letsbounce72

i just bought a pt 40 a biginners air plane im building it,is there any advice to give me,do's and dont's ?? and what kind of radio should i buy? anykind of advice would be greatly appreciated

agexpert

My Feedback: (1)

Well,

This post will probably be relocated to the beginners forum, but let me say 'welcome' ...to the best hobby on the planet. I am a beginner too, on my third plane plane and counting, ( I actually have 7 planes and a couple of kits, but I fly 3 regularly).

1) Join AMA.

2) Join a club with free instruction (Almost all clubs offer free instruction or have a member who can teach).

3) Do Not try to fly without the aid of an instructor

4) If you can afford your own 'buddy box' get one...(It helped me to be set-up and ready to fly when my instructor was ready for me).

5) Practice on a simulator if you have one, (It's not going to teach you to fly, but it helps with moving the sticks in the right direction).

6) Wait to buy your radio until you see what is popular at your field, (Free advice is easier to get from people who are familiar with your equipment).

7) Don't go out and waste a bunch of money on field equipment until you see what you need.

8) Go to club meetings and participate in raffles and auctions to get GREAT prices on stuff you need/want.

9) HANG OUT at the field after your lessons and ask lots of questions, (You will find that, if you are interested, people will be almost too willing to give you advice).

10) Learn which guys/gals to listen to and which ones to just nod and smile at.

11) Did I mention...Get an instructor?

12) Have fun, (This is the most rewarding hobby around, just be patient and learn the basics first. You will have plenty of time to experiment on your own, but learn by the book).


Welcome to the end of free time and disposable income as you know them.

jetmech05

that's the best advice ive ever heard for a newbie please listen to agexpert by the way get an instructor

Safebet

My Feedback: (12)

2nd pc. of advice. Get out of this hobby before you become addicted.

Welcome, nothing will ever be the same. Please follow the advice above if you insist on staying in.

Jim

SENZA

agexpert, Great job

that should become the official poster for the beginners forum [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_3802545/tm.htm]Beginners click here first[/link]

ryanpilot

My Feedback: (4)

All the advice above is right on the money....

Most important...Instructor and BUDDY BOX!!!!

Resist the urge to buy what appears to be a great deal on ebay for gear until you learn enough to recognise what is good and what is junk.

Build per plans and have an Instructor go over your plane before you ever put a drop of fuel in it.

Radio gear is like the age old debate betwen Chevy and Ford. Personally I like Futaba and Hitec. It depends on the type of flying you end up into. If you buy quality, name brand gear you will not go wrong. Don't let anybody tell you you have to get brand X....I am in law enforcemnent and it is sometimes astonishing listening to people tell you you have to have a GLOCK because it is the best...I do not agree...Get a radio that fits your hands well, is comfortable to hold. Thats why I like my Hitec...It fits my hands very well.

Even if you use a simulator go out with an instructor and solo. It will save you a lot of time, money and frustration.

Have fun and fly safe

perttime

Great advice above: get an instructor and learn from the folks at the field/club house/while drinking coffee after flying.

A simulator helped me with orientation before committing my hardware to the skies.

I have a JR radio but will not argue with anybody who is using Futaba, Hitec, Multiplex, ... A Glock fits my hand just fine, so does a Ruger GP-100 (cannot hold a Beretta).

elenasgrumpy

My Feedback: (4)

Well you've received some good advice allready. To try and further answer your question of which radio to buy? I agree that as to brand-name? That will have to be your choice. I would suggest going to your LHS & looking at the different radios available. They will let you take them out of the box, hold it in your hand, tinker with it a bit, see which one feels good in your hands, & which one you just like the best. I do however think it would be a good thing (if you can afford it) to go ahead & get a descent radio right off the bat. By that I mean say at least a 6CH computerized radio, something that you can grow into. Sure you can get away with a regular 4CH radio w/flight pack & put your Trainer in the air just fine. But soon after you have mastered your Trainer, & it's time to build that 4* or whatever #2 plane you choose, you're gonna want more radio. Your gonna want more featues, like Model Memory, Aileron Differential, Adjustable end points, Exponential, Mixing, Etc.Etc.Etc. You can get a really nice 6 or even 7 Ch Computer radio for not a whole lot more money than a regular radio these days. If you don't buy it now, you will be trying to buy one soon enough if you stay in the hobby.

If you run into problems during your build, RcKen is the resident building Guru. Post your questio/problem & sooner or later he'll see it & have an answer for you I'm sure. Good luck, & welcome to the best desease known to man![sm=drowning.gif]

elenasgrumpy

My Feedback: (4)

P.S. Depending on what your goals in this hobby are, you may want an even bigger radio. By that I mean more channels. Personally 6 ch is enough for me, but if you intend to get into big-time scale warbirds with lots of working gadgets, you may want to look at the 8 & 9 ch radios. Keep in mind that more radio = more money too![:@] So ask yourself where to I want to be, & what kind of planes do I realy want to build/fly, and that should tell you how many channels you'll really need. Hope this helps.

ryanpilot

My Feedback: (4)

Definately get teh most radio you can afford....I sit and look at the new Futaba 14ch and drool lol...Anyway, I really like the Hitec Eclipse 7 ch. It does everything I need and gives me the ability to fly helis if I so choose.

There are times I wish I had something like a 9 or 10 ch.

Get the most that you can afford and you are in a win win situation. It won't be long before you are bit hard and want to advance and you just can't do that with a 4 ch radio.

Btw I really love my SIG 226 in .40 s&wI used to carry a ruger and really shot well with it but I love my sig and the Styer is sweet too.

Happy flying

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

You want 6 channel comp radio,,,if for no other reason than multi model capacity,,Most of my planes are 2 or 3 channel (1/2A) but its great to have a radio assigned to each one...because, you may not know it yet but, youll be wanting to add to your plane collection...Rog

Espresso-Outfitters

man I just cannot elaborate upon this statement, hehe, lmao, too funny, too real!!!!!!!!!!

letsbounce72

thankyou for the advice,after the build or when i have time ill get down to a club and go from there.right now im double guessing myself on the build,its alittle confusing somtimes,and already have made a couple mistakes.

letsbounce72

yea i hear ya! my girlfriend is already giving me a hard time.

letsbounce72

ok cool,, ive seen some futaba's online used,what do you think about buying used for an example ebay???

letsbounce72

thankyou,i will deffinently look into getting a radio with more than 4ch.but they r expensive. any ideals on where to go to purchace one ? new? or used?

letsbounce72

i just want to say to everybody ,,THANKS,,,i used to race rc cars and now im moving ahead,all i got is time on my hands, so why not , time to move up to the big boys.

pauluk2w

My Feedback: (7)

If you are looking for a good transmitter I would suggest you keep looking right here on rcu, keep checking the marketplace and you will find everything you need. here is the transmitter I would suggest [link]http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/item.cfm?itemId=161224[/link]

or this one both are at a great price

[link]http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/item.cfm?itemId=159444[/link]

elenasgrumpy

My Feedback: (4)

JR's new Sport line of computer radios is making it very affordable for a new guy to start out with a nice radio. Do yourself a favor & check out this link before you buy anything! 6Ch. Computerized radio system for $159, how ya gonna beat that. It has alot of good features like 10 model memory at a price that can't be beat. It even comes with a 1500mah battery, just have a look for yourself.


http://www.horizonhobby.com/Shop/ByC...dID=JSP16000**

elenasgrumpy

My Feedback: (4)

I got two different flight packs mixed up on Horizon's page. I think it's a different flight pack that comes with the 1500 mah battery. I think the JR Sport 600 complete system comes with the 700 mah battery, not a problem still one of the best deals on the market that I know of.

tuwood

I third this thought!!
But the bright side is that I'm losing weight because I use all my lunch money for R/C...
I have fully diverted my lunch, poker, & golf budget to my R/C addiction (uh, i mean hobby)

I'm not addicted, i can quit anytime!!

bubbagates

My Feedback: (32)

WANNA bet. I thought the same thing too. Then I got a part-time job at the LHS and what a mistake that was...Never ever work for the LHS...You can forget any pay from them for a very long time. In fact you'll be paying them...

You can also forget any girlfriend you may have at the time. You'll soon get into a discussion about your hobby spending habits and you tell her something like Minnflyer once said

"Of course I love you but my planes love me more. If I tell them to fly straight into the ground they will do it without question. Once I get that kind of cooperation from you then we can talk"

The he went outside to pick up all of his stuff and beg to be let back in

elenasgrumpy

My Feedback: (4)

ROFLMAO!!!! Mike's the bravest man I know, we're not worthy!