piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

Lots of variety here.

AH64DR

A true beater plane is, one that your buddy lets you fly when you want!

He has a US Aircore Corostar or something like that name. It has been through hell and back at fun flies and what not. It had a pretty good accident a few years ago back on a fun fly called the looping limbo, just the name of that fun fly say's it all. We had to try and loop it around a PVC pole stretched across the runway 10 feet in the air the one that could do the most loops around the pole in 10 minutes was the winner! The Corostar ate one of the vertical poles holding the horizontal bar. It ripped about 10 inches off one of the wings, but with some dental floss stiching and contact cement it was up and flying the next weekend. It is a true beater!

happypappy

My Feedback: (10)

Skater - The Slow Poke will take a fair amount of wind. Nice thing about it is that when the wind is blowing you can take off and land crossways on the runway if ya' like! There have been days when I did that with it due to too much crosswind on the runway. Have had it hanging almost motionless into a good breeze. With 1,050 Sq. In of wing you can definitely have some fun with it.

redipsekud

My Feedback: (6)

I got a couple of beaters,ones a tufflight 4-D witch can take a very lot of abuse and the other ones aMiniUltraStick that i stripped off everything i could off it ,i'll tell you what,them 2 are the funnest planes in my hanger! im gettin pretty good at flying in the wind

chashint

Beater ???? Hummmmmm ......
I guess this means you don't care about it, but it is still fun to fly and gets its fair share of airtime.
I guess right now for me it would be a high wing Sky Raider 40 ARF (only $76 including tax) flies real nice, will do some tricks.

turbo.gst

My Feedback: (8)

Chashint,

You just descibed the perfect airplane.

turbo

skiman762

gotta put my vote on the modeltech magic 3d if it's moving it's flying

bkdavy

My Feedback: (1)

I second the vote for SPADs. Beater planes by definition! My favorite is my own design. I call it the Simple Plastic Low Wing Aerobatic Trainer (SPLAT) for short. Thunder Tiger GP 61 on the nose, and everybody that watches if fly is amazed. If I crash it (and I have many times) I can rebuild it in about 2-3 hours (and I have many times!).

Brad

MNFLYER

The Aivstar Select I bought for our club as the trainer, I would have to say is the best beater. It has taken a bearbed wire fence 2 or 3 times, has hit the ground, and I just counted 14 patches on the wing, 4 on the fuselage, still no replacement parts were ever added, just used duct tape or some old monocote. As to the spads, Scott the owner of Brillelli engines is always out at our field with them. They are alot of fun, but he has cracked engines before on landing, because he was flying in 20 mph wind with his.

Deadeye

After three years and 400+ flights, my beloved Cor-Star 60 is still my favorite 'beater' plane. I've got 15 flyable airplanes, but if I had to give them all up but one, I would keep the Cor-Star. I just recently accidentaly taught myself how to flat spin with this plane last week. A friend counted 18 spins a few days ago before I finally pulled out 60 feet above terra firma.

It's the most fun I've ever had for $40 (cost of material in airframe).

s. wallace

My Feedback: (24)

Tim, that design was my favorite all around flyer for years as well. It is an Ace 4-40, designed by Doc Matthews and kitted by Ace in the mid 80's. There was a construction article in MA also. They were designed around the low power 40 4 strokes of the day, which is why yours flys well on an OS 30.
At one time I had one with a Saito 45, and had buddies with them using the OS non-Surpass 40 and Enya 46.
All flew great...another kit I wish they still made.
They were also kitted in 20, 60, 120 and biplane 40 sizes.

TimC

Thanks for the info Lotus72D. I think mine is the 20 size.

Stubshaft

An old SPad3DT that I made years ago. Take a licking and keeps on ticking.

Eugoogoly

My Vmar Apache 2 or as its known at the field "Patches" due to the multitude of colours covering holes. A great wee trainer I bought 2nd hand for next to nothing. Not the most agile but an absolute rocket with a .52 2 stroke.

LonestarMan

Before it decided it didn't love me anymore do to the Long John .40 and NextStar .40 arriving at the hangar, it was a SIG Kadet Senior w/ a GP/Magnum/Thunder Tiger .65 for an engine.[] Luckily I still have a ANIB one left otherwise I'd be [sm=cry_smile.gif]. It just decided to fly away one day..Prolly in Afghanistan by now being used as a drone or UAV

Scott Ellingson

My Feedback: (146)

Mine has to be my Modeltech Majic with an OS .46 AX and an APC 12.25 x 3.75 prop. It takes off in 4 feet, goes strait up forever, looks ugly as he--, and flies like a dream. It has been swimming in the lake twice dipping the tail in the water, it has crashed so many times it is more gorilla glue than balsa, but still it flies great. It is cheep, lite, an very durable. If I could only have 1 plane, that one would be it. The .46 starts with a backwards flip on the spinner nut every time. It flat spins like a frisbee, it rolls so fast it is funny, and it harriers like crazy. Just an all around fun little plane. I actually have 2 of them. One is a spare for when the first one finally dies

The Raven

Seagull Boomerang 40 with a 47GMS in it. While the GMS is a recent addition the airframe has over 250hours of thrashing on it (as much as a 40LA will thrash).

With the GMS47 I've discovered that the plane has a max speed it just cannot go any faster than. With an 11x6 doing high speed dives I feel like Chucky trying to break the sound barrier, I just can't make it go any faster but boy that prop sings.

Will definitely buy another when this one goes. Hopefully it will gracefully vaporise in the air rather than suffer a crash.

lalaland

Goldberg Falcon lll - OS 40 FX w/rudder and elevator only. Over 650 flights.

Flys very fast. Favorite manuver is turning 180 degrees with the wing tip 1 foot above the ground.

I refuse to part with this lil beater!

farminred

My favorite plane that I love to fly is my Sig four star 120. I have a Webra 1.20 on it and it fly's like a dream. you can glide it across the sky or move it across with great athority. Unfortunatly it is in the repair hanger at this time due to a unknown broken TX antena. It will get a face lift this winter and be ready to rock the clouds this spring.

Baerkc

I have two beaters - a 40 size Duraplane and a Durplane Aerobat. I realize alot of people say they fly like bricks, but I've had great luck with these ugly birds. It's amazing how well you fly when you just don't care if it crashes or not. If either of them expire, I'll immediately replace them.

jship

My Feedback: (4)

Love my old four star 40. I am now building a four star 60, Hope it flys as good.
john

The Raven

Just doing some patch ups to my Boomerang 40 now. My only other "airworthy" plane appears to have engine problems so I need to drag out the Boomerang as a back up for this mega-weekend of flying (Christmas do on Sat afternoon/night, and flying on Sunday).

The Boomerang has now hit 300 airframe hours and needs a major overhaul. For this weekend I must redo all the push rod connections or risk an inflight control failure (not a good idea).

blw

My Feedback: (3)

My favorite is a really beat up Somethin Extra that a guy gave me after he crashed it again. He was tired of repairing it. I stalled it on final when it was nearly dark and did damage. Had a midair with another SSE that left a lot of my leading edge in his fuselage but we landed okay. I let the original owner fly it on Sunday and while hovering he broke off the elevator counterbalance and knocked a hinge loose on the aileron.

The plane just won't lay down and die. It is covered with Monokote, and patched with Econokote and Ultracote.

telejojo

My Hanger 9 Ultra Stick 40,I have flown the cover off of it in places and it still keeps flying.I may recover it one of these days.

Carpilot

Sky Raider Mach II, I flew it yesterday morning in 22 degree weather and 25mph winds and blowing snow with skis on it. Woohoo. they fly great and only $70

It's the only plane I have that I would fly in nasty teather like that.