How Important is the Selection of a Trainer?First, I should define a couple of terms. When I refer to balsa, I meanthe typical balsa lite-ply RTF or ARF. When I make a comparison orcontrast, it will be to a similarly sized model. Perhaps the best wayto put it is to characterize by class, so we will be talking about the.40 class of models.Before I get into the topic, I should clear up some misconceptions someof you have regarding the Duraplane Trainer 40. It's hard to understandwhat some of you are rambling on about when you say the plane has toohigh a wing loading and in a second breath complain it flies too fast.First heavy planes don't fly faster than similarly sized planes thatweight less. They fly not only slower but need more power and a longertake off roll to get airborne. This also implies a heavier plane willuse more fuel.Does the Duraplane fly too fast? At full throttle with an OS LA 40, themodel makes a rapid transit of my private flying field of about 100acres. However, I can easily slow the model down to a crawl by closingthe throttle and increasing the angle of attack to maintain altitude.In fact, I can slow the model down to a point where it does slow flight(high angle of attack with enough power to maintain altitude) acrossthe runway. For amusement, I like to perform this stunt about a footoff the runway.Along with the whining about the wing loading, is the bad rap that theplane lands too hot or fast for the novice pilot. Only very ignorantpilots make statements like this, since they don't understand themechanics of how to land an airplane. Always remember model planesoperate on the same principles as full-scale planes.First a landing is simply stalling the wing at the point the wheelstouch the ground. To learn this in a full-scale plane, the student istaught to stall the wing (high angle of attack and reduction of power)and then recover (decrease angle of attack and increase power). Thenext step is slow flight (very high angle of attack and...

I'm surprised that so much of your focus is on the crash durability of the trainer's airframe. I'm new to the hobby of R/C flight this year. I've logged dozens of flights on my trainer, both with a flight instructor and solo, and I didn't crash at all until after I solo'd. My one crash involved starting my final approach too far away and flying gently into a grove of trees that I thought I was past. The plane came down the next day, and after a bit of patching to the wing and fuselage, it was flying like brand new again.I chose the NexStar Select RTF as my first ever glow-powered plane. Durability of the airframe was a tertiary consideration. I wanted a plane that I could get in the air quickly. The NexStar required almost no building at all. I liked that the NexStar was fairly large for a .40 sized airframe and it would be easy to see from the ground. I appreciated the fact that it came with a special editon of the G2 Simulator so I can practice flying before I ever went out...

How Important is the Selection of a Trainer?

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C G 20 years ago

Reaction time requirement is really not that different, the smaller plane can fly slower.

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C G 20 years ago

The .049s "are nearly indestructable" because they are nearly unstartable. I went to a 1/2a fly-in this spring. They spent most of the day messing with their engines trying to get them running. Meanwhile when I wanted to fly my .15 size HydeAway, I would fuel it up, attach the glow wire and flip the prop a few times to get it running. Due to the ease of operation, don't go below the .15-25 size. If you want a smaller plane, make it a lekker.

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pcoopy 20 years ago

I think I have to take issue with the whole direction of this article since it seems to leave out the most important part of the learning process...the instruction. If the instructor is really qualified to teach flying then the quality and configuration of the trainer aircraft is not very important. Yes, some designs are better than others and will virtually fly themselves but what we really want is for the student to fly airplane. The reason that there are so many mediocre geezers (some instructors) sitting around is because they were probably never properly taught to fly. It seems that in most clubs all you need to do to qualify as a solo pilot is to get it up and back down in one piece. An then after flying a few hours you can be an instructor too. Some clubs have excellent training programs, but in my experience, there are only a few that can, or have the interest in working with a student till he knows all the safety rules, do the basic aerobatic manuvers, and recover from a difficult situation. Most if the instructors I have seen can't pass on the knowledge and experience they don't have. With a buddy box and a good instructor a student could learn on a CAP21(you know how they fly) if enough time is taken to teach the basics. So in answer to the subject question...not all that important.

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PRose 20 years ago

Pardon me for not snipping this post, but there was so much good information, I didn't want to be rid of any of it.

Any road, when you finish the Q-Tee with the AP .061, could you please post and let us know how it flies? That's the direction I'm leaning in, and I was wondering how it would handle for somebody who is getting back into the hobby after a 25-year absence (not a total newb, but still quite rusty).

Thanks, PRose

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John Alt 20 years ago

I haven't seen a better Half A trainer out there. It makes a great electric conversion, too. No mods needed, just mount your motor out front anywhere, any way. Plenty of room to move the battery for proper CG. I flew mine with everything from a Baby Bee to a .10 (after I converted it to a biplane.) It's got a lot of potential. If you're going to put the .061 on it keep the pitch to 3 and don't cut the diameter down for max RPM's. It balloons too much when you get it going fast. It's not hazardous, it's just not as much fun to fly at that point. IMHO, of course. If you do want to fly faster with it, four quick cuts and a little work and you've got a shoulder mount wing. Cox/Airtronics made a version called the S Tee that was configured that way.

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indoruwet 20 years ago

Hej you all, Do us all a favor and please do not quote the whol

article. Just the stuff you comment on would suffice, no ??

Thanks a million.

OTH interesting reading if you can do so between the lines.....

-- indoruwe

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How Important is the Selection of a Trainer?

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