Help! Am I going to regret my purchases of Night Timber X and Conscendo?

[Douglas]

I have been flying for about one month. I have had no instruction. I first purchased a little Champ Flyer (3 channel). I liked it enough to purchase a Carbon Cub S+ which I enjoyed a great deal for the first five or six outings. But then it crashed for no good reason, and after looking over the wreckage, Horizon Hobby was kind enough to send me a new plane (they believed it was a problem with the GPS unit). But they gave me a choice of planes, and after watching all these videos I decided that the Night Timber X was for me. That same week I also purchased a Conscendo.

I have no near-term plans to fly acrobatics with either plane. I expect I will fly them in SAFE mode most of the time. But I still have to fly these planes and land them. And I plan to incrementally turn off SAFE so that I CAN learn how to properly fly these planes.

Since purchasing the Timber, I've had a few people online tell me that I made a mistake, and that I will likely crash the plane. They've told me that it flies nothing like the limited number of flights I've done with the Carbon Cub S+. And I've been told that the Conscendo is a step up in skill level from the Night Timber X.

I plan to fly with SAFE on much of the time, as I did with my CArbon Cub S+, but I want to practice turning it off so I can learn how to actually fly these planes.

I have resolved to NOT fly the Conscendo until I am comfortable with the Night Timber X. But do you think my plan to fly the Timber X in SAFE--with high altitude sessions without SAFE--is tenable? Or are the odds of landing this plane without incident heavily against me?

 

[PsyBorg]

Carnac says..... probably.

Here is why... Its not the planes and its not you learning. Its as others have said you are relying on safe and assisted modes to fly. Like multi rotors It is not recommended to do this. What it only ends up doing beyond allowing you to stay in the air longer , sooner.... It teaches you really bad habits as its a whole different control scheme you have programmed into your muscle memory and subconscious.

Shelf these for a short time and go back to basics. Build or buy trainer level foamboard planes. Learn proper set up and basic flight under normal conditions and when you can fly a full pack or two in a row on a trainer foamie come back to these and try them unassisted. THEN figure out what situations that assisted modes and safe modes are needed and use them as needed not as a necessity of flight.

Bottom line is no matter what your skill no matter what your gear you WILL crash at times. Put it out of your mind as you wont progress being constantly worried over doing so. The trick to enjoying the hobby is learning and finding ways to minimize this and learn how to crash properly to maybe save your gear when unavoidable situations arise.

 

[FL_Engineer]

I am very new to the hobby and my first PNP was a Timber X (impulse buy). I fly it with a 6 axis gyro and started on 3s before moving to 4s. Be aware it has huge control surfaces compared to a comparable sized plane so if you would normally start with rates at 50% consider bumping it down to 30-40%. The prop is huge and you are basically creating lift with the prop (which is why it works well with 3D) but the shorter wing makes it very snappy and a little less stable than a trainer. All that said it flies great as long as you know your limits. I've found the landing gear aren't the the strongest if you get it flying too slowly and it stalls unexpectedly (noob mistakes). I glued the included slats for slower flight and even bought the floats (have had mixed success with those). All in all its a good plane but if I had it to do over again I would probably buy something like a Maule or Tundra. Maybe I'll just get the Turbo Timber wing. Good luck and mind your rates!

Edit: I'll add that I was scared to death of this plane when I started and used 30 percent bank limit so I wouldn't crash it. After the first flight I switched to auto level and sometimes just gyro and have been ok

 

[FL_Engineer]

Latest RC Saylors vid is relevant... FWIW he thinks its good for beginners.

 

[Douglas]

I am very new to the hobby and my first PNP was a Timber X (impulse buy). I fly it with a 6 axis gyro and started on 3s before moving to 4s. Be aware it has huge control surfaces compared to a comparable sized plane so if you would normally start with rates at 50% consider bumping it down to 30-40%. The prop is huge and you are basically creating lift with the prop (which is why it works well with 3D) but the shorter wing makes it very snappy and a little less stable than a trainer. All that said it flies great as long as you know your limits. I've found the landing gear aren't the the strongest if you get it flying too slowly and it stalls unexpectedly (noob mistakes). I glued the included slats for slower flight and even bought the floats (have had mixed success with those). All in all its a good plane but if I had it to do over again I would probably buy something like a Maule or Tundra. Maybe I'll just get the Turbo Timber wing. Good luck and mind your rates!

Edit: I'll add that I was scared to death of this plane when I started and used 30 percent bank limit so I wouldn't crash it. After the first flight I switched to auto level and sometimes just gyro and have been ok

Thank you for this. I could spend $139 on a UMX Timber in addition to the other two planes (or I could spend $188 and purchase the flitetest Simple Cub, receiver, Power Pack C, etc.). I could enhance my skills flying the Timber or Simple Cub, but I'm still going to have the hurdle of moving up to these other planes. And having flown the Carbon Cub S+ six times successfully, I'm not sure that 10 more flights with a trainer is going to make all the difference. The support staff at Horizon Hobby thinks I should set aside the Conscendo for now, and just fly the Night Timber X on SAFE, occasionally turning SAFE off, and then more frequently turning it off until I've learned the plane.

 

[FL_Engineer]

Thank you for this. I could spend $139 on a UMX Timber in addition to the other two planes (or I could spend $188 and purchase the flitetest Simple Cub, receiver, Power Pack C, etc.). I could enhance my skills flying the Timber or Simple Cub, but I'm still going to have the hurdle of moving up to these other planes. And having flown the Carbon Cub S+ six times successfully, I'm not sure that 10 more flights with a trainer is going to make all the difference. The support staff at Horizon Hobby thinks I should set aside the Conscendo for now, and just fly the Night Timber X on SAFE, occasionally turning SAFE off, and then more frequently turning it off until I've learned the plane.

My philosophy to get me over the jitters was to know that the worst case was I crash the plane and use the parts to build something else.

 

[PsyBorg]

Latest RC Saylors vid is relevant... FWIW he thinks its good for beginners.

I love the RC Sailors but ya gotta remember too.. Its their jobs to pimp product so they will always be on the happier side of reality.

Ill stick with having these systems in place as an aide is fine but relying on them as the method is only making it harder in the long run as you are training one way and fighting another... I still program all my quads to default to auto level so IF there is need I can always flip the switch and park in the air until I resolve an fpv issue or control issue or in most uses lose orientation when flying LOS because my vision is different hour to hour.

 

[PsyBorg]

Thank you for this. I could spend $139 on a UMX Timber in addition to the other two planes (or I could spend $188 and purchase the flitetest Simple Cub, receiver, Power Pack C, etc.). I could enhance my skills flying the Timber or Simple Cub, but I'm still going to have the hurdle of moving up to these other planes. And having flown the Carbon Cub S+ six times successfully, I'm not sure that 10 more flights with a trainer is going to make all the difference. The support staff at Horizon Hobby thinks I should set aside the Conscendo for now, and just fly the Night Timber X on SAFE, occasionally turning SAFE off, and then more frequently turning it off until I've learned the plane.

The initial cost may be similar but what happens AFTER a crash.. the Timber is toast and expensive to replace parts on where as foam board is a few minutes time and under 5 dollars on most builds to do repairs... which is the whole reason FT started to make the learning more fun and affordable

 

[Douglas]

I love the RC Sailors but ya gotta remember too.. Its their jobs to pimp product so they will always be on the happier side of reality.

Ill stick with having these systems in place as an aide is fine but relying on them as the method is only making it harder in the long run as you are training one way and fighting another... I still program all my quads to default to auto level so IF there is need I can always flip the switch and park in the air until I resolve an fpv issue or control issue or in most uses lose orientation when flying LOS because my vision is different hour to hour.

I take your point but RC Saylors have made clear that they are not paid for their reviews, and they will not take a plane whose manufacturer wants to limit what they can say. Other YouTube reviews, such as Brian Phillips are paid. Brian works for Horizon Hobby, but I still think his reviews are helpful. Ironically, Brian is more wary of a beginner flying the Conscendo than are the RC Saylors.

 

[FL_Engineer]

I love the RC Sailors but ya gotta remember too.. Its their jobs to pimp product so they will always be on the happier side of reality.

Ill stick with having these systems in place as an aide is fine but relying on them as the method is only making it harder in the long run as you are training one way and fighting another... I still program all my quads to default to auto level so IF there is need I can always flip the switch and park in the air until I resolve an fpv issue or control issue or in most uses lose orientation when flying LOS because my vision is different hour to hour.

Completely agree on both points... I use my FT builds to learn on without gyros but try to save myself some headaches on $$$ planes (really only have one ATM). I also think it's a bit of a generational thing. I'm a Xenninal (old millenial / young gen x) and I know what it's like to not have a cell phone / computer but grew up in the internet revolution so I'm more comfortable with computers than some other generations. Either way gyros have a place and they also taste better with tzatziki.

 

[cranialrectosis]

@PsyBorg has the truth of it.

Start cheaper, learn cheaper.

All the fancy electronics do is complicate things.

Landing gear, cameras, GPS, flight controllers (SAFE) complicates things. You have to learn how to build, and fly and run these electronics all at the same time. Then you have to relearn how to fly when you turn them off. These things extend the learning curve and let you retain your fear of crashing.

It stinks to see your kid fall off the bike and skin his/her knee. But it's worse when your kid can't learn to ride a bike because the adults won't let go of his/her hand and let them learn. This is what SAFE does to beginners.

The Tiny Trainer speed build kit comes with two wings so you can learn 3 channel and then move up to 4 channel. You throw the plane to launch it and you crash it on the grass to land it. It is the simplest, powered flight thing out there and it's dirt cheap, forgiving of build mistakes and supported by LOTS of people who have mastered it.

I destroyed my first 2 and it cost me $20 but the lessons I learned were FAR more valuable than the kit.

The biggest lesson of all was to not be afraid to crash the thing into smithereens. To be successful here, you MUST learn this lesson.

Build something cheap that you can fix in 10 minutes yourself. Crash it spectacularly and learn to fix it yourself.

Once you can crash you will learn to fly. Once you can fly, THEN buy fancy, big or expensive if you want.

 

[Douglas]

You know, I had the Simple Cub on order last night with the Power Pack C radial edition, but then I cancelled the order because Josh didn't mention the receiver in his build video. I didn't know what receiver to buy or where to put it on the plane. Perhaps that's a trivial thing, but it might not be...I have no idea.

Nonetheless, maybe I'll bite the bullet and purchase the Simple Cub. Can you tell me what receiver I need to buy and where I put it on the plane? I'll make the purchase right now if I can get all the parts.

 

[JasonK]

Nonetheless, maybe I'll bite the bullet and purchase the Simple Cub. Can you tell me what receiver I need to buy and where I put it on the plane? I'll make the purchase right now if I can get all the parts.

what receiver you need -> what TX do you have?
Where do you put it? -> were ever all the cables 'come together' (all the FT designs I have made all have a clear spot once you lay out all the cables)

 

[Flyingshark]

You know, I had the Simple Cub on order last night with the Power Pack C radial edition, but then I cancelled the order because Josh didn't mention the receiver in his build video. I didn't know what receiver to buy or where to put it on the plane. Perhaps that's a trivial thing, but it might not be...I have no idea.

Nonetheless, maybe I'll bite the bullet and purchase the Simple Cub. Can you tell me what receiver I need to buy and where I put it on the plane? I'll make the purchase right now if I can get all the parts.

I think I read in one of your other posts that you have a Spektrum DX6e. If you do, I'd recommend getting a Spektrum 4 or 6 channel receiver like an Ar 410 or Ar 620. (Personally, I'd go with a 6 channel one, because then you can program flaps and other stuff like that on other planes in the future, and have the capability to use all the channels on your transmitter. I don't think the Simple Cub needs more than 4 channels, though.)
https://store.flitetest.com/spektrum-rc-ar410-4channel-dsmx-sport-aircraft-receiver-spmar410/p795444
https://store.flitetest.com/spektrum-rc-ar620-6channel-dsmx-sport-aircraft-receiver-spmar620/p795445

Josh probably didn't mention the receiver because there are so many different companies that make transmitters and receivers, so it's not like the Simple Cub is designed for one specific one. It just needs a receiver with enough channels.

Also, it's generally good if your servos can plug into your receiver. That shouldn't be a problem though, since the FliteTest servos seem designed to work with Spektrum plugs.

 

[PsyBorg]

I think I read in one of your other posts that you have a Spektrum DX6e. If you do, I'd recommend getting a Spektrum 4 or 6 channel receiver like an Ar 410 or Ar 620. (Personally, I'd go with a 6 channel one, because then you can program flaps and other stuff like that on other planes in the future, and have the capability to use all the channels on your transmitter. I don't think the Simple Cub needs more than 4 channels, though.)
https://store.flitetest.com/spektrum-rc-ar410-4channel-dsmx-sport-aircraft-receiver-spmar410/p795444
https://store.flitetest.com/spektrum-rc-ar620-6channel-dsmx-sport-aircraft-receiver-spmar620/p795445

Josh probably didn't mention the receiver because there are so many different companies that make transmitters and receivers, so it's not like the Simple Cub is designed for one specific one. It just needs a receiver with enough channels.

Also, it's generally good if your servos can plug into your receiver. That shouldn't be a problem though, since the FliteTest servos seem designed to work with Spektrum plugs.

I think they no longer mention radio gear by brand is because Graupner went under and they used to sponsor FT which is why their radios were usually featured. They do mention spectrum a lot but I do not think Spectrum sponsors them to do so.

 

[FL_Engineer]

As others have mentioned, the receiver seems to go wherever it can go that is sort of out the way of the ESC but all the wires still reach. My issue has been antenna placement as there never seems to be room to place them at 45 degrees using the flysky RX. For a Simple Cub you'll need at least a 4 channel RX but I like using separate a seperate channel for both ailerons so that makes it a 6 channel receiver. I haven't used them but lots of guys on here like LemonRX for cheap DSMX recievers.

I also think there is room to forge a path with both scratch builds/kits and store bought models as they each offer something different.

 

[Douglas]

I think I read in one of your other posts that you have a Spektrum DX6e. If you do, I'd recommend getting a Spektrum 4 or 6 channel receiver like an Ar 410 or Ar 620. (Personally, I'd go with a 6 channel one, because then you can program flaps and other stuff like that on other planes in the future, and have the capability to use all the channels on your transmitter. I don't think the Simple Cub needs more than 4 channels, though.)
https://store.flitetest.com/spektrum-rc-ar410-4channel-dsmx-sport-aircraft-receiver-spmar410/p795444
https://store.flitetest.com/spektrum-rc-ar620-6channel-dsmx-sport-aircraft-receiver-spmar620/p795445

Josh probably didn't mention the receiver because there are so many different companies that make transmitters and receivers, so it's not like the Simple Cub is designed for one specific one. It just needs a receiver with enough channels.

Also, it's generally good if your servos can plug into your receiver. That shouldn't be a problem though, since the FliteTest servos seem designed to work with Spektrum plugs.

I decided I wanted 7 channels, so I traded it in for a Spektrum DX8 G2. What receiver would pair with the DX8 G2?

 

[Ketchup]

I decided I wanted 7 channels, so I traded it in for a Spektrum DX8 G2. What receiver would pair with the DX8 G2?

Any DSMX or DSM2 receiver that has 8 or less channels will work with the DX8. As people have said, 6 channels should be enough for a simple cub, so an ar620 will work.

 

[Flyingshark]

I decided I wanted 7 channels, so I traded it in for a Spektrum DX8 G2. What receiver would pair with the DX8 G2?

The same receivers would still work.

 

[Ketchup]

Also, you have been saying that you were going to get a simple cub and I wanted to say a few things about that plane. I have never built or flown one, but I have heard of some issues that it has and some people say that it takes some modifications to get it to fly right. The tiny trainer on the other hand, has a solid reputation as a good trainer, and I know that many people have learned off of that plane. I’m not saying that you should get one over the other, but I just wanted to let you know about these things.