First Warbird

[RcAlex]

Hey, this is to all the experienced war bird fliers. I have been using my mini apprentice for the past 2 months and feel very comfortable with all the controls and can handle it in windy weather. I think i am ready to make the next jump (any advise if you guys think i'm not there yet) and i'm looking for my first war bird. Which do you recommend obviously i would like a p-51d mustang or a spitfire but i know those are a little to out of my reach, so i'll be very happy with a p-47 razorback or the f8f-1 bearcat! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Also, what brand is best for the 1200mm lineup E-flight or Flightlinerc?? P.S if i could stay away from the trojan that would be great ...don't like the looks ok it :(
F8F-1 Bearcat

https://www.motionrc.com/collections/show-all-airplanes/products/flightlinerc-f8f-1-bearcat-pnp

P-47 Razorback

https://www.motionrc.com/collections/show-all-airplanes/products/e-flite-p-47-razorback-bnf

[TiredIronGRB]

Welcome to Hobby Squawk Alex, the P-47 is a good plane but expensive to be learning warbirds on, the Bearcat is a great plane but takes time to master ground control and landing without nose-overs. I would look at these to get some warbird experience on.

Dynam FW-190

Dynam F4U Corsair

[RcAlex]

Welcome to Hobby Squawk Alex, the P-47 is a good plane but expensive to be learning warbirds on, the Bearcat is a great plane but takes time to master ground control and landing without nose-overs. I would look at these to get some warbird experience on.

Dynam FW-190

Dynam F4U Corsair

Wow they look great!! I am just curious why they don't have flaps and how much do flaps and to the experience? Also, out of curiosity would it be a bad idea to start with a 800mm war bird? Only reason I ask is because it's less expensive!

[TiredIronGRB]

Wow they look great!! I am just curious why they don't have flaps and how much do flaps and to the experience?

You really don't need them on the smaller, lighter planes and flaps will also increase the chance of nose-overs on smaller planes.

[TiredIronGRB]

Where are you located?

[RcAlex]

I see. I am located in New Hampshire.

[OV10]

Hello Alex and welcome to the Squawk,
As an instructor and having seen many wild eyed aspiring warbird pilots try to run before comfortably walking am gonna shoot it to ya straight.........your not ready for the Bearcat.
So you've flown a mini Apprentice with SAFE for 2 months. Is that why you selected the P-47 with SAFE for the warbird jump?
Have you graduated past the SAFE tech and can fly with out it? If not, that P-47 with SAFE is still gonna be a challenge.
The Apprentice is a trike gear airframe so you have zero tail dragger skills which is the next big training hurdle..........rudder control.
I would much rather see you do an intermediate step of going with the Freewing Pandora.
https://www.motionrc.com/products/fr...ndora-blue-pnp
It is a slightly larger bird with more presence and penetration but still on 3S power.
It is configurable as High/Low wing and tail dragger/trike.
Go fly the crap out of this(cause it doesn't have the SAFE security blanket) using the tail dragger high and low wing configs to do the following:
o takeoff using the rudder to negate the P-factor dart to left routine.
o land on the mark you select(not where it took you)
o learn to fly in cross winds.
You'll thank me later when you actually do get a warbird and can handle whatever the wind gods throw at it.;)
Best regards,

[RcAlex]

Hello Alex and welcome to the Squawk,
As an instructor and having seen many wild eyed aspiring warbird pilots try to run before comfortably walking am gonna shoot it to ya straight.........your not ready for the Bearcat.
So you've flown a mini Apprentice with SAFE for 2 months. Is that why you selected the P-47 with SAFE for the warbird jump?
Have you graduated past the SAFE tech and can fly with out it? If not, that P-47 with SAFE is still gonna be a challenge.
The Apprentice is a trike gear airframe so you have zero tail dragger skills which is the next big training hurdle..........rudder control.
I would much rather see you do an intermediate step of going with the Freewing Pandora.
https://www.motionrc.com/products/fr...ndora-blue-pnp
It is a slightly larger bird with more presence and penetration but still on 3S power.
It is configurable as High/Low wing and tail dragger/trike.
Go fly the crap out of this(cause it doesn't have the SAFE security blanket) using the tail dragger high and low wing configs to do the following:
o takeoff using the rudder to negate the P-factor dart to left routine.
o land on the mark you select(not where it took you)
o learn to fly in cross winds.
You'll thank me later when you actually do get a warbird and can handle whatever the wind gods throw at it.;)
Best regards,

Sorry for not seeing your post until now :( Thank you very much with the advise! It really helps to know whether or not I'm ready for the next jump. My only issue is the following: I'm not an adult so i don't have as much money as I would hope to invest in this hobby! I'm trying to learn the best way possible while trying to keep costs at a minimum. Is there any other alternatives like staying on the apprentice for a longer amount of time? And to answer your question I have been off the safe mode for the past 2 weeks and haven't had the need to push the panic button what so ever. Thanks again for the extremely helpful advise!

[OV10]

Sorry for not seeing your post until now :( Thank you very much with the advise! It really helps to know whether or not I'm ready for the next jump. My only issue is the following: I'm not an adult so i don't have as much money as I would hope to invest in this hobby! I'm trying to learn the best way possible while trying to keep costs at a minimum. Is there any other alternatives like staying on the apprentice for a longer amount of time? And to answer your question I have been off the safe mode for the past 2 weeks and haven't had the need to push the panic button what so ever. Thanks again for the extremely helpful advise!

Considering your proclaimed caveats for finances I would say there is absolutely nothing wrong with finishing the season out with the Apprentice and saving for the intermediate level airframe.
2 weeks off the SAFE isn't really a landmark achievement unless you can say you did it and accomplished those actions I recommended in the bullets for the Pandora along with basic and intermediate aerobatic maneuvers also.
You finishing the season by accomplishing those goals I just stated will ensure that the hard earned money that you invest into a warbird will insure that prized airframe will be around a lot longer to enjoy and show off. ;)
Best regards,

[RcAlex]

Considering your proclaimed caveats for finances I would say there is absolutely nothing wrong with finishing the season out with the Apprentice and saving for the intermediate level airframe.
2 weeks off the SAFE isn't really a landmark achievement unless you can say you did it and accomplished those actions I recommended in the bullets for the Pandora along with basic and intermediate aerobatic maneuvers also.
You finishing the season by accomplishing those goals I just stated will ensure that the hard earned money that you invest into a warbird will insure that prized airframe will be around a lot longer to enjoy and show off. ;)
Best regards,

Thank you so much!!

[Hippie 64]

Hey RcAlex welcome to the Squawk !
I learned the hard way and the advice you are being given is spot on !!! As much fun as this hobby is it can and does get very costly . I ended up with a beautiful Texan sitting and built for over a year . Had to see it everyday but knowing when your ready is the trick .
Planes like the Pandora are built to teach and enjoy what fun this hobby is . You may get the Warbird and take it up once maybe twice with no issues but that third one will bite you hard . By taking your time you learn to react automatically without thinking and the end is much better .
Practice and save your money in the long run you will much happier that you did !!!We all wanted that big nice Bird but as in anything there are steps to take to reach your goal .


Good luck and keep us informed on your progress. Any and all here will more than happy to help with any question or problems that come up , THERE ARE NO DUMB QUESTIONS


Bryan

[RcAlex]

Hey RcAlex welcome to the Squawk !
I learned the hard way and the advice you are being given is spot on !!! As much fun as this hobby is it can and does get very costly . I ended up with a beautiful Texan sitting and built for over a year . Had to see it everyday but knowing when your ready is the trick .
Planes like the Pandora are built to teach and enjoy what fun this hobby is . You may get the Warbird and take it up once maybe twice with no issues but that third one will bite you hard . By taking your time you learn to react automatically without thinking and the end is much better .
Practice and save your money in the long run you will much happier that you did !!!We all wanted that big nice Bird but as in anything there are steps to take to reach your goal .


Good luck and keep us informed on your progress. Any and all here will more than happy to help with any question or problems that come up , THERE ARE NO DUMB QUESTIONS


Bryan

Thank you very much!! After hearing you guys out I have decided to invest on the Pandora!! I will spend some solid time and make sure I can handle every maneuver before moving up to the priced War Birds!!

[wrongroad]

G'day Alex and welcome,
If I were your instructor, I would like to see you flying without a safe unit or gyro as you progress. This is not to say do not use them in the future but I would like to see you be able to handle the models without outside aids. Now, of course I am presuming that your models are equipped with such units.
There is an old saying and I am sure you would have heard it before.....you have to crawl before you can walk.
Hippie and OV have given you some sage advice and I am glad to see you taking it in.
I have been asked many times if the war birds are hard to fly and I find myself answering, no. But then I clarify the answer by saying, 'because I went up the steps so to speak. One at a time.'
I purchased my FMS 1400mm Mustang, put her together and sat her on the work bench as motivation to get on with learning.
I flew a Radian first, then a FMS 1400 Cessna, then the Dynam Cirrus SR22 1400 with flaps for training, then the 1400mm FMS T-28 and then the Mustang. The Radian [radio failure], the Cessna [the sacrifice to the gravity Gods] and the Cirrus [dumped it to avoid hitting people who walked out on to the runway to take a photo] gave up their existence so I could become a better pilot.
And they haves been my only gifts to the gravity Gods. No doubt they will ask for more sooner or later and I will have to grin and bear it!
Ah, I forgot, funny enough, the Mustang was destroyed before her first flight when another model smashed right through her as I sat waiting to go and do some ground testing. That is one thing the Gods got for free.
I now have three FMS P51D [1400] each approaching two hundred flights apiece. With just the minimum amount of repairs and replacement parts required over the years.
I also have two T-28's, two corsairs, Bf109, FW190, P-38, Zero, a Freewing B-17and a Freewing Mosquito. All have at least fifty flights in their log books with the exception of the P-38 that has yet to be flown.
So, take your time and listen and learn and you will have a lot of fun.
I think this is the better forum for new pilots as the 'I know everything' element is not here. Just a group of people prepared to help out and it is good.
You will get the likes of viper, OV, Hippie, Doc, all giving great advice. You can trust their input.
As Hippie has said..there are no dumb questions. None at all so do not be afraid to ask. If you are bit unsure send a PM to the pilot of your choice. You will get a straight up answer.
I never give advice on something that I do not know. If I advise you, you can rest assured that I do what I said.
Do not get talked into flying in conditions that over challenge you. If in doubt do not fly. As your skill level improves, you will tackle heavier wind and one day you will fly and think nothing of the fact that it is windy enough to blow a dog off his chain.:)
Have fun.
Regards and respect
Daryl

[OV10]

blow a dog off his chain.:)

Daryl........Am always amused with some of the down under colloquilism's you blokes conjure up LOL
PS.......your words of advise are always good and trusted also;)
Best regards,

[RcAlex]

Daryl........Am always amused with some of the down under colloquilism's you blokes conjure up LOL
PS.......your words of advise are always good and trusted also;)
Best regards,

Thank you very much for all the advise and although the more "costly" route I'm going to get a lowing trainer to prepare my self for the big jump! However, can you guys recommend me a good low wing trainer that is less expensive than the Pandora? I want to thank all of you who have helped me out in this process!!!

[wrongroad]

G'day Alex,
Going step by step is more than likely going to be cheaper than going for the flashy warbird straight after your first trainer.
By improving your skills a little bit on each flight, you will be a better pilot in the long run. You can take my words to the bank on that!
Going from a model that will do 60 kph down hill with a tail wind to a model that will do 140 is a huge step and I have seen pilots come unstuck like this so many times. It is called letting ambition outweigh ability and, my friend, we have all been guilty of it at some stage.;)And if anyone says that they have never let that happen, we will keep their secret safe!
I find that pilots who try to go up the ladder too fast often find themselves retrograding after a while as they can not come to grips with the extra wing loading, speed and trickier handling. They then find their confidence heading towards their boot laces and they wind up crashing everything they take out to the field.
There is a pilot in my club who went from a Bixler to a HK B-17. The B-17 lasted about two weeks after many, many repairs. The B-17 never completed a single flight. Well, landing on its wheels I mean. It was simply too much airplane for an inexperienced pilot.
Take your time and go one step at a time. It will be cheaper in the long run.

OV, we use these terms without even thinking. There are many that might get me banned for a while! I used one on the other group and copped a warning and had to edit the words. And they were not even rude!:Silly:
A famous cartoon here had the caption, 'Mate, you were game parachuting on a windy day like this.....[person 2] parachuting be buggered mate,I went up in a tent!'
I draw cartoons about RC flying and I will get around to posting them here but I have to remember that our humour is a bit different to the rest of the whole.
It would be a dull old world if we were all the same.
Regards and respect
Daryl

[RcAlex]

G'day Alex,
Going step by step is more than likely going to be cheaper than going for the flashy warbird straight after your first trainer.
By improving your skills a little bit on each flight, you will be a better pilot in the long run. You can take my words to the bank on that!
Going from a model that will do 60 kph down hill with a tail wind to a model that will do 140 is a huge step and I have seen pilots come unstuck like this so many times. It is called letting ambition outweigh ability and, my friend, we have all been guilty of it at some stage.;)And if anyone says that they have never let that happen, we will keep their secret safe!
I find that pilots who try to go up the ladder too fast often find themselves retrograding after a while as they can not come to grips with the extra wing loading, speed and trickier handling. They then find their confidence heading towards their boot laces and they wind up crashing everything they take out to the field.
There is a pilot in my club who went from a Bixler to a HK B-17. The B-17 lasted about two weeks after many, many repairs. The B-17 never completed a single flight. Well, landing on its wheels I mean. It was simply too much airplane for an inexperienced pilot.
Take your time and go one step at a time. It will be cheaper in the long run.

OV, we use these terms without even thinking. There are many that might get me banned for a while! I used one on the other group and copped a warning and had to edit the words. And they were not even rude!:Silly:
A famous cartoon here had the caption, 'Mate, you were game parachuting on a windy day like this.....[person 2] parachuting be buggered mate,I went up in a tent!'
I draw cartoons about RC flying and I will get around to posting them here but I have to remember that our humour is a bit different to the rest of the whole.
It would be a dull old world if we were all the same.
Regards and respect
Daryl

Thank you very much for your help! What should my 2nd plane be a lowing trainer? and if so any recommendations?

[Hippie 64]

Alex the Pandora we speak of has four different sets that's the beauty of it . It can be a Tricycle type in high or low wing . Also a Tail dragger in high or low wing . Start with it in high wing as a tricycle then when comfortable move it to the tail dragger setup . Master it then drop the wing into low position it will be a whole new plane to learn and master .
It is built very tough and can take a beating because it is made to be trainer .
Wrongroad also mentioned learn without a gyro or assisted electronics . There is nothing wrong with them but how can you fly if you forget to move the switch or if it goes bad . They are a great tool for some planes but not for a trainer in my opinion .


Good luck and we are always here ,


Bryan

[RcAlex]

Alex the Pandora we speak of has four different sets that's the beauty of it . It can be a Tricycle type in high or low wing . Also a Tail dragger in high or low wing . Start with it in high wing as a tricycle then when comfortable move it to the tail dragger setup . Master it then drop the wing into low position it will be a whole new plane to learn and master .
It is built very tough and can take a beating because it is made to be trainer .
Wrongroad also mentioned learn without a gyro or assisted electronics . There is nothing wrong with them but how can you fly if you forget to move the switch or if it goes bad . They are a great tool for some planes but not for a trainer in my opinion .


Good luck and we are always here ,


Bryan

Thank you very much!!

[purduephigam]

Hello Alex and welcome to the Squawk,
As an instructor and having seen many wild eyed aspiring warbird pilots try to run before comfortably walking am gonna shoot it to ya straight.........your not ready for the Bearcat.
So you've flown a mini Apprentice with SAFE for 2 months. Is that why you selected the P-47 with SAFE for the warbird jump?
Have you graduated past the SAFE tech and can fly with out it? If not, that P-47 with SAFE is still gonna be a challenge.
The Apprentice is a trike gear airframe so you have zero tail dragger skills which is the next big training hurdle..........rudder control.
I would much rather see you do an intermediate step of going with the Freewing Pandora.
https://www.motionrc.com/products/fr...ndora-blue-pnp
It is a slightly larger bird with more presence and penetration but still on 3S power.
It is configurable as High/Low wing and tail dragger/trike.
Go fly the crap out of this(cause it doesn't have the SAFE security blanket) using the tail dragger high and low wing configs to do the following:
o takeoff using the rudder to negate the P-factor dart to left routine.
o land on the mark you select(not where it took you)
o learn to fly in cross winds.
You'll thank me later when you actually do get a warbird and can handle whatever the wind gods throw at it.;)
Best regards,

I literally just laughed out loud as I just finished writing up a slice of humble pie regarding my Bearcat. I've flown my Hawksky consistently for over a month and had gotten extremely comfortable. Comfortable (and naïve) enough to attempt my beautiful little Bearcat.
Attempt on take off: nosed over twice after veering off the side of the runway (very squirrely). 3rd attempt, got her up and the thing was just not behaving well at all. Fought it for 40s or so and ended up planting the prop into the ground. As mentioned above; you're not ready (I def wasn't ready). Lesson learned the hard way for me.....
I'll likely transition to a new plane which is still forgiving, yet will be able to help train me for a better warbird experience. Thankfully there was minimal damage and repairs are completed; but she'll be sitting a while longer, along with my A-10 until I actually get more experience and flight time in. Listen to these guys and don't be like me or any other over-eager pilot. This is a hobby you're supposed to stick with for a while, there's no rush to the top :)