This is the year!
 

Back in 2004 when I started looking at r/c airplanes the goal was to eventually fly a turbine. I've flown glow trainers, aerobats, giant scale, helicopters (glow/electric) but still have never flown a jet. This is going to be that year. I've posted here severl times asking questions each year as I edge closer and sorry if this is a rehash of anything I've asked before.

I'm very torn between a sport - Tamjets F-16 and the Boomerang Elan.

I know the Elan is going to be the easier, more versatile flyer but an F-16 has always been a dream.

Anyone love scale and gone the sport route only to be disappointed? Anyone gone the sport route to wish they'd gotten a sport-scale model?

RE: This is the year!
 

for the first jet, Great choice would be the Elan.... I can say this because I do have scale aircraft, Skymasters Hawk and L-39 and a couple of fun jets, the Facet2300 and the Boomerang XLII. for your first jet , the Elan will allow you to fly off of smooth strips to rough fields with very little problems. My advice would be, get the Elan, fly the heck out of it, learn to fly the jet. the hardest part about the Elan would be learning how the throtle responce is and how it is very differernt from anything you have ever flown. then next year go scale.......

just my .02 cents worth

Mark

RE: This is the year!
 

I agree. The Elan will get you in the grove. This airframe is great for beginners and seasoned pilots too. It is a great way to learn to deal with the complexities of turbine operations with out having to deal with a high workload scale model.

This is the best first choice and will serve as a great foundation for you to build your turbine experience.

RE: This is the year!
 

Not sure where you are flying down there. The Velox is also a pretty good flying plane, has a wide speed range and is pretty tame. There also happens to be a great deal on one in the classifieds section here, not to mention its close to you and would be a good fit I would think. I have seen it fly many times, can't go wrong for something to get into this section of the hobby.

RE: This is the year!
 

yes, but he didnt ask about the velox.......................

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The Velox, ahh yes the Velox....

If I owned a Velox, and I NEVER would, I would give it away. As a first time jet is about the worst recommendation I have ever heard, ever.

RE: This is the year!
 

He asked about something Sport (Bobcat, Flash, Velox, Etc..) F-16, or Elan... So with that being said, im going to give me two cents... I think the Velox would make a great platform to get into jets with. It has a great speed range from landing to 190mph high speed passes if you would like. It has an external engine setup which is nice for entry level and it looks nice.

Elan's, Boomerang's, etc don't teach you near as much about jet flying and I know im not the only one that has this view. They land like a tower trainer compared to anything else such as sport jets, scale, etc and this really hurts people that jump into their second jet thats say a heavy 1/8th F-16, etc. Now for some people this is what they need, but don't say that its a bad jet because its not. I have seen several people use aircraft such as veloxs, bandits, bobcats, etc as first jets.. It makes a better pilot and 10 years ago thats all we had.

Pair up with someone else thats already into jets and have them help you out no matter what you choose to purchase to get into the wonderful world of turbines, its always great to have a coach to let you know how your looking on those first approachs. Theres alot of helpful guys in the area, can't go wrong.

RE: This is the year!
 

I have been flying RC since 1953.

Been through it all Scale, Pattern, Imac, Electrics.

Back in the 60's Everyone envisioned being able to fly a jet with a transmitter which would give you proportional control. Last year I finally got into Jets. I chose the Boomerang Elan. What a great airplane. Flys like a pattern ship, just about lands by itself. You could not ask for a better airplane to introduce you to jets.

Go for it you won't regret it.

Stan

RE: This is the year!
 

I wish you lived in TX, Id have you learn on an F-16 in no time. As long as you have good eyesight, you can learn on a Tamjets.

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And the F-16 would be better than a Velox by a million miles!

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BTW, the F16 looks a lot meaner than it really is. Most f16 pilots will not accept it though (makes us look like jet jockies) :-)

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Yea the F-16 would be about equal, maybe a little harder to see at times, but that comes with flying jets. I remember along time ago the going first time jet was the old yellow F-16 with a .91 and dynamax.....

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I bet the 16 is not going to do the Cobra Maneuver on final....

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I bet either F16 or Velox lands like a real plane and not like a sig LT25.

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Well Shakes,
There is alot said here. I like flying the boomers and such for fun. But really, do you want a plane that lands itself? What exactly do you learn from that? The boomer types are great intro into jets for learning the jet part but not much for the flying part. Justin mentioned the Velox mostly because there is a smoking deal on one close by. I have flown that jet and the guy it belongs to, it was his first jet. He had a little coaching along the way as well, which we all recommend. It's mostly about what you want. If you want the 16, get it, they fly great. My first jet was a YA F-16 (df). If you want very easy get the boomer. If you want something in the middle for cheap get the velox that's 30 miles away and only needs a motor and rx.
Call me and we'll get together and you can fly my velox.

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Nawwww, I want to have the S**t scared out of me on every approach. Is this some kind of right to manhood event or is it a hobby to be enjoyed? I would rather not have unexpected activity on final, but thats just me....

I will say this, if you get proficient on the Velox before you total it, you will be able to fly just about anything.

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Well I must be a better pilot that I thought. I have about 200 flights on mine and no dirty drawers yet. I did have a cobra event once, but it was mostly my fault. I pushed a bad approach and got bit. I should have gassed it and went around. You see, I learned something on that flight.

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Most guys fly jets because its enjoyable, challenging, and the great comradery. You won't find a better group of guys then jet pilots. With that being said some people want a jet that lands its self... I guess they just like the sound of the engines ;) Then the others do it for the challenge and 7 minute rush of adrenaline we get from the second the wheels are up.

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Well, it's cool having the jet that can land it self, I mean I could have used that feature one time. But DANG, why would you spend the money for pretty much nothing, now I under stand if you have paid your dues to this hobby and to the sport of jet flying and need that extra help on landing. But man if the F-16 is what you want, I say GET IT. But if you want the plane that will land itself that cool too, I guess..... Remember it's you $$$$$$........

RE: This is the year!
 

Hey Randy,
I talked with you about this I guess 2 summers ago at a Fly-in in Hendersonville. You had your B-25 out there. I've always helped out with the races at Cane Ridge as well - we've talked, just not really on here to make a username/person connection. My name is Jarrod.

I didn't get to fly much last year due to work - so I got out and flew helis close by the house. My new years resolution is to fly more this year. I was leaning towards the Elan because I'm more used to lower wingloading on my Yaks. I figured the transition would a little smoother because of the size of the Elan too.

RE: This is the year!
 

I started with a Tamjet F-16 and had decent success with the plane. It's a great airplane and Tam provides really good customer service. I sold it after about 50 flights and got a CARF Flash. I was flying 3D/IMAC 40%ers at the time, so the Flash felt more familiar. It flies like a pattern plane and does awesome high alpha knife edge passes. Overall, I had more FUN with the Flash because it suited my flying style more than a scale jet.

In hindsight, I am sure my F-16 would not have been as abused if I had gone with the Elan first. :)

RE: This is the year!
 

Hey Jarrod,
The Elan is a great plane to start with and probably be the best suited for the Cane Ridge field. Learning to fly it will take you about 5 minutes. Just don't have the illusion that you can go from it to some heavy scale bird. It is a progression and is only limited by your wallet.

RE: This is the year!
 

Shakes:

I must agree with Falconwings, while the Elan would seem easier to fly to most because of the straight wing and relatively low wing loading, the F-16, be it TAMS or if you can find one a Cermark, would actualy be easier to land and fly than the Elan, as said before, it looks a lot meaner than it is, just do not overpower it, flying jets does not always mean fly fast. I bet you can stall an Elan before you stall any of the F-16's I mention, and you are more likely to bunny hop the Elan than you would the F-16, I have seen many other examples of the same, like the PST Panther, extremely easy to fly, so easy it's booooooring! but not as easy to land as a TAMS or Cermark F-16. I like the 16's so much after flying a Cermark that I'm building a Jetlegend 1/6 F-16 right now, very BIG...

STAY AWAY FROM THE VELOX as a first Jet...

RE: This is the year!
 

What he said!

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Thanks all. I am certainly not making the decision tonight and every bit helps. I can see the benefit of both sides of the argument. I know I'm not going to be able to have a fleet of jets so I would like something that I won't necessarily grow out of too fast.

Randy when are you guys planning on flying again in Madison? I will come up one weekend - easier to talk in person.