Best Trainer ?

[David Davis]

I'm pretty sure a good second-hand 40 two-stroke would fly it.

[Jonathan Lewzey]

you may find you outgrow 40 size models. most aerobats are 60 size plus and with the move towards electric you may find yourself not wanting to fly IC at all. I was very pro IC till i started getting engine problems that were breaking my models due to dead stick landings and the poor glide angles of the types i was flying. now i hardly consider an ic model as i've practically lost all faith in them. Having said that, there are plenty of flyers flying IC very reliably and among the most reliable are trainers which don't suffer the rapid changes of flying attitude that aerobatic models do so you don't really need a really good engine for your trainer. So long as its reliable and throttles well it should be fine.

 

look a bit harder in the classifieds and i'm sure you'll find something thats pretty good for less than half the price of a new 46AX

[David Davis]

Well-made points Jonathan but in my view those aeromodellers whose engines are constantly going deadstick have not set them up correctly in the first place.

 

Perhaps they don't know how to tune an engine.

 

Then there are the Inveterate Needle Twidlers who wont leave the settings alone and wander why the engine keeps cutting and then there are the Out and Out Engine Butchers who will continue to crank engines long past the time when it should be obvious that they are not going to start

 

Electric motors are more reliable and will probably save a lot of flying fields but they are quite soul-less.

[Phil 9]

Electric Models are getting more popular. They can seem expensive when starting out but once you have collected enough lipo's to last a days flying they do have their advantages.

IC also can be expensive to set up but once you got the kit it can be used for all your models. I did buy most of my IC gear second hand (not an option for EP kit at the time) and that kept costs lower

My job involves a lot of electronics and wiring so IC for me gives a nice change to what otherwise might be to similar to my work

[Phil 9]

Oh the Sig Kadet Senoir ARTF seems to be out of stock everyehere.

[Phil 9]

This may soung a stupid question but do 4 stroke engines use different fuel from 2 strokes

[David Davis]

HI Phil

 

Japanese four-strokes and their clones tend to use less oil in the mix than was commonly used by two-strokes.

 

Historically two-strokes ran on 20-25% castor oil in the fuel. Most people now use synthetic oils with about 18% oil content. Four-strokes seem to run on 15% synthetic oil content.

 

A chap in my club runs all of his engines on the same fuel without any trouble. Don't know what his mix is though.

 

Great this working from home isn't it!

[ken anderson.]

phil b-go for the OS...fit it and forget it...it'll run like a goodin with out needing constant adjustment's...forget the rest and fit the best..............

 

    OS anderson........  ..

 

 

[ken anderson.]

 

 any mods reading this-will you delete it thankyou.

     

 

Edited By ken anderson. on 25/03/2010 11:37:21

Edited By ken anderson. on 25/03/2010 11:38:05

[Lee Smalley]

Phil the sig looks lovely and it should be a good trainer for you as for engine choice well thats up to you and your wallet if you can afford it buy an OS, a four sstroke is slightly harder for a newbie to tune and set up but with help you will prob be ok it all depends on how much you wish to spend (forget re-sale value)

[Phil 9]

The Sig did look nice but I have not been able to find a supplier

 

David pointed out to me a large trainer in the Ripmax cataloge with a 70 inch wing span that looks good.

 

 

Althought the advice from this tread has pointed out to me lots of choice and my goals have changed somewhat.

 

To buy a new airframe and new engine will  cost a significant amout of money. My first choice of the Sig was because It looked so nice and I would be happy to keep it and fly it as a sports model even after my "A" test. And a nice Four stroke engine would be good for future models as there are lots of nice 46 size ARTF's that I would like in the future that a four stroke would suit better I think.

 

Four Example

 

The problem is now I keep chaging my mind what I want 

[David Davis]

I like the substantial-looking nose leg on the undercarriage of the Sedona GP pictured above.

[Lee Smalley]

they are fitting them to most of there sport aircraft that have nosewheels

the piper could be your trainer mate no reason why not !!!! 

[Phil 9]

I was worried by the nose leg.

My boomerang just has a wire. It bends far to easy for my liking but that means it bends back with no problem.

IF I get the Sedona I wondered about a tail dragger conversion. But if its solid there will not be any need.

I do like the cub but having flown not flown one I imagined it would be more tricky to fly than a trainer?

That is my big problem. There is so much choice and with not much experience anything I buy will just be a stab in the dark. I already bought one model that did not really suite me (Hangar 9 Mustang PTS) I did sell it one but still did not get back what I paid. I dont really want to make another mistake. (having said all hat I could end up crashing the thing then all this dissection is academic (touch wood hope not))

[andy watson]

One trainer not mentioned is the Jumper 25.

 

Great plane which runs brilliantly on a 46 (underpowered on the recommended 25).  Yes, a bigger trainer has its advantages, but I found the jumper to be fine to see in the air and in its stability- well unless the wind was really getting up!

 

The slightly smaller size helps in moving the thing around in the car and storage.

 

Also slightly cheaper!

[Phil 9]

After all the discussion I have ordered a WOT Trainer. There are a few at my club and the people who I have spoken there about them all seem to like them.

 

At 67 inch wingspan it is bigger than the average trainer. Some have reported the U/C block not having much support and could be ripped out (A common ARTF fault)but this can be bolstered with a layer of glass cloth.

 

The Ripmax web site quotes 5 servos are needed but I thought only 4 are used on this model. Could someone please clarify this point for me as I also need to order the servos.

 

I have bought a second hand Saito 56 engine from ebay but I also own a OS 40 FP I still have not quite decided which one to install yet.>>

 

 

If anyone else has any tips or modifications for this model I would be glad to hear them

Edited By Phil B on 02/04/2010 19:10:04