All recommendations are loose -- people have demonstrated that Sig Skyrays and Topflight Flight Streaks will garner more than 500 points in Expert in the right hands, and people have started flying Beginner with full-bodied stunt ships. What I'm suggesting below is what I think will work well, but it's by no means the only way to go.
Beginner:
The most important thing here is an airplane that'll be fairly rugged in a crash, and quick building, yet still capable of stunting. A 600-point airplane is neither needed nor wanted. For all that, an airplane that's fairly big to just plain big is a good idea. If you're building from kits or from scratch, don't waste your time on flapped airplanes -- they do look better when they're turning sharp corners, but they take longer to build and longer to repair. Since you'll spend more time repairing than flying square corners, optimize for ease of repair.
- several Sig Skyrays + 20 FP, with the Bret Buck mods*. 25FP and 25LA will also work here. I'm not sure what size Enya would be best, but I suspect a 19 would be a bit anemic.
- several (Do you notice a trend here) Gotcha Streaks + 46LA. Get kits at the Core House (Phil Cartier). I think the design could be improved, but what's there is way more than you need for beginner
- several Top Flight Flite Streaks + 20FP, 25FP or 25LA. Same deal as the Skyray, except they're ARFs. Ignore what the directions say about the center of gravity and put it at 1 5/8" back from the leading edge
- Any of several ARF profiles from Brodak -- just buy more than one. I don't think they have any suitable flapless airplanes -- a plane with flaps will fly better in better hands than a beginner, but is harder to fix and -- even for an ARF -- harder to assemble. The Super Clown is good if you want to stick to a 20FP or 25LA.
The key here is to plan on crashing, and plan on working through it. Brett Buck would tell you to bring several planes to the field and, if you crash one, grab another and keep flying. I'd agree if you have time for half a dozen flights each session -- I never have time for more than three flights or so, so I just had one plane that I fixed a lot.
Many old timers may not like me saying this, but if you don't like building and you do have the money, just buy a bunch of ARFs and get them all ready to fly. I like building, so I don't go that route.
Intermediate:
With the possible exception of the Gotcha Streak**, any of the above planes should carry you at least part way through Intermediate. In Intermediate you'll be somewhat limited by a flapless plane, but still far more limited by your own piloting skills. So when you move up to Intermediate, start shopping for your new ride. If you crash a lot, or if you compete somewhere that has a profile class, stick to a profile (because you can get twice as much time contesting). If you don't, consider a full fuselage plane or a Niebuhr "Hobo". (A Neibur "Hobo" is going to be fairly easy to fix, but fly more like an ordinary full fuse plane. It's also not elegible for profile competition).
- Fancherized Sig Twister
- "Fancherized" (or Rabe-ized) Sig Banshee (move the wing forward an inch or 1-1/2", and increase the tail span by an inch or two).
- The above-mentioned Neibuhr "Hobo"
- If you want a full fuselage, a just-about-anything-modern -- a Legacy or Legacy 40 would probably be a good plane to try, but so would an SV-11 or an Impact (if you can find a kit). Note that a "full sized" stunter may challenge a 46LA a bit (but then, I'm running a 46LA in a 64-ounce, 660 square-inch stunter, and it's working well so far)
- A super-zoot profile based on modern "numbers", but only if you're also going to use it in a profile class.
You can get all the way through Advanced with any of the above planes (I finished out this year flying a Fancherized Twister in Expert). If you have the time to build it you're probably far better off with a full-bodied modern ship though.
* Brett Buck Mods: build it per the plans but replace the plywood ribs and stub ribs with 3/32" balsa, put 2-wheel landing gear on it, put a weight box in the outboard wingtip, and put in adjustable leadouts (Brett says to just locate the leadouts according to the Line III program -- I say adjustable).
** I don't like where the leadouts exit on a Gotcha Streak -- I suspect the plane has vertical CG problems. If it hangs straight down from the leadouts as you look at the nose then I'm wrong, and it should work perfectly well into Intermediate. I do like the Gotcha Streak wings, which is why I'm using them on a couple of knock-around sport & stunt trainers.
Topic: Stunt Plane-Engine Combos Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced(Competition) (Read 6413 times)