Heli Freak looking to get into Warm/Hotliners on the Side: Looking for Advice

[Justin Pucci]

Hey all,

The title sums it up...I fly nitro and electric helis and have been looking into how I can get into the world of planes. Just to be clear, I'm not a complete flying noob, but I have never flown an RC airplane...only helis. That having been said, my current heli skill set is as follows:

Upright hovering in all 4 orientations, inverted nose-in hovering, stationary piros, circuits, figure-8's, loops, flips, rolls, stall turns, and slow or fast forward flight. Also, I'm working on inverted forward flight and precise transitions into different orientations (i.e. the very beginnings of "routines" if you will...not quite at 3D yet, but that's my goal).

I'd like to get into planes as a nice and relaxing option between heli flights and the electric sailplane category seems to offer the ability to slow down and do the glider thing as well as kick it up a notch and blast across the flight line at high speeds!

I've heard a lot of people at my field suggest going with a 40-size trainer and then moving up from there, but my fear is that I will outgrow something like that in hours given that I already fly helis. Why sailplanes? Simply put, I think they look beautiful...especially the warm/hotliners with all the CF/GF. I know, I know...aesthetics isn't everything, but it's what got me thinking to begin with.

I've flown most styles of planes offered on the Phoenix sim and most of the time (assuming they fly like the real things) I think that they feel mushy, slow to respond, and under-powered compared to my helis. I've been told, however, that the warm/hotliner group flies like its on rails, only does what you tell it to do, has loads of power, and tends not to have any odd tendencies.

If there are any fellow freaks out there that have experience with this class of plane, please let me know what you think. Am I crazy for trying to go right to warm/hotliners as a first plane? Are they just not going to satisfy compared to the helis?

Some of the "beginner" models I've been looking at are the Multiplex Blizzard (foam) and the Great Planes Siren (wood and composite).

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
-->Justin

[Kington99]

i tried skipping the trainer and going straight to a full aerobatic plane, didn't work well. Went back to the beginning and after 4 flights with a classic high wing electric trainer I was straight on to the aerobatics again and haven't looked back since. My advice would be if at all possible to get some time on a trainer, whether that be by buddying at a club, buying one second hand off ebay or buying new (my trainer with servos and power system was only £115 after all). I still really enjoy cruising around the sky in the trainer even though I own much more capable machines with an uprated ESC and prop it's pretty nippy and can loop and roll if required.

[Helicrox]

Hi Justin. Just a little background so you know where I'm coming from. I was a fixed wing IC flyer in the 1980's but ill health made me give it up in the early 90's. Three years ago I saw what was happenning to electric helicopters and decided I had to get one. Started with a Blade 400 and then went on to Trex's. At this time I was a self taught heli pilot using Phoenix FS. My flying skills, I think, will be about where you are at. Just before last Christmas I decided to try FW again and joined my local model flying club.
My first model was a Parkzone Trojan T28. Excellent first plane. Very forgiving but also able to do basic aerobatics. Remember I hadn't flown FW for nearly 20 years but my first flight was excellent. Loops. rolls and Cuban 8's were no problem, finished off with a good 3 point landing. This was down to the stability of the model and Phoenix FS not any super skills on my part. No matter what I'm flying on the day my first and last flights are with the Trojan, to warm up and cool down. LOL
I now have a PZ Mustang "Gunfighter" and an MX2 3d in the hangar as well as my heli's.
IMHO at your level of rotor skill and Phoenix training you will have no problem with the Trojan. BTW the Phoenix Trojan is pretty well how mine flies.
Hope this has helped you.

[helidude12]

If you can fly a helicopter the way you say, and can fly all the planes on your sim, AND LAND them, then i suggest a Precion Aerobatics Extra 260, technically it was my third plane but really it was my first, and i loved it, my first was a Parkzone t-28 trojan but being ignorant i atempted to fly it in a tennins coutrt, it went strieght up then down, and nearly destroied the plane, then i went to basa and got a hyperion yak-55 10e it was bad quality and crashed being test flone by a friend... finally i got this precision aerobatics Extra 260 and it flew great, also it is a just all around great quality plane from the fiber fusion to the covering, ot the aillerion hing being the same as giant scale planes so that no air can go through, everyone i know who has seen the plane loved it, but saddly ratio filure while in approach to land sent it into a spiral right into a rock (what are the odds), but had that not happened it would probably have never broken, and also with its incredibly smooth flight, it can do some wicked 3D manuvers, but those are my suggestion PA Extra 260, or Parkzone T-28 (or 27 i can never remember)
Precision aerobatics : http://www.precisionaerobatics.com/p...ils.php?pid=52
Youtube
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASwGw2daRdo[/ame]

Parkzone: http://parkzone.com/Products/Default...ProdID=PKZ5080

ps: the plane in my profile picture is precision aerobatics Extra MX which is very simaliar to the 260, just bigger.

[Justin Pucci]

Guys,

Really awesome feedback! I've heard a lot about the PZ Trojan T-28 and there are several of them each weekend at my local field.

Helicrox, your statement on the similarity of the real bird to the Phoenix sim model confirms my suspicion...

If this is truly the case, then maybe these planes are not for me in the long run. I realize that I'll likely need to fly them to get my skills up to par for flying an actual warm/hotliner. Do you guys know of any flight sims that have warm/hotliners? Phoenix only has a few sailplanes and they're...well, really not my thing.

Helidude, thanks for the Precision Aerobatics link. I think there's another HeliFreak that flies a PA Extra MX...is it Jasmine?

Landing can be a bit tricky at times, but it's mostly an orientation thing because I'm not used to the visual cues of a fixed-wing aircraft as compared to what I look for on my helis.

I guess I've got to think a bit harder about whether it makes sense for me to get a plank...thanks for the help, guys!

[Pirate_Pete]

Hi, I recently started to fly planks as a bit of a distraction from the Heli flying too. I'm lucky that one of my flying buddies is really good at both disciplines and on his advice, I bought a second hand multiplex merlin with the power option.
It's a powered glider which is just right for my needs. It can do full aerobatics ( it moves quite quickly downwind and at full power),but it's also nice and stable for learning.
The 'RR' version also comes with a carry bag and power option - just add reciever and transmitter.
The other nice thing about it is that it folds down into it's bag for easy storage - I just leave it in the car all the time. It uses 800 mah batteries ( the same ones I use in my trex 250) which last for 15 to 20 minutes of flying time if I do a series of climbs and then glide circuits.
I learned the basics in a couple of buddie box flights, then after a couple of practice landing sessions went solo with no problems!
I can't recommend it enough! It's been a great choice of model. We have also taught a friends 11 year old lad to fly it using the buddie box method - he now flys without too many problems, but does still make the odd mistake.
Have a look on you tube for some videos and see what you think.

I do think that if I had gone for a high wing trainer that I would have got bored very quickly, but the merlin has more to offer with ailerons, rudder and elevator controls, the trainer I was looking at only had elevator and rudder and would almost certainly be redundant after a few flights.

Hope I have given you another option to look at before taking the plunge!

Cheers,

Ian.

[frogbmth]

Originally Posted by Justin Pucci

Phoenix only has a few sailplanes and they're...well, really not my thing.

IMHO Phoenix absolutely sucks big time for sailplanes. Download the free CRRCsim for sailplanes, it is the most accurate flight model I have found yet and will give you a good idea of what different models are like to fly

Andy

[frogbmth]

The ST Blaze just came out, Everything is included except 3s LiPo and Rx

[Justin Pucci]

Andy,

That Blaze looks like it'll give the MP Blizzard a run for it's money! It seems to have just been released though...I'm unable to find any US stores that carry it right now. It looks like it's only in the UK at the moment.

Have you flown one yet? Thanks for the idea! I'll look into it more!

[SlabBro]

Personally, I would get some experience real world on a plane, as stated the t-28 is great bird.

From there, I would get a 3D profile rig going, tone the rates down till you are comfortable, and let her rip

That way, with the flip of a switch, you can be mellow or be crazy.

Only problem I have found with what you want is the wind factor. Powered is the needed setup around here as the winds are so unpredictable, and no wind means no fly with no power.

[Bob O]

Justin,

I just ordered an Electrifly Rifle. The factory video shows it on radar at 121 mph. It's back-ordered until mid September. I'll see if it lives up to their claims!