Good second plane

I'd say it depends on what you ultimately want to fly. This plane should be a transition to the final selection. Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!"

Look for a mid-wing, or low wing with good dihedral and light loading. Trike or tail dragger as you prefer. A couple that fit the bill nicely are the Sig Mid Star and Goldberg Tiger II. Even a well designed Stick can make a great second plane.

You are moving from an extremely stable plane, much more stable than the average trainer so your learning curve may be a little behind someone that started on the typical Hobbico type ARF trainer.

huh????

Hey "tailfeathers" (with no viable e-Mail address), what about that do you not understand? Let me explain AGAIN...

The second plane should be a plane that's "midway" in manuverability and appearance to what the pilot finally wants to fly. For example: The trainer is a high wing, slow, non-aerobatic plane, and he wants to fly WWII warbirds. So, the second plane should be a low wing, faster, moderately aerobatic sport plane (since most WWII warbirds are low wing, fast, and very aerobatic. This will get him used to flying low wing, fast, aerobatic planes before he jumps into a scale model.

Take one step at a time and walk before you try to run.

Got it? Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!"

On 11/9/2004 12:13 PM Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these great (and sometimes not so great) words of knowledge:

MOST people opt for a low wing taildragger as a second plane. If you want to go that route, the Sig 4* is a perenial favorite.

Personally, I feel a second plane should be a prelude/transition to what you ultimately want to fly.

If you want to fly 3D, then possibly a Lanier Stinger or Sig Extra set on low rates to begin with and after you can fly it well on high rates, then go to a 3D plane.

If you want to go with a warbird, then something like a Sig 4*, GP Sportster to begin with, then onto something like the sport mustang.

For scale, take your pick. Many scale planes are high wing taildraggers. If you want to go that route, perhaps a Rearwin Speedster. For a low wing, again, the Sig 4*.

In any case, enjoy yourself. You will find as many preferences as there are fliers :-)

The 3-D Twist is a good second plane. It's a tail dragger with a symetrical airfoil. Set on low rates it's a very tame and unintimidating plane to fly. Also, if you plan to fly 3-D you can always set it up with high rates.

FINAL SELECTION???? Wouldnt that be the kit you bought just prior to dropping dead? Other than that, I didnt know there WAS such a thing!

I am pretty sure it was the "final selection" term that threw him. It certainly stripped a gear in MY melon! :-)

yes you guessed it.. I have yet to believe there is a Final Selection!!

Hard to beat a Sig 4*.

John VB

looking for in a second plane? Any suggestions about what to move up to?

If you like to build, perhaps a SIG Kavalier. Here`s mine

part way down the page on the right. Ask your instructor on just how well you are doing with the Seniorita and any suggestions on what you may be able to handle as your second plane. As has been said, the Seniorita is perhaps a bit more stable than most trainers, and without the ability to see your flying ability ourselves, it is difficult to say exactly were your flying skills are at this point. rick markel

The 4*60 is our club recommended second airplane. Easy to build (place parts and one tube CA in a bag and shake vigorously for 5 minutes and the plane is complete). It is a taildragger so it is a good transition to sport Warbirds. It is also a blast to fly on a windy day (once you're experienced) will almost land flying backwards

The 4*60 is a fine kit.... But if you ever try a Venture 60 by Bruce Tharpe Engineering, you'll appreciate the quality of a handcut kit compared to diecrunched. Bruce designed the 4*40 (blown up to the 4*60 by Harold Hester) when he was with Sig. The V-60 was Bruce's premier kit... A lot like the 4* series, but with prettier lines and several improvements...

Try his products... Laser cut fits without the burn marks... There hasn't been an American kit of this quality since the days of Lee Renaud's old machine-cut Airtronics kits...

Cheers,

Bill

experienced)

:-) Yeah, all I keep coming up with is my Latest Selection. An ever changing assortment of mysterious oblong boxes, snuck into the garage below the wife's radar in the dead of night...

The final selection is the one you've made just before you put your money on the counter, hand over your credit card or push order on the web, etc. Perhaps it would be better if you'd invest some time answering the question instead of picking apart the words of someone who is actually helping.

It would be helpful if you would provide more info. As Dr1Driver already said, the answer depends on where you want to go with the hobby. I know some people who are happy making circles in the sky with slow, lazy planes. I know others who are into all out speed. And still others are into all sorts of crazy 3D stuff. Each of these paths might result in different recommendations for a second plane.

Another important question is what size planes (or should I say engine) do you want to stick with? Your Seniorita is in the .15 to .25 size. Are you happy with this size? Do you plan to reuse the equipment in the Seniorita, radio and engine, in your second plane? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you will need to find a plane in the appropriate size for your engine.

You've already seen recommendations for .45 and .60 sized planes. In general, you will find many people consider .25 to be too small. They will tell you that smaller planes, including .25, are twitchy, hard to fly, etc. My advice is if you're happy with this size, ignore them. I fly mostly .15 and .25 size planes. Anyone who has seen me fly will confirm that these planes are not twitchy, or at all difficult to handle. If you look around, you will find that there are more kits and ARFs in the .45 or .60 sizes. However, there are plenty of choices in the .15 to .25 range also. I've got 10 kits in this range, including one twin, waiting to be built.

You might also want to build your second plane from a kit, or assemble an ARF.

In general, the second plane recommendation would be a mid or low, semi-symetrical winged plane. The choice of tail dragger or trike would be yours, and is somewhat dependent on where you want to go with the hobby. Some kits can be built either way.

So, provide some more details on where you think you want to go next, and people can make some more specific recommendations.

Hmmm, so it's "extremely stable" as compared to other planes (even other trainers...). Ok, I've still got a ways to go....

So I'm seeing, and that's great!!

Well I'll be the first to admit that I'm not ready to move on yet, but I wouldn't mind checking out some other planes and getting started on building one. It'll take me quite some time to build it (I'm not quick with detailed work like this, and have some significant time constraints) so I figured it wouldn't be bad to get started well in advance.

I bought the Seniorita used with TX etc. It has a .40 engine on it now, and I have JR radio equipment. Unfortunately, the guy teaching me to fly has all Futaba equipment (about 20 planes, each with their own radio gear, hanging in his garage) so I'll probably make the move to Futaba for pure compatibility (he has 35 years flying experience, I wouldn't mind being buddy-corded up to him a bit...). I'm not really in to stripping down one project to work on the next so I'll probably start all over. Now, if I plant it in the ground I'll certainly salvage what I can and hang it on another plane....

Thanks for the advice, I think I'll be cruising the web for a .40 - .60 midwing tail dragger and then see what hits me from there.

and you are doing any better with this post????

Just as good as you did with, "huh???". Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!"