Help !
 

Ok, I am new to the hobby and have become comfortable with my trainer plane and want to put another plane together. Although I understand how advanced the 3D planes are, I love the look. A fellow club member said the Goldberg Extra 330 might be ok, that it was able to be flown at slow speeds and kept under control until I can grow with it. But, this model is discontinued, so i'm looking at this....... http://www.greatplanes.com/performan.../gpma1413.html The GP Extra 330S. I want to stay with the less expensive 2 stroke, and it calls for a 1.6 to 1.8, what engine should I go with here? Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks

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Hanger9Guy,
That is a lot of plane for your second.
That is more of a third or fourth plane for most people.
The standard recomendation for a second plane is a low wing sport plane.
These are planes such as the 4*, Supersportster, Mach II, etc.
There are many threads about second planes here, do a search for more ideas.
Take your time and don't rush things. It'll be a lot of fun and cheaper.
Good Luck,
KW_Counter

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Look back at KW_counter's post. Do what he says. :D

Ken

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Definitely avoid this as your second pane. Yes it is cool but it is big, very maneuverable and expensive when you factor in the engine, proper servos, etc.

Your second plane may very well get more beat up than your trainer and might even be more likely to get destroyed. Go with a more forgiving sport type plane and learn everything you can with it. You'll thank yourself later when you finally do move up to something like this Extra.

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an ugly stick is also a great second plane

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Yup, that's like a 4th, MAYBE 3rd plane. I had a Phoenix Dolphin - $99 from Tower - for my second plane. It was a lot of fun to fly and really prepared me for getting into something more aerobatic. And like they said above, it took a BEATING! You will do things to your second plane that could get you arrested in some states. Stick with something cheap and easy, and this is the time to really learn how to fly. Once you're a 'pro' with the second plane, you will appreciate something like that Extra a bunch more. I flew some other planes at my field while I was still *really learning to fly with the Dolphin. I probably could have gotten used to them, but they seemed like a big handful, and it's SO much more fun to get a plane that you LOVE to FLY right off the bat, rather than growing into something.

My 3rd plane is a Venus II. Like I said I was flying the Dolphin, performing all kinds of aerobatics. When I stepped into the Venus, I was able to really understand the difference between a sport plane and a true aerobatic plane, and BOY what a difference! My '4th' plane is a 25% Yak that's still in a box, similar to the Extra you're looking at, and I'm still working on being ready for that plane.

People like to give me a hard time since I'm still pretty new at this, but I've been through quite a few planes this year and had some real disappointments and some really great triumphs.

And yes, the cost. Servos for that plane are $30-$100 each. Engine is $300+. You will burn AT LEAST a half-gallon of fuel a day with that big engine. You'll need a bigger starter, bigger starter battery, bigger and more expensive props (getting close to $20/ea), etc. Getting a less expensive plane first will get you a lot of much less expensive flying time, and right now it's all about stick time.

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What others have said about this NOT being a good second plane. You said you want to stay with the less expensive 2 stroke. Do you realize that this plane will end up being WAY over $1000 when it's finished? Your fellow club member is doing you a dis-service by suggsting it. While it can fly slow (relatively), it takes an amount of skill to do so. No dis-respect, but if you have just recently mastered your trainer, you don't have that skill yet. Do yourself a really big favor and pick something different and easier to fly as your second plane.
Paul

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Hanger9guy,
Trainer to 27% You will not be comfortable for very long! :D:D

Let's maybe go with a semi symetrical wing next.:)

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I totally second what gaRCfield is saying. I have the Phoenix Dolphin too, its a wonderful 2nd plane IMO. I agree the Extra maybe a bit to advanced for the particular stage your at right now, you will be eventually just not right now.

TF96

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Hangar9Guy - these gents know what they're talking about. To go from a trainer to a fully aerobatic aircraft is, well, insanity! Seriously save your cash and invest in something you can grow "with". I've done it one too many times where my eyes were bigger then my stomach - and I lost at least $400 in aircraft thinking I could fly them when I wasn't ready.

While they may not be as cool looking as the aerobatic planes, my suggestions are the following:

[ul][*] SIG 4 Star 60 - very aerobatic but gentile enough to advanced slowly[*] Carl Goldberg Tiger 2 (60 sized) - I LOVE the .40 and it is a good looking ride
OR[*] Mulitplex AcroMaster - though it's electric the investment will grow in your electric world if you choose to go down it. I've tanked mine at 3 feet inverted off the ground, picked it up, dusted it off and was flying again. Seriously, the AcroMaster is really really good.
[/ul]

Hope this helps your decisions.....

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RCKen's "Looking for a trainer?" thread http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4537845/tm.htm has a huge listing of second planes that would be ideal for moving up.

Everyone has their favorite, so I will not make a specific recommendation. Follow the links and pick the one YOU like best.

<< Edit >>
That Extra will cost $1000 minimum to be ready to go, and it would be easy to spend over $1500 if you go with high end digital servos. I'd be afraid to fly it with that much invested. My models usually have $500 or less streaking through the air.
I based the cost estimate on using the OS 1.60FX. The Super Tigre 3250 is about 2 cubic inches and costs less than the OS. I know people who have the big OS and they like it. I do not know anyone who has the big Tigre.

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I agree with the others but no one has actually answered your question.
At the very least I would go with an OS 1.60 FX but a Moki 180 would be nice.
You might conisder going gas in a model that size, you can get a decent gas engine for not much more than the 2 stroke glow and the extra cost would easily be made up in lower fuel costs.

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Calm down guys, he already made his choice but didn't tell any of us.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_81...tm.htm#8142072

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I hope he does well with it. If it does not work out, at least it's a $200 ARF & $170 engine versus $700+ for ARF & engine.

I could be wrong but it does look pretty fragile for a second plane. I'm only basing this on the pictures in the manual and on the Horizon site. I know the saying, "Planes should be builT to fly, not to crash," but (like already mentioned) the second plane often takes more abuse than the primary trainer.

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Huh - Not exactly sure why he went asking for advice for a second aircraft. Seems to me that his mind was made up - Aerobatics or nothing at all. A bit of a large jump if you ask me going from a trainer to that! Then, what do I know, I've only been flying for a couple years......:) It a common mistake among Over Achievers in RC - jump into the 'coolest airplane ever' after you've done one flight. My girlfriend did the same thing - went with a Mini FuntanaX as her first airplane (Because she's a real pilot, she thought she could handle it after one flight with the Hobbyzone Super Cub) - and tanked it in under 45 second!

Very painful to watch.

Now, she's more then happy with her Mulitplex MiniMag (modified w/a brushless motor) and said it was a real stupid (and expensive) move going from trainer to 3D.

Lessons learned...."Best of luck Hangar9Guy"

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OK...... I get the point....lol. I have ordered a Frenzy, I think this will be a good one to grow with. It may still be a bit much, but it's not too expensive if I do run into trouble.

Thanks

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Just keep the throws low and fly high until you get a handle on it.
That Frenzy will require you to fly it in rather than glide in like a trainer.
If possible get on a buddy box for a couple of flights.

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I would definitely agree with that statement. My trainer was a Nexstar Select, where I didn't have to glue or sand anything. Building my "second plane" proved a challenge, since I was so unfamiliar with some of the methods. But, I got it together none the less. Trimming proved to be an issue at first, as well as tuning in the new engine. The maiden was successful, but since I didn't have my rudder set up properly, I dived into the opportunity of making my first major structural repair after the thing got mangled into the safety net a few flights later. And it went down hill after that, but I still had over 30 successful flights until a misaligned wing took its toll after the last repair: it and the extra two pounds of epoxy [:@]. I found my flying brick in the bean field a couple days later, and decided to not bother gluing the wing back together. It certainly produced some good parts for the rest of my fleet; so not all was lost :D.

NorfolkSouthern

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and even third for some people. XD

Na, I still got my third bird. A corshair from a kit, I hope to get her back in the air next year. Probably before I get my citabria up.

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Missleman's got it right Hangar9Guy - keep the throws low. I ran into trouble with my E-flight Extra 260 this way. I thought the airplane was busted when it was completely pilot error!! Killed my throws to less then 25% and it still took me weeks to get it right. And I didn't mean harm by the OA comment - that was more directed towards my GF. :D

Fly on H9G, Fly on!!

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The Frenzy might not be too bad of a choice. At least the wing load is a lot lower than the Extra you were looking at. As others have said, keep the throws small and fly high for a while. You might have an instructor fly the plane the first flight to trim it out for you. Good luck with your 2nd plane, just take it easy the first few flights. Altitude is your friend.
Paul