XDeathReborn

Not having an instructor, and having only a friend (who's a good flier) to help me, I was looking for something that just wouldn't break easily. I found the Duraplane 20 Trainer, but I don't really like nitro (I have experience in electric boats and cars, no nitro). Is it possible (hopefully using brushed, I don't like the idea of paying 200 dollars for brushless, but if I must, I must) to convert the plane to electric? The plane comes just with what I need to build it. The plane doesn't need to be fast, just a slow, stable plane that can hopefully take a bit of abuse.

If not the duraplane, is there another plane that's electric and a trainer that can take a serious beating? I know I'm gonna crash land my plane a lot, but I don't wanna pay 40 dollars a month for an AMA instructor

Matt Kirsch

My Feedback: (21)

Don't let him kid you. If your friend's a good flier, he's an instructor. It's not that huge a leap from flying the plane to holding a dead-man switch and watching someone else fly. All he has to do is pay attention and let go of the switch when you get in trouble. His fingers will take over to save the plane automatically.

Frankly, you want an aircraft that's built to fly, not built to crash. A brick is built to crash, if you get my drift... Those "dura-planes" tend to come out heavy because they use high-density foam, heavy plastic, and thick aluminum for construction materials. Any "affordable" electric solution (i.e. brushed) will make the plane even heavier and will probably end up underpowered.

Your friend's probably got you thinking you need a BIG plane to learn to fly. Check out the GWS Slow Stick. It's ideal for what you want to do. Using the philosophy of "bend, not break" versus the "bombproof" philosophy used on the SturdyBurdy/Duraplane, the GWS Slow Stick is relatively resilient in crashes. It's ultra-affordable; you can get the whole thing for a little over $200, including motor, battery, charger, and radio gear.

XDeathReborn

Just a quick note, me and my friend don't have a buddy system between us, which is one of my reasons for worry...

Uhh, no offense, but I don't want to start out with a stik. I think it's OK, but I'd rather have something that looks pretty decent in flight >_>.. I'm not trying to start a debate on stiks, it's just not what I'm looking for.

If I have to go brushless, for the .20 trainer, would it cost over 200 dollars?

If the duraplane just won't work converting, is there any kind of plane that is durable enough to take a few crashes? Also... Is it possible to take a foam plane (like http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXUG61&P=7) and make it stronger ( I was thinking fiberglass cloth, or using PVC pipe to reinforce it)?

Thanks,
X-Death

ChopperMike

The cost of a brushless setup for a 20 size conversion will be at least $200. If you're looking for a durable trainer to learn to fly without a buddy box you need to think light wing loading like a slow stick or similar. Light weight is what makes them crash worthy, less mass hitting the ground. It also makes them able to be flown slower. You don't want a fast flying airplane for a trainer, which is what you get with something like a Duraplane.

I wouldn't recommend a Duraplane or similar to anyone wanting to get into flying R/C, it's a crappy airplane. They don't fly well and they'll still break if you crash then hard enough. The key to crashworthy airplanes is light weight, which is where airplanes like the slow stick come in. I'm not sure what you mean by "looks pretty decent in flight". Are you talking about the appearance of the airplane or it's flight charactersitics? You can't choose an airplane to train on based on whether it looks like a real airplane, if that's what you meant. Most people have the desire to fly a P-51 or biplane or whatever, but you can't learn on something like that. Whether it's a slow stick or something else, light weight is the key. Fiberglassing may make it stronger but also adds weight and now you're back to the Durabrick concept.

Hope this helps,

Mike

nimitz

Hello all..I would recommend a superstar eplane[tower hobbies]..They fly real nice and slow,cost around a 100.00 bill plus you need servos and a radio..I got two,One is electric the other I put a 25 os motor on it..Both are really nice trainer airplane..Small field flyers also..

The firebird type plane is nice,also..

Just my 02 cents,Tnx,nimitz

StephenT

XDR


Get a Soarstar from Horizon Hobby for $120.00 everythings included except the radio and then get a low cost 3 or 4 channel radio w micro servos for about 80 bucks. Start flying over tall grass and go easy on the controls.

If your friend won't teach you find someone else. When my son was 13 years old he was helping 70 year olds learn to fly and he had been soloed for only a few months.