Trainer for a OS 15

Hello,

I am new to control line and would like to purchase a trainer for an OS15 FP that I have. Since I will more than likely crash I was thinking of a solid wing trainer. The only two that I could find was the Flite Streak Trainer or a Sig Shoestring. Does anyone have any thoughts as to which one is better or more appropriate for my situation. Also, feel free to recommend any other plane that you may think would work better for my situation.

Thanks is advance,
Tony

Basic or stunt trainer?

RSM P-51 kit is perfect for that 15. Easy to build, great wood selection and its laser cut also.

Your 15 FP may be a bit much for a Streak Trainer (baffle style 15s often end up on this model). On the other hander, plenty of power can be used to your advantage on a trainer. You can control speed with pitch.

I really believe that the Brodak "Streak Trainer" is the best basic unit available today....I wish that the older, upright motored trainer was available in kit form, but the "Streak" is durable and actually flys.

The primary thing about building a trainer is that it be straight....

A good thing is to make 'em ugly, too, so you'll not be afraid to crash them.

An OS on a streak works pretty well with a 8X4 prop and 52' of .015 line (more durable than allowable .012's.

See Ya

>I really believe that the Brodak "Streak Trainer" is the
>best basic unit available today....I wish that the older,
>upright motored trainer was available in kit form, but the
>"Streak" is durable and actually flys.
>
>The primary thing about building a trainer is that it be
>straight....
>
>A good thing is to make 'em ugly, too, so you'll not be
>afraid to crash them.
>
>An OS on a streak works pretty well with a 8X4 prop and 52'
>of .015 line (more durable than allowable .012's.
>
>See Ya
>
>Peabody

Pretty well says it.
One thing about the old Guillows Trainer series (and the Monarch jobs, Comet Rookie, Testors series, etc.) was the upright motor mount. This is probably easier for a beginner to deal with- but the Streak sure does it's job well.

So I guess the best trainer available is one you scratch build, using as inspiration the aforemtentioned kits of old.

Since they are all solid construction, it should be an easy build.

Thanks Currell

What size prop would you recommend for training? I also have a OS10FP R/C. Do you think it would be better to wire the throttle open and use it instead?

Thanks,
Tony

Tony, look at the wing areas of what you are planning to build. The Sig Akromaster is 34" span 250 sq in flies great with a FP10.

There are several guys in Oz flying Claus Maikis Koalas with FP15s. Koala is about 350 sq in and about 42" span. I'm currently building a couple at 90% full size Koalas (approx 280 sq in) for my FP10.

I suggest that you convert your FP10 with the venturi and standard NVA. However, make sure you get the exact right parts. Jonathon Dawes (Xian) had all sorts of grief with the wrong dia NVA. I have been unable to seal the stock rear needle setup and converted my FP10 to the conventional front needle setup with the FP10 NVA. Although it looks very close to the naked eye, the FP15 NVA does not work. It allows air to leak around the holes in the venturi.

Good luck, Geoff

>Your 15 FP may be a bit much for a Streak Trainer (baffle
>style 15s often end up on this model). On the other hander,
>plenty of power can be used to your advantage on a trainer.
>You can control speed with pitch.
>
>Currell

My 11 year old flies a Streak Trainer with FP 15 and has no problems on 52' .012 lines and an 8x4 MA prop. Note the Brodak plans show an FP 20! Even with the FP 15 it comes out a little nose heavy.

I had equally good success with the Fox baffle .19s years ago on this particular trainer.

>>Your 15 FP may be a bit much for a Streak Trainer (baffle
>>style 15s often end up on this model). On the other hander,
>>plenty of power can be used to your advantage on a trainer.
>>You can control speed with pitch.
>>
>My 11 year old flies a Streak Trainer with FP 15 and has no
>problems on 52' .012 lines and an 8x4 MA prop. Note the
>Brodak plans show an FP 20! Even with the FP 15 it comes
>out a little nose heavy.
>
>I had equally good success with the Fox baffle .19s years
>ago on this particular trainer.

When my sons were pre-adolescents, we put Fox 19's on TF Streak Trainers, and used 9-4 props. Balanced just right with those, didn't fly too fast on 52' lines - excellent matchup. Then, a few years later, when my daughter was the age they had been, those two Fox 19's had gone into the parts bins, so we used the pre-FP OS 20 that some folks refer to as a "Max-S". Still an excellent match, so I would have to say that an FP 15 or LA 15, either one, should work out just fine!

Actually, I would have thought that using a typical baffle 15 from the 1950's and 1960's on this model would've required a big nose weight (it really IS intended to be built nose-heavy). But it does have a VERY long tail, folks! The FP 15 would come a lot closer to balancing the plane correctly than a 1967 model baffle glow 15, any brand at all, although it's not close to being as heavy as either of the 19 / 20 engines that I have used.

.
Kiwi

>Actually, I would have thought that using a typical baffle
>15 from the 1950's and 1960's on this model would've
>required a big nose weight. It has a VERY long tail, folks!
>
>.
>Kiwi
>
>**

It also has a longer nose moment than the standard Streak or Streak Jr. I've had three and they've all come out nose heavy. After breaking the vertical fin off with all the nose over landings, I finally replaced ours with 1/8" basswood and set it in a 3/16" deep routed groove in the top of the fuse. Hasn't broken off since. I covered my son's with .5oz carbon veil on the fuse and fin and used .2oz on the wing and stab.

While a fine basic trainer, the Streak Trainer lacks the maneuverability to do much more than a wingover and inside loop.

>
>While a fine basic trainer, the Streak Trainer lacks the
>maneuverability to do much more than a wingover and inside
>loop.

Which is EXACTLY what GMA designed it for in the first place...

I built a Flight Streak trainer for my son to crash and fly. He's flying 1/2 A's pretty well, but not comfortable with the larger plane yet. So he's not flown it much. I have an Enya .15 III on it and it's plent of power for the plane. Your OS 15 should do at least as well.

The only real variances that I made from the kit were that I glassed the fuselage and added Epoxalite fillets. The latter were added as I pretty much CA'ed the entire model together. So the fillets were added to get the wing / fuse joints some good strength.

The whole thing went together very quickly as it's a pretty complete kit from Brodak. This would be my recomendation.

We have a FS Trainer with an old Enya 15 that was my son's first run at a "big" plane. Even with too much paint, it flies well and was comfortable for a low-time pilot. Highly recommended!

I built a Brodak Flite Streak Trainer for my 8 year old son. It was his step up from 1/2As. Good airplane with a 15 FP, flies well and gives the novice pilot some confidence. I covered the wing with fabric & dope to toughen it up. After Matthew pounded it few times I replaced the rudder with lite-ply, and replaced the stab and elevator with thicker balsa. Glassing the fuse might be a good idea. Also - if you go with the 15fp, shorten the nose by about a 1/2 inch. I had to add tailweight to ours.

>I built a Brodak Flite Streak Trainer for my 8 year old son.
> It was his step up from 1/2As. Good airplane with a 15 FP,
>flies well and gives the novice pilot some confidence. I
>covered the wing with fabric & dope to toughen it up. After
>Matthew pounded it few times I replaced the rudder with
>lite-ply, and replaced the stab and elevator with thicker
>balsa. Glassing the fuse might be a good idea. Also - if
>you go with the 15fp, shorten the nose by about a 1/2 inch.
>I had to add tailweight to ours.

Not surprising- the airplane was designed originally for the old light weight baffle .15s like the GH Torp, Fox, OS Max, Cox, etc. that weighed in about an ounce or so under the modern jobs.
Very tough airplane, I put a Fox .29X on one once- a real rocket...

The Simple Simone by Wildbill is a basic trainer with the OS15 shown on the plans. You can get the plans through the AMA.

Flight Streak Trainer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Build it, paint it with Rustolem, fly it, crash it, fix it, fly it, crash it, fix it, and etc.

>The Simple Simone by Wildbill is a basic trainer with the
>OS15 shown on the plans. You can get the plans through the
>AMA.

Oldie but a goodie...
This is another excellent airplane, it first appeared in American Modeler in the late 1950s using a Fox .19 with vari-speed slide throttle on the exhaust and a Roberts 3-line system. It's very rugged and looks nice too. Original had sheet aluminum gear off the AJ Firecat.

Way back when, I had my three kids build their own trainers, under limited supervision. They built the Flite Streak Trainer. Solid wood, quick to build, available, cheap, ugly and they used Fox .19s. So your engine will give you more power and speed, regulated with prop pitch. Fly it on 52 foot eye to eye lines, not longer, maybe 48 feet minimum. The thing is easy to repair on the field with "super glues", AC, ACY, etc and 5 minute epoxies. Good place to practice painting and finishing techniques and weight will not matter. It will loop, but I'm
not sure about inverted "fright". Once you get the take off, level flight, a loop or two and landings down, then go to the Flite Streak, same engine, then up to a .25. Good luck.

>Once you get the take off, level flight, a loop or two and landings
>down, then go to the Flite Streak, same engine, then up to a .25.

HEHEHE.. I put a O.S.15fp on a Flight Streak Jr. with 54 foot lines, man did that thing cook. I did manage to get quite a few flights out of it before making toothpicks (for some reason it kind of exploded after a full speed impact with terrafirma). The engine lived and I am batting around ideas for it. I had an 8-5 prop on it and probably would have benefited from having a 9-4 prop. I originaly had the 15fp on a Ringmaster Jr. with a 9-4 and I remember it flying fairly well (that is what I originally learned on).

Hey, wouldn't a Ukey 15 be a good ship for this engine?

>>Once you get the take off, level flight, a loop or two and landings
>>down, then go to the Flite Streak, same engine, then up to a .25.
>
>
>HEHEHE.. I put a O.S.15fp on a Flight Streak Jr. with 54
>foot lines, man did that thing cook. I did manage to get
>quite a few flights out of it before making toothpicks (for
>some reason it kind of exploded after a full speed impact
>with terrafirma). The engine lived and I am batting around
>ideas for it. I had an 8-5 prop on it and probably would
>have benefited from having a 9-4 prop. I originaly had the
>15fp on a Ringmaster Jr. with a 9-4 and I remember it flying
>fairly well (that is what I originally learned on).
>
>Hey, wouldn't a Ukey 15 be a good ship for this engine?

If you can find one: Yes...

>Hey, wouldn't a Ukey 15 be a good ship for this engine?

Not really. You'll have to add a couple of oz to the nose and it'll end up weighing a lot. Personally, I'd look at something else.

Tony: Try a 7-3 or 7-4 on your OS .10 FP. Play around also with an 8-3 cut down to 7.5.

>Hello,
>
>I am new to control line and would like to purchase a
>trainer for an OS15 FP that I have. Since I will more than
>likely crash I was thinking of a solid wing trainer. The
>only two that I could find was the Flite Streak Trainer or a
>Sig Shoestring. Does anyone have any thoughts as to which
>one is better or more appropriate for my situation. Also,
>feel free to recommend any other plane that you may think
>would work better for my situation.
>
>Thanks is advance,
>Tony

I dont mean to cut in here for a sale but I think my Magician 15's or the soon coming Shark 15 might serve your purpose and Yup! I happen to be the one that sells them. I have few of the Magician 15's left for sale and the Shark 15 should be available in about two weeks.
please see my web for more specifics

http://www.builtrightflyright.net/New_Kit_Prototypes.htm

Saw a neat idea in Watt Moore's shop while at the Huntersville contest, a streak trainer with simple half ribs glued to the top and bottom of the solid wing, destined for monokote covering. All the advantages of a built up wing, all the advantages of a solid wing. Pretty clever, wasn't covered yet, cannot attest to performance.