Prophex

I've been mainly in heli's and my little brother likes to watch me fly so much that he wants something to fly for his own. And since heli's are just a little bit to difficult and to dangerous for kids, I was thinking of getting him a beginners electric RC airplane.

I came across [link=http://www.hobby-lobby.com/easystar.htm]this one[/link] at the hobby-lobby
Would this be any good for my 8 year old brother ?
And since I am also new to planes, what would you recommend ?

Thanks a lot,
Prophex

DBCherry

My Feedback: (4)

It's not a plane that's very well known, but it "sounds" like it would be a decent choice. The "elapor" foam is like EPP, which is very resilient, so that part of it is great. 9.4 ounces on a Speed 400 is a great power to weight ratio too, so....

I honestly can't say for sure, but everything I read makes it sound like a good candidate.

If you decide to try it, please post the results here so others might benefit.
Dennis-

wings

There are some cheap planes at Walmart, have you looked at those?

FHHuber

[:'(] The cheapies at Wal-Mart are nowhere near the class of the one he's looking at.
The one n the ad appears to be a decent begnner's electric model. 3 channel planes tend to do well as long as the wing loading and power are decent. (looks good there.) The materials as mentioned look good too.

I would opt for a better radio than Hobby Lobby is suggesting...simply because the 3 channel radio is very limiting. A 4 channel is not much more and not nearly as limiting. Otherwise the entire package looks very good. (Hobby Lobby might make a substitution of that nature and still give a package deal discount... call them.)

*************

As to it being appropriate to an 8-yr old. iI would bet the recommended age in the instructions says 14+ or 16+ However... some 8-year olds could easilly handle it. (some 5 yr olds could... and some 20 year olds couldn't handle it responsibly.) It really depends on the personality and upbringing of the prospective beginner.

Lancair-RCU

WINGS, the guy is in Belgium, as in Europe, I dont think they have WALMART in Belgium.

Sorry couldnt resist this one as I see so many posts telling people to check in Walmart or some other US store, when the person asking the question isnt in the USA. The USA isnt the entire world guys and youre not the only ones who fly RC and with internet and access to this site.

wings

My bad,

I didn't look at his location. Maybe someday Walmart will be like McDonalds and be everywhere. I was just trying to help, I realize not all of us are from the US. Sorry if you're offended mate.

Wings

He could go to German an order from Walmart. Thats close isn't ?

[link=http://www.walmartgermany.de/index.php?struct=0,0,0,0,0]Walmart[/link]

DBCherry

My Feedback: (4)

Jeez! Let's hope not. [:@]
Isn't it bad enough that they, and all the other huge chains have pretty much wiped out all the Mom & Pop stores? They've taken away the personal relationships of dealing with your neighbors, and instead you buy from some huge corporation, and none of the money spent comes back into your own community. (Except for the minimum wage earned by the poor folks who have to work there.)

Then there's MacDonald's and the other chain slop houses that sell food that sickens us and doesn't vary one bit from Boston to the left coast, and is now being fed to the rest of the world.

I read recently about a guy who decided to try and live off nothing but MacDonald's food for 30 days. By the third week he was constantly feeling sick, had heart palpitations and almost constant nausea. I've forgotten, but believe he nearly spent some time in the hospital by the end of the "trial".

Sorry, that's the end of my rant. I just don't want to see anyone become complacent and think that these chains are a good thing. [:@]
Dennis-

wings

Gee Wiz, didn't realize Walmart was such a touchy subject []

dreadnaut

My Feedback: (5)

Don't buy bikes at Wall Mart either. You'll spend twice as much at a mom and pop bike store, but you will get more than twice the value. http://www.bikesrnottoys.com/

Same thing goes for toy planes. Many local hobby shops will help people set up and fly the things. Just try to get any useful help from your underpaid Wall Mart clerk.

dreadnaut

My Feedback: (5)

I've worked for a lot of different people and know that there is a wide range of ways that companies treat employees. Never worked for WallMart, but I see the signs that It would be hell.

wings

You mean its just a job not a career? Its not a family like working environment?.........

Just kidding.....

FHHuber

There is also the woman who went on an all-McDonald's diet and in 2 weeks lost 5 lbs... Lowered cholesterol... and IMPROVED overall health.

You can prove ANYTHING you want with a single case. George Burns smoked cigars for over 70 years and made it past 100... (is he still alive? I didn't hear of him dieing... and if he is he's near 110 or 115.) My Grandfather on my mother's side smoked cigarettes from the day he was 11 to when he died at 99 years old. Does that make cigarettes and cigars good for you?

If the idiot just ate French fries... then yes in 30 days he'd be in trouble. If the smart person just eats the salad with chicken strips then she'll do pretty well and lose weight.

MCDonalds isn't my favorite place to eat by a long shot... but If I go in a McDonalds ANYWHERE I can point to the picture of the burger I am used to... and it will be what I expect it to be. California, Texas, Idaho, Mississippi, Iowa, New York, the Phillipines, Korea, Hong Kong... doesn't matter.
(and Yes, I HAVE had McDonald's burgers in all those places.... and more.)

Consistency is a marketable attribute. We demand it of our model engines. we complain about the lack of it in ARF's... you want to complain because a food company has done better at being consistent than the ARF manufacturers?

If Wal-Mart succeeds to become a big chain worldwide... it won't be for any reason except good business management.

The GOOD mom and pop stores manage to stay in business. The ones that are not providing the goods and services the customer wants at a reasonable price... or that don't manage their business correctly fail. Its been that way since the 1600's on the North American continent.

Its called CAPITALISM.

It works.

You either learn to properly operate in the form of economy you use... or your business fails. (unless you are AmTrack... then you fail but the government thows money away trying to keep you in business. But that will eventually fail to work too.)

wings

You know Fred, I agree with you.

Its hipicritial to complain about Walmart workers making minimum wage and then buy ar ARF,lol. I guess sweat shops are ok, but God forbit that Walmart provide employment for those who are willing to work but lack the qualifications to find a higher paying job.

But I will agree that Walmart probably puts a lot of mom and pop shops out of business. Its a fact, nothing really to argue about. What mom and pop shop can you walk in and buy groceries, clothing, electronics, crafts, garden supplies... basically everything you need for a houshold in one place. Its kind hard for a mom and pop shop to compete. Plus Walmart has much more sales volume because it is part of a chain, so they can get products for a lower price.

People choose to work for Walmart and McDonalds. Nobody is making them. Hell, I worked at Ponderosa for several years while going to college. It was money and I appreciated it. Just as Fred indicated, its a free society. If Walmart really treated the workers that terrible and paid them so little, nobody work would for them. Supply and demand. I much rather work at Walmart than work on ARFS all day, same thing day in and day out, for pennies.


Wings

ZimboRaider

DBCherry, I read about that trial to. Poor guy. Anyway, you should see some of the kidz here in New Zealand. Coming from Zimbabwe it has been a huge culture shock seeing the sheer size of them(thats an understatement for some of them)

Getting back to the topic, I was reading a RCM&E review of that plane and they reckoned it was ideal for kids. Easy to fly, easy to assemble, and very robust.

SUBWAY, EAT FRESH!!

CRAZYRYAN

My Feedback: (1)

amen to that!!! i used to work there and said screw it!!!! i hate my suck salery its the most sewed store in the nation hahahahaha for them they should change the name to HELL-MART!

Evader 53

That plane is very expensive for all the equipment... $259!!! I would go to radioshack and get the CC flyer by megatech for $39.99, it is a great little plane and has full 2-stick movements (left stick controls throttle, right stick controls steering) it has a range of over 3 football fields

I would not buy the plane you posted in Post #1, but instead would get the megatech CC flyer from radioshack for 39.99 w/ everything included

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

The Easy Star is one of THE MOST POPULAR and most highly recommended first electric planes. Very stable, easy to fly and very tough. You build it and repair it with Medium CA, so repairs are quick an easy. With a little help from you, yes this could be flown by an 8 year old.

The RTF, at least in the US, comes with quality Hitec equipment. It is also available as an ARF so you can add your own electroncis.

The minimum recommended battery is a 6 cell NICD 800 mah pack, but I would recommend you go to a 7 cell 1000 mah or higher 2/3 or 4/5 A NIMH pack for more power and more duration.

Do your early flights in calm to 5 mph/8 km/h winds but once you get good with the plane it will handle higher winds.

You hand launch it so you don't need a runway and you just belly land it on the grass, so you can fly it anywhere.

The plane has an excellent airfoil. It thermals very well and slope woars very well if you enjoy that kind of flight.

If you want to boost power later, this takes a brushless very easily.

Excellent choice for a first plane.

If you visit the electric aircraft section and search on Easy Star you will find tons of happy users posting happy posts about this plane.

Iturnright

Yes, my father bought this for his first plane, (since I started and he decided to follow) on the first flight it looked quite good. He was having some trouble using the elevator, which is most likely what a beginner would have trouble with, but thats easy to overcome in time. It looked like it soared quite well with 1/4 to no power, and landing was a breeze, with no power nessesary. Construction requires no glue, everything is durable foam, and the electronics do ot look cheap. Of course they aren't going to give you brilliant equipment, but it isn't some toy. I have heard that these do take a good amount of abuse, and only needs repair with normal CA. All in all, it is a quality plane, and looks like a real easy plane to fly, maybe some instruction needed, but once thats done with, it'll be a great plane for soaring, which is very rewarding, without any danger of crashing. (theres time for that part later )

[sm=thumbup.gif]If you think this is the best choice, you should go with it.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

My Dad is 80, and I plan to visit soon. It is my intention to bring the ARF version with me and add the servos, receiver, etc while I am there and teach him to fly it.

RedWing

My Feedback: (4)

Lancair-RCU,

We have a kid that is 8-9 years old at our club flying one of these.
It flys real good. He flys it real well and he has only flown this year.
He even won the Musical Landing at our fun fly (with a little help from the second place winner. ).

BTW
The sweatshirt is a little big for him.

I would recomend this plane for a beginner, for sure..

Bill

eef mcglikn

LOCAL HOBBY SHOPS SHOULD BE ASHAMED

for what its worth.........I LIKE WALMART.........

Thanks to WALMART for selling low price planes that actually will fly

my kids bought me a plane from a local hobby shop....and it took a pro to get it to stay aloft for more than a few seconds....for $150.it was pure junk.

and i stood watching in horror as a new flyer tried to get his $100+ peice of garbage to fly with help from a pro.............it was pure junk...........and he also bought that at the local hobby shop...........

both planes were assembled correctly and had a pro.....(yes he was way better than you).....trying to keep them in the air.....and both planes were "beginner" models.

then i see a wide eyed kid with a parent open their WALMART dream plane......and it flys.........and the kids are laughing and jumping and falling in love with the sport.

eef

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Good report!

I am not sure what your "Pro's" experience is, but if it is 4 channel glow planes I would not be surprised that he had trouble with these beginner 2 or 3 channel RTF electrics. I have watched many experienced glow pilots struggle with these planes.

Meanwhile I have watched inexperienced pilots self train with them.

How can this be? Because many of these RTF electrics don't fly like the Pro's planes so his expectations are not met. I am not saying the he is a poor pilot. On the contrary, he is likely an ourstanding pilot, flying the type of planes he flies. But these 2 and 3 channel RTF electrics probably don't fly like his glow planes and it can be frustrating, especially if he ignores the recommendation in the instructions that the planes should be flown initally in calm conditions.

The planes are usually set up for VERY mild response because beginners usually over control. An experience pilot would find them almost non-responsive. What they sometimes don't realize is that the responsiveness of the planes can be turned up based on the procedures in the manual.

I gather this point of view from watching and from reading posts on the forums. I have received many a surprised response when I asked the "Pro" if he was flying the Aerobird Challenger in sport or Pro mode. "What? There are modes?" He would relate to these more as low rates and high rates but never looked for sport vs pro mode. And he would have looked for a switch on the transmitter but on this plane the Pro mode is activated by a turn on procedure.

I tried to fly a low cost plane once without reading the manual. It was a one channel plane. Motor ran for 3 minutes. Rudder control only. Could not get it to turn at all. Only when I was ready to give up did I open the manual only to learn that the rudder was not proportional but was a pulse design. You had to keep tapping it to get the rudder to "wag" left or right. Once we did that, it flew rather well, though I would not have recommended it to anyone.

Sometimes experience can be a hinderence. We expect things to behave a certain way, and when they don't, we become very frustrated. Myself as case in point. It happens.

When we have no experience then we accept the way things work and can often adapt and learn to work with them.

Just an observation which may not apply to your story at all.