Thunder Tiger has long been considered a very imaginative and creative company when it comes to their RC products. You can always count on them to offer products a little bit different from those most companies offer. Thunder Tiger was about the first major company to produce Almost-Ready-to-Fly (ARF) profile aircraft designed for the then new 3-D type of flying.

With giant ailerons and tail control surfaces, the Thunder Tiger Extra and similar models made torque rolls, waterfalls, bug splats and Harrier Landings, all maneuvers with angle of attacks above 60 degrees (high Alpha angles) commonplace. Their retail cost was less than $90, making these unique aircraft affordable, and maybe “expendable” since many 3-D maneuvers are flown close to the ground. These were the first aircraft that opened up the exciting 3-D world to everyone.

Now Thunder Tiger has found a different way to open up the sky to everyone as they did for 3-D flight. This unusual basic trainer flight system is unique and includes items not usually found in other Ready-To-Fly (RTF) aircraft.

 
Photo 1              Photo 2

The new basic trainer system is called the Easy Trainer 40 Plus. It features a high-performance basic trainer (photo 1) that is not really a true RTF but is far more pre-built than an ARF would be. However, other RTF trainer systems provide just that – a trainer aircraft system. The Easy 40 Plus has all that but also includes all the field equipment the pilot needs (except for fuel) to get airborne. To an old timer like me, the Easy Trainer 40 Plus package recalls the old plastic Cox control line models that were sold with all the field equipment, including fuel, needed to fly.

The field equipment includes a quality hand pump to fuel and de-fuel the airplane. This fueling system includes the bottle cap, a filtered pickup line and a neat coiled fueling line to reach the airplane’s fuel inlet. There is a glow plug wrench and an ignitor, with a 120 VAC wall charger, to manage the glow system. To get things started, there is a very good “chicken stick” to turn the propeller over by hand (more on this later). To carry it all, plus a few common tools like screwdrivers, pliers and the like, there is a field box made from corrugated board.

Get only the Easy Trainer 40 Plus package and a gallon of fuel, and that is all you will need to start your RC flying career. An awful large number of control line model pilots got started on those old Cox complete kits. The Easy Trainer 40 Plus should do the same for today’s new RC pilots.

Photo 3

The overall package is about the fanciest we have seen in a long time. It is a one piece unit that protects the airplane inside better than any packaging we have seen to date. The graphics are high quality but they also provide great detail about the contents.

Photo 4

Photo 4 shows the aircraft system as is emerges from the box. The Hitec radio system is already installed. All the servos are in and all of the control linkages are connected to the servos. Along with the installed engine, the fuel system is complete and ready to go. However, the propeller and spinner are must be installed by the “builder” as a safety precaution. Why safety? Factory installed propellers can loosen during shipment due to climate changes from China to here and on the open sea. If a new pilot tries to start the engine and the propeller is not tight, the result would be a very unhappy engine and a damaged pilot, or vice versa. In either case, it is a good idea for the manufacturer to leave the propeller off or for the builder to make sure it is tight if it was factory-installed, which requires spinner removal anyway.

Photo 5

The field support items are shown in photo 5. The Thunder Tiger field box is not completely assembled in this photo to illustrate that it is provided “in the flat”. Like all such “easy folding boxes” it requires the excellent instructions provided to get anywhere near the correct shape. But it is sturdy and should last a season or more.