Need a list of good RC airplane trainers

by Robert
(Lexington NC)

I TRIED THIS HOBBY ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO. BUILT A GAS POWERED PLANE, THEN COULD NOT GET THE ENGINE TO WORK CORRECTLY. THE PERSON THAT WAS SUPPOSSED TO GUIDE ME WAS A REAL KNUCKLE HEAD AND NOT A BUNCH OF HELP. I ENDED SELLING THE PLANE FOR A FRACTION OF WHAT I HAD IN IT. WHAT A REAL DISAPPOINTMENT.

I HAVE NOW GOTTEN TO THE AGE IN LIFE WHERE OUR DAUGHTER IS GONE AND MY WIFE AND I CAN PLAY GRANDPARENTS. MY WIFE HAS A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT HOBBIES, READING CROSSSTICH, AND OTHERS. ALL I HAVE DONE IS WORK ALL MY LIFE, SO I REALLY WANT TO GET A HOBBY THAT I CAN GROW WITH. RC IS IT!

I HAVE DONE MUCH RESEARCH AND HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSSION THAT TO START I NEED TO GET IN WITH ALL ELECTRIC RTF PLANE. WE HAVE A WONDERFUL FLYING CLUB HEAR IN LEXINGTON, NC AND WILL PROBABLY JOIN.

WHAT I NEED IS AN UNBIASED OPINION ON TYPE OF TRAINER TO GET? A TAIL DRAGGER OR TRICYCLE GEAR. WHAT TYPE OF BATTERY PACK AND WHAT TYPE OF RADIO. I KNOW THAT I NEED A WING OVER FOR MORE STABILITY AND A SLOWER SPEED.

PLEASE HELP WITH SUGGESTIONS AND BRANDS.

BY THE WAY, YOUR SITE IS WONDERFUL, LOTS OF INFO.

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Need a list of good RC airplane trainers

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Three things for a trainer ...
by: John Chew

1. It should be big enough to see clearly even when it's a fair way away. A large model also tends to get bounced around less in wind.

2. It should be forgiving and stable, so that it helps the novice pilot get out of the trouble he/she will inevitably get into on occasion.

3. It should be able to fly slowly. Slow flight not only gives the pilot longer to think about what they need to do, but if they get it wrong the model also hits things less hard.

OK - I lied. Let's make it six things ...

4. It should be either tough or quick/cheap to repair - or, best of all worlds, both. Trainer models, by their very nature, tend to have a rough time.

5. It should have an effective and strong undercarriage, landing and taking off is a fundamental part of learning to fly, fitted with wheels large enough to cope with the roughness and uneveness of the landing strip you use. If the landing strip is a bit rough this means the wheels need to be BIG.

6. It should have SUFFICIENT power. Too much can get a novice pilot into trouble, but so can having marginal power. The power to climb briskly and accelerate along the landing strip for a short take-off run is GOOD - the power to prop-hang would be excessive.

Then there are some other things that I would add that are more personal opinion.

- I learned to fly using an IC powered model (J Perkins "Prangster" - reviewed by me elsewhere) HOWEVER these days I would instead choose a model powered by a modern, brushless outrunner motor and Lithium Polimer batteries. Honestly that combination can give you all the "grunt" you need in a trainer and decent flight times with it. IC is, by comparason, harder to "get right" and less reliable - as well as smellier, noisier and likely to smear the model with gunge.

- I would suggest a semi-symmetrical airfoil rather than a flat bottomed one.

I've done a fair chunk of investigation into the flat-bottomed sections found on trainer models (yes, I'm a geek with a Compoutational Fluid Dynamics "virtual wind-tunnel" program on my PC - I just LOVE zero-lift coefficients of moment!) and a lot of those flat-bottomed sections are simply DIRE. My suspicion is they're designed more for ease of accurate construction than for their aerodynamic characteristics.

There are good flat bottomed sections, but sometimes they're not the ones you find on trainers. Get a "bad" flat-bottomed section and the chances are you'll end up with a "one speed" model that has limited ability to cope with anything more than a moderate breeze.

I personally believe going semi-symmetrical is the "safer" option and more likely to allow you to fly when the flat-bottomed models are grounded by a bit of wind.

AS A LAST THOUGHT I would heartily recomment the "Spectre 15" trainer. The problem is that you can't get one, 'cause I haven't finished designing it yet ... ;)

John Chew

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Submitted by: John Chew

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1. It should be big enough to see clearly even when it's a fair way away. A large model also tends to get bounced around less in wind. 2. It should be forgiving and stable, so that it helps the novice pilot get out of the trouble he/she will inevitably get into on occasion. 3. It should be able to fly slowly. Slow flight not only gives the pilot longer to think about what they need to do, but if they get it wrong the model also hits things less hard. OK - I lied. Let's make it six things ... 4. It should be either tough or quick/cheap to repair - or, best of all worlds, both. Trainer models, by their very nature, tend to have a rough time. 5. It should have an effective and strong undercarriage, landing and taking off is a fundamental part of learning to fly, fitted with wheels large enough to cope with the roughness and uneveness of the landing strip you use. If the landing strip is a bit rough this means the wheels need to be BIG. 6. It should have SUFFICIENT power. Too much can get a novice pilot into trouble, but so can having marginal power. The power to climb briskly and accelerate along the landing strip for a short take-off run is GOOD - the power to prop-hang would be excessive. Then there are some other things that I would add that are more personal opinion. - I learned to fly using an IC powered model <a href="http://www.hooked-on-rc-airplanes.com/j-perkins-prangster.html"><b>(J Perkins "Prangster" - reviewed by me elsewhere)</b></a> HOWEVER these days I would instead choose a model powered by a modern, brushless outrunner motor and Lithium Polimer batteries. Honestly that combination can give you all the "grunt" you need in a trainer and decent flight times with it. IC is, by comparason, harder to "get right" and less reliable - as well as smellier, noisier and likely to smear the model with gunge. - I would suggest a semi-symmetrical airfoil rather than a flat bottomed one. I've done a fair chunk of investigation into the flat-bottomed sections found on trainer models (yes, I'm a geek with a Compoutational Fluid Dynamics "virtual wind-tunnel" program on my PC - I just LOVE zero-lift coefficients of moment!) and a lot of those flat-bottomed sections are simply DIRE. My suspicion is they're designed more for ease of accurate construction than for their aerodynamic characteristics. There are good flat bottomed sections, but sometimes they're not the ones you find on trainers. Get a "bad" flat-bottomed section and the chances are you'll end up with a "one speed" model that has limited ability to cope with anything more than a moderate breeze. I personally believe going semi-symmetrical is the "safer" option and more likely to allow you to fly when the flat-bottomed models are grounded by a bit of wind. AS A LAST THOUGHT I would heartily recomment the "Spectre 15" trainer. The problem is that you can't get one, 'cause I haven't finished designing it yet ... ;) John Chew

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Hi Robert
by: Matt

I have put together a fairly comprehensive list of the most popular trainers.

The majority are glow powered, but you will find that Hobbico and Sig offer some quality electric powered trainers.

Let us know what you get and how it flies!

Matt