What to choose for a noob?

[Rotary R/C]

Hi guys,

I’m new to planes and was looking at getting into large scale (?) aerobatics. I have a little TT Expo 3D foamie that I’m messing around with indoors to get the hang of planes (I have only ever flown heli’s, so this is a strange transition for me). I have been doing a lot time on the sim to get things started.

I plan on using my 6EX-H radio for the plane (works ok for the foamie, I will eventually upgrade). Here’s where I could use some advice: I’ll probably get the CMP Edge 540 (72”) because the cost of the airframe, uh, fuselage is pretty cheap and I expect to crash a couple of times, is this a good plane to start off with. It calls for 1.40/1.60 engine so I’m going to use a 26cc gasser instead, maybe a Fuji (seems a little heavy and underpowered though).

Any input would be great.


TIA
Marc

[keneindorf]

Hey Marc!
Here is my advise, so take it with a grain of salt but I have seen so many desperate to get in to a gasser large scale type frame and be very dissapointed with the results.....

A 74" wingspan with a Zen G26 or Fuli equvalent is going to be crazy heavy on that plane and it would not perform. If you are wanting to do Imac and fly around then maybe , but if you plan on doing 3D it will fall out on you and wing loading will be crazy. If you are wanting to get in to a gasser, I would save some money and and go to one of the new generation Wild Hares, or an Aeroworks QB 260 50cc and do a DA, 3W, Kroma, ZDZ or any other good 50 cc engine, and if you have a little over a grand to spend and want something smaller, the 3W Fun Fliies are VERY good flyers as well. They come with engine, canisters, airframe, and all the rest of the stuf you need except electronics. Sweet deal for the price. Call Boby at Cactus Aviation and he can hook you up, or Gerhard at Aircraft International. Now if you can't spend that amount of money, then get you smaller Nitro plane like a Funtana, Mojo profile and power it with a good Saito or YS. This will keep you in the cheaper range. One of my friends Mike East just did a review on the H9 Tribute 4D and it seems to be a good plane for starting out as well, and it has everything but receiver. Anyway, there are a lot of choices out there, but be careful not to ( and I am sorry to use this term) "half ass" a gasser because you will be very dissapointed in it. Don't forget that getting in to a gasser requires a little more than sticking a gas engine in an air frame, it also requires upgraded electronics, metal geared servos, very good geometry and linkage, among other things to make it work properly. If the CMP Edge is the airframe you like, then like you stated I would go with a YS or a Saito, keep it light, and have a blast with the plane.

[MrKiwi]

First off, you should get a small funfly type plane that you dont mind crashing like a funtana or twist. Besides, i wouldnt trust that cmp stuff. How long have you been flying? Did you start out with a trainer? If not, you should consider finding an instructor to help you learn how to fly properly and get your hands on a trainer. Good luck!!

[rmothers]

Just a couple thoughts... I am not sure that the 6EX-H will do all the mixing that would be required for the bigger plane. You will need to buy a manual mixer and they stink.. If you are dead set on going with a gasser and a big plane. look at wildhare. I have heard great things about them. They also have a Baby Edge 73" ( http://www.wildharerc.com/Products/Edge120/edge.html ) Just a thought. If anyone knows for sure about the radio please post it. I have a freind that has the same radio and had all sorts of issues.

Rodney

[Rotary R/C]

I agree on the fact that maybe I will wait for a real gasser. With the new house and all my finances are pretty tied up I don't particularly want a "ghetto gasser" going down the run way

I will probably still go with CMP Edge 540 for the price factor but maybe go with 4stroke 1.80 instead. I actually wanted the gasser for the fuel economy because when I do fly it's usually for a few hours of tank-after-tank and with nitro that's a little more pricey.

As far as the radio goes, it's true, as long as there is no mixing required it works pretty good for a straight forward four channel setup, but it lacks some nice stuff like throttle mixing and such. All the major programming is there like Expo, EPA and D/R.

Flying skills: I've been flying heli's for over a year now (that's what I started with) and am now transitioning to planes. Not looking for a trainer, honestly it's a waste of my time. I'm not awesome but even though this would be my first nitro plane I am beyond beginner. My first flight ever was last month, took off on my own ( with the club president over my shoulder but no buddy box) with the foamie in 10Mph winds did some circuits, some loops and some rolls and landed in one piece. Going from helis to planes as far as "Basic" flight goes is easier than planes to helis. Mind you you won't see me doing Harrier rolls anytime soon

I have been doing a lot of time on the SIM also so that is helping.

So being stubborn and planing on sticking with the Edge 540 at least through spring what would be a good Nitro engine for it (I am thinking of a 4c 1.80, maybe a Saito). I would rather be over powered and have unlimited climbout since I plan on doing a lot more up close flying and hovering maneuvers. The plane recommends 1.40 size engine. I can hover the foamie and do torque rolls and would like to expand that into the larger plane.

Thanks for all the advice and comments so far guys. It's greatly appreciated.


Marc

I attached a pic of one of my helis.

[Nitrohuffer]

Nice Rappy! I really dig the paint job! Nice and clean looking.

[Rotary R/C]

Thanks! I wanted a clean look, yet I also wanted it to be an eye catcher. The white strip ("Ghost" white) isn't bright but it is very rich and makes it look like a nice thick coat of paint even though it is fairly thin.

I've been checking out the OS 1.60 fuel injected nitro engine, but Towers has discontinued it. Aside from price was there anything wrong with this engine?

Marc

[youngflyer]

alright i read the above posts and thought id kick in and reiterate some of the points mentions above. im 16 and when i wanted to get into gassers i barely had enough money to cover the cost of my 25% edge with a roto 35. i wound up hating the combo because of the wingloading and scraped it. wont go into many details but the moral of the story is to save your money for what you really want! spend the extra money to get a 27-30% airframe and a zdz,da,bme etc! This is a big jump from a foamie so i would suggest getting a profile before jumping this big. Practice makes perfect so hone your skills before wasting 1500!

[Jaybird]

Go with a OS fx160. Relatively cheap, not bad on fuel (it runs great on 5%), light and reliable. Set it up with a Perry pump and a Bisson pitts. I had this combo in a H9 78" Edge using an APC 18-6W. Made great power and was dead reliable. Always started real easy too, prime it then just grab the spinner and bounce it backwards off the compression.

[Rotary R/C]

Well, after a lot more research, I purchased the TT Gilles 202 1.40. It cost me a lot more than the CMP I was going to get but probably a much better plane. It's got a 70" span and I plan on going with the Evolution G26 1.6 gasser. At 3.8HP it should work good. As far as the prop, no idea yet. Servos will be Hitec HS5625S digitals running at 6volts for all surfaces and throttle just to keep things even.

Any more thoughts?

TIA
Marc

[SleepyC]

Hmmmmm...

Thats going to be a heavy motor for that air frame.
You will not like it.

A 70" span is calling for a glow motor.

We have all been in your position, and have said "I can make a gasser work in this plane"

The truth is.. you will make it work... it will fly around and land fast... but when you see guys hovering, and doing nice parachutes and other 3D tricks... you will not be able to do them.

The plane will snap out of Hi G maneuvers.

Believe me.. I tried... I tried all the "gas motors" for the smaller planes... and I was always miserable.

But.. hey give it a go.. sometimes the best way to learn is to find out your self.

Good luck!

[Rotary R/C]

Hi SleepyC,

The reason I thought of the evolution is because it only weighs in at 39.4 oz with the ignition module as compared to the OS 160 which weighs 32.6 oz. Do you think it would still be a problem? Plus the HP is greater than the OS and it would be a hell of a lot cheaper to run. But, if the weight will bethat dramatic in the flight characteristics there is no point in wasting money either.


Marc