so I'm looking for a good trainer

[Pilot-294]

i had started with a tiger trainer .40, and its too big for me to learn on, not to mention its second hand and old. i have wrecked it a few times and I'm tired of putting the balsa pieces back together.

this is what I'm looking for:

foam (tough and easy to fix preferably)
reasonable size with a slower speed (micros are ok but um is too small)
good for a first plane (second first plane I'm ok in the air, its landings that suck...)
looks realistic and has to have ailerons
modifiable with better equip when I'm a better pilot.
ARF RTF BNF or PNF no kits, I'm not good at scratch builds yet.
Price range is up to about 250-300 usd but i want to spend that amount on the plane AND radio, not one or the other.

my taste in planes include (but not limited to) in order favorite to least favorite:

F4U4
P-51-D or F
Hell or wildcat
Piper j-3 cub and super cub
cessna 172
p-38 lightning
Fokker Dr.1

This list is just an example of planes i love i realize most of these would make terrible trainers, but if there are any that are decent trainers other than the j-3 and 172 i would love to hear.

i have decent stick control, and know my lefts from rights sort of decently at this point. the tiger was too large for my flying areas to land successfully at my skill level. but i feel if i had a smaller and easier controlled bird, i would be slightly more successful.

also, electric is preferred but nitro is mostly (but not totally) a probability

Any help would be really appreciated.

 

[jetpackninja]

HZ Supercub LP Best Trainer and gets my vote for best plane ever.
It can be had as an RTF. My vote would be for the bind n fly and get a DX6i radio.
Parkzone T28 would be a good followup plane

One nice thing about the Supercub is if you get tired of flying it stock there are TONS of upgrades and mods available.

 

[Pilot-294]

only problem is the lack of ailerons... and the d6 would be too expensive to buy with this plane on my budget, unless you have found one from a reliable source for under 170 bucks. i would love a d6 tho...

 

[Jeffrey Saelee]

only problem is the lack of ailerons... and the d6 would be too expensive to buy with this plane on my budget, unless you have found one from a reliable source for under 170 bucks. i would love a d6 tho...

You can easily modify it for ailerons--and you should start with a plane without them(although I started with a plane with them--and it worked out. it was a UM T-28).

I bought a used DX6i off of RCGroups for $87, and it works, and I love it. And, it's got 10 model memory so you can have 10 models without deleting some and putting new settings in. Most people on RCGroups (rcgroups.com) are reliable, so you don't have to worry

Also, you could try scratchbuilding. I scratchbuilt my 2nd plane, and it flew really good....and I only have plans to make more scratchbuilds--no plans for buying new planes XD

 

[pgerts]

I agree with jetpack. Parkzone are good flyers.
In your budget you will get the F4U Corsair with a DX5 transmitter 279,99 list price. "street price is normally some less than that.
It is not a CUB but of the fighters, the Corsair is probably the most stable to fly.
Brushless, 3 cell lipo - 2,4 GHz - something to start with that looks good, flies well and is easy to repair - all parts are easy to get as spareparts.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

The only thing you'd need ailerons on that plane for is to do complete rolls. I've been able to do barrel rolls with a rudder elevator and throttle plane.

Also, with just rudder, you can kick one of these planes around almost as if it had ailerons.

 

[Fentonflyers]

I have to put a vote in for the Wildcat. Plug-n-play is $119. A $5.99 orange receiver and a DX5 and you have an airplane that has a broad spectrum of capability for a very reasonable expenditure. This was the first plane I bought this past summer that wasn't a micro. I absolutely love it and fly it every chance I get.
Jay

 

[Pilot-294]

i definitely will take all these thoughts into consideration. the only reason I'm stuck on ailerons is so i can learn some mild aerobatics in the future without spending another 300 bucks, and mods NEVER turn out well for me. i would rather not ruin another plane with my crummy handywork...

f4u is definitely my absolute favorite. i thought it may be semi handleable with the dihedral in the wings, even tho its a low wing. and if i can fix it with some glue and patients i may have to go with it. that is if i don't end up vouching for the yugo tokarev I'm eyeing up atm...

if anything i may end up with either the f4u or the cub, if i can find a good cub 4ch. wish i was good enough for the 51 pts the boys reviewed a while ago. really nice plane. i would have the servos for the flaps and everything.

 

[jetpackninja]

I agree with jetpack. Parkzone are good flyers.
In your budget you will get the F4U Corsair with a DX5 transmitter 279,99 list price. "street price is normally some less than that.
It is not a CUB but of the fighters, the Corsair is probably the most stable to fly.
Brushless, 3 cell lipo - 2,4 GHz - something to start with that looks good, flies well and is easy to repair - all parts are easy to get as spareparts.

+1 on the Parkzone Corsair. For a warbird, it's probably as close to a trainer as it gets. My son has one that we bought used, EVERYBODY has parts for the Parkzone planes (Supercub still gets my first vote though)
Would suggest the same with the Corsair, Bind N Fly and a Dx6i. Good bang for the buck.

 

[Pilot-294]

yea, it sort of sounds like my best bet so far

 

[earthsciteach]

How about a Bixler/Sky Surfer? Put a 6x4 prop on its brushless motor and it really is a fun, aerobatic airplane with a tremendously wide operational envelope. They are inexpensive and parts are readily available when you break it. It can carry a camera. It can be an fpv platform. You can tape 60 feet of toilet paper to the tail. I don't know that you can't tape more than 60 feet of toilet paper to the tail, but it was getting dark.

Don't get hung up on your favorite airplanes, at this point. Learn to fly on a plane that was designed for it. Make those planes on your list a second plane.

Oh, don't discount the HZ Super Cub, either. Sure, it starts out as a three channel, brushed plane. But, even at 3 channel it is an AWESOME first airplane. Then you can modify it to your heart's ridiculous content. I've pieced mine back together many times from horrifying crashes. IMHO-the best first airplane ever!

 

[Ak Flyer]

My vote is for the Cub. You would be surprised at how acrobatic and fun it is even without the ailerons. My friends and I did a lot of streamer style dog fighting with these before we added ailerons. Excellent trainer too. I've taught several people to fly one who've never flown before including my kids age 11 and 7 and my friend who owns a plumbing store age 34. The kids took to it easier lol.

One of the best things about the cub is that you can have things 50% wrong and it will still fly. I've had the wing knocked 30 degrees to one side and taken off again and it will still fly and land. I've had the wing knocked off center and still flown it. My point is that anyone can do mods on this plane. You can do them sort of right sort of wrong and it will still fly for you.

If you choose to get a cub, there's miles of information on them everywhere you look. There's tons of support available, they're easy to fix, easy to mod and I for one would be more than happy to provide detailed pictures and instructions on all of it. I'm sure there's a hundred other people on here that can do the same. I doubt you will find that kind of familiarity with other planes specifically the way you do with the cub.

If you buy the DSM version of the cub, it's 200 bucks and comes with a four channel radio. Fly it for a while and when you want to add ailerons it's two 4 dollar servos from hobbyking and some control horns, a couple pieces of wire and you're flying ailerons. I would highly recommend a DX6i radio, but if it's not in the budget then it's just not. You will be able to do a lot with the DX4e that comes with it. The DX5e isn't that much of an upgrade except for the extra channel. If I were doing it again I would either go with the DX4e and have fun, or save up and get the DX6i. Skip the 5. I see a few DX6i's on Craigslist from time to time.

If you are dead set on getting a plane with ailerons already on it, I highly recommend the Parkzone T-28. In real life it was a navy trainer due to the way it flew and it carries those same characteristics to the model. Very stable, easy to take off and easy to land. Plus it has plenty of power for learning acrobatics. Also has a nice roll rate, but not too fast that you lose orientation. It's an excellent flying plane, probably the nicest 4 channel to learn on that I've flown. The only one better is a Sig Kadet LT-40, but that's a nitro balsa plane.

A good thing about all of the Spektrum radios from the DX4e and up is that they have a trainer port so you can get a 7 dollar trainer cord and have a more experienced pilot link up with you when you want to try new things. You don't have to have an expensive radio to have that option.

Hope this helps.

 

[Fishbonez]

How about a Bixler/Sky Surfer? Put a 6x4 prop on its brushless motor and it really is a fun, aerobatic airplane with a tremendously wide operational envelope. They are inexpensive and parts are readily available when you break it. It can carry a camera. It can be an fpv platform. You can tape 60 feet of toilet paper to the tail. I don't know that you can't tape more than 60 feet of toilet paper to the tail, but it was getting dark.

Don't get hung up on your favorite airplanes, at this point. Learn to fly on a plane that was designed for it. Make those planes on your list a second plane.

Oh, don't discount the HZ Super Cub, either. Sure, it starts out as a three channel, brushed plane. But, even at 3 channel it is an AWESOME first airplane. Then you can modify it to your heart's ridiculous content. I've pieced mine back together many times from horrifying crashes. IMHO-the best first airplane ever!

Teach I think you nailed it on this.
Anyone who knows me well enough knows I definitly recommend the SC. I have crashed/rebuilt this plane that I think I could scrachbuild it with my eyes closed. Ok so I will need at least one eye open.

If you dont want a 3 channel or dont want to add ailerons to it. I would then recommend the Aprentice at little expensive but probably the next best trainer out there with readily available parts. Dont let the title of trainer fool ya you can have a blast with a trainer

 

[Pilot-294]

i like the cub and all, and i have the extra servos to put ails on it, but i feel like i would like an f4 better in the long run. this is what I'm looking at atm
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=20851
i figure this, its gonna be a learning curve but i can use it and be happy longer,
the dihedral is gonna help me learn, as they say it flies a lot like a low wing trainer, and its got flaps. if i fly flaps down gear up, maybe ill keep it crawling and learn something without crashing. and this price makes it ok to get the 6i right away.

hopefully theres method to my madness? or am i just plain stupid? lol

 

[Klonas]

I think everyone would agree that that f4u is NOT a beginner plane at all. There are alot good planes mentioned in this thread like the bixler, cub, floaters....
Buy one of those. Even if youre good at simulator that doesnt mean you're as good in the real world... When I started I could fly 3D planes in the simulator, but barely a very friendly and strong trainer...
Don't do the mistake of choosing a wrong plane .
Good luck!

 

[jetpackninja]

Pilot-294
May be it's time to step back and do a rethink.
A lot of great advice going on here.
My 2cents once more... and then I'll try to leave it alone

You've already had some experience.
But since you didn't have a lot of luck with your first trainer, I still think you are still looking for a first plane.
Now you need a plane that you can handle, maybe crash a little and still repair and fly.
Something that will inspire confidence.

Supercub, Supercub, Supercub
You say like planes that look scale, the Supercub is not a super detailed plane but looks fairly scale in the air.
I'll say one more time that I think it's the BEST trainer and probably the best plane out there.
Flies great out of the box (rip out the ACT sensors, see if they will blend).
My vote is for Bind N Fly and a DX6i.
The cub is a great plane out of the box but really can be a GREAT plane with some easy to do and affordable upgrades.
It really wakes up with a brushless motor. Ailerons and other upgrades are easy too.
Enough mods and upgrades available to even keep advanced flyers interested in this bird.

When you are ready for a follow up plane the Parkzone Corsair or T28 are excellent 4 channel planes. The Parkzone planes are rock solid and will fly well with the stock setup right out of the box.
Many other warbirds (I don't have any experience with the Hobby King warbirds) can be temperamental and/or difficult to setup and fly. Warbirds generally don't make great first planes.

My opinion.
If you start out with a warbird, you are going to be frustrated.
But it's a big world and a lot of choices available in this hobby.
It sounds like you are committed to learning the hobby, that will take you a long ways.

 

[lobstermash]

Everyone's recommending the supercub when the op specifically said not a j3... I'd have to recommend the Bixler or the Tuff Trainer from HK. The former is very versatile, cheap and fun to fly. I've seen the EPO warp quite badly after a couple of big crashes though. The Tuff Trainer is excellent, in spite of the mixed reviews it's had. The ailerons don't do a hell of a lot, but that thing is the most crashable plane I've ever seen. I've trained a few newbies on it, and it's still going strong after double figures worth of hard, nose first, cartwheeling and object hitting crashes. If hot glue is used to repair it, you wouldn't even see the seams.

Both these planes are really cheap ($70-80 delivered) and are plug and fly. Keep the rest of your cash for a cool plane once you've got the hang of it.

 

[pgerts]

i have decent stick control, and know my lefts from rights sort of decently at this point. the tiger was too large for my flying areas to land successfully at my skill level. but i feel if i had a smaller and easier controlled bird, i would be slightly more successful.

If you are relatively good on the sticks but need something that need smaller field than a 40-trainer then you should look for something with a span of about 100 cm and suited for belly-landing without gears.
The Parkzone Corsair seems to be a much better choice than the HK to start with if you want a plane that looks nice and not something like Bixler.
If you don't have any radio from the Tiger Trainer then a Parkzone RTF is a better choice than buying ARF and the other parts to assemble yourself. All parkzone planes i have got are really fast to get from the box into the air without any extra things needed.

 

[lobstermash]

Well, if we're on to grade 2, the Decathlon is a brilliant plane. It's great for aerobatics, glides in beautifully for deadstick landings and costs about $90 delivered PNF. And best of all it looks stunning:

970mm wing Decathlon

 

[pgerts]

Another really nice plane is the Wilga2000 http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=12944
The Wilga comes with floats! The problem is spare parts with all HK planes. It is a lot faster and easier - but not as cheap - to get a plane with retailers "round the corner". Like most planes - the Wilga nose is fragile if you cant glide the plane into soft landing. Another weak thing with the Wilga is its "foam" hinges for elevator and rudder. After some flying it will be brittle and you must keep an eye at them and tape them if nessesary.

The picture is almost exactly one year old. This xmas is green and wet.