There are really NO bad airplanes out there, only individuals with different levels of ability in both building and flying. There is NO one airplane that will take a beginner and make an advanced level flyer out of them. It is possible, for a beginner to fly a properly built, and trimmed model just to see, feel and experience what he is trying to achieve, and that can be very beneficial. It is also beneficial for a beginner/intermediate level flyer with a decently built and trimmed airplane, to have an expert level flyer fly his model so he can observe it from out side the circle. This is often an eye opener, and it was for me when I did it many years ago. If you are having any issues, and the expert flies the model with out any issues, it shows you that the problem may not lie with the airplane! These days, if an airplane is worth the effort to design, draw, engineer, and produce as a kit, you have to feel comfortable that it is a design capable of doing the job. Not like in the 50's and 60's when this was all coming about and new planes were coming on the market all the time. I always encourage a new person to pick a design that he or she likes the look of, or has heard/read a lot about, and stick with it for a few seasons. By building several, you are learning and perfecting skills needed for any model airplane, and you get used to what you need to do to make a particular design perform. Each model should be better than the previous one. Keeping with the same design or "numbers" greatly helps in the trimming process, to a point where you should be able to confidently build the model, finish it, bench trim it, and fly the maiden flights and can confidently do the pattern right from the first flight. If you want to change up on something and are just a bit tired of building Vector 40s as they come out of the box, keep all the important numbers the same, and change out lines and cosmetics and you have a "new" airplane but can feel the same confidence as if it was the fifth one in a row. I only have to point to Bob Gieske or Randy Smith and his SV series as proof of this. I have mentioned often of a guy here in St. Louis that built a box stock Twister with an FP.40 and started out in beginner and used that same airplane to fly in expert contests and beat guys flying piped ships. The secret was he burned the equivalent of several 55 gallon drums of fuel and wore out four engines, and rebuilt the same airplane a few times so he was so familiar with the airplane and how it should be trimmed I think he could fly it in his sleep. Familiarity breeds confidence, and that leads to success. I just don't think you get the same effect by building a Vector 40 this month, then go down the road to a legacy or Legacy .40 next month, then jump around to a Cardinal of any size, then go to any of the dozens of models we have available to use these days. I think we really are very lucky to have the we have these days in plans, kits, and power plants. You should be able to find a combination that makes you feel comfortable and confident. Just don't use the shot gun method and hope the next plane you want to build is the one that will make your score jump 150 points, because it won't if you haven't done some of the other work that it takes to make that happen. No one design will do that.
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
Topic: How good is Vector 40??? (Read 7362 times)
