes fare better.

The U-Can-Do is an excellent 3D plane and the relatively large size of the 40 ( compared to other offerings ) is a plus...
Yes the AX55 is plenty, if you select the right prop!

Funtana's & Katana's ( practically the same plane ) also do fairly well.... but again larger is better for 3D.

The single most "docile" plane I've ever flown, while in High alpha, was the now discontinued "Passion 3D".

The thing would hover and torque roll by itself.

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

Get this plane: http://www.dwfoamies.com/index.php?p...art&Itemid=343

You can get the Dynamo power combo, that includes motor, prop, and ESC for another $50. Throw in some decent 25C 1000mAh lipos, and some cheap HXT900 servos, you have a great 3D trainer.

I would stay away from balsa for your first plane. You're going to crash it...a lot. Foamies are super easy to fix. Just bring some foam safe CA with you and often you can be back in the air in a minute or two. The DW foamies fly great, I'm using one to learn 3D on, and their customer service is top notch (my kit had the wrong motor mount, a quick email, and the correct replacement was in the mail the next day, no questions asked). Plus with these you can just go the local school yard to practice w/o having to pack up a nitro to go to the field.

RE: Beginning in 3D flight
 

I have this exact same model to learn 3D. The fuse is made of EPP foam and is great. I've crashed it several times now with hardly any repairs needed. If this were a balsa model, it would have been totaled 5 times over by now.