Hey guys,
As the title says Im new to the hobby and I have some questions. I bought a champ as my trainer plane and I am learning what its like to fly with that. Now I really enjoy building things frim the ground up and I was wondering wwhat a good beginner trainer plane that is not extremely difficult to build. I am open to any suggestion or even if this is a bad idea all together. Thanks in advance for your input. - JC

It's a great idea to build. If you are getting reasonably adept at keeping the Champ in the air, then by all means move on to building, you won't be sorry.

My suggestion, from experience, get a Stevens Aero kit, more accurately, one of their UM compatibles. You can pop your Champ brick in a balsa build and never look back...

I built the Hummingbird this summer and I was amazed at the quality of the kit and the thought that went into it. It went together in a three evenings and with a few hours of covering (never did it before) and adjusting, I was in the air. Both my boys landed their UMs immediately and just watched. I just bought two kits for them for Xmas.

As far as toughness, both myself and the boys have hard some hard landings that would have certainly torn foam, but not even a scratch on the Hummingbird.

I see from your other post that your Champ may have had a mishap on the first flight. Let me say you've done the right thing by learning on a Ready To Fly (RTF) plane. Beginners have enough to worry about without also wondering if everything has been assembled, wired and adjusted properly too!

Many folks in this hobby draw a large part of the satisfaction from building their own planes. You might visit the "Scratch built foamy" forum here. You'll find tons of good advice and willing helpers.

Another route to consider is a book. I have this one:

RCadvisor's ModiFly: Design and Build From Scratch Your Own Modern Flying Model Airplane In One Day for Just $5
http://www.amazon.com/RCadvisors-Mod.../dp/0982261349

It has good photos and covers all the basics of components and techniques. I found it very satisfying. I followed much of the advice while building a different design but the I used the book extensively for reference. BTW... I learned to fly on a Champ too.

Thanks Marc, Just ordered the book! I will be awaiting its arrival.

Stevens aero is really good stuff. Buy any of Bill's trainers and you'll be very happy. I've built three myself and flown another three, and all have been excellent.

@MiddleMarc - you do know that the link you provided is for a book that costs $12 and not $5, right?

Originally Posted by rickthebrewer

@MiddleMarc - you do know that the link you provided is for a book that costs $12 and not $5, right?

"Design and Build From Scratch Your Own Modern Flying Model Airplane In One Day for Just $5" is the title of the book. Not the price.

Glen

I thought I'd throw one of these together as a play-plane. Looks dead simple to build, cheap, and is very capable.

http://rctestflight.webs.com/slowtrainer.htm

Originally Posted by JaCee83

Hey guys,
As the title says Im new to the hobby and I have some questions. I bought a champ as my trainer plane and I am learning what its like to fly with that. Now I really enjoy building things frim the ground up and I was wondering wwhat a good beginner trainer plane that is not extremely difficult to build.

Mountain Models has several balsa trainer kits:

http://www.mountainmodels.com/index.php?cPath=25_150

MM kits are interlocking laser cut kits and are known for being easy to build. And their planes fly fantastic, these may be classified as trainers, but there are are a lot of seasoned veterans that love to fly them as well.

Zeke at http://www.parkscalemodels.com makes nice interlocking kits as well.

I would recommend you stick to a laser cut interlocking kit for your first build or two before branching out into some of the other kit offerings out there. The interlocking kits have better alignment and go together easier and quicker.

I've been building balsa electrics for over 20 years and there is nothing as exciting as building a plane yourself and seeing it fly for the first time

Originally Posted by Tres Wright

I've been building balsa electrics for over 20 years

And I always though balsa was an insulator. Every day's a school day.

Originally Posted by rickthebrewer

@MiddleMarc - you do know that the link you provided is for a book that costs $12 and not $5, right?

Yes. I do. The price is marked clearly on the web site.