I recently decided to get another new trainer airplane expressly for training students at the club. I have a wonderful Goldberg Protege .60 ARF that survived a scare earlier this summer; I let a student pilot who was close to soloing go a little too long with the Protege before I took it back from him. I avoided a ground collision, but put the plane into a tree. The damage is all repaired and the Protege is in good flying shape once again, but I really like the plane and I'm hesitant to take students up on it again because I can't readily replace it if it's lost.
I made a list of potential trainer ARFs that I wanted to consider:
1) Sig Kadet LT-40 2) Thunder Tiger Tiger Trainer 40 MkIII 3) Tower Hobbies Tower Trainer 40 MkII 4) VMar Apache III 5) Thunder Tiger Tiger Trainer 60 MkII 6) Tower Hobbies Tower Trainer 60 MkII 7) Goldberg Eagle II 8) World Models Sky Raider Mach II was curious about the 70" wingspan trainer ARF that Nitro Planes carries, but it was sold out at Nitro Planes and at Raidentech. I liked the idea of a .60-size trainer ARF for $69.99, but I have to be able to buy one to try it.
At the end of the day, I decided to go ahead and order the VMar Apache III ARF from Richmond RC. I also ordered a Ramrod low-wing trainer ARF; you can buy one for half price with the purchase of any other regularly priced ARF. I've owned planes from most all of the other manufacturers I was considering, and I simply wanted to try another manufacturer. I've ordered other items from Richmond RC previously (covering, engine test stand, etc.) and I've enjoyed dealing with them; I decided I'd rather make up my mind about VMar ARFs on my own. I may be pleasantly surprised by my new Apache III trainer ARF, or I may be secretly elated when I finally put the plane in at some future date. Either way, at least I can base my opinion of VMar ARFs on my own experiences.
The Apache III in particular was appealing to me for a few reasons:
A) It comes with heavy-duty landing gear standard. Straightening out the gumby-style landing gear wire on a couple of other ARFs I've flown could be annoying at times.
B) It's specifically designed to fly with a .46 ball bearing 2-stroke, and I have a couple of nice ones to choose from. Many .40 size trainers are better suited to flying with a .36 2-stroke or a .40/.46 plain bearing engine, and I don't have one of those free at the moment.
C) The Apache III has a very distinct covering scheme and a 69" wingspan that should provide excellent visibility.
At the end of the day, it was just plain old curiosity that got the better of me. I'll try to take some pictures and post about my experiences with the Apache III and the Ramrod at some future point. Anybody who has read the RCU forums for any length of time may be familiar with VMar's sometimes-spotty reputation. I did a quick search for "Apache" in the ARF forum and found some of the following gems:
"VMAR apache lll arf: I know it has been posted about the VMAR planes but i am going to do it once more what a piece of crap covering is loose right from the box and will not stay tight preinstalled puch rods are of the worse i have ever tryed to use even thow there steel but i am stuck with this low grade plane tell i can buy one that is of higher grade" rustleruss
"Almost everyone will tell you to stay away from VMARs, I have seen 2 Apache breaking their wing." tIANci
"I purchased the Apache Trainer last year and here are my thoughts:
- Their hardware is of poor quality. Mine came with rusted rods, connectors, gear, screws, basically everything that is metal was rusted.
- The wood used was of poor-average quality. Instructions were spotty at best. Several bad glue joints.
- Good graphics, but it faded fast.
- My suggestions: Spend a little more money on a quality ARF (like SIG), stay away from VMAR, and you'll be much happier!
They had their one chance with me and I really don't care to try them ever again. Especially with so many other better quality ARFs manufacturers around." FlyNBHappy
If the planes show up and I'm really just not at all satisfied with them, well, our club's annual auction is in mid-October.