new pilot

[hawkeyeboy33]

I am just getting started in this hobby. I ordered a house of balsa p-51 mustang. And I am going to build it myself and install everything myself. Does anyone have any tips or advice for building a balsa model. This is my first balsa plane model, although I have alot of plastic model building experience.

[Leo L]

Hi hawkeyeboy33,

Welcome to R/C flying!

You have selected a VERY VERY DIFFICULT path for yourself. Balsa planes are not foregiving of beginner's mistakes and are very difficulot to repair compared to foam. Low wing planes like the Mustang are very difficult to fly and are recommended only for very experienced flyers, certainly not for a beginner.

My advice to you is to set your balsa plane to the side, then do a very extensive search of the beginner threads at popular sites like RCGroups and Wattflyer. You will find that by far the best beginner planes are the HobbyZone SuperCub and the Multiplex EasyStar. Start with one of these and learn how to fly. Then for your second plane get a good aileron trainer like the ParkZone T-28 Trojan or the Multiplex Minmag. After you have learned how to fly with these planes, then you will be ready to consider building that Mustang.