soupninja

Hi All,

Getting back into the hobby after a nearly 30 hiatus. Been buying planes like crazy, but I have found that it is not the same as riding a bike. Looking for a 4 or 5 channel 40" or bigger trainer that won't readily break when I try something stupid. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Mike

LLRCFlyer

If you are getting back onto the hobby after 30 years, you will find that many things have changed. Some good, some not. Most all airplanes are now made of foam instead of balsa. I still prefer balsa. 2.4 Ghz radios are lighter and more reliable. The now-almost-standard Spektrum AS3X (Assisted Stability 3 Axis) gyro equipped receivers do wonders at making smaller planes fly well in windy/gusty conditions. There are two trainers that are very popular, the E-Flite Apprentice S2 and the HobbyZone Aeroscout S2. I have flown both and must say that I am impressed the most with the HobbyZone Aeroscout 2S (1.1 meter wing span) Ready to Fly trainer, not to mention it is $60 cheaper than the Apprentice S2. The Aeroscout can be had for $199.99 RTF fly including an entry level DXs 7 channel Spektrum transmitter, or as a Bind and Fly basic version without the DXs transmitter for $179.99. The $20 price difference for the transmitter is cheap considering it lists for $115 separately. It is a bare bones basic transmitter, but does the job and makes a great wireless buddy box when used with a wireless trainer capable Spektrum master transmitter like a NX-8 or NX10. The Aeroscout receiver also has telemetry that can relay flight battery voltage data back to the transmitter. I bought an Aeroscout S2 in October 2023 for use as a trainer aircraft for my club. So far it has accumulated over 425 flights and about 55 hours of flight time with zero issues and still looks new. Its wide tricycle landing gear allows it to taxi and takeoff in winds that would tip over an Apprentice (which sits taller on its gear and is more unstable taxing downwind). The Aeroscout has large wheels that work well when flying from 2" mowed turf runways. The Aeroscout's aileron response is more crisp than the Apprentice. The Aeroscout has a pusher propeller that is well protected in case of nose overs or hard landings. I'm still running the original motor and propeller. The Aeroscout's small motor and propeller may look anemic, but it definitely is not. The stock Aeroscout can takeoff, immediately roll inverted and then push up into an outside loop. It will climb in knife-edge flight. It can fly the entire novice aerobatic pattern. Its light weight allows it to glide extremely well. It can fly for 8 minutes of hard sport flying on a 3S-2200 mah lipo battery, or 10 minutes if flown at half throttle or less. My max duration so far is 26 minutes 13 seconds for a max endurance flight with some decent thermals assisting. I have found that I am flying the Aeroscout club trainer more for my own sport flying than most of my other planes, and especially when it is windy and I don't want to risk it with my $1,000 + planes. The Aeroscout's pusher configuration may look ugly, but it will get you back to flying quickly and you will not grow tired of it for a long time. It is ideal for re-honing your skills and is probably the best $200 you could spend at this stage of your re-training. You will also want to buy four Lipo 3S-2200 mah batteries with EC-3 connectors and a Lipo battery charger. Four fully charged batteries will provide a solid thirty minutes of flying time and you won't have to wait between flights for batteries to recharge.

I am not associated with Hobby Town or Horizon Hobbies in any way. This is just my opinion based on 57 years of flying just about every RC trainer type out there. Good Luck!

soupninja

Thanks for all the advice. You are right, there sure have been a bunch of changes

mgnostic

If you dont mind a little construction there are some other options. On the indestructable side it is still possible to find plans for planes made from coroplast sign material. On the inexpensive enough to crash side are the foamboard designs like the guys from Fite
Test are doing. The F-22 and Blody Baron are both pretty quick and easy to build. They are cheap enough for those "Hey Y'all, watch this" moments. Depending on how comfortable you are on the sticks there are also some trainer designs.