Trainer advice

[Tobe]

I agree in full with MJF but would like to introduce the factor age! In one of my past I have been a teacher/instructor for a lot of things none mentioned none forgotten but a few in the aviation and model (UAV 's not the least)
So what I suggest is to come up with what you want to do with your A certificate if isn't just to say you have one.
In either case full house I would say is a must and to learn to use your left hand and tackle wind at take off and landings....of course every one should have a model for those very rare perfect evenings. Reality is that a good model don't fear wind but the pilot might.
You might laugh but try to wipe your back lefthanded if you're right handed, at the end it's a matter to make you brain halfs to cooperate.
For your choice of model see what is your clubs preference first as they might have a club trainer.
If you feel on the younger side an Ugly Stick/RCM Birdie 40/Falcon 56 would be a good choice but if you feel age is catching up I would suggest a Kadet or a Telemaster.
The key in the choice of trainer is that as your proficiency increases it should still be fun to fly as nothing trains you as practicing and also in breeze days.

[Mike_K]

Hi Stew,

My advice would be to forget what model to build but to join a local club and get taught to fly properly, it will save you endless grief in the long run. An HB 40 PDP model is going to be a lot larger and faster than the small electric or diesel models you have been flying and will certainly not be a "park flyer", so you'll probably need to join a club anyhow to find somewhere spacious enough to fly it.

As for the model, modern trainers do seem to have progressed through the years and something like a Seagull Arising Star with a 40 has the advantage that it can cope with the wind, is very docile, large enough to see and you don't get precious about it as it's ARTF! Once you've mastered it, go onto something like a WOT4 to progress further. But if you can't join a club, then start with something like a Super 60 with a smaller engine and once you've mastered that move on to the aileron trainer with the HB40.

The HB engines were very solid and dependable and I have to slightly disagree with Bluejets, as my HB40-PDP is as docile as any OS from the 1970s that I own and that includes OS 40 MAX-P, 40 MAX-H, 40FSR and 45FSR of the period. The Perry carbs do have their idiosyncrasies compared to OS carbs though, but once set can be left at that setting near indefinitely.

Cheers Mike

[F2B]

That stick that increases the noise also has another function!

Engish not being my native language, it's too cryptic for me, as I'm still puzzled about the exact meaning of this... Please explain.

[Martin]

That stick that increases the noise also has another function!

Engish not being my native language, it's too cryptic for me, as I'm still puzzled about the exact meaning of this... Please explain.

What he meant was, assuming you are a "mode 2" (throttle on left) flyer, and your model has ailerons, was that the stick that controls the throttle also controls the rudder. A lot of beginners never use the rudder at all - except maybe for steering when taxiing.

I think this situation is even more true with modern transmitters that allow aileron-to-rudder mixing. Some models (I'm thinking of Super 60, and many 'Cub' types) actually steer better with just rudder than just aileron - if I had to do without a control on those planes, I would give up ailerons! The mixing is great, and makes the planes fly better when the pilot only moves the one stick - but the learner never learns the art of manually putting in just the right amount of rudder so that the plane flies neatly around the turns without side-slipping - the tail often hanging low.

Have to agree that most of the learners I've taught with tricycle undercarriages spend a lot of their time straightening or repairing the nose wheel leg. Trikes do make take-offs easier, assuming you have a nice smooth runway. But take-offs are easy anyway, compared with landings, so when using a buddy box, I prefer tail-draggers: the instructor can do the take off till the student is ready, and by the time they've mastered landings are ready to go solo, they can also easily take-off a plane with a tail wheel or skid.

Actually, providing the student doesn't mind flying an electric foamy, I think the best way to start nowadays is with something like a Bixler 2, or Easy Star, or similar - one of those electric gliders with a pusher propeller mounted behind the centre of the wing, and no wheels at all. They're pretty easy to fly, simple to repair, and suffer less damage with rough, off-the-strip landings than any classic trainer with wheels - and it's almost impossible to break the propeller or motor. Once the students can mostly fly solo, with just a bit of verbal advice on positioning, and land their foamy on the strip most times, then they're ready to confidently fly a classic wheeled trainer, and pass their 'A' test, if they so desire (or if the club requires it).

[F2B]

Thank you! That explains it all.

Since I'm a Mode 1 (& Mode 0 & F2B CL aerobatics) pilot, it never crossed my mind thinking of throttle...

I can fly Mode 2 and can teach that as well, but in aerobatics I'd be lost before you'd know it.

I agree that many can't use rudder the way it's supposed to.