E-flite - Apprentice STS - 1.5m - Maiden Flights

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

bprc.me/Apprentice bprc.me/PowerstageBundle_3S_4000 bprc.me/3S_4000 bprc.me/Charger_S155 | Recommended Economy Charger bprc.me/S2200_SmartCharger | Recommended Charger bprc.me/Tx *Support Us* www.patreon.com/brianphillips www.paypal.me/brianphillipsrc bprc.me/KZbinMembership * bprc.me/BeginnerPlanes * bprc.me/Horizon bprc.me/HorizonEU bprc.me/TowerHobbies bprc.me/FMS bprc.me/AMain bprc.me/Amazon bprc.me/ArrowsRC bprc.me/Banggood bprc.me/BitgoHobby bprc.me/BuddyRC bprc.me/EXHOBBY bprc.me/FairRC bprc.me/RCGoing bprc.me/TurbinesRC bprc.me/GroundVehicles bprc.me/EBike ✈ *Please visit* www.BrianPhillipsRC.com *to see a complete list of our affiliates.* _We may earn small commissions when you purchase from our links, helping to support our KZbin channel and our family of six!_ *Thank you!* #rc #airplane #apprentice

[@PaulaLewis-r6g]

I'm a 76 year old flyer who has been a RC pilot since 1972. Have an Apprentice STS 1.5m in my fleet of aircraft (helicopters and fix wing). This bird is one of my favorites and love flying it.

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Yeah! She's just a good flier!

[@jasonboche]

Great video as per usual Brian. Timely one as well... I've been out flying my Apprentice STS the past few nights and last night I accidentally flew it down into the prop pulse range. I have never done that before and although I read about it in the manual when I got the plane four years ago, I had forgotten all about it until it started happening during flight. The Apprentice STS is so easy to fly there was zero panic and I no problem getting it to the ground safely. My RTF came with the Spektrum DXe transmitter which doesn't have the battery status lights like your DXs has. Thank you for all that you do for this hobby. You go well above and beyond with your videos. Your passion and drive to educate and encourage those who are new to or contemplating the hobby do it a great service. Although I still consider myself relatively new to the hobby, I find everything you said in this video spot on. I'm 52 years old and reentered the hobby 4 years ago with the STS. My first attempt into the hobby was with a gas powered balsa trainer in 1992 at the age of 20. I feel like I spent 80 man hours assembling that thing over the course of two weeks. I spent a ton of time on a PC based RC simulater that was available at the time and quite good (there was even a hardware interface sold separately by a guy name Dave's something or other that allowed me to connect my FM transmitter to my PC). When I felt I had enough hours in on the simulator, I gathered up my courage and went to a local park with a baseball field surrounded by trees. The first flight lasted less than half a minute and I was into the trees. Everything went so fast once the plane was off the ground and the field was not nearly big enough for a beginner like me. I replaced the broken prop from the first accident and I went up again at the same park. This time something was wrong with the control surfaces and the plane went into a downward spiral and crashed into the ground busting up the wings. That was the end of it. $500+ for a broke kid and all assembly time down the drain. When Covid hit, I got bit by the RC airplane bug again. This time I was quite impressed with all of the foam options available. SAFE makes it really easy for beginners to learn how to fly. I've been flying my Apprentice STS for four years and have only crashed it into the side of a building once due depth perception failure. Being foam, it was very easy to repair and all of the parts are readily available. I modified my STS by putting on slightly taller wheels so it gets through the grass a little easier and has a slightly better chance in taller grass. What a wonderful experience I've been having now compared to 1992. By the way, I didn't ditch the simulators. I modernized with RealFlight 9.5 which was great to learn the sticks again before I took the Apprentice STS up for the first time. Also, I would be negligent if I didn't thank your camera crew. She has a lot to do with your success in aiding others.

[@SoloCrimeWave]

Pilot Brian, you and the Camera Lady are awesome! I have been watching your videos since you set up the E-flite SU-30 Twin 70mm. It was my first plane I used as a beginner. Never crashed, and still going strong. 12 planes later the Apprentice sts is in my top 3. Even the Apprentice STOL is my go to because of the size. Thanks for helping us new folks understand. We appreciate you guys!!

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Thanks so much! We appreciate your kind words and are honored to have played a part in your RC experience!

[@john9663]

Brian (and cameral crew) very informative. Been flying Apprentice a couple of months. Very resiliant but a little underpowered (3S 3000MaH). Crashed and broke the fuselage completely off at the tail. Used some Foam-Tac and glued it back together and it flew perfectly. Every aspect of your video was spot on. To add some interest to flying, I plan to move the mechanical connections to achieve more 'throw' as mentioned in the video. I did widen out the landing gear to squat the plane more to get the prop a little higher off the ground to avoid cutting the grass when maneuvering on the ground.

[@chrishaines1432]

New to the hobby and this and the unboxing video were great to watch! Been lurking on your channel for a while trying to get my head around this hobby and figure out a good way to get into it. This plane is a what I am going to go with as the bigger plane will be better for my 61 year old eyes. Thanks for all the info. Wanted to add that I live in New Zealand and a lot of the regulations over here appear much easier to deal with, now that I hear what you guys have going on over there. However I joined a club anyway as that seems to be the way to go regardless. Anyway, thanks for all the content you guys do and your mission of encouraging people to get into this hobby has been successful on me :)

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Glad we could play a small part in helping get you over the hump! Flying is worth all the expense, difficulty, and idiotic regulation you'll have to endure to do it...when you start flying, you'll be totally hooked. Thanks for being here with us. We'll be here when you're ready to jump into the next plane too!

[@chrishaines1432]

Sounds like a plan, the whole second plane thing. Can't imagine anything past giving this one a go and surviving a maiden flight. Changing into summer over here so still pretty windy, I have to have some patience still.

[@Hiergibtesnixzusehen]

Brian's flights are always so smooth, slow and chilled, such a joy to watch! I love it! 👏

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Thank you!!!

[@Wings_of_foam]

Very good and precise control yes.

[@Pauly_______]

That shot of the plane going overhead with the sun behind it was awesome I paused it and took a picture.

[@jeffmayo8848]

In my opinion, this is the best trainer out there. Maybe a little biased as that is the plane I learned on. Easy to teach others how to fly with it as well.

[@cooltube]

I 100% agree it was my first too. 🇬🇧👍🏻

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

You would not be alone in your assessment. I think it's one of the best too, but I'm always a little weirded out by the flight controller in this and a few other planes, like the Carbon Cub S2 and the Habu. I wish they would use an AR631 to make a more seamless transition to other BNF options. Nonetheless, it's a great plane.

[@cooltube]

@@BrianPhillipsRC yeah I know what you mean about the flight controller I couldn’t understand it at first either as I thought it was just the same as any other RX but it was not as it’s specifically for the STS that it’s sat in. I do like the geo fence tho as it gave me peace of mind that it wasn’t going to fly off into the distance. I started without all the fancy gimmicks for my MAIDEN and the STS basically blew away in the wind!!!! It took 7 days to track down and I found it 150ft up the side of the cliff at the beach which is 2.7 miles away. Gee I wish I’d had the geo fence that day. But I learned from it and got better. Now I don’t fly with the geo any more. I would definitely get the STS over any other beginner plane. I self taught during lock down from scratch having never flown before ever. I got the sim first then the STS and went for it. If I can do it then so can anyone!!!! It’s been a blast. 👍🏻🇬🇧

[@Wings_of_foam]

My first plane. You won't believe how much wind this bird can handle! I just repaired it after a huge crash and had my first flight 2 days ago, after installing bigger wheels. I love it!

[@robertzedeker3234]

Started flying about 6 years ago, still have my Apprentice and still fly it. Love it.

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Glad to hear it! It's still a great plane!

[@bryceverreyen9341]

I agree, I have other faster and fancier planes but really enjoy flying my Apprentice.

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Right? Sometimes easy is fun. No one wants RC to be high consequence all the time.

[@RedBeardShenanigans]

I love my sts! I set all the control linkages to max throw as well and it made the plane way more responsive. However I manually adjusted the elevator trim and zeroed out the digital trim so I still have max throw in both directions.

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Nice. That's an excellent idea!

[@patrickciarcia4100]

What a nice trainer… NO STRESS FUN 🤩

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Yep!

[@markbyfield7050]

Great video as always. Informative, educational and entertaining! Excellent camera work too camera crew 😊

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Thanks for watching! We appreciate it!

[@PasiDays]

i like his style

[@andretaskmaster4101]

Put out the eagle killing every once in a while to refresh and update memories for the long timers and first timers

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

You might just get your wish... crash compilation in the works right now.

[@robc5296]

I have the smaller Apprentice S2 and am very happy with it. Made by Hobby Zone as opposed to E-flight and comes with the AR631 Receiver and fly by telemetry. No geo fence or landing assist, but I would not use anyway as you suggested.

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

The S2 is a great option as well! And I do like the simplicity of the AR631.

[@jonoedwards4195]

Good sized Foamies with an easy removed Wing are Da Sheeeeee! The FMS Super EZs wing off system should be industry standard, LoL. A beauty BP&Co.

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Ironically, a plane we DON'T have! ;)

[@jonoedwards4195]

@@BrianPhillipsRC You would rip it up, thing is awesome. Unreal works BP&Co.

[@Scanjo]

Just have one comment. When flying a trainer with SAFE, you want to set it up as instructed. The electronics are setup for you so if you change the position of the linkage it can cause issues with the gain and you may have oscillation at higher speeds. The factory gain setting is expecting a certain amount of control throw. Change that and you may not like the results. It can affect all flight modes because even AS3X is still going to be expecting a certain amount of control throw when making corrections for turbulence.

[@RedBeardShenanigans]

I fly the apprentice sts and I set all the control linkages to max throw and I have had zero issues with it flying in SAFE and AS3X.

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

I was a little concerned about that initially since what you're saying can be true, but the Apprentice is so tamed down that moving the whole position really doesn't make a big difference. It's just not fast or powerful enough. A jet or other high performance plane would be another story. Definitely a good thing to be aware of.

[@pbarre79]

Hi Brian...Awesome videos. I'm new to RC flying but found an RC club literally 5 min from me. Can you suggest some started planes since I will most likely be relying on trainers at the field to teach me? The guy I spoke to from the club is totally against planes with the SAFE feature. He believes it handicaps the new pilot and makes you too reliant on the feature. Thoughts?

[@basterisk]

I just saw Godzilla Minus One and thought to recommend it you and the fam. It’s amazing. Main guy’s a pilot, and he flies this awesome prototype WW2 warbird. It’s Japanese language btw. Plus side is the cast isn’t DEI/LGBT’d to crap.

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Lol. Sounds like a keeper. We'll have to check it out.

[@77bubba00]

Hi Brian! Great video as usual! Hey.... I've been watching your channel for a long time now and it's always enjoyable and informative. I've got a question for you.... I had drifted away from the hobby for the past few years to pursue my other hobbies. Yeah... I have WAY too many, and unfortunately they are all expensive.🤑🤣 I just switch between them from time to time. I have always done a lot of aerial video recording here in the Adirondacks and have been using an old Apprentice with tricycle gear. I've had it a long time, and crashed more than a few times, but it's always been my workhorse for videography. Very stable platform, especially since I added flaps and a higher power configuration. It's been rebuilt (and upgraded) so many times that I believe the only original part is the main gear strut wire. 😄 It's still flyable, but I'm thinking of getting something new that is stable in flight, preferably STOL, and can take a beating. The aircraft in this video looks interesting. Do you think it would be useful for what I want to do? If not, I'll seriously consider any recommendation you have. Thanks in advance and keep up cranking out the great videos! BTW... you've certainly turned you property into a beautiful multi-purpose airfield! Nice job! 🙂

[@fp-AvERY]

New phone camera crew? Video looks awesome on this one

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Nope, same old, same old... for the last couple years anyway!

[@Wings_of_foam]

In safe mode, this plane can take a lot of wind. Like, really high wind!

[@lilllwill]

Hey brian was soo good to meet you and camera crew at Joe nalls

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Thanks for saying hi! We had a great time and met so many amazing people!

[@nunya7948]

Great review per usual!! But Brian…. That sun visor has to be tossed in the next bonfire 🔥 you have…..

[@Tucker_T]

You are so lucky to have a missus that shows even a gram of interest in your hobby! I'm a new subscriber, only just come across your channel. Have you ever reviewed the FMS Super Roc MXS V2 ?

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Welcome to the channel! Glad to have you with us! We haven't done the MXS yet, but it is on our list. You can also check out BrianPhillipsRC.com to sort through the planes we've done if you can't find it on KZbin.

[@Tucker_T]

@BrianPhillipsRC excellent thanks for that. Please excuse me as I'm not that tech savy but do you have an active chat forum anywhere as I'd like and need somewhere to talk about RC Planes/heli's. I am a novice pilot returning to the hobby and you seem the perfect person to speak with, due to several reasons I'm only interested in Horizon & FMS products and you seem to be a great ambassador for these brands....

[@rdanhatch]

Thanks!

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

You are welcome!

[@JessieGresham-rr3nb]

Thanks Brian I always enjoy watching you fly those RC airplanes you and camera crew make it so interesting I'll be looking forward to seeing your next video. How's the Levy cumming

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Thanks! More pond footage coming very soon ;)

[@snoriverrc3842]

Why havent they gotten rid of the rubber band mounts? Surely their engineers can do better by now...

[@rhinovirus2225]

But they work and are easier to replace than nylon or steel screws especially if they are weird or unique size/style

[@gttromp]

Respectfully, you didn't learn on one or have not taught someone to fly on one, right? Honestly, I didn’t listen to the recommendation of my LHS owner when he said to buy the apprentice purely because of the rubber bands! I bought the carbon cub S2 instead. The apprentice ended up being my third or fourth airplane, and it was truly the one that I started learning how to fly on. That said, the rubber bands are part of the overall design scheme that keeps this bird flying after so many attempts! There is a lot of flex allowed with those rubber bands. I am sure that the engineering team at Horizon could come up with an equally forgiving mounting system that was also quick detach, etc. but then it would increase the cost. One of the best pieces of advice I have actually heeded in this hobby was to purchase the 1.5 apprentice and always keep one around. available From kids to friends; I love having such an easy relaxing trainer to wirelessly buddy box to help entice someone into the hobby.

[@rhinovirus2225]

@@gttromp not that particular plane but the majority of the planes I've had over the years were rubber band style I have a few now that use screws. I was taught and have taught others on that style. I first learned when electric plabes weren't even really feasible but we've since switched to all electrics.

[@rhinovirus2225]

@@gttromp if big ole gas planes can be held up by rubber bands then this plane isn't a problem at all. It has a certain nostalgia to me as well. Not that you were responding to me so much just thought I'd add my few cents in the bucket

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

They definitely can, but the rubber bands give a new pilot a lot of crash insurance. It's much easier to rubber band your wing back on after a tumble than take it all home and glue everything back together. It's not pretty, but it works!

[@youknoweverything7643]

They just keep making the aprentice better and beteer the apprentice was my forst plane 11 years ago

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

They sure do!

[@Wings_of_foam]

I'm pretty sure this plane is made from Z-foam.

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

You may be right, but there is EPS and EPO as well, if I'm not mistaken. Sorry for any miscommunication.

[@Anomic_Hunter202]

I don't understand why these companies target these large planes to new customers, with the 250-gram weight restriction. On an honest note, what beginner that just bought their new 1.5 apprentice is going to a flying field, that for some, is far away ? People, especially new, aren't going to drive 5 hours just to fly their foam airplane for a few minutes, unless it's a special occasion. Even more so when there is a park 2 blocks down the street. When you buy a new BIG plane, from, say, horizon hobby, that is over the 250 gram limits, will it just let you purchase? Or do you have to fill something out? I have only flown small planes, so I am unfamiliar with the rules for large planes. Thank you for reading my long phone-keyboard written essay.

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Large planes typically fly better, are easier to see, and can tolerate less then perfect weather conditions, making them good for new pilots regardless of their weight. I don't think that most people have to drive 5 hours to a flying field, or at least I hope they don't! And there are ways to be compliant if you want to fly at a local park. Your method of compliance is up to you, not the hobby company. There are a lot of people who will continue to only fly small planes, and that's totally fine, but for others, there are easy ways to comply if you so choose. bprc.me/SkyID

[@Anomic_Hunter202]

@BrianPhillipsRC I have only flown umx, and if I want to, I have to get up early, like 500am early, to fly. During the day, it's always at least 15kmph winds. Morning and evenings are the only times I can fly. I will have to try a big plane! Maybe a conscendo evo, since the small one is so lovely. Thank you for informing Me.

[@zekeharley]

don't you already have one of these? And didn't you already do a review of it?

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

We had an OLD Apprentice S 15e. It was a very early version, and a lot has changed since then.

[@mortenjohannsen9493]

it flyes awesome on a 3s 4800mah , me and my little brother can get around 20 minuts of flytime out of the 4800 mah :D

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

That's one strange size pack!

[@mortenjohannsen9493]

Unfortenly yes, but its from absima 50c. Its very cheap 3s battery here in Denmark. The prices for 3s 5000mah and up starts from 90 dollars, 100$ for 4s 3000mah bc off the high taxes we are paying here 😭 Its just sad that they dont make them 4s and up. 🤣

[@mr.garrison6947]

My first one was blue no lights on it tho

[@mastersteel1079]

Hello Brian 😊😊

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Hello there!

[@Scanjo]

I lied. I have another comment... I would not buy a balsa plane as a trainer simply because you will crash at some point while learning. Foam will break into 2 or 3 pieces and glue back together relatively easily. If it's a bad crash, foam trainers are more likely to have parts available for purchase at your local hobby shop (they know you're going to crash too). Balsa crashes tend to come back in a garbage bag full of toothpicks... Slight exaggeration, but the repair will NOT be as simple with balsa.

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

You are correct about that. Depends on how you crash, but 100% agree.

[@tomgiorgini9154]

are you still baling hay

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Sure are!

[@tomgiorgini9154]

@@BrianPhillipsRC good to here from you hope everything is good say hello to megan

[@rotorhead58d]

My first plane. Now I have 8.

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Nice! That's what we like to hear!