I'm a beginner, pleeease help :)

[IceColdRice92]

Hi, I was thinking about getting into rc airplane flying, but it is soooo confusing from my POV, so I came here for help. I've read some articles about choosing the "right" plane, and they all tell me to go with "trainers". These planes look boring, stupid, and not that exciting(all they do is fly straight, woo hoo!). I'm not very rich, so I'm probably going to only buy one plane in this lifetime. Should I take the risk and go with something "intermediate" or w/e, or go with a boring trainer? Also, I kinda want a big-ish plane, and not one of those dumb kiddie toy planes that my friends would make fun of me for owning. Thanks a lot, and please don't make fun of me, considering I've never bought or flown a plane before. Thanks for your help! :)

EDIT: Oh yeah, and I guess I want a "park flyer" since I'd be flying it at the park, but I'm not sure because this stuff really confuses me. :confused:

[Cub lover]

I will make this short and simple. If all you want to do is fly, then going as advanced as this is a total waste of time and money. You need to be serious about this hobby to really make it worth your wild. A trainer is by all means, not boring. Many will keep beginners on their toes. Flying is not a simple thing that you can just go out and do it. It takes practice, time, money, pacience, and dedication to become good at this hobby and way of life. A park flier will be a small plane that will use an electric motor and fly in small spaces. They will be light weight and will be blown around a lot. A "biggish" plane will not come cheap. I fly a .40 Extreme 330 that has a 54" wing span. It is lighter and will do things that only a heli should be able to, but it is not what I would recommend for you. A trainer is what you should start out with. Level flight is a lot harder to do than you think. They will do mild aerobatics, but you will find that you are underestimating the difficulty level of RC Flight. People have said that they have flown on PC simulators where they sit in the plane and fly and think they will do just fine in RC. Not the case at all. You stand on the ground and you have to be able to judge the distance from you the plane is and avoid any onbsticles that may get in its way. This is not an easy sport or hobby. Even the best crash on many occassions and the pros were here, they would be telling you exacty what I just did.

By the way, I know I said I would keep it short, but I lied. This is not something that can be described in just a few sentences. Other pilots may correct me or agree with me, but I seriously think that this hobby is no laughing matter and it should not be taken lightly. Another thing, who cares what your friends think. You can get the wimpiest plane in the world and you would still be a better pilot than they would. You are actually one up on them by even looking into this amazing hobby, which has consumed my life and will lead to my future carreer in full-scale aerobatic pilotry.

Cub Lover

[IceColdRice92]

Ok, then, what's a good trainer that you could recommend? And also, when you buy a plane, do you have to buy the remote, the engine, etc, seperately?

[Cub lover]

That depends on what you get. If you buy an ultimate combo from Tower Hobbies, then you get the engine, usually a .40 glow, the radio and the plane. Seeing as you might not have much help with this project. I suggest you go with an RTF (Ready To Fly) Kadet LT-40. It will use a glow engine and will be ready to fly as soon as you are. It is a high wing trainer and is relatively easy to fly, but if there is a RC plane club near you, go talk to them and they should be willing to help you with all of this. Before you go buying a plane, I would talk to them first, only if there is one near you. If not, talk to someone who does fly RC and ask them for help. That would be the best start right there.

[Elfi Flyer]

Something else to consider here and that is the need to size the plane to the place where you expect to be flying. Thus, very good advice by Cub Lover to look for an established flying club. They will have PLENTY of space in which to fly a wide variety of planes. The LT40, as recommended above, is a very good trainer plane - BUT - it is definitely not a typical park flyer. If you find you will be "going it alone", versus having assistance from an experienced flyer, then consider going electric powered. Many light weight, less expensive trainers designed specifically for park flying are available. Good first choice: GWS Slow Stik. Almost anyone can fly this plane, it has become a standard for new fliers as well as a great 2nd or 3rd plane for established fliers. You will have to purchase the electric components along with the basic plane. If you want a COMPLETE package deal, meaning everything including batteries, spares, transmitter (you referred to this as a controller, we R/C'ers call them transmitters), receiver, with very little assembly needed for preparing the plane, consider the T-Hawk. It is definitely NO lead sled. A good trainer, capable of taking some major crunches, and still agile enough to get your corpsuckles working! This plane is sold only thru the website: www.readytoflyfun.com Complete package delivered: $170. First priority, do as Cub Lover has suggested, check for available clubs, assistance. Then start out with a trainer. Oh, yes, if you go with the T-Hawk, don't be surprised if people stand in line for a chance to fly it!!

E-F

[IceColdRice92]

Something else to consider here and that is the need to size the plane to the place where you expect to be flying. Thus, very good advice by Cub Lover to look for an established flying club. They will have PLENTY of space in which to fly a wide variety of planes. The LT40, as recommended above, is a very good trainer plane - BUT - it is definitely not a typical park flyer. If you find you will be "going it alone", versus having assistance from an experienced flyer, then consider going electric powered. Many light weight, less expensive trainers designed specifically for park flying are available. Good first choice: GWS Slow Stik. Almost anyone can fly this plane, it has become a standard for new fliers as well as a great 2nd or 3rd plane for established fliers. You will have to purchase the electric components along with the basic plane. If you want a COMPLETE package deal, meaning everything including batteries, spares, transmitter (you referred to this as a controller, we R/C'ers call them transmitters), receiver, with very little assembly needed for preparing the plane, consider the T-Hawk. It is definitely NO lead sled. A good trainer, capable of taking some major crunches, and still agile enough to get your corpsuckles working! This plane is sold only thru the website: www.readytoflyfun.com Complete package delivered: $170. First priority, do as Cub Lover has suggested, check for available clubs, assistance. Then start out with a trainer. Oh, yes, if you go with the T-Hawk, don't be surprised if people stand in line for a chance to fly it!!

E-F


Well, I don't know where to find any clubs, and I've never seen anyone flying planes, so it's doubtful.

[Elfi Flyer]

If I knew your location, I could check for AMA club activity in your area. You could also stop by the local hobby shop(s) in your are and inquire. They usually know where people are flying.

[kingsnake93]

A good 3 channel trainer is an "Parkzone Slow-V" I have only had 1 mager crash and only 1 repair to do. The Slow-V has a 48" wingspan and it is an rtf. And it is 180.00$ And you can flip spiral fly inverted and other stuff (I made up some tricks)
You can get one here (http://www.hobbyzone.com/rc_planes_parkzone_slo-v.htm)
Regards
Kingsnake93

[Dave Robelen]

Hi Ice..
Go to www.modelaircraft.org and look up the AMA chartered clubs. There is probably one near you.
Regards, Dave

[Michelle710]

Hi, friends, Maybe this can help you, it is wonderful for your beginners, it is from MYE hobbies, china: http://www.mye-hobbies.com/battery.htm :cool: