Just starting out and planning to join local club and work with a trainer but that doesn't start until May due to weather. Currently planning on getting an Apprentice for that but waiting until I meet with a trainer.
Don't want to wait that long to play so looking to get an "easy" 4ch - prefer a BNF type - to play in my 1/2 acre front yard so it can't be a big one. Been playing with a Night Vapor in a gym and have a PZ UM J-3 Cub for outside when the weather warms up but would like to get a 4 Ch as well. Your thoughts?

If BNF is important, the choices are very few for an "easy" 4 channel. What makes an easy 4 channel are the same things that make a 3 channel easy: Low wing loading, high wing design, and dihedral.

The new UMX Carbon Cub SS may fit the bill, but it's not available yet. The other possibility is the UM T-28. I wouldn't call it easy, but set with low rates you might find it to be perfect if you're doing well with the UM Cub.

If you're talking a BNF type, does that mean you have a transmitter already? That plays a role in your budget and your choices. The go to recommended Tx is a Spektrum Dx6i, they are often sold here on the RCG Classified boards for $125-130. If the bug has bitten you badly that one will serve you well for some time. If you get out of the hobby you can likely pass it on via the Classifieds with minimal overall loss.

I went Champ>UM T-28 personally, but I also got some sim time in and had to be very careful to only fly in days of very low wind. I believe some folks fly the Champ and UM T-28 indoors as well, they slow down nicely.

Getting some sim time in whether by one of the freebies (FMS or RC Desk Pilot) or purchased (Clearview - Phoenix - Real Flight) will help quite a bit in terms of orientation (left and right reversing when the plane is coming at you) and how the plane responds when you move the ailerons. Either getting a cable for a transmitter you own, getting a cheap USB sim transmitter, or getting a sim that comes with a transmitter are all options of varying cost.

You could do very well with a UM T-28 if you get some sim time in first to get an idea what to expect, and keep the wind advice in mind. You could also maiden it somewhere local that's slightly larger to get accustomed to it then fly in your yard once you've got a handle on it.

UM T-28 is a good step from the Vapor.

My plan was to stick with the Spectrum system - the Apprentice comes with a Dx5 - or I want to pick up a Dx6i at some point. But if there's a better 4 ch to play with in my front yard while I'm waiting/working with a trainer I'm listening.
The BNF certainly makes it easier.

By the way, what makes the UM T-28 a good step up? Not as fast as the others? Easier to control?

It's very stable, very well behaved. It's technically a warbird but it acts more like a trainer, which is what the full-sized plane was typically used for (as well as reconnaisance and the like). It is light enough that it often won't take significant damage from a crash. If you leave the landing gear on, it's tricycle style, which is more forgiving than a taildragger to land (I hear), and the steerable nosewheel helps ground handling a lot on such a small bird.

The first time I went to the local public flying field, some of the older hands talked me into putting it up in the air, they loved it. Then several of them asked if they could take a turn, I let 3 of them run a battery through it apiece, they all marveled at how sweet a little flyer it was, one of them swore he was going to go get one.

I left the gear off mine since I hand launch and belly land/plop onto grass. With the stock settings in throws and control horns it's very stable and very forgiving, then you can adjust for more aggressive settings and get a little aerobatic with it. It slows down and cruises around very well. I often fly it to me and catch it rather than plop it, though I don't learn much about greasing landings that way.

The UMX Carbon Cub is probably more of an intermediate plane rather than a trainer - at least from what's been said about it.

Now that I think of it, Horizon needs to put AS3X into the Trojan or create a basic 4ch trainer with it - there's a real market for something like that. AS3X would help with stability in moderate winds, which is the biggest problem with UM-sized models.

The Trojan still is probably one of the best 4ch planes in either the park flyer size or the UM size - if you set it down to low rates it's very controllable, but you can use it to learn some basic aerobatic moves later on. It's definitely a great bird to own.

I'm going to suggest a different path. If you have a half acre to land and take-off, as long as you dont have a lot of trees around, you could add ailerons to a slow stick. The reason I suggest that is that you can fly a lot higher with it due to it's size and be less restrictive to the half acre and if budget is a concern, very few kit planes are cheaper to get in the air.

Top gun park flite super cub, for me has been a dream!

Originally Posted by tag1859

Just starting out and planning to join local club and work with a trainer but that doesn't start until May due to weather. Currently planning on getting an Apprentice for that but waiting until I meet with a trainer.
Don't want to wait that long to play so looking to get an "easy" 4ch - prefer a BNF type - to play in my 1/2 acre front yard so it can't be a big one. Been playing with a Night Vapor in a gym and have a PZ UM J-3 Cub for outside when the weather warms up but would like to get a 4 Ch as well. Your thoughts?

You should be able to take off and land anything on a 1/2 acre. How high are the things around the border? Fly way above all obstacles

Thanks for the feedback. Currently still planning on an Apprentice - checked with my LHS and they will swap out the Dx5 for a Dx6i for a good price. More importantly I've run the idea by the wife and she's supporting the local club and the good plane. Guess it pays to treat her nice!