CTmike100

Just wondering if anyone else out there has purchased and/or flown this plane. I've got 2 flights on mine and I'm impressed. really impressed. I had an Electristar and hz super cub and the Apprentice puts them to SHAME. it's faster, has WAY longer flight times, and uses 2.4 ghz. Def the best ep trainer out there. here's a [link=http://www.e-fliterc.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFL2725]link[/link]

forrest225

I am looking for an electric trainer and i am considering the apprentice. Where your first flights solo or with a buddy box, how did assembly go, and does it seem durable.
Thank you for any help Sorry if it seems like i am attempting to high jack your thread

phillipmorris

As have this one now for several days will mention...

I've had the Apprentice well over a week now, several flights, its indeed a great flyer, love its size, tempting Night Flights, success so far....

Goes together extremely fast so be sure to charge the large lipo upon opening the box, only slight issue is the nose wheel, flex the cowling abit to tighten it in, no problem really, rest is just hooking servos already installed and adjusting the linkage, prop is pre-attached, wheels pop right in other than the mentioned nose gear, really a RTF unit ready to go...

Flights I find I use just over half to 2/3rd's throttle for best take off, some elevator and she goes up almost immediately, nose down slightly if needed and keep it straight out, very predictable flyer, plenty of power on the brushless, and ailerons as 4 channel, best to have a seasoned pilot on maiden flights, too much investment to lose on the first attempts...it is highly forgiving, will take some abuse, wheels won't come off on bumpy landings as the smaller parkflyers, this one is certainly heavy duty....you'll love it...BEST..<>...

Pssst, also this is not my first plane, many afraid its not quite the beginner because of the rather strong brushless motor and additional ailerons giving 4 channel, even its size is larger than many of the parkflyers, example with this strong of motor unaware newbie for one thing is likely to stand it right up on its tail stalling right into the turf, its glide ratio is rather long, so need some room at least on the maiden flights, so find an instructor and yep, its an excellent choice, Spectrum tech a bonus on high frequency a winner...<>..

forrest225

The size is not a problem, I have 1000 acres of private land available for my usage (grandmothers friends ).
My Dad will be an instructor for me because he flew nitros way-back-when.

Thank you for your help.

CTmike100

forrest if you pick up an apprentice, let us know how it goes

forrest225

no prob. Wish me luck!

CTmike100

here's a video I made with the Apprentice. hope you like bowie!
[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc5ZRXHgM]video[/link]

forrest225

link is broken

CTmike100

copy paste this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc5ZRXHgM

for some reason clicking on it doesnt work

MonteEvader

My Feedback: (1)

I just bought this. I picked up a Hobbico Cessna and it was terrible. One little wind took it right out of the sky. I replaced it with The Apprentice which I haven't flown yet but I know it'll be great. Here's my noob question. It says that you have to use a 12V source to charge the battery. What do you recommend? Doesn't a 12V battery need to be charged too?

CTmike100

the easiest way to connect the 12v charger to a power source is to attach it to a car battery (the charger comes with alligator clips)

tam popo

CTMike - I found the link - bloody hell mate, you CAN fly!!! I think you just /almost made my mind up - I want one!!! But I have a DX6i set-up and don't need the DX5 as I use the AR6200 full range RX's. I want one but PnPlay. I'll see my LHS and ask. A great Club trainer for those that only want to fly leccy at Clubs- I'm not a Club man but I would be tempted

Byeee.....

tam popo

Montevador - check your PC (if its a laptop!!) to see what the output is. I use my to charge 3S lipos up to 2200 with no problems. I never charge 'in-car' cos I like my 2 cars the way they are now, not smouldering wrecks[] Or see your LHS and get advice ona buying a transformer to o the same job. Ask the experts always.....good luck flying.

tubamike78

had i guy that just joined up with my club and he brought out the Apprentice, i checked it over good and took it up for it's first flight. plenty of power and is a nice flyer for someone just starting out. hooked up the dx5e to my dx6i for buddy box and he got the hang of it rather quickly, he's only flown on sim so for first flight he did good.

CTmike100

tam, thanks! I fly this plane as often as possible. I set the servo throw rates to max and can now perform aerobatics. I do inverted low fly-bys... no joke. for those of you pondering... get this plane!!!!!!! it's worth every penny

maiden-crash

Ive flown this plane, its a very cool not so little model. I can't believe the flight times and how slow it can fly, and its got decent power too. Horrible roll rate though, but its not exactly designed for aerobatics.

liquid1

I just recieved the Apprentice. WOW nice looking plane..Will work on the Sim for a bit before attempting first flight.

liquid1

Does anyone have a link for hooking the Specktrum 5 that comes with the apprentice I would like to plug directly in to my laptop like the FMS 0905A Esky does..Anyone with links info is it possible ..I have the FMS SIM and the ClearView Sim..Thanks in advance.

debay

My Feedback: (1)

Iposted a review in the user reviews. Ill give the shorter version here. Im a self taught pilot. Ibought an ebay special some years ago and finally figured out how to get it airborne. Iflew till I couldnt get parts anymore. Then Iwas out of the flying bid for several years. I got the itch again and bought the Firebird Phantom. Nice little RTF flyer for 65 clams. Once I got it nailed down Irealized Igotta go bigger. I want ailerons. Ive used Realflight in the past, but now I use clearview(I cant afford RF). Up until the Apprentice, Ihave never flown a real aileron plane before. Only sims. No, I dont think self teaching is the right thing for everyone. Because it worked for me doesnt mean it will work for you. Use yor own judgement. If you dont mind dropping 300 clams on a fresh pile of styro foam chunks, go right ahead. Either I have a shred of talent, or Im lucky. Either way, Im flying.

When Iopened the box I was expecting a nice smooth finished looking plane. Iknew it needed assembly, but I thought the foam would look....finished. It still has its bumps, mold markings, and little tabs everywhere. The hinges for the control surfaces were just compressed foam. I was curious as to how long they flex before they pop. Iwas dubious about its quality. If not for the reviews Ihave already read I might have changed my mind and went with the NEXSTAR electric trainer. So I assmble it and follow the clear simple to read instructions. No problems at all. For a chunk of shaped foam it looks nice. The fuselage has a nice Cessna look and the big oversized wing almost reminds me of a squared off Piper Cub. Im used to little 180 brushed electrics. This thing has a size 15 brushless outrunner and a 5 foot wingspan. I was immediately intimidated. Iwaited a few days for good flying weather and took it out. I was scared to death. No mentor, no guide, no coach. Just me, a wide open sod farm, and my money sitting there in front of me. Ihad to give her a little push to get the front wheel rolling over the grass. When I bought it, I purchased bigger wheels for the back. but not the front. I guess I got too excited. So she's taxying, not perfectly straight, but rolling and then up elevator and bam!!...no I didnt crash, Iwas in the air circling the field. Iwas soo nervous. Ikept telling myself, no aerobatics, just fly and land. That thing flew like there was no tomorrow. I couldnt get over how well it handled. Smooth, crisp, and predictable. I flipped on the low rates to keep from snapping too hard after a few harsh over corrections. Then Icame in for my first landing. She came in low and I slowly killed the throtle till she was a dead prop and coasted her down into the wind for a near textbook landing. I could have fainted. I doubled checked to make sure everything was all lined up and took off again. A few check out laps, and now its on. At somewhere around 70% throttle she was pulling through loops like she was on rails. Rolls werent crisp, but she does them. Its a trainer, not a stunt plane. My control horns are set for rookies, so Im thinking that once I get it all down pat Ill change it up and see if she rolls any better. After I glue in some carbon fiber strust that is. Igot three seperate short flights out of her and three successful landings. I was both amazed and proud. The plane nearly flys itself. Its super fast, super quiet - I wasnt ready for that, my 180 sized Phantom is twice as loud, and stable. She is worth every penny I paid. I cant wait to keep racking up flight time. Get this plane if your looking for a good trainer. And use good judgement. A run of good luck, a little experience, and a simulator are ok, but not always(or often) enough for everyone.

phillipmorris

This one is a beautiful large ship, nice job on this one, it needs to have the correct COG Center Of Gravity, and intrim, have those ailerons flush, mine flew fantastic but I did have prior flying experience, if its your first aileron advise to have some assistance on the maiden, its important not only to have it set up correctly, but the aileron responses are abit different than example the 3 channel planes strongly suggested as starters before this one. Nothing like having a sizeable ship for nice visibility..ground launches and hand launch terrific....you won't go wrong on the selection of this ship...

For added info my favored models todate and progression of learning flight

Super Cub, amazing starter, later Night Flights, a grand opener
Apprentice, several flights on this one, huge and wonderful first aileron
Nexstar Mini, 44 inch, small some speed for a high wing, fun, balsa, love it
Eflite Alpha Sport 48 inch, balsa models fly amazingly well, penetrates winds as the Nexstar, great ship
Hangar 9 Mentor, flaps, ailerons, lands like an airliner, my top model todate, unbelieveable, balsa

Raycamaro

Can anybody offer a comparison between the E-Flite Apprentice and the E-Flite Mentor?

Gerry M

I too have purchased an E-Flite Apprentice 15e to get back into R/C flying after an absence of 30 years (gave up R/C gas flying in 1975 to get a pilot's licence and flew my own Cessna 172 since then).

I was well and truly out of touch with the R/C scene and didn't even know electric R/C even existed 5 years ago!

The apprentice is all set to go and I'm just waiting for the weather and a suitable opportunity for the maiden flight. I'm doing time with the FMS flight simulator to try and get back up to speed.

There are two modifications I have made to the Apprentice before even getting airborne.

First, the field I'm planning to use is pretty rough grass so I've put 2 1/4 in. wheels on the mains and a 2 1/2 in. wheel on the nose to try and keep the prop out of the weeds and prevent it going over on its nose.

Second, I noticed that the blue battery connector (not sure what they are called) was not fully connecting during one of my tests, even though I thought I had pushed it together with some force, and the transmitter lost connection with the receiver. So, I replaced the connector with a Deans Ultra.

I don't mind admitting that I'm getting quite nervous about giving it a go again.

I'll just pick a calm day, try and take it easy, and hope for the best!!!

AV8TER65

Gerry,
Congrats on picking the Apprentice. This was my first bird ever and i love it. Still have it but have moved on to some different type birds. I made a tail dragger out of mine, but it was no steerable. Looks good, and would work good on payment, but i to fly out of a rough field and that is exactly the size tires i have before the mod.

Good luck, I crashed mine about 6 times and she still flies. Needed some new cowlings, motor mounts and a ton of Foam Safe Glue and tape, but she is good to go.

Marvin Thiele

AV8TER65

Here is a pic of mine.

fmw

I own an Apprentice. It is the plane with which I solo'ed. I have good and bad to say about it - mostly good. I'll start with the bad. As withmost PNP models, the manufacturer has cut some corners in terms of quality. I've encountered two problems because of it. The first is that the clevises that connect the control rods to the servo horns are cheap and weak. The one that connects the nose wheel has been particularly irritating and causes me to lose steering on the ground. A loose nose wheel cause a nose over on takeoff one day. Normally, that isn't a problem but it is with planes, like this one, that have plastic motors. The magnet housing on the motor cracked even though the prop came out of the nose over unscathed. I had to throw the motor out. I replaced it with an E-Flite Power 25 which is about the same size physically but is more powerful. I used the original prop, however, to keep performance about the same. So my complaints relate to the complaints I have about virtually all RTF and PNP models - cheap shortcuts. The E-Flite Power 25 motor, unlike the stock motor, is of high quality and has presented not a single problem for me.

The only other mod I've made other than replacing the motor, ESC and clevises is tomount larger (2 1/2")wheels. Our club field is grass and the larger wheels make it easier to deal with it.

On the plus side, I can't say enough good about this airplane as a trainer. While I used it with an instructor and a buddy box, I was able to solo it with about 20 hours of simulator time and less than an hour of actual flight time with the plane. It is more powerful than most trainers and that's a plus for getting out of trouble (or getting into it.) It has a very stable wing that will not tip stall. It stalls very controllably. The model has ailerons for better control than the typical 3 channel trainer. Beginners that have a programmable radio can program in conservative dual rates and the plane will behave very pleasantly. You can go to high rates and do most aerobatic maneuvers with the plane after you have gained more skill. If one prefers a true 3 channel plane, the beginner can tape the ailerons and connect the rudder to the aileron channel. The wings have enough dihedral to fly this way. I don't recommend it since I think beginners should learn to use ailerons - but it does work.

Also the plane is larger than the typical park-flyer-sized trainer. That makes it more stable in the wind and generally easier to fly. My instructor has had two students with Apprentices. He says the two of us learned faster than any other students he has ever taught and he thinks the Apprentice is part of the reason. He considers it the best trainer he has ever used. I would have no argument with that. Now that my Apprentice has a good quality motor, I think it's an oustanding plane - trainer or otherwise.