Longbranch
12-10-2005, 01:28 AM
I'm looking for a next plane that will fill my needs, and would like to solicit advice from everyone on what I should be looking for.
I used to fly glow about 20 years ago, and got up through a 25 size trainer with simetrical airfoils and ailerons before having to put it down. About a year ago I got back into RC flying and started from scratch again with a PZ Slo V, then their Super Decathlon since things came back quicker than I expected. I found the Decathlon much more fun, but am now ready for ailerons again, and as always, more power etc. I have had problems with the PZ chargers giving false peaks etc., and I think I would definitely like to step up to Lipos and brushless motors. I have been so pleased with the electric revolution that I don't see myself ever going back to glow.
My flying field, such as it is, is just that, a field. I have local school grounds where rough grass and possibly some blacktop are available, but the hours I can fly there are limited, so I most often go to an empty field that is usually covered by 3 foot high wild oats and other weeds. There is a paved one lane road along one edge, but it gets occasional vehicle traffic, so it's not a reliable runway. With the two planes I mentioned earlier, I hand launch and either land on the road if I can, or more often in the field. The tall weeds keep the plane from ever touching the ground and so far have saved me from damage on more than one occasion. I removed the landing gear from the Decathlon and the added performance was great.
At this point, I'm looking for something to continue the learning curve. I am not sure whether to get another high wing trainer along the lines of a Cox EP 380 Trainer ARF, or a Sig Cadet EP 42 ARF, or whether I can step up to some of the warbirds like the NE Sailplanes' Streetfighters, or even some of the various foamie warbirds like the E-Flite P-47. I have experience with the Great Planes G3 flight sim, so I have some simulated stick time with their warbirds, and have not found them too much for me, except the occasional tendency to tip stall, which really sucks. At what point in a pilot's learning curve does he leave the high wing trainer behind? Are the various warbirds significantly more squirrely than the trainers? I think I'd like to step up to something more than the standard NiMhs and brushed motors. Lipos and brushless outrunners are undoubtedly where I'm headed eventually. With that in mind, what do you folks recommend? I was thinking that the relatively durable and inexpensive streetfighters might be a good start, but as I have no experience with them first hand, I can't be sure. I live out in the boonies, many hours from a flying club, so other pilots are nonexistent. I think on the sound advice or aeajr, I am probably going to invest in a Spectrum DX6, so that will go into whatever plane I settle on. Along with a recommendation for the plane, please feel free to comment on all the other gear that will be necessary. I have no Lipo charger, and based on the discussions here, the Triton seems to be everyone's first choice. Are most Lipo batteries from the major brands roughly the same? How about motors? Have you found most brands of brushless to be roughly equivalent? Any opinions you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all.
Regards,
LB
I used to fly glow about 20 years ago, and got up through a 25 size trainer with simetrical airfoils and ailerons before having to put it down. About a year ago I got back into RC flying and started from scratch again with a PZ Slo V, then their Super Decathlon since things came back quicker than I expected. I found the Decathlon much more fun, but am now ready for ailerons again, and as always, more power etc. I have had problems with the PZ chargers giving false peaks etc., and I think I would definitely like to step up to Lipos and brushless motors. I have been so pleased with the electric revolution that I don't see myself ever going back to glow.
My flying field, such as it is, is just that, a field. I have local school grounds where rough grass and possibly some blacktop are available, but the hours I can fly there are limited, so I most often go to an empty field that is usually covered by 3 foot high wild oats and other weeds. There is a paved one lane road along one edge, but it gets occasional vehicle traffic, so it's not a reliable runway. With the two planes I mentioned earlier, I hand launch and either land on the road if I can, or more often in the field. The tall weeds keep the plane from ever touching the ground and so far have saved me from damage on more than one occasion. I removed the landing gear from the Decathlon and the added performance was great.
At this point, I'm looking for something to continue the learning curve. I am not sure whether to get another high wing trainer along the lines of a Cox EP 380 Trainer ARF, or a Sig Cadet EP 42 ARF, or whether I can step up to some of the warbirds like the NE Sailplanes' Streetfighters, or even some of the various foamie warbirds like the E-Flite P-47. I have experience with the Great Planes G3 flight sim, so I have some simulated stick time with their warbirds, and have not found them too much for me, except the occasional tendency to tip stall, which really sucks. At what point in a pilot's learning curve does he leave the high wing trainer behind? Are the various warbirds significantly more squirrely than the trainers? I think I'd like to step up to something more than the standard NiMhs and brushed motors. Lipos and brushless outrunners are undoubtedly where I'm headed eventually. With that in mind, what do you folks recommend? I was thinking that the relatively durable and inexpensive streetfighters might be a good start, but as I have no experience with them first hand, I can't be sure. I live out in the boonies, many hours from a flying club, so other pilots are nonexistent. I think on the sound advice or aeajr, I am probably going to invest in a Spectrum DX6, so that will go into whatever plane I settle on. Along with a recommendation for the plane, please feel free to comment on all the other gear that will be necessary. I have no Lipo charger, and based on the discussions here, the Triton seems to be everyone's first choice. Are most Lipo batteries from the major brands roughly the same? How about motors? Have you found most brands of brushless to be roughly equivalent? Any opinions you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all.
Regards,
LB