rainman777

I've had an Aerobird Xtreme for a couple of years and feel ready to move up to 4ch and I'd like to try my hand at 3D flying. I'm interested in Parkzone's Typhoon as it's RTF and has all I would need, but I was wondering if it's the best plane for a newbie to 3D flying.

All I know is brushless and lipos are good (I have an E-Maxx truck with brushless motor) and that I need to waggle both sticks in all directions. More than that I have no idea what to look for.

Any tips, suggestions, caveats would be most welcome.

rmgmag

From what I've read, the Typhoon is a pretty good place to start. Keep in mind that as your skills improve, you're probably going to want to move up to some of the better foamies out there or even some of the larger scale type 3D ships. Most of the components from your Typhoon won't work very well with other models. That will mean that you'll need to invest in a good transmitter and various motors, esc's, batteries, servos, etc.. You might want to consider starting off with an EPP type of plane like the SuperZoom from NE Sailplanes. The EPP palnes are said to be more durable than the depron planes, or if you're brave, you could try a depron plane from someone like www.rcxplanes.com and their Illusion. Planes in this size range use components that are easily transferrable to other planes in this size range, but the up-front costs will be more. You'll need a computer radio in addition to a plane, motor, batteries etc. A lot your decision will depend on how much you're willing or able to spend, as well as how big your desire is to get further into the hobby.

Bob

flyingace451

OK what I've learned from experience is that when learning 3D, you WILL crash. So, start out with a cheap plane (not cheap electronics though...).

If you are flying an ABX, you are probably going to want to buy yourself a standard radio. I recomend the Futaba 7c, not an el cheap Hitec Laser 4 like what I bought for my first radio. Get a decent radio, so you don't have to buy another in the future. Get yourself electronics that will work in pretty much any 3D plane. HS-55s and a Berg or small hitec reciever will work fine, a Hitec 05S is a good one. Motors will be different for each plane though, so don't worry about that yet. The plane I recomend is the Hobby Lobby Yak-55. It is super cheap so go ahead and get 2 or 3 of them if you decide to go this route. It's a pretty straight forward build, just be sure you be careful. Build it PERFECTLY square, my knife edges and loops are so off kilter because of careless building. My next plane won't have this problem however, (AirfoilZ, you don't have to worry about a straight fuse or square tail feathers, yay).

If you do decide to go this route, it'll bring up the costs to about $350-400 unless you have a radio and building supplies already with you. Then it'll only be about $250 for electronics that work in almost any parkflyer/3d plane. HS-55s are the for small planes, they rock

If you have the money, you can buy a better plane than the HL Yak. The Yak is cheap and easy to fly, but it has bad habits because of it's flat plate airfoil. It isn't the best 3Der either, you can tell what maneuver it is, but it sure doesn't look pretty.

EDIT: P.S. the Yak is 20 bucks, but you need to supply your own hinges (I used packing tape, works fine for a small cheapo foamy)

johnc1go

My Feedback: (9)

I think that making such a jump from aircraft like aerobirds to all out 3d ships is a mistake, but it you insist on doing it, I would recommend a Cermark lil Banchee 3d ARF. You can get one 60 bucks plus shipping. It goes together in less than a weekend. As far as the stuff to fly it with. I'd look to ebay and the rcu marketplace. You want a good micro receiver....Berg is my personal preference, but a hitec electron 6 will work fine or even a Feather if you keep the plane close to you. If you're not wanting to spend an arm and a leg on a radio....look for a futaba 6exas or 6exa transmitter on ebay. Any of the micro servos will work fine, Eflite makes some good ones, but there are some cheaper ones at PolksHobbies. Motor and ESC, I would have to recommend the Hacker 20-20L or compatible knockoff, a Castle creations Phoenix 25 ESC would be my first pick, but the Castle Thunderbird series ESCs is good also, just less features. If you want to talk about it more, don't be afraid to email me at [email protected]

samiman

I will back up what rmgmag said.....RCXPLANES!!! The best planes, best customer service, Best instructions, everthing is done better than ALL other RC Aircraft designers and distributers.


www.rcxplanes.com

Have fun!

WhtBronco

While I definitely prefer balsa 3D planes, you are gonna want to go with a foamy. They are more resilient and easier to repair. As has been said going from an ABX to a 3D plane is a big jump and you may regret it. You are talking about flying 3D which is very challenging and currently are flying an airplane that cannot even do a roll or fly inverted. Anyway a lot fo 3D planes are so light with the control throws turned down they are quite docile and fly very slowly so it is possible.

Air3D540

I second getting a 3D plane made of EPP foam, that stuff is ridiculously tough! I personally have not had one but some of my flying buddies have. I was watching one guy flying one day. He was doing a blender when the elevator pushrod came out of the servo horn. The plane flew hard, straight into the ground. I thought it would be demolished but it came out of the crash with only dirt on the nose and wing. After that I have been a firm believer of EPP. If you want to be a little risky with your 3D, go with EPP. You wont have to worry about an accident.

flyingace451

I second EPP actually. EPP is flexible, but when learning 3D you really don't care about the precision of the plane. You don't care about having a stiff plane or a plane with no "slop" so do what your wallet says and you'll be fine. Get a simulator if you want, that will teach you more than just how to fly 3D.

VictoryRoll-91

I just started 3d too, I have a PZ typhoon. IMO, I really love it, and I've gotten a lot of compliments on it. It's a really fun plane to fly, and can fly real slow, and is easy to land. I'm not a huge fan of profile planes, but whatever you choose I think you'll be fine. Youv'e been given a lot of great choices!