Is this a good first trainer ???
 

Ive allways wanted to try airplanes and I like the Cub alot.Are they hard to fly and would a Cub be a good trainer?Heres the one im looking at and this is what the guy says about it.


> Great Planes Aniversary cub 78" wingspan flies very well
Saito .50 four stroke nitro engine
Standard servos
This is a geat airplane to learn on.
It is covered in coverite fabric
Airplane has some minor hanger rash from moving but it does not affect performance.
Just add reciever and transmitter and your ready to fly
Looks and sound real <

Heres some pics and how much is a Cub like this worth?I know theres a few brands of the Cub made and I just wanna be sure its worth what hes asking for it..

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l1..._2006/Cub2.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l1..._2006/Cub1.jpg

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

BTW,hes asking $150.00 for it.Is she a good trainer for a first time plane pilot and is the price good ?

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

I think the engine is worth that.

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

Many will say a Cub is not the worlds best trainer and it's not. But there is no reason you can't use it to learn to fly with, especially if you belong to a club and get some help. The price is very good. I'd do it.

Now a whole bunch of folks will chime in about whats wrong with the cub as a trainer, I would not concern myself with that.

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

I belong to a heli club right now but there a plane club close by too.People say if you can fly a heli pretty good you'll have no problems flying a plane so is that true?Heres a video of me and my heli http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PmiQ893jLE .I do fly planes on the sim (G3.5) every now and then so if I do get this,i'll fly planes more often.What type if issues should I look for or should I say what things need to be looked after every now and then for maintance?

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

I'd agree with goirish and oldvet, may not be the best trainer but with the right instructor, it could be and it's a great price

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

Yes, at $150 buy the Cub, but put it away and DON'T try to learn on it. You WILL crash it on your first try without some real trainer time. A good first trainer has a high mounted flat bottom wing(they fly and land slower),ample dihedral( it will want to stay upright,more stable), tricycle landing gear(easier to learn landings and takeoffs) and have self recovery charactistics that no scale or semi-scale aircraft will have(Cubs included). Cubs will ground loop, tip stall,nose over, and fly with lots of adverse yaw untill you the pilot has enough skill to correct for these charactistics. A good high wing trainer such as an Alpha 40/60, Goldberg Eagle, Hobbico Super Star 40, Tower trainer 40/60, Sig LT-40,etc will allow you to develop your skills. Use a buddy box with an instructor untill you solo. After you have mastered(not just soloed but mastered) landings and takeoffs with your trainer convert it to a taildragger and master landings and takeoffs with it. Then you will be ready for the Cub(might want to use the buddy box on the first Cub flight too)! Don't let your ego cloud your good judgement. With your chopper background if you follow a plan similer to what I have laid out you will learn quickly and that Cub will live to be enjoyed. If you don"t, you WILL crash it on your first try! Nine years ago when I was learning I bought a 1/5 scale Great Planes j-3 Cub ARF and my instructor told me to "leave it in the box" untill I have mastered my trainer and a taildragger trainer. I followed his advise and that Cub is still in my hanger(undamaged I might add) and gets flow often. Yes I love Cubs and currently have 7 assorted Cubs being flown out of my hanger. Also be sure to learn to use the rudder with the ailerons to make turns to counter the adverse yaw. You will be a better pilot no matter what you fly if you learn to use rudder as part of your basic learning. Good luck and good landings

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

It kind of looks like my old Hangar 9 Cub judging by the N-numbers but the from the picture it's kind of hard to tell. I think they rearranged them as the ones that came with it should be NC 54271 not that it matters at all.That is a great deal for the plane. I picked up the original version of the 80" Hangar 9 cub last year for $87.00 plus my old Modeltech .25 size Cub. Mine came with a Saito Fa56 and all the servos and receiver installed. The hobby shop thought the bearings were bad and didn't feel like fixing it but after some Marvel Air Tool oil through the crankcase breather the engine turned over smooth as silk. I replaced a couple of servos and installed my receiver and replaced the battery and switch. I put some fuel to it and all I can say is that runs fantastic and flies great. As far as being something to learn on I think I would go with a trainer to start with and save the Cub for later. Cubs can be a handful on the ground. I've been flying off and on for the last 10 years or so and whenever I go to fly either one of my Cubs the adrenaline starts flowing. Once it's in the air it's fine. Look at my gallery and you'll see both of my Cubs. Out of all of them the Cub's take the most patience and finesse to get off the ground.

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

Just cause you can fly a Helicopter it does not mean you can fly a fixed wing aircraft. You should pick it up quicker than a complete novice however. Get to a club with a good instructer and buddy box the Cub and you will be flying pretty quickly. As for maintance, well an instructer would help here also but mainly it's pretty similar to the rotary stuff. Make sure things are tight and straight. Clean and inspect for damage. Pretty common sense stuff.

Again the Cub is not as difficult to fly as some believe, you just have to understand how to fly it, hence the buddy box.

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

I have never flown a cub, BUT I can not see why you cannot learn to fly fixed wing with it - if you have an instructor like the others suggested. Even if you had a trainer you would be recommended an instructor. Go for it - the price seems good. But yes don't go flying fixed wing with the idea in your head it's the same as helis. Flying helis you will have a good idea of orientation and the controls - but I have flown helis before I flew a plane and it's not the same. However since I was familiar with the sticks and the orientation and put time onto a simulator I could solo my first flight on my US (stupid buddy cable didn't want to work lol).

Good luck and remember the most important thing - have fun.

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

I've never flown a cub either, but a plane that big should be pretty easy to learn on....Rog

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

The reason people say that a Cub is not a good trainer is that they can be a bit squirrly on takeoff, but mostly because they have that cockpit framing under the wing which can easily break in a mishap, where a "good" trainer will have rubber bands holding the wing on to help take a little punishment.

In your case, I think it will be fine.

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

It is a good deal and an excellent plane. Difficult to take off because its short fuse and large wings but once in the air she flies better than a trainer. I think trainers are more difficult to fly anyways. Good luck

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

Price is good but get somebody to put you on a buddy box until you are sure you can fly it.-BW

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

Thanks for all the replys guys but I talked to him and he sold it :( but i'll keep looking ....

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

Well in that case, go ahead and get a tower trainer and a .40-.46 whateverbrandyouwant engine and start off right....Rog
oh and check out the classifieds here and the bay and check with the local club,, alot of times people want to sell theirs and move up, but alot of times people like to keep their trainer just for fun....you'll see...

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

Cubs are more sensitve to your takeoff technique as mentioned, and they are corks in the wind. Since the OP is without a plane at the moment though, I'll chime in. For guys with some RC experience, I say skip the trainer and buy an Ugly Stick. Everybody makes one and all of them are good. They are easy to take off, easy to land, good in the wind, can do any aerobatics you want, and are really forgiving of bad piloting. The only gripe is that they don't have the training wheels to save you from yourself, but if you can pay attention to what the plane is doing then you'll be fine.

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

Go ahead & buy the Cub, but save it for your 2nd airplane. Buy a Goldberg Eagle II ARF or a Sig Senior & learn to fly on that first. These airplanes will be easier to fly than the Cub becasue their wings have dihedral & tricycle gear.

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

I would say.. The Solo ( By Hanger 9) would be a good one to start with...

RE: Is this a good first trainer ???
 

Hobbyzone Super Cub is a very good starter but it is a foam airplane though the z foam is very durable and you can use a glue gun to fix it.