Tower trainer
 

Hey folks,

I have a OS .46 two-stroke, and an ASP .61 four-stroke that I can choose from to put in a Tower Trainer, but my question is which size trainer I should get. I would like to get the 60 size, but I am not sure if either engine is adequate for it (I think the .61 should be.) If not, I'll go with the 40 size model.

Any suggestions?

RE: Tower trainer
 

I would go with the Tower Trainer 60 and the ASP 61. Being a larger plane it will be easier to see and will handle the wind a little better. But the Tower Trainer 40 with the OS 46 would work well also. I would not put the ASP 61 on the 40 size plane because that would be just too much power for a first time trainer[:-].

Bruce

RE: Tower trainer
 

If the little bit of extra money isn't an issue for the 60 size trainer, go for the 60. It'll fly smoother and better. The 61 four stroke would be plenty for it, even as would a 46 two stroke. You'd really enjoy it with the 60 four stroke. The trainer will still fly great with either. I had a 60 two stroke on my 60 size hobbico trainer (same as tower) years ago, and never needed to fly above half throttle. Trainers don't need half as much power as a heavy warbird.

RE: Tower trainer
 

Agreed. Go with the Trainer 60 and put the .61 engine on it. The larger trainer will be a bit easier to learn on.

Ken

RE: Tower trainer
 

My first thought was "no way the 61 Four Stroke will fly a 60 size trainer."
It is possible that it will.
The ASP 61 Four Stroke probably turns a 12x6 prop at 9,500 to 10,000 rpm.
The problem I see is getting it in the air, especially if you have a grass runway.
The 60 size trainer will weigh about 7.5 pounds and you'll have about 5 or 6 pounds of static thrust to get it moving.

My brother and I put a Magnum 61 four stroke on a World Models Sky Raider Mach I which is a 40 size trainer. We did not feel that it was overpowered at all but it was not a very good combination, for us. Maybe it was just this particular plane but it just did not 'fly right' for us. When I crashed it we were not sad. We replaced it with a Great Planes PT-60 with a 91 four stroke and liked it a lot better.

RE: Tower trainer
 

I had a Tiger 60 with an OS 61 SF, an older engine, and it was just fine. I'm sure that ASP 61 will fly the Tower trainer just fine too.

CGr.

RE: Tower trainer
 

carrell,

Thanks for the input. Physically, the Tower Trainer 60 is about the same size as my Nexstar which flies fine with .46 2S, but the TT weighs about a lb. more. So the question is, does the .61 4S have more oomph than the .46 to compensate for this extra weight, and now I have both "yeses" and "nos."

Many things in life aren't black and white, in this hobby nothing seems to be ;).

P.S. if you are wondering why I am looking for another trainer if I have a Nexstar, it is sitting on the shelf awaiting some TLC after, ehm, a little mishap a little while ago.

RE: Tower trainer
 

It is my opinion that the 61 Four Stroke is pretty equal to a 46 two stroke.

My brother had a TT 46 Pro on an Ultra Stick 40. He was not satisfied with its performance. After looking at comments on RCU we convinced ourselves that a 61 Four Stroke would be an improvement. It definitely was not, and the 61 was replaced with a 70.

I know a trainer is different than an Ultra Stick but I would be concerned that a 60 size trainer is a bit too much for the little four stroke.

RE: Tower trainer
 

^^^ what he said, that .61 fs will fly the plane, but not well at all. you will not have to power to get out of trouble
however the .40 sized trainer would work with either

RE: Tower trainer
 

I have had a handful of the Tower Trainer 60's. They have flown with K&B 61, 65, ST45, O.S. 70FS, ST61 blue head, Magnum 91FS, Magnum 61, worn out ASP 61. I did like the O.S. 70. At 1/4 throttle it would putt around the sky sweet as could be. It had a climb out of about 45 degrees. The rest would climb it at 70 to 90 degrees.

The 61fs will be a little low on power but will fly the trainer. It will not be a rocket ship in any fashion. You could always look out for the Hobby People sale where they have the Magnum 61 on sale for $99.99. That would give you plenty of power.


Dru.

RE: Tower trainer
 

The size and weight between the two trainers isn't all that great. I was using one of the 60 size with an LA .46 and it was fine. I also don't fly off of grass so that could be one reason I didn't have any problems?? I always try to use the 60 size but just because most my students are older fellows and that extra bit of size helps them see it a bit better. Every little bit helps!!;)