Great Planes TRAINER FORTY Revisited
The Great Planes Trainer Forty comes from a long standing family tree. Designed by Joe Bridi back in 1972, the trainer appeared in RCM Magazine as the “RCM Trainer”. It then appeared in the RCM Flight Training Course Vol 1 as the “Advanced Trainer”. A slightly smaller version, the Trainer Junior, later appeared in RCM Magazine in 1974. The Great Planes versions, like the one pictured here were kitted in the early 1980’s after the RCM Trainer had some minor tweaking by Don Anderson of Great Planes. The rudder was extended all the way to the bottom of the fuselage requiring a split elevator, reworked wing tips, and the plans gave the builder the option of bolt on wings instead of rubber bands, The Trainer line was then expanded to three distinct displacement models--.20, .40, and .60. Corresponding wing spans are 52”, 59”, and 65”...and the rest is history. All discontinued kits!The Revisit
I learned to fly with this airplane back in the early 1980’s, so this is the
second one I’ve built, hence, the revisit. Discontinued by Great Planes
in the mid 90’s it was replaced by the PT-40 trainer. Number two here
was constructed from the original plan. I cut the parts out about 8 years
ago and got tired of seeing them in the workshop and decided to put it
together.
No need for a build article here, the kit instructions can be downloaded.
This is a trip down memory lane for those who have owned and/or
flown this excellent airplane.
If you’re ready to build one, be warned! As a scratch project it’s not for beginners. As a
kit, it was still a fair amount of work, but the ready cut parts made the build easy.
It will also cost considerably more than the typical foamie trainer too, and you’ll have to
source out the accessories to build it. The build will be well worth it though.
You’ll have a great looking aircraft, a fine sport flier/trainer, and a piece of RC history you won’t
see at the field every day!
R/C Aircraft Insight From Low Altitude
John W. Blossick
Tail Slide Haven
johnb@tslidehaven.com
October 2020
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ANOTHER TRAINER?
Is the Trainer 40 is just
another discontinued
trainer from the past?.
Well, yes, and no. Of all
the Trainers available at
the time, the T-40 was one
of, if not the best,
airplanes to learn with.
With help from an
experienced pilot, the
beginner had an airframe
they could grow into.
The Trainer 40 can putter
all day on 1/3 throttle, yet
perform the Sportsman
pattern sequence. The
thick, constant chord wing
with the symmetrical
airfoil and long tail
moment give it a wide
flight envelope. This
allows the beginner to
progress from landing to
simple/complex aerobatics.
After learning to fly the
Trainer 40, one can easily
transition to and fly a low
wing aircraft. The T-40 is
more than just a trainer.
It’s a fine flying airplane
too.
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