Would like opinions on best starter Jet. I am looking for great value, but true value. Lower dollars only work best if they have bought something of quality that's reliable. Lower dollars for junk is just wasting money. Ease of flyability is probably the leading factor, mixed almost equally with quality/reliability of kit or arf, and then price. Money is somewhat of an object, but please don't let that prevent recoomending a great more expensve kit, or arf if it is truly a "value". Also I love a scale look, but again not an object to replace above needs.

I value your opinions. Thanks!

F-86, how about the Cermark F16 with a wren supersport? What kind of planes are you comfortable with flying right now? Anything fast? A baby boomerang would be good too. There is nothing cost effective or cheap about the jet hobby period. Dollar for dollar there are other places to find entertainment if cheap is the requirement. But it is quite fun and that is all I'm in it for. Good luck with your choice, there are many roads to the right first jet but it is littered with shills and reps. Get the one you like.

joe

Well it looks like the baby boomer is the benchmark for trainers. The only issue that I have with them is that they are TOO easy to fly. You can get complacent with them as it is almost impossible to get yourself into trouble in the air. Lots of wing area, a huge thick airfoil slows to a crawl and is really hard to stall.
But they are a great platform to learn the SYSTEMS of turbines, and the systems are a huge part of what causes new pilots problems. The brakes, fuel systems, starting gas systems and turbine are all right out there for you to see, work on and become familiar with.
When you step up to the next level and have your bandit arf-just remember that you cant land it at 20 mph and its best not to bank it over and yank on the elevator at the wrong time. Scott

I probably should have mentioned this in my original post, but I am definately not jumping into a Jet right now. I am researching for future purchase. I really need/want to learn all there is to know before buying one.


So here's so more questions:

Is there a publication or book where I can really study the inner workings of the RC Jets systems and setups? I belong to a club and am trying to learn as much as I can by watching the Jet guys. Hopefully there will be a Jet clinic soon.
I was thinking about buying a assembly manual from BVM just to study up. I called them and found out they run from 75. to 150. depending on the plane.

Thoughts?

BVM has the manual up for the Bandit to look at.........

click on the Bandit and at the top the link to the manual is right there............................BTW, i chose this plane as my first jet just from seeing one fly and the memories of Bob when i competed with him in Pylon racing back in the early 80's...............his Polecats were second to none in finish and detail, not to mention how fierce of a competitor he was. i'd trust anything i buy from him.

Look for a hotspot they are really good airplanes. They are inexpensive. The turbine is exposed so it will allow you a chance to get use to the operation of it. They will go very very fast but they will also slow down for some nice slow flight. They are forgiving if you make a bad landing. You can power it with a 14lb thrust turbine if you build it light or you can put a 28lb thrust turbine in it and have some fun. It is truly one of the most fun airplanes I have ever flown.

Patrick

Jetpower published a 'rookie' edition with good information. Check it out [link=http://www.jetpower-magazin.com/index.php?newlang=eng]here[/link]

Get the Elan, they should be arriving soon and I'm sure there will be a detailed build thread here on RCU.

http://www.boomerangjets.com/

IMO the best starter jets (with true jet performance) are the Rookie II and the BVM Bobcat. the Velox looks good too, but I can´t recomend it because I didn´t have flown one yet.

Another good starter jet is the F-15, as long you don´t make it in grey camo... this particular aircraft is not only easy to fly, but easy to setup up too, because it only needs elevons to fly, as this is one of the very few jets that didn´t need flaps or speedbrakes for landings.


Enrique

F86

I think the best way to get info on jets is to go where they are flying jets. I don't know where you live in CA but it seems as though there is a number of places where they fly jets quite often and they usually post here on RCU when they get together.

The easiest airframes to learn on are the Reaction 54 and the Boomerang.....you want scale? -the PST Panther!

None are speed demons, nor intented to be. There is lots to learn about flying jets without adding a high energy flying anvil to the list. Starting, care and feeding, throttle response, safety, support equipment, shut down.....oh, yes....landing....that is a big hurdle too! Put it all in a (relatively) docile airframe til you get comfortable with all aspects, then you can move on. There are more advanced jets with sparkling performance that will take you from there... but walk, before you try to run.

THe Panther is a good starter Jet? Wouldn't have guessed that as it looks fairly "thick" and heavy. I guess the straight wing lends more to the trainer spec.
I was just on their website (PST's) and as usual it is a confusing mess of a webpage. But what I did see that peaked my interest is the F-84!! Looks fantastic. It's nice to see a 'different" kind of Jet.

F86 - Wayne 22 is right about the Panther. If you want a scale jet, the Panther is easy to fly, and most importantly, an easy plane to land. It does not land real fast. I should know, I have about 25 flights on mine.

Having said all that, if scale is not critical to you, the Reaction 54 if you like to build, and the Baby Boomerang or Boomerang Elan if you don't like to build would be great choices for starting out in jets.

Bob

DITTO Edgar's reference to the "Rookie" book from Jetpower. I bought 5 or so other books in the search for info and felt they were mostly a waste of $$. But the Rookie book laid out LOTS of good info, answering many of my questions.

My other suggestion is to follow "build threads" here in the Jet forums for, say, the Baby Booomerang and the Rookie II. You'll find the answers to questions you haven't even considered. There are a lot of very smart guys here (and a few dummies) (like me)eagerly sharing critical info in other Jet forum threads too. Read, read, read.

Lastly, latch onto a couple of "jet daddies" from your local clubs. Hang out with 'em and you'll learn how to do this in a safe and fun manner.


Best of luck, Don.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaCP2FwBNOo

AWESOME VIDEO of the Panther, thanks. Looks great and sounds great. Looks like a nice smooth slower type flight. I sent a question to PST N. America about their ARF version of this. I think I'd rather do an arf and detail rather than build this up. Thoughts?

Dean is a great guy to deal with.....

F-86

It only comes in an ARF version (PST Panther).

Bob

Starting to narrow it down. I like both the PST Panther, and the Boomerang Elan or Baby Boomer.

Sooooooooooooo, HERE"S he big question. What's a better flyer for the beginner. I know the Boomer is less expensive, and it's REALLy an ARF (About 4 hours assembly on airframe before installs), whereas the PAnther is more of a composite kit, They call it arf but it will require about 40 hours. Not a knockout punch for me but my modeling on planes is limited.

Thanks to you kind gents here, I have videos of both the Panther Flying and the Boomer. Both look great but Boomerangs almost look like they are able to hover down to a landing. Incredible flyer, at least on these vids they have.

2 MAJOR things the Panther has going for it in my decsion is the fact that I love scale, and it was built at my old hometown aircraft manufactorer GRUMMAN. (Everybody's Dad worked there.) The kit seems beautiful too. Scale seems to be dead on.

OK put yourself in my shoes and vote.

Without a doubt in my mind, the easiest jet to fly is the Jetmach from Bob leserve - www.laser-design-services.com

This is probably the only jet thats easier to fly than the Boomer \ R54 !

Maybe this one?

http://www.rc-network.de/forum/showt...light=gonzales

http://fotoalbum.cncmodell.net/

comes as kit together with turbine for 1995 Euro

I vote Panther..........................

Given your constraints / preferences, it sounds like the Panther is the way to go........ (if everybody's Dad worked at Grumman, it should attract a lot of attention!)

skymaster f-15 only! http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=362

......and it looks like a jet!

I can attest that the PST panther is a very good flying plane. Could be a good trainer.

joe