Hello,
I am not new to flying, fly WL V911's and have the V939 and V929 quads.
Looking into getting my first plane.
I believe I am advanced enough to go with something a little more acrobatic then a trainer. Do not want to break the bank but something smaller that has good response and can handle a crash without disintegrating. Also something that can handle a little wind.
I have a 9x with er9x firmware and also the new transmitter to fly Spectrum/JR protocols.
Also have Accucell 6 battery charger so charging batts is not an issue.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

i would still recommend a high wing trainer like a hz supercub. you could try out a pz t-28 though - several folks have used it as their first plane. its a sturdy plane that it does well in the wind and is highly maneuverable.

Originally Posted by Makdaddy

Hello,
I am not new to flying, fly WL V911's and have the V939 and V929 quads.
Looking into getting my first plane.
I believe I am advanced enough to go with something a little more acrobatic then a trainer. Do not want to break the bank but something smaller that has good response and can handle a crash without disintegrating. Also something that can handle a little wind.
I have a 9x with er9x firmware and also the new transmitter to fly Spectrum/JR protocols.
Also have Accucell 6 battery charger so charging batts is not an issue.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Deltas are good for wind due to their arrowhead shape , and can be acrobatic with elevons and rudder . You can save money by building your own airframe from Dollar Tree foam ( cost of airframe - $1.00 plus some hot glue and tape ) . Learning to fly on a $1.00 airframe is a lot less stressful than learning on a more expensive plane - crash $1.00 or crash $100.00 .

Building a Dollar Tree foam delta is as easy as cutting out a triangle , gluing one or two vertical fins to the back and taping two elevons to the back . Install electronics and fly !

Here is a good ( easy ) one to make , I recommend the prop in slot version ( post #11 ) to protect your motor incase it noses in .http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1543832

This video shows how acrobatic a delta can be

DELTA---3D (2 min 51 sec)

Originally Posted by cmdl

i would still recommend a high wing trainer like a hz supercub. you could try out a pz t-28 though - several folks have used it as their first plane. its a sturdy plane that it does well in the wind and is highly maneuverable.

Thanks for the comments - they both look like great flyers.

Originally Posted by balsa or carbon

Deltas are good for wind due to their arrowhead shape , and can be acrobatic with elevons and rudder . You can save money by building your own airframe from Dollar Tree foam ( cost of airframe - $1.00 plus some hot glue and tape ) . Learning to fly on a $1.00 airframe is a lot less stressful than learning on a more expensive plane - crash $1.00 or crash $100.00 .

Building a Dollar Tree foam delta is as easy as cutting out a triangle , gluing one or two vertical fins to the back and taping two elevons to the back . Install electronics and fly !

Here is a good ( easy ) one to make , I recommend the prop in slot version ( post #11 ) to protect your motor incase it noses in .http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1543832

This video shows how acrobatic a delta can be


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mGZx...ouN7w&index=13

Interesting for sure, might give this a try.

Interesting for sure, might give this a try.[/QUOTE]

If you do , let me know if you have any questions during the build , I'll be glad to help . And since you would be building it as a kind of disposable practice plane , just leave the paper on the DT foam board for stiffness . That way you won't need carbon fiber rods for reinforcement .

Al

Rotary wings fly differently than Fixed wings.

Fly a simulator before your first fixed wing flight.

I have been flying fixed wings since the late 60s (recently returned after a 20-yr hiatus, though) and just got a heli a month ago. Still learning to fly rotary on an FMS simulator.

Your experience may be different since you're going from helis to airplanes.

I have found that reflex reactions developed with fixed wings do not work with choppers. For me flying fixed wing is second nature and have to totally concentrate when flying helis.

Anyways, the Dollar Tree approach is very interesting but if you want to go the foamie RTF route, the Hobbyzone Champ is a surefire trainer for about $100. The Hobbyzone SuperCub is a much better flyer and a better trainer, IMO, for about $200

Originally Posted by Makdaddy

Hello,
I am not new to flying, fly WL V911's and have the V939 and V929 quads.
Looking into getting my first plane.
I believe I am advanced enough to go with something a little more acrobatic then a trainer. Do not want to break the bank but something smaller that has good response and can handle a crash without disintegrating. Also something that can handle a little wind.
I have a 9x with er9x firmware and also the new transmitter to fly Spectrum/JR protocols.
Also have Accucell 6 battery charger so charging batts is not an issue.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The WL V911 is very easy to fly with that stabilizing flybar and quadcopters are nowhere near the difficulty of flying real CP helis. I'm not trying to hold you back, but IMO your heli experience is very limited. Now, if you had been flying CP helis successfully for a while then you could probably skip the high-winged trainer and start with something more advanced. I started with helis and after flying CP helis for nearly three years, I wanted to give airplanes a try. My first airplane was a 32" EPP 3D foamy. I adapted very quickly and no doubt, my CP heli experience helped, but still, flying airplanes and helis are different.

My second airplane was the Parkzone T-28 (44" version). The T-28 is a great low-wing aileron trainer. However, I remember I crashed the T-28 once by turning sharply downwind...stalled and crashed hard. That crash taught me two important lessons about flying airplanes...the first being that just because I flew helis doesn't' mean that airplanes are a cinch to fly and the second lesson being that airplanes can get out of hand very quickly just like a heli.

My third airplane was the Precision Aerobatics 58" Extra MX...my first balsa airplane. Forth was 3DHS 72" Extra 330SC. Fifth was Extreme Flight 60" Edge 540T. Sixth was Aerobeez 87" Sbach 300. As you can see, I've gravitated towards 3D airplanes. There is no doubt that CP heli skills help in flying 3D airplanes, especially those high-alpha maneuvers and hovering.

Lastly, as you fly larger airplanes, you learn that you need to prep and setup your landings earlier because heavier airplanes require more room to land. Obviously, airplanes are also much more difficult to land versus helis.

Anyway, go with what you are comfortable with. I'm just trying to give you some things to consider.

Originally Posted by balsa or carbon

And since you would be building it as a kind of disposable practice plane , just leave the paper on the DT foam board for stiffness . That way you won't need carbon fiber rods for reinforcement .

Al

Another tip is to use extra double sided servo arms as control horns.

Thanks everyone for all you ideas. I have found a local club that flies about everything. I think for starters is to go watch them fly, get some ideas on how I want to proceed and go from there.

...

Originally Posted by Makdaddy

Thanks everyone for all you ideas. I have found a local club that flies about everything. I think for starters is to go watch them fly, get some ideas on how I want to proceed and go from there.

Most clubs have people who train newbies , usually with a buddy box . Check with that club to see if they offer that ; if so , that's the best way to go for learning to fly .

But scratch-building your own plane is still a good idea because you'll learn a lot about the way an RC plane works - setting up the electronics , control surfaces , CG , trim , etc. And it feels GREAT when something you've built yourself actually FLIES !

Al