Radian Sailplane RTF & Dynam SONIC RTF

[qbyy]

Hey everybody.

Im thinking about get into planes. I have been into onroad for about two years and i have my Maverick Strada DC Evo S Brushless drift car.

Im looking for any kind of planes for weeks. Finally i pick up two models. Radian Sailplane RTF and Dynam Sonic but i cant decide which one is better and has good flying.

I was wondering if you guys give me some advise and your suggestions about which is better. I' ll be grateful if you help me about it.

Thanks all.

[Don Sims]

Welcome to the site. The radian is a nice glider. Hopefully someone with a direct comparison will throw in their two cents.

[flydiver]

Important point, the Radian is VERY well known and highly respected plane from a known company with great support. You can get information from the flying community and you can get parts if you need them.

The Dynam Sonic looks similar, is almost completely unknown, from a company that has put out some pretty shoddy planes in the past (I have personal experience with 2 of them). There's a good chance you will get no service and trouble getting parts if you need them.

The Radian will have decent if not exceptional electrics. Spektrum gear is well known and accepted.

The Sonic electrics are likely to be bottom of the heap. If something goes wrong....it'll likely to be unfix-able. If you try to sell parts (like the transmitter or receiver if you upgrade later, no one will want them.

Short answer, go for the Radian, it will be worth the extra cost. If you got to go cheap get a Hawk Sky or a Bixler, both are copies of the Easy.
Get the Radian later.

Having said that I personally would not recommend either as a trainer for someone with no flight experience. You WILL crash them and they are NOT sturdy. Gliders are made light to fly on thermal updrafts, not be abused by learning pilots.

Get a Multiplex Easy Star instead. If you don't ruin it completely you can even sell it.

[qbyy]

Originally Posted by Don Sims

Welcome to the site. The radian is a nice glider. Hopefully someone with a direct comparison will throw in their two cents.

Thank you DonSims. I need some practice to throw in my glider with a direct comparison but i ll do it.

[qbyy]

Originally Posted by flydiver

Important point, the Radian is VERY well known and highly respected plane from a known company with great support. You can get information from the flying community and you can get parts if you need them.

The Dynam Sonic looks similar, is almost completely unknown, from a company that has put out some pretty shoddy planes in the past (I have personal experience with 2 of them). There's a good chance you will get no service and trouble getting parts if you need them.

The Radian will have decent if not exceptional electrics. Spektrum gear is well known and accepted.

The Sonic electrics are likely to be bottom of the heap. If something goes wrong....it'll likely to be unfix-able. If you try to sell parts (like the transmitter or receiver if you upgrade later, no one will want them.

Short answer, go for the Radian, it will be worth the extra cost. If you got to go cheap get a Hawk Sky or a Bixler, both are copies of the Easy.
Get the Radian later.

Having said that I personally would not recommend either as a trainer for someone with no flight experience. You WILL crash them and they are NOT sturdy. Gliders are made light to fly on thermal updrafts, not be abused by learning pilots.

Get a Multiplex Easy Star instead. If you don't ruin it completely you can even sell it.

Thank you so much for your advices flydiver. I heard many glider owners tried Radian or still using their Radian.

But i guess i' m closer to Sonic. I' m not professional into planes but full 4 channel control with the addition of ailerons on Sonic, look better then Radian. Of course it's my personal opinion.

I have been into simulator for weeks. I' ll better and will be experienced as long as i keep practice.

[Rockin Robbins]

I love the Radian and it's a great learner plane, but I'd have to go with the recommendation for the EasyStar as a first plane, simply because it can teach you more.

The EasyStar is a plane that can do anything. It will fly slow. It will fly scare the pants off you fast, it can to aerobatics, it can soar, taking advantage of thermals. It doesn't have an doesn't need ailerons, but you can add them painlessly and the plane will have some additional capabilities with them.

And finally, like the Radian, every single part of that plane is for sale as a reasonably priced replacement part. The Dynam stuff? Don't make me laugh.

One thing you DO KNOW. You will crash. You will need replacement parts. If you want to keep flying and have a chance to make RC a persistent hobby and not just a one weekend fling, the EasyStar and Radian will get you there. The Dynam will beat you up and leave you for dead on the side of the road.

[qbyy]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

I love the Radian and it's a great learner plane, but I'd have to go with the recommendation for the EasyStar as a first plane, simply because it can teach you more.

The EasyStar is a plane that can do anything. It will fly slow. It will fly scare the pants off you fast, it can to aerobatics, it can soar, taking advantage of thermals. It doesn't have an doesn't need ailerons, but you can add them painlessly and the plane will have some additional capabilities with them.

And finally, like the Radian, every single part of that plane is for sale as a reasonably priced replacement part. The Dynam stuff? Don't make me laugh.

One thing you DO KNOW. You will crash. You will need replacement parts. If you want to keep flying and have a chance to make RC a persistent hobby and not just a one weekend fling, the EasyStar and Radian will get you there. The Dynam will beat you up and leave you for dead on the side of the road.

Thanks for your informations Rockin Robbins.

You are not first giving advices like that about Dynam and it looks you will not be the last.

At first when i started to look for gliders, i liked Dynam just because of 4 channel control with the addition of ailerons. But i am not professional and i need to practice more and more for have a plane with ailerons. I need a real thermal duration glider like Radian.

By the way, i will think about EasyStar.

Thanks again.

[flydiver]

You got to be careful about MARKETING. There's a lot of woefully poor products with great marketing in this sport. Folks (like you I would emphasize) that have no experience in the field can easily be sucked in.
You asked, we're telling you. We are the ones that have been disappointed by this kind of garbage in the past and try to help folks out that are being swayed by what seems too good to be true. Generally, it is.
Buy the Dynam, you'll find out.

[qbyy]

Originally Posted by flydiver

You got to be careful about MARKETING. There's a lot of woefully poor products with great marketing in this sport. Folks (like you I would emphasize) that have no experience in the field can easily be sucked in.
You asked, we're telling you. We are the ones that have been disappointed by this kind of garbage in the past and try to help folks out that are being swayed by what seems too good to be true. Generally, it is.
Buy the Dynam, you'll find out.

I will put that one aside for now until i actually have learned the basics on the Radian. Based on the specs, unfixable parts, 10 ounces heavier than the Radian etc.. Now Dynam looks more like a warmliner than a thermal duration glider. Radian looks more forgiving and easier to fly for rank beginners like me.

[Rolling Thunder]

If you know someone who flys rc planes or if its possible go to a club & ask someone for help with your 1st flight.Usually theres always someone willing to help out a new pilot.Takeoffs & landings are the hardest parts to learn & its best to have an experienced pilot take it up for you & then hand you the sticks once it nice & high.A buddy box is even a better way to go.

Just remember on those 1st flights always think straight & level flights.Dont let the wings go past 45 degrees in the turns & try to keep the nose & tail nice & level till you get the hang of it.Good luck.

[mclarkson]

Give yourself PLENTY of room to land, and you'll be okay.

[qbyy]

Originally Posted by Rolling Thunder

If you know someone who flys rc planes or if its possible go to a club & ask someone for help with your 1st flight.Usually theres always someone willing to help out a new pilot.Takeoffs & landings are the hardest parts to learn & its best to have an experienced pilot take it up for you & then hand you the sticks once it nice & high.A buddy box is even a better way to go.

Just remember on those 1st flights always think straight & level flights.Dont let the wings go past 45 degrees in the turns & try to keep the nose & tail nice & level till you get the hang of it.Good luck.

Thanks Rolling Thunder. I ordered my Radian. Hope to share my first flight video and pictures. I have friends who flys nitro planes. We are planning to practice together when i have my plane.

[qbyy]

Originally Posted by mclarkson

Give yourself PLENTY of room to land, and you'll be okay.

It looks we are going to fly out of city

[Rockin Robbins]

Really nice! Listen to what Mark says about plenty of room for landing. It has a motor and you can take off, go to 100' or so and practice an approach. Come by yourself at 20', for instance and you know that approach should have started further away.

Hit the power, take her up to 100' and around again, downwind to where you want to start the new approach, crosswind leg and then turning back upwind on approach. What altitude is she now when she flies by? By purposeful practice you can get a very good idea of the correct altitude and distance to begin your approach to land at your feet or thereabouts.

When you're new and have plenty of room, never force the plane to land on a given spot. Either you can live with going to get it or your hit the power and around again for another try.

The only thing that teaches this is repetition, and after awhile you'll learn to spot a few things.

First, if the plane is going to land at your feet, on approach the aspect angle of the plane stays exactly the same. The plane just gets closer. If you see the angle to the plane getting larger and larger (you see more and more of the bottom of the plane), it is going to land beyond you. If you see the angle getting smaller and smaller and you see the plane more and more from the front, it will land before you.

With a sailplane you can forget all about the set the sink rate, let her fly to ground effect and flare out. You just fly her straight and level until she touches down, literally flying her into the ground in level flight.

The Radian is just a ton of fun. It's relaxing because she's not trying to crater every second, it's challenging because the name of the game is the search for lift. And the plane is mondo forgiving.

Most of all, once you have some experience and feel comfortable at the factory specified 63mm aft of the leading edge CG, move it back to 70mm (I'd do this in two steps if you're a new pilot). At 70mm I found the plane to be directionally stable and still very easy to fly. BUT the sink rate fell in half. The stall speed was cut about in half and the plane was just plastered to the sky. It just about refused to ever come down.

[qbyy]

i reached my Radian finally. Hope to fly without crash.

[Rockin Robbins]

Really nice! Tip #1. The Radian climbs really nicely on half or 2/3 throttle. At first it will surprise you how the nose pitches up with application of throttle. This plane is optimized for gliding, not performance under power.

You'll have to learn just how much down elevator to mix in with extreme throttle settings. Once you get a few launches under your belt it will become second nature and you won't even think about it. Take it easy on the first couple of climbs to altitude and then experiment with higher throttle settings, mixing in the down elevator to keep the path you choose.

The Radian's power is intended only as a quick elevator to the top. It was not designed to fly around with power on all the time. You'll love the plane!

Let's say you use too much throttle, are taken by surprise and the plane starts to loop on launch. Don't let this happen close to the ground. 2/3 throttle in your hand, then launch. Throttle up later. Alternately you can launch by giving the plane a level toss with power off and then easing into the throttle to climb out.

Okay, you're halfway up the climb at high throttle and a gust of wind, or just the tendency to pitch up under power takes the plane past the vertical point where it's over on its back. What do you do now? Don't panic. Everything is under control and any friends watching will compliment you on your aerobatic skills when you're done.

First, ratchet back the power. Give the plane some up elevator because what we're going to do is not fight the plane. We're going to let it complete the loop, recover and resume our climb. So pull back the power all the way to a quarter throttle, or even turn the motor off. Then use up elevator to let the plane come around in a nice round loop. She'll come down, turn level at the bottom with great speed and begin climbing into another loop.

We're not going to let it get that far. You let it climb after the loop to bleed off the excess speed. Now you need some power to climb. So let it continue out of the loop into another climb. Smoothly release pressure on the elevator to maintain your climb angle at about 45°. Ease in half throttle and maintaining a steady climb angle with the elevator, dial in as much power as you feel comfortable with. Now brag to your friends that the loop was planned all along.