Which plane is more suitable

teflyer

Full Circle
I was wondering which plane is more suitable for a beginner, the GWS SlowStick or the Crashtesthobby Pelican?
One is made of wood and foam and the other out of EPP.

Thanks
 

Rcplaneguy

Minnesota Flyer
It all depends, the slowstick comes in so many versions, the CTH Pelican looks like a scratch build type plane but in the same category and the GWS. Its all up to you man!
 

bicyclemonkey

Flying Derp
Mentor
After looking at the pics on crashtesthobby's site, it looks like the SlowStick would be much easier to assemble. You can't go wrong with one.
 

jetpackninja

More combat please...
Mentor
Hi teflyer-

I started out on a Slow Stick and still have a couple. You can probably get a slow stick going cheaper than the CTH Pelican.
But the CTH trainers have a big advantage in my book. EPP- I've been flying EPP planes for the last year.

The CTH Pelican is a good plane and can be setup to fly very well. The recommended motor is plenty powerful for this little plane.

The CTH Albatross is my pick if you want a great slow flying trainer. It has the wing span the same size as a slow stick and flies really well. It penetrates the wind really well and is hands down more durable than the slow stick. Another cool thing is that the Albatross wing will fit on the Slow Stick with no modifications (and works really well)

Slow Sicks can be fine for a beginner but there are some IFs
Research- do a bunch of research. Buy the no power system kit.
Go brushless
Reinforce the fuselage
Have some spare parts on hand or a local source for spare parts

instructions for the CTH planes
http://www.crashtesthobby.com/index.php?p=1_35_Albatross-Pelican-

one of a few slow stick pages- I found this site to be very helpful when I built my slow sticks
http://www.planeinsanerc.com/index.php?PageID=86

Cruise by rc groups, say Hi and ask any questions you might have about the Crash Test Hobby planes there.
Lee- the Crash Test Hobby guy monitors the thread and is always happy to ask any questions you might have :)
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1538751&page=11
 

teflyer

Full Circle
Thanks! I am planning to get the Kit Version since I prefer brushless motors. I have done some scratchbuilds before and did many of the silly beginner mistakes on building a plane. However, all of the scratchbuild did not work or were too jumpy for me to control (I landed on a building with a flying wing when I fly in 15-20 mph winds). So, I just wanted a nice slow flyer that I know can fly. The only thing I am worried about with the Slowstick is if I fly into a tree. I do not have a covering and really do not want to spend extra money on MonoKote and an iron. That is where the Pelican has a pretty large plus. Of course the Slow Stick is at a much lower price, about half the price. I do not really want to get the albatross since its price is rather high.

Also it gets pretty windy around here. How does the Slow Stick handle wind?

Also, it is pretty likely I will crash hard. Somehow it just happens.:D
 
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jetpackninja

More combat please...
Mentor
The Slow Stick is not a windy day plane. Once you have some experience, it can be fun to fly in a breeze, but doesn't handle wind really well. The Pelican is a nice little plane. The Pelican airfoil can handle a fair amount of wind. They are easy to build plus if you get stuck you can ask questions on the RC Groups thread - http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...538751&page=11

Check out the two planes in this vid. The pink one is a Pelican, the green one is an Albatross.
Both of these are rudder, elevator and throttle controlled only.
Just pointing out that these planes can grow with you as your skills and confidence progress.
If you get bored check out the other videos on the Crash Test Hobby Youtube channel

 

teflyer

Full Circle
Thanks! What got me really interested in the Pelican is the video where Lee is just flying the plane totally for fun and not caring if he crashes. And each time he crashes, the plane is still fine. :eek:

EDIT: actually that was with the Albatross :eek:
 
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jetpackninja

More combat please...
Mentor
The Peli is one of my favorite planes :)
It almost always gets in the truck when I go flying.

I have an Albatross set up with a cheapo radio just in case one of my friends or non flying family members want to try.
 

teflyer

Full Circle
ok, so for now, I am leaning to the Pelican. Unless I find something else that is really cool and for beginners.