>
>
> Ed Cregger wrote:

>> "Tom" earthlink.com> wrote in message
>> news:CI5Xj.36947$Au2.26153@trnddc07...

>>> "Tom" earthlink.com> wrote in message
>>> news:Iq4Xj.18569$%%X1.17193@trnddc08...

>>>> After attending the TopGun RC plane meet in Lakeland, Florida last
>>>> month I've got to buy an ARF RC plane trainer.
>>>> When I was a kid I did pretty good with U control model planes.
>>>> Remember them?
>>>> My brother sent me a link for a trainer but I want to get the best,
>>>> ideally one that'll grow beyond a trainer.
>>>> I'm willing to spend several hundred bucks maybe more.
>>>>
>>>> link to trainer recommended by my brother
>>>>
>>>> http://www.hobbiconexstar.com/nexstar-select/features.html
>>>>
>>>> Link to Top Gun Meet
>>>>
>>>> http://www.franktiano.com/TopGunFrameset.htm
>>>>
>>>> Tom

>>>
>>> Here is the correct link for the trainer suggested by my brother.

>>
>> ----------
>>
>> If you have average hand/eye coordination and correctable vision, go buy
>> the GP Big Stick in the .40 size. This plane will take you past basic
>> training and well into advanced aerobatics. Power it with any of the
>> popular .46 to .52 sized available engines from OS, Thunder Tiger or
>> Magnum. Buy a radio system on 2.4 GHz with at least eight channels and
>> ball bearing standard servos. May as well pick up a flight simulator
>> program while you are at it.
>>
>> The most difficult thing to find is an instructor that is competent with
>> a model that does NOT have a flat bottomed wing. Those models are
>> intended for folks who have poor vision and atrocious hand/eye
>> coordination. Most of the intended target audience for this type of model
>> will never get past the flat bottomed wing stage.
>>
>> If you are "normal", you'll get past that stage in ten flights or less.
>>
>> Finding an instructor thusly qualified will be rough. It appears that not
>> having the "flying gene" is a marker for attracting those folks to
>> wanting to be full time instructors.
>>
>> Make a deal that if your instructor crashes your plane, they have to
>> replace it with a brand new plane, radio and engine. If they refuse to
>> comply, find someone else to teach you to fly. Or, better yet. Teach
>> yourself how to fly using the computer simulator. Then all you'll need is
>> a check-out flight when you get to your flying field.
>>
>> Ed Cregger

>
>
> There's nothing wrong with a flat bottom wing. I've been flying since
> 1990, and I still enjoy flat bottom wings along with planes that are
> supposedly more "advanced". I like three channel planes, too. It's too
> bad some guys think of flat bottom wings as something that you grow out
> of. They're missing a lot of fun. Try putting a Kadet through the
> contest pattern some time, and then tell me how good of a pilot you are.
> Come to think of it, lots of people enjoy the Telemaster, even if they've
> been flying for years.
>
> The question was how to get started for "several hundred dollars", which I
> take to mean significantly less than $500. Most of the ARF trainers from
> the major vendors are good enough for you to learn with. Isn't the
> Nexstar the one with fancy gyro driven autopilot crap in it? If so, just
> get a regular plane instead and learn to fly it. About the radio, just
> get a regular 4 channel 72MHz radio for less than $150. These will be
> around for a long time to come, and if you stick with the hobby you'll
> always find a use for a basic 4 channel radio. I have 4 or 5 of them,
> plus a 6 and a 7 channel that I use for specialty projects, although not
> very often. Most guys go for decades without ever flying anything with
> more than 4 channels. I can count on one hand the number of planes I've
> built with bomb doors, flaps, or other accessories. (I always wanted to
> build a glider tug with a tow release....) At any rate, any 4 channel
> unit from JR, Airtronics, Futaba, or Hitec will do just fine. Your main
> concern will be that if somebody is nice enough to teach you to fly, you
> may want to get the same brand they have and hook up with a trainer cord.
> There's a lot of good stuff on the market today. You can't go too far
> wrong.