by leo-rcc » Tue Mar 25, 2014 7:58 am
I have the Apprentice without the SAFE technology. It is a very easy plane to fly with, but a bit lacking in the power department. It makes for long flighttimes and smooth flying in low wind conditions but when the wind picks up it really struggles with headwind and nearly blows away with tailwind. Still unless you panic it is one of the most forgiving planes I've ever flown. I have about 12-14 hours of flight time in with the Apprentice and not crashed once. I only had to replace the prop once because of some high grass. That and the small wheels require a field with short grass or just a smooth compact surface.
If you have an instructor the SAFE technology is not really necessary, if you are learning on your own it can help out. I'd still advise on getting trained with an instructor, so you won't learn yourself bad habits or overly rely on the SAFE tech to save your aircraft.