Ok I want to get into turbines but I want to buy the turbine first and play around with it in order to get a feel of how it works (ie. throttles up, fuel consumption, etc. ) - is their such a thing as a lower end turbine or one that is a good turbine "trainer" - also where is a good place to look for new turbines and where is a good place to look for used ones? I have only admired them from afar so I honestly don't know where to begin looking?:confused:

Hey there, your everywhere arent you, hehe, I can recommend jetcats because I have one, Ive heard good about Simjets also, Im not sure what size your looking for, but there will be a small 7lbs of thrust turbine coming out this year I think that is for .45 size ducted fans, that would be cool!!!

And youve seen my plane, the TGA Topcat, supposively, you can bolt a prop engine on it fly it as a pusher also, I have not seen a pic of one, but they say its done.
WWW.tgajets.com

I really like the idea of the small turbine that puts out 7lbs - I plan on bench testing it for about the first 6 mo. just to get a feel for everything - where can I go to check out some prices on turbines - what about brands - which ones are better?

Hi John- Here's my 2c worth...Most of the comercially available turbines are very reliable now days so choices are numerous when it comes to which engine you can to go with. If you are looking at smaller engines eg. 7 lb thrust approx, the choices are limited somewhat... Wren make the MW-44 which would be ideal for you if the lower thrust and small size is what you are looking for...

Next you have the ever growing MW-54 (size/based) class of turbines 12-14lb thrust. The well known engines, such as the Wren MW-54, Simjet 1200 and FTE T-500 are being joined in 2004 by a the new crop of smaller class power house turbines such as the TJT-2000, Wren SuperSport and Jetcat P-60 which although have similar external, and weight dimentions to the previously mentioned engines but now will be producing between 15-18 up pounds thrust from same size package. Interestingly because of additional set up assembely time involved with the MW-44 balancing the MW-54 size engine are comparable in cost to the smaller engine, so many people opt for the slightly larger MW-54 sze engine as these will fly models weighing upto 20lb AUW comfortably eg. most of the currently available 90 size D/F designed jets.

The next size class engine is the KJ-66 (size/based) class ranging from 17-38 pounds plus thrust. The larger class of production engine has numerous well proven mass production engines with brand names such as TJT, FTE, AMT, Simjet, and Jetcat dominating global sales for the most part depending on where you live. Service is generally the deciding factor for most buyers, especially new turbine owner, thankfully for the most part you will have little to worry about if you stick with the popular brands as the mentioned manufacturers all go out of there way to offer excellent customer service and after sales support.

My simple advice would be to do your research, read the reviews plus attend some jet rallys and ask the pilots their thoughts... you are sure to get a variety of opinions :confused: but you will learn alot and hopefully find the information you are looking for ;)
Anyway these forums sure are a good place to get the ball rolling thats for sure.

Keep asking those questions...

You should try the Boomerang Intro kit. It is a twin boom ARTF model with very good flight characteristics. It will fly off grass, has fixed gear as standard with good-sized wheels, and you can use standard servos. The fuselage is HUGE, so installing everything is easy. Mine flies for 11 minutes on 60 ounces of fuel with enough left over for at least 2 go-arounds. Landings are at little more than a walking pace! The gear is fixed to the central body section, so you can taxy it around without the wings on to get used to using the engine. Really cannot recommend it highly enough. Mine flies with a Simjet 1200. Had over 50 flights now and still impressed! The Simjet has been a great engine. It is available in several versions with up to 18 pounds of thrust (the one i have - hell you can always throttle back!!). Full auto start with on board gas is standard.