Re: Looking for an R/C Model

On Wed, 14 Jul 2004 01:48:59 GMT, Mark Miller <dasmillr@pacbell.net>
wrote:

>..... Maybe a Sig Four-Star or a Mid-Star 40 (my personal
>favorite), or a Great Planes Stik (haven't flown a GP Rapture 40, so I
>can't vouch for it, but the pictures are pretty) or a Goldberg Tiger.


I picked up a used Four Star 40 and love flying this plane. It is my
3rd plane (just soloed back in March) and to me it flies better than
the trainers.



--
David - WD4JKH

Valid email: no-spam0879@mindspring.com

"Mike Szewczyk hcgi.com>" <szewczykm@<N0SP-a_M> wrote in message
news:9JednUJqk_ynEWnd4p2dnA@dls.net...
> LOL. OK I get it. So what B.I.Y. sport kit might I look at?
>
> Is that really the transition? Is a warbird really more squirrelly than a
> low wing symmetrical sport plane?
>
> Oh, also, I should add that I have no intention of flying the uber
creation
> myself until I can actually fly it. I'd go through the trainer planes
> first. I'd fly with the club hotshots on the buddy box for a while before
I
> ever took the thing myself.
>
> I figure the uberplane will take me a long time to put together. I want
> something to do on the rainy days and those days when I need to decompress
> after work by building. Slow and sure, all the while following the path
you
> described, buying the ARF's to train on.

The big thing is wing loading. Scale warbirds often are rather heavy. They
often require lead in the nose for balance, plus the extra weight for
retracts, etc., weight of a scale paint job. The extra weight requires the
plane to fly faster to generate the lift required to fly the heavier plane.
There are also "scale effects"; the air is more viscous to a scale P-51,
say, than the real thing, and this affects the way the model flies.

There are a number of great "second" planes that will get you proficient
enough to fly your warbird.
Thes include (not in any particular order of preference), Goldberg Tiger 2,
Sig 4-Star, Great Planes Easy Sport, or any of the "Stik" designs. You may
even want to get some plans and try your luck at scratch building. RCM's
Cloud Dancer 40 plans build into an agile, great-flying sport plane.
(Ace/Thunder Tiger makes an ARF version.) One caveat, though, is that it's
heartbreaking when dumb thumbs turn the creation you've worked so long and
hard on into toothpicks.

Morris

PICA FW-190, Great flying plane. forget the retracts and just fly it 4
channel. PICA Waco, also a great flyer. I would teach anyone to fly on
either one. I have had one FW and 3 Wacos.. Both 60 size planes.

> (Ace/Thunder Tiger makes an ARF version.) One caveat, though, is that
it's
> heartbreaking when dumb thumbs turn the creation you've worked so long and
> hard on into toothpicks.

This may sound dumb, but I want to be so attached to my next few models that
I'll be devistated if they crash. I've done so many dumb things in the past
when I
was excited and in a hurry. So the extra care I'm putting into the model
will translate
into my being much more careful with how I use it.

"Mike Szewczyk hcgi.com>" <szewczykm@<N0SP-a_M> wrote in message
news:lZGdnWpZHPIp1mjdRVn-ug@dls.net...
> > (Ace/Thunder Tiger makes an ARF version.) One caveat, though, is that
> it's
> > heartbreaking when dumb thumbs turn the creation you've worked so long
and
> > hard on into toothpicks.
>
> This may sound dumb, but I want to be so attached to my next few models
that
> I'll be devistated if they crash. I've done so many dumb things in the
past
> when I
> was excited and in a hurry. So the extra care I'm putting into the model
> will translate
> into my being much more careful with how I use it.
>
>
Mike, I've found the opposite to be true. I've had the most fun with
something cheap enough that I can just shrug when it meets terra firma at
too high a speed. When I have a big time/emotional investment in a plane, I
worry about crashing it, and it spoils my fun! :-)

Morris