Last time, I started out to present a few more different RC trainer kits to build, but I kind of ran on about the Carl Goldberg kits. Today, I will tell you about a few more excellent kits that are available.
There is one more Goldberg trainer available in kit form that I want to tell you about. It is the Eagle 2, formerly it was called the Eagle 63. In the early eighties, I purchased two of these kits and helped my two sons assemble them. They are also an excellent trainer that is easy to build and comes with full-sized plans and a comprehensive instruction manual. The Eagle is a .40 sized model with a flat bottomed wing that spans 63 inches. Easy to build and easy to learn to fly with.
The Great Planes PT-40 Mark II is another easy to build and fly trainer that is available in kit form. It too, comes with full-sized plans and a well-written instruction manual which includes several photographs. As the name implies it is a .40 sized radio controlled model airplane with a 60″ wingspan that is designed to built either as a true trainer or as a sport flier. Both types can have ailerons installed and can be flown with rudder, elevator, and throttle or as a four channel model. This is another excellent trainer that ca also be built as a sport flier for that aerobatic second airplane.
Sig Manufacturing’s Kadet LT-40 kit built trainer is another of the fine trainers that I am somewhat familiar with. It is a .40 sized radio controlled model airplane that has a 60 inch wing span. The Kadet LT-40 is an excellent trainer to get someone started flying. It flies slowly and it has built-in inherent stability that allows it to restore itself to straight and level flight if the beginner finds himself in trouble. All that is necessary to regain control is to let the control sticks return to the center position. This gives the flier a little extra time to rethink what he needs to do. This is just one more of the airplanes that works very well for the beginning radio controlled model airplane flier.
There is one more type of trainer that I will talk about and that is the Telemaster 40 available online from Hobby Lobby. The Telemaster is a well designed trainer kit that if well assembled can almost fly itself. It is a big trainer that can be built either as a tail dragger or a tricycle with steerable nose wheel. The kit also includes flaps if you want to use them. It is a slow flier and once it is headed in for a landing it will be capable of landing itself (depending on crosswind conditions). Easy to build and fly it makes an ideal trainer for someone that is trying to learn to fly by himself. I don’t recommend doing this but this radio controlled model airplane is very stable and quite large making it easy to see what is going on in the air, people have learned to fly this model by themselves. I still think it is much easier, faster and safer for the plane and flier to work with a qualified instructor.
I will mention another huge model that can make a real good trainer and that is the Senior Telemaster. It is the original Telemaster and it is said to be so controllable that with the right wind conditions, it can be landed flying backwards. One of my sons built this kit and it is a big kit with a lot of balsa parts, but he managed to build pretty much all by himself as his first radio controlled model airplane. It was a very successful trainer for him, but we learned a couple of things that make it a little more difficult to deal with. Did I say this is a huge model? It has a .60 cuin engine and a wingspan of 95″ and the fuselage is 63″ long. The size makes it necessary to have a pickup truck with a covered box or a van to transport it to and from the flying field. Otherwise, it is truly an awsome model. My son built a trailer to haul his telemaster in. A great flying model very lightweight and rugged. If you choose to build the Senior Telemaster, plan on a longer construction time and a little more expensive to complete, but it will provide a flying experience that is amazing.
The models that I have talked about should give you enough information to select a radio controlled model airplane that will work best for you. It is not too early to locate a club near you and find someone to help you get started on the right path. If you choose to go it alone, remember you can always ask the OldManFlier at this blog site by using the comments option. I am always open to comments and questions. Keep reading and I’ll see you next time.