Trainer R/C Airplane

Basically, all 40 size trainers are the same. Wait (if you can :) for a sale of an ARF for around $70.

If you want to build, the two trainers that come to mind are the Goldberg Eagle and the Great Planes PT-40.

If you want a ARF, any of the Hobbico trainers or the Tower Hobbies trainers are all excellent,

Welcome to R/C. Feel free to keep asking questions.

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

Sig LT 40. Meets all of your requirements with flying colors.

Probably more important to the plane is a good club with instructors. I was fortunate to join such a group which helped me big time.

Here are some off the wall inputs. 1)- Look at the Graupner "Tipsy" electric park flyer as a first trainer. Its pusher design and flight characteristics are ideal. Get a lot of stick time before moving up to a glow engine power plane. 2)- Look into a SPAD trainer such as a Debonair. See

for more info. I crashed my Deb in a high speed, low altitude turn and it flew the next morning. Everyone at the field said that a conventional balsa plane would have been in a hundred pieces. The plastic plane is very resilient.

One of the best ARF trainers out there is the Hobbico Superstar or Avistar. The Avistar is a bit faster and more aerobatic. My fave build-it trainer is Hobby Lobby's Telemaster 40, although it's one of those you really gotta build. The Sig LT40 is also a very popular trainer.

Morris

New Nexstar from Tower Hobbies.

**&P=MLBest deal goin! Radio and engine already installed. Quality O.S. Max engine. Futaba radio. Comes with flight simulator for your computer to learn to fly the airplane before actually going to the field. Pilot Assist (autopilot) Stall fences and air brakes to slow it down for landing (can be removed after you get good enough.

This is a remarkable bargain at $399. There are a BUNCH of newbies at our field with them and everyone absolutely LOVES the airplane...even the instructors!

We took my LT-40 (from a kit) out to our field today for my son and I to = get lessons - our 2nd and 3rd. Consensus on the field is the LT-40 is = among the best available. We power ours with a ThunderTigre .46 Pro and =

11-5 APC prop. The only complaint I have against this trainer is the = music wire LG is a little flimsy.

Balsa USA Stick Plus, with out a doubt. Ugly as they possibly could be. Strong, good flyer, repairable. cheap. Good luck , let us all know what & how you do. Andy

We can make a box of wood.....FLY!!

Learned to fly with one. Be careful, though. The kit and the extras you need to complete it may wind up costing as much as a low-budget ARF trainer. They are easy to build and fix, though.

If cheap is your thing, you might want to try one of the SPADs

like the DebonAir.

Morris

Morris

My observation is that in most cases, it is difficult to build a kit for less than what an arf costs.

John VB

One word . . . . . Avista

-- Viper Pilo

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Yes but remember that for many of us, building is half the hobby. Also with the skills learned from building, it makes recovery from that crash easier and cheaper.

It will also probably be built better, too. Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!"

No argument from me. I really enjoy building, however, I can understand why a lot of people don't (and shouldn't) build. I have seen planes put together by some people that I would be afraid to fly.

John VB

And if you build from a kit, building a classic wooden wing, you will learn all the major parts that make up a wing in most conventional airplanes, from small Cessnas to big passenger jets. That´s very interesting AND fun IMHO.

Building the wing is still part of the construction of many trainers and it´s not hard at all. Just looking at the skeleton of a wing, you will realize what carries what loads, what the different parts are doing, you´ll start to appreciate the wonderfully clever constructions, combining strenght with lightness. And of course, as most guys have already told you, youll be able to make repairs readily.

Having said this, there is nothing wrong with ARF:s, other wing construction techniques and so on, but everybody starts their journey of discoveries somewhere and the wooden classic wing is as good a place to start as any...I think.

Happy building and flying!

Oh, and, get an instructor to learn you to fly (I wish I had done this), AND the free FMS simulator software+an adapter to you tranny.

Cheers, Ken

I thank you all for your posts and recomandations. At least now I have somthing to go off. I have been flying The aerobird challenger and at loving it. But I feel Its time to step up and build somthing of my own . (4 ch) R/C

Thanks

Andy