A number of turbine pilots I've spoken with in person have expressed suggestion that I spend some time flying EDF before migrating on to full turbine. Basically it's the "step" and not a "leap". So I'm taking this suggestion to heart from those with experience. I don't think I'm ready for a leap...exactly yet. And one thing I think most of us in this hobby have learned is when your in a hurry, unnecessary risks are taken which many more times than not end in mishap/crash. Yeah, I'm that guy who shows up to the airfield and hangs out an hour or so and enjoy watching everyone else fly before I get in a flight or two, three, four.... cause, I've learned.....don't be in any friggin hurry.

I think the Habu 32 is a good platform since it's a rather small plane but with an 8S system, it will give me some hands on experience with ducted fan, just electric for right now. The Habu, from what I understand does have a snap characteristic, more so than a standard say the typical low wing nitro a/c. From what I've researched so far, the Habu can be a bit of a challenge for those who have only flown nitro and electric prop a/c. I need a gradual step in that direction. Going from nitro and electric prop right to turbine would probably have me so nervous, I'd crash the b@^%ch right from the start.

Its just depends on what you want to fly. I fyou want to get into "Real jets" such as a nice sport jet or a scale jet, I would fly the crap out of heavy EDF first.
I think that is better than a trainer turbine jet. Those dont really fly like jets and wont teach you "much" in terms of flying. Too many people buy trainer turbines and never move off of them. Most I see flying cool jets were flying cool stuff as EDF or heavy warbirds.


A habu 32 is a good start, it has retracts, flaps, and it does actually snap or stall. Try to get a heavy 5000 Mah 40C lipo in there.
Other good ones are the hobbyking fiberglass stuff or the HET stuff. While not great quality, they are heavy and once powered fly very similar to a turbine jet.

I have a small HET jet and it is harder to fly and land than any turbine jet I have owned.

Dont laugh, BUT, I have a small foamie cessna from flyzone hobby. The original red one, not the new "select" one. I still have it today and have yet to land it more than a handful of times without breaking it. So heavy, square foot of wing area, brushed motor. PERFECT for learning energy managment. It snaps hard and requires every manuever to be carefully planned. Stall out and you need alteast 100 feet to recover, like a turbine jet!

http://allaboutfunhobbies.com/store/...oducts_id/3794

Energy management is not the only thing to learn, but IMO the hardest as it affects both flying, stalling, and landing. Land them too fast, they break. Land too slow they stall.

Great information and suggestions. Yeah, this Habu I'm working on will be a bit on the heavier side compared to the completely stock setup. I'm setting it up for 8S and I've also given it a custom paint job and added retracts. These things add a bit of weight to it. On the fuse I sanded the factory paint down to basically the silver primer coat. The factory Habu has a clear coat so I sanded through that and the paint. The only thing I'm painting on the wings and horizontal stabs is the red portions on the top sides. My paint job may probably be just a hair heavier than the stock. I'm used to flying a little on the heavy side of things anyways since I've been flying a SIG Kougar on the heavy side since running a much larger engine than factory specs and since I built this myself, I did add some additional materials to critical areas So my Habu's going to be a little bit heavier then the stock unit. So as you mentioned, It will be a terrific platform for me in regards to getting some hands-on with energy management along with the stalling and landing experience. Another thing this Habu will give me is experience with airflow over the airframe. The typical nitro planes I've been flying has a prop which sends air over the wings without ground speed. The Habu, like a turbine, has to gain ground speed/airspeed before airflow is sent over the wings. This will give me experience with greater takeoff rolls.

And I understand about the small foamie thing you mention. I also have what I call a "guilty pleasure" but mine is in the form of the Parkzone Stryker. I love the nose dives from high alt and then flying by a few feet off the ground at full throttle. Main attraction for me is the speed of it. Much faster than I had anticipated it would be. Fun stuff and I don't mind taking unnecessary risks with it. The Habu will be a different story in that aspect however.

The habu 32 doesn't need any modification or reinforcement to the wings or stabs to reach high speeds. There is nothing wrong with them, although taping the gaps between wings and fuse will get you more speed.
One way to get more speed and better sound on the cheap, is to drop a Wemotec EVO 11 blade rotor on the stock fan and run the stock motor.
It stays light, and with a lot of throttle management and Tam's heatsink even 7's is doable.

Why not settle on the stock setup and later move over to turbine power?

If you're flying a heavy sig kougar already all you're really doing with the habu is spending turbine money on an unnecessary jet. The kougar is a good transition already. I agree that turbine trainers don't really give you the jet feel, but a flash with a P70 would be great for a first jet without spending the money on edf. I started with glow ducted fans because turbines didn't exist. My first turbine "trainer" was a kangaroo which was a great airplane that still felt like a jet. Not floaty and easily forgiving like a reaction. Having said that a reaction 54 is a great all around airplane. I think edf is cool if you WANT to fly edf, but if turbines are where you want to be, edf is a waste of money IMO.