RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

I didn't say it was part failure, I know it was a misjudgment on my part. I learned from that mistake fairly quickly. As far as the Four Star hitting a pole, I was in a school parking lot and probably should not have been flying there in the first place. I was doing just about every trick you can do with the Four Star but when I decided to try a landing I took her out further to give me more room and upon approach clipped a light pole that I wasnt aware of because I hadnt been flying the plane in that section of the parking lot. In a nut shell I should have been flying in a big open field. Lesson learned again. So now that Im not doing full throttle dives and flying only in open fields I should have no problems.

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

Sounds just like me! I said pretty much the same thing, got my 3rd plane and on the second flight it went full throttle, nose first into a corn field!

You can get something fancy, and it will probably take a beating but it might survive. Or you can fix up your very capable Four Star or whatever else you can fix and have fun flying it. Try doing some precision stuff, or planning out some kind of routine where you do one trick into another, but have the locations AND altitudes planned (i.e. you didn't lose altitude trying to make a correction or something).

I was doing 'tricks' with my Nexstar, and I lost it due to 'poor judgement'. At the time I wouldn't admit this, but I was really just yanking on the sticks. I sort of knew what the outcome would be, but that one time when I took a chance, I lost it due to 5' lack of altitude.

Then I had an Avistar, and I thought I had learned a lesson from my experience with the Nexstar, so I did all my 'tricks' at high altitude. Unfortunately I did a 'trick' and got a little disoriented and my lack of experience showed as the 2 mistakes high wasn't enough and I lost that plane, too.

Next I got my Dolphin. I was so eager to have a flying plane that I was up late building it, and finally got it ready for flight. Second day, due to lack of sleep, I missed the runway by about 6" and caught the wingtip in the tall grass; plane cartwheeled and snapped in half. I fixed it, but now have a plane that doesn't fly straight.

People kept telling me to slow down, that I didn't really know what I was doing (in much nicer words though;)). Of course I didn't believe them, but they were right.

You will know when you're ready for something more advanced, and really only you will know. I tried to convince myself, or prove to myself or others that I was ready, but deep inside I knew I wasn't. I have a feeling that when you are ready, you will know it, and by then you will know which is the right plane for you.

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

“Lesson learned again. So now that Im not doing full throttle dives and flying only in open fields I should have no problems.”

– Heh... I’ll give you that it appears you understand and corrected for those misjudgments. But maybe you have more critical lessons to learn, especially if you just recently made these above two misjudgments? Just food for thought.

I do not believe new to the hobby pilots that say they have done every trick their plane can do. Regardless, there is nothing wrong with wanting a more aerobatic plane than the 4*. A cleaner more honest model will make it easier to learn more advanced maneuvers. I like that you are confident in your abilities, just be sure you are as equally confident in knowing what you are not able to do... that is the one that causes problems.

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

I understand that you guys are just trying to help and looking to give words of wisdom. But you are also right when you say that I am confident in myself, because its true. I may not be a precision flier which I probably wouldn't care for since it would probably take the fun out of it for me. I enjoy plain old throwing sticks and really don't care to do a perfect 4 point roll and pull up and do a stall turn, etc. Im a self taught flier, learned all the basics with my $100 electric Sky Fly, and yes I did crash it a bunch while learning, but I had to figure it out on my own since I didnt have anyone at the time to help. I did find help when I stepped it up to the nitro trainer(Superstar), not because I wasn't confident in my flying skills but the fact that there's alot more to it than whats on a $100 electric plane. For example trim, engine tuning, servo's being reversed. etc. The guy helping me took it up and trimmed it and handed it back and I was good to go. Im not trying to brag and act like Im a rc flying prodigy, but more or less say that i feel Im a quick learner. I work on planes for a living, specifically I rig flight controls. So I have aircraft experience and know the general physics of flying, so I guess that worked to my advantage. But getting back on track to what this thread is originally about, I may end up going with the Somethin Extra. For one I like Sig planes, and it sounds like a good direction acording to all your posts. Im still unsure on the knife edge capabilities, half of you are saying it KE good, and the other half say its lack luster. Also I probably won't get the Twist because my speed demon side will probably come out and I'll end up overstressing that plane. But then again there's a little voice saying get the Revolver!!!!

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

I would wait on the Revolver if I was you. It is a fantastic plane but ..................it is fast and requires good reflexes without thought.
As stated, fast and 3D do not go together. You may think about something like a Super Sportster next. It is pretty quick and will get you ready for something like a revolver. It will also do all of the aerobatics you are asking for.

Sounds like what you really need is two different planes. ;) One for 3D training and one for fast aerobatics.

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

Ya I understand now that you can't get fast and 3D. With the larger control surfaces on a 3D plane it would have too much flutter. As much as I want to get into 3D, I really like speed and prefer it over a 3D plane. So now its between the Revolver and Somethin Extra.

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

Don't believe the hype, the Sig SE does not have good KE performance, in fact, I'd consider it closer to the bad side of the spectrum. Yeah, it will do it, sort of, not really. The Sig SE is a good plane and a good value, but KE is not it's strong point.

You can get a fast 3D plane, but to do so you must get away from the funfly type of planes. No thick wing, no low aspect ratios, no silly control surface size, etc. This means no twist and no sig se. You do not need huge controls or even extreme throws for most 3D moves. It may surprise some that a pattern ship, designed for precision aerobatics actually makes an excellent 3D ship, more so that many of the so called 3D planes… go figure. In my 2M ship I can pull off high alpha maneuvers, torque rolls, etc., and I have moderate sized control surfaces and less that 15 degrees of throws on aileron and elevator and only 30 degrees on the rudder.

If you really want to go fast and 3D in the same plane, get a pattern/3D hybrid ship and stay away from the funfly types. - Cheers

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

Beachbrada, we're both in the same boat here lol.

I don't want a 3D only plane... I want a very acrobatic plane which can pickup some speed. Seems like you're looking for about the same thing I'm looking for.

The revolver does look like a decent plane....I might have to bite the bullet.

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

I think this makes a lot of sense. So, here's your plane:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXMUX7&P=0

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

gaRCfied, I've never flown or seen a Reactor, so I have no firsthand knowledge. But from looking at the picture, noticing the airfoil thickness, aspect ratio, tail moments, fuse side area and distribution... yeah, that could probably fly pretty fast and be capable of performing the full range of classical aerobatics and 3D.

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

I probably shouldn't let looks determine my outcome but that Reactor is one ugly plane in my opinion. Any of you fly the Hangar 9 Sundowner? [link]http://www.hangar-9.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdId=HAN4725[/link]
My only gripe about this plane is look at the puny rudder it has? Obviously because its built for speed, but Hangar 9 calls it a sport aerobatic racer. I wonder if it can knife edge.

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

Haha! I think the Reactor is beautiful and the Sundowner is ugly! Don't think Sundowner's made for 3D.

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

Beachbrada,
No matter what they look like, the Sundowners are "turn left and go fast" planes. While they may have "ok" aerobatics these planes are designed for one thing and one thing only, racing. If you buy the plane for any other purpose you'll wind up being disappointed. I did the RCU review of the larger Sundowner and Minnflyer did the review of the 50 sized Sundowner. Those reviews can be found here:

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=929]Hangar 9 Sundower Review[/link]

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=1009]Hangar 9 Sundower 50 Review[/link]

Ken

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

The Sundowner is a nice airplane. Very pretty in person. It is also very fast. It is capable of sport aerobatics of course but the ones I have seen really like to be opened up and make high speed passes. I'll probably end up with one of my own before the year is out.

Like the Revolver though, everyone I know who has a Sundowner 50 says it lands hot. They also complain that it can be difficult to see head on, especially in bright conditions. Everything is a trade off of course and nothing is 100% perfect in every area. The Sundowner is an excellent airplane but the speed and visibility could bite you if you aren't ready for it.

I would seriously consider the SSE. It is probably the most well-rounded of the planes you have mentioned and would be perfect for someone who is proficient flying a 4*.

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

Beach...what size of plane are you looking at.... is 46 your max?

I really think you need to look into these next few options I'm posting.
http://aero-works.net/store/detail.aspx?ID=75 I like this one and am probably gonna go for it. don't forget the VIDEO at the bottom of the page. I think this is THE plane for you and me :) lol.



ok .. I just watched the video... don't even look any more man, just get the Aero-works 46!!!!!

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

Nice find n19ht; it's got nice eyes. Nice looking plane, too ;)

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

Ya its not for 3D but Ive been thinking about how I enjoy flying, and thats by flying fast so Im going to go with a fast plane over a 3D capable one.

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

I was thinking the same thing too. I just watched the video and that thing looks like a blast to fly. Im seriously considering getting one of these. I had heard about Edge planes but didnt know who made a good version. Im going to look for other threads on this plane unless you know more about it.

Chuck I know what you're trying to say, but I feel that if I take it easy with the Revolver or equivalent and fly cautiously with low rates I can learn the planes characteristics until Im ready take it up a level. And by going this route I won't have to buy the Sig and Revolver. Im a firm believer that someone could be trained to fly on a tamed down Four Star, some will think otherwise but I feel with low rates on and exponential it flys tame enough to learn on. So in my case Im skipping the Somethin Extra and going for a tamed down Revolver. I know what you're thinking, Im stubborn, and Ill admit to it but Im confident Ill be fine. And if I turn out to be wrong look for me in the crash and burn section.

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

In the air, the Revolver is no problem, especially on low rates. It's just the landings that are tricky for some people. If you anticipate this and do it right, you'll pick it up quickly or maybe have no issues at all.

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

Aero Works is VERY well known name in the giant scale market. A few members at my club fly their larger planes 42% and a 100CC size. As far as the quality and the flight goes, these pilots agree that Aero Works models are pretty up there.

I've been eyeing the 46 size for some time now... and I'm about 99% there on pulling the trigger........ School starts in 2 weeks that's about the only thing holding me back right now...grrrr

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

Hey Chuck, check out nightmares post on the edge 540 and tell me what you think about it?

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

Just one more thing about the Reactor; 3 months ago when I started all this, all I cared about was a cool looking (scale-like) plane, and hopefully one that would be fun to fly. I thought pattern planes looked ridiculous and didn't understand why people wanted to fly such 'toys'. I saw a similar plane at my club, more 3D though, and made a comment about how silly it looked. It was then pointed out that these are flying machines; they are designed purely for having a great time flying them. Then I saw a pattern plane fly in a pattern contest, and it looked like it was on an invisible track in the sky - amazingly beautiful. Since that day, planes like the Reactor have become beautiful in my eyes, and planes like the Decathlon have lost TONS of appeal! I never would have expected that to happen, but it did.

It's hard to find a plane that has some scale looks but will do everything you want it to do as well, maybe with the exceptions of an Extra or and Edge or something, as these are real life planes that perform serious aerobatics.

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

The UCD 3D's only fly one way... SLOW and in HIGH ALPHA.

These are 3D planes and MUST NOT be flown fast.

I fly my Giant UCD 3D with a 1.80 Magnum XL 4C engine using an 18x6 APC prop, only because that's the lowest pitch I've found in that size, from APC.

If I could get a lower pitch I would!

It's fastest speed looks like a crawl, but this is what you want for 3D... so you can pop the plane up hard, into a hover, harrier, or torque roll, off a dive, etc.

Pushing these planes any faster invites trouble and is not recommended by GP.

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

When the manufacturer puts a warning about excessive speed in the instructions, that pretty much says it all.

RE: Looking for good 3rd plane.
 

what are u referring to?