Darn...pressed "New Thread" instead of "Post Reply"
 

I pressed the wrong button...this posting was supposed to be in reply to "Newbie Please Help" :stupid:

Newbie Help Please!!
 

Nothing wrong with the LA series if they are taken for what they are:A plain bearing,easy starting,economical 2 stroke,with a decent idle and transition,meant for begginers clumsy handling,or at the most a modest powerplant for moderate sport flying,at a cheap price.I have one for training purposes and always thought the stock muffler quite effective......

LA Series Engines...
 

IMHO, I like the LA series of engines. Not only are they cheap to buy, they are easy to break in, easy to maintain and if they are treated properly, they will run forever. I still have my .40 LA that I used on my 1st trainer, and it still runs great! Granted, they aren't "barnburners", but they do the job they were intended to do, and that is to provide the end user with something that is reliable and easy to use.

Newbie Help Please!!
 

I have a 2 year old PT60 trainer with the OS 65LA and I love it. It has never failed on me and it has been flown a ton. If I had to do it again, I would do it the same way.

Jeff Cottrell

Newbie Help Please!!
 

I don't see anyhitng wrong with the LA series engines. It is an engine that is made to go in the airplanes that are not performance planes such as trainers. They are also great engines for people who don't want to spend too much money.

LA series is fine
 

Ninefingers,

I agree with your post, all except the part about the engine for a trainer. I think it would be better to spend the $50 difference between the FX and the LA on getting a computer radio. I have both the 40 LA (on my trainer) and an FX (on my GP Tracer). The LA has never let me down, and it has taught me a lot about the basics of engine tuning and care. Though the FX is a great engine, I think it really not a necessary expense for a trainer.

Zee

Newbie Help Please!!
 

There are many LAs that power trainers at my field and most of them run fine, but compared to my TT GP 42, both the OS 40 and 46 LAs seem to make significantly less power. One guy has a 46 on his Superstar 40 and it struggles to get the plane airborne off our clubs grass field. My Avistar leaps into the sky in about a quarter of the distance... If you're looking for a cheap ($50) brushing engine, take a look at the TT.

Newbie Help Please!!
 

Alright, here I go about Neebes buying cheap stuff. Sure everyone wants to save a few bucks. But is it worth the aggrevation. The FX series are proven powerful, easy to set up and maintain. I got caught in the Magnum /old used motor thing like most new flyers and I would waste valuable time when I got to the field trying to get me engine working right.

Besides that, are you really saving money when you are going to have to upgrade to a better engine eventually anyway. Now you had to buy two engines instead of one. FXFXFXFXFXFXFXFXFXFXFXFXFXFXF!!!!!!!!

ok, thats my speech about new flyers buying cheap stuff ;)

Newbie Help Please!!
 

I think it really all depends on the level of commitment. Do you want to get into the hobby for the long or the short haul? I think if it is just on a whim --go cheap, but if it turns out to be something that is to your liking then get better stuff later. But if it was just a whim and really don't like the hobby then not much lost (don't forget resale though).
Just my thought --- I jumped in with both feet right off the bat.
Good thing I liked it!!

Newbie Help Please!!
 

personnaly, i've scene the same senario repeated in most of my other hobbys (astronomy, full scale drag racing, rc nitro touring, rc 1/8 scale off road).

astronomy; spend more on your eyepieces than your telescope, you'll have them for more than one telescope.

rc cars; don't buy the arf with bushing and a crummy motor, but get the kit with bearings and good picco or nova rossi motor.

airplanes; i bought the lt-40 kit and a .46fx and futaba 9c knowing i could swap the motor into my next kit (probobly a 4*40) and that the radio would (foreseably) last a lifetime.

heck if i wanted to give up some hobbies, the teleview eyepieces and 9c radio could probobly be sold for 90% of their purchased value. probobly would pay $80ish for a lightly used .46fx.

i doubt (informed) people are jumping all over even slightly used la motors.

Newbie Help Please!!
 

Most people I know still have their tainers and by th time they go for a 2nd plane they buy a new plane AND a new engine.... few people change gear from one plane to the next.
The LA is a rugged engien that receives a lot of bashing by modellers who (reasonalbly) are way beyond trainers and so feel the need for speed.
My 40 LA's work fine in my son's eagle and my skyvista no dirt, grime, water or hits have made them unreliable....now for my club dancer I will put a .53 Irvine........
Again I believe the dizzing array of engines and trainers and radios sometimes misleads the beginner into "this trainer being better than the other" most if not all are good trainers and most engines stay put in their trainers!!!
NOw a radio is where some $$$ COULD (and y repeat could) be worth investing extra since they have several model's capabilities.
Best Regards,
Patrick

Newbie Help Please!!
 

I think this debate could go on forever. Which is fine.

Newbie Help Please!!
 

SwampFLier said: ."....most engines stay put in their trainers!!! "

I agree with you SwampFLier....unless you are strapped for cash, when you go to your 2nd plane, you are going to be upgrading your engine too and wont be pulling out your LA...

The 46LA is a good engine for a trainee's needs. The guys who like FX FX FX FX FX FX , no skin off my nose! :D

Excuse me while I go and polish my LA! :sunsmiley

Newbie Help Please!!
 

hey,
I suggest that you get the Hobbico Superstar Select. It is the greatest flying airplane that I know of for a trainer. You should put the 40. LA in it. It is one sweet flyin' airplane! Good luck, and have fun!

Corey Reese

good trainer
 

I have owned an Lt-40 trainer for about three years and it was the plane I learned to fly on. Equipped with a .46 fx it is a great trainer and has plenty of power. Mine was clocked on a radar gun at 116mph. As for the radio if you want to start cheaply get a Hitec Flash 5x or Laser 6. If you have the money get a Hitec Eclipse or Futaba 9ca.

Let's get back to radios...
 

Let's face it, we are all established fliers. It is easy for many of us to say "I should have bought a better radio." As they say, "hindsight is 20/20". But let's go back to the days when we first started.

Did you know what kind of flying you would be doing?

Did you know what features you'd need in a radio?

Could you AFFORD to go out and buy the best radio on the market? ESPECIALLY when you didn't know whether or not you would stick with it?

Newbies, my advice is to buy a good 4 channel radio with trainer cord capabilities. What brand? All of the brands mentioned here are good, so the only thing I would suggest is to go to your local field and talk to the guys there. They will be teaching you. And you need to have the same brand as the guy who's transmitter you will be using your trainer cord with.

Why 4 channels? Because that all you NEED to get started. "But" you say, "I want a plane with retractable landing gear!"

You are not ready for a plane with retracts. And going by statistics, you won't be for a long time. Sure there are many guys who soloed their first day out. But they are the exception to the rule. For every one of them, there are 200 guys who didn't solo in their first season, and 500 guys who washed out and gave it up. Besides, I have 7 radios, 2 of them are 4 channels and of the 4 that are 6 and 8 channels, 2 of them are using 6, and three are using 4. Look at the picture below. ALL of these airplanes (and thousands more) can fly on 4 channels!

THEN, when the day comes that you are ready for something new, a 6 channel radio makes a WONDERFUL Christmas (or birthday/anniversary/conformation/Bar Mitzvah) gift! Everyone in this forum has their own opinion on any given subject, but one thing I'll bet they'd ALL agree on is that they wouldn't mind seeing a 6 channel radio under the Christmas Tree!

So now, you have TWO radios! One for your new plane and one for your "every-day-throw it in the car-and fly the wings off it" plane.

It's a win - win situation :)

Newbie Help Please!!
 

My girlfriend asked for my help in suggesting a flight trainer setup.

She has a Sig Kadet Lt-40 that she built, a Thunder Tiger Pro46 for ample power and a Hitec Flash5 radio.

Everyone is different, but for her, this is a nice package to learn on. Good value for the money.

Happy flying. Tom

Re: good trainer
 

How in the world did you get your LT-40 up to 116? Clip the wings? Streamline the fuselage? Put on a thin fully symmetrical wing on? Use a 91FX? Dive straight down from 1000 ft at full throttle?

Most flat bottom wing trainers' top speeds are heavily drag limited. I had a TT 46 Pro in my Avistar which designwise is probably capable of a little more speed than the LT-40 and I'd say at level flight, it'd pull 65-70mph using a 10x7 prop... I put the same motor on my cleaner Dragon Lady (fully symmetrical low wing) and that plane may just hit 85mph. And my very clean P-51D with retracts may top out at 95-100 or so mph with the gears up... Me thinks that you need the to gets that radar gun calibrated ;)

Lt-40 at 116
 

To get to 116 mph I had do dive steeply from about 300-400 ft with a stiff tail wind. The plane has no modifications and experienced only a momentary loss of aileron control due to a loose aileron servo.

Newbie Help Please!!
 

Back to the "what should I start out with question"

My $0.02.

Go to the local club, find out what radios, airplanes, engines they recommend learning on. Do this before you spend any money. As a beginner you do not need to break the bank to get started.

A 4 channel radio will probably fly all of the aircraft you will be capable (skill) of flying for at a bare minimum of the first 12 to 24 months. (and this is if you burn a lot of fuel). You do not need a 6,7,8,computer,etc. radio system to learn on. Especially if you don't know if this is the hobby for you. Too many people get out of this hobby before they learn to land. What good would it have done them to purchase a $300 radio system when a $140 radio system would have been sufficient. If you advance very fast, and are sure this is the hobby for you, then go get the computer radio. But you will have a much better idea at that time as to which one to buy because of the type of flying you will be doing.

As far as motors go, there are many good motors which do not cost a lot of money.

Many clubs will recommend a certain trainer vs. another for many valid reasons.

A little time spent at your local flying club now will save you $$$ in the near future.

Good Luck and Welcome to the Hobby. :D

Newbie Help Please!!
 

Well, I gotta start some where, may as well be here. Haven't
put anything together that is serious, and want to get into
RC control....

I got a Dragon Lady...that something that I can learn to fly?

Newbie Help Please!!
 

old-ham38 hi and welcome to RCU. if you have a question then i would suggest just making a new thread you might get more answers. i new myself so i cant help to much yet. i read just about everything so thats how i found this. it been almost 9 month since last post here.. good luck spooner

Newbie Help Please!!
 

f2racer is right about the Worldstar 40.
The plane is soooo very easy to build, do not need any balancing, and with a tt46 and Futaba 4VF is a fantastic choice.
Even more, this is a plane that can take you to acrobats with safe and fun.

Newbie Help Please!!
 

goscoopthecoop

With all the advice you have seen the only thing you should do is find a club and talk to the members. Don't be in a hurry to purchase equipment. This will make your rc experience more enjoyable.

Newbie Help Please!!
 

I am new too, still building my trainer, yes building. I am with a local club and listened to several people there. They said nothing can take the place of building from a kit, it gives you the experience to put it back together when the need comes. I am building the PT40 MKII and it is very easy to build. The unfortunate thing is that nobody sells a kit of building supplies for beginners. You will spend more on building a kit than an ARF. I know this now and do not know if I would have built a kit if I knew this before. But it has given me a reason to take my time, do a great job, except for the fuse being covered with CA, and gives me plenty of time to go to the field to ask questions and see others crash, I mean fly. You can learn alot from listening to others learn. It also gave me time to search ebay and rc universe for things for sale at a reasonable price. I was going to jump in with both feet and buy a Futaba 9caf, but found a Futaba Attack 4 channel with receiver and servos for only $80.00 here. I also bought a second trainer that had a lot of field equipment with it from ebay for a good price. I got a nice working OS Max 40 FP for less than $50.00. I know it is the older one, but had people at the club test it, and they are satisfied. Sure, you run risks with buying used stuff online, but on a tight budget, it can help. I think once I get past training, I will have the money saved up for a better radio, a better engine and a better looking plane.
PS: If thinking about helicopters at all, I would suggest what I have been suggested, Real Flight G2 simulator. Although this is not in my budget yet, the local hobby store lets me use it frequently. Thank you and there is my 2 cents.