crash and burn

My Feedback: (19)

I have seen countless fathers with their children trying to learn to fly on a firebird or similar model. Only to crash on the first toss and go home with a dissappointed child and horrible memory!

Take some advise and spend a little more to get the GWS Slowstick!

You will need these items:

GWS Slowstick model
A Transmitter like the JR Quattro
A GWS flight pack
A couple extra battery packs
A good charger like the Hitec 335

Then with a little instruction from a pilot, you'll be flying!!!!

It's not going to come without a little help and don't be afraid to ask someone!

I urge everyone to invest in a good flight simulator as well like the G2. You won't be sorry.

Good luck!

C&B

shootmo

I would have to disagree with you.About 4 years ago Id decieced to get into flying something I wanted to do since I was a little kid.So I went to a hobby shop by my home not knowing what to get all I new I wanted something electric and for a beginer so I took the advice of the guy behind the counter and $500 later I left the store very excited got home got the plane ready to fly the next morning .this was when I knew Iwas in over my head this plane was to fast to big and to hard to control needless to say I CRASHED THE PLANE.Boy was I bumped but I didnt give up yet I went back and got what I needed to fix the plane so I could get it flying again which I did and crashed it again maybe I should of found someone to show my how to fly but I did not. after this I quit I was fustrated that it was so hard to fly. It wasnt the money I would of spent $1000 if I could of flown it. So I thought I was done.Until this year when I was with a buddy who has rc cars I went with him to a hobby shop and I saw a firebird xl then my mind started to think about this again no I said remember last time, but the kit was only $100 so I said why not.I got it home took it out right away and boom I WAS FLYING I was so excited finally my child hood dream has come true I ran and got my wife who saw my last plane 4 years ago and was not impressed she was in shock when she me flying this plane. my brother and friend have been flying them since they saw how easy it was, it been about 6 months now and we still fly them we have crased the but they keep going. I since have got more planes thanks to my firebird I NOW LOVE THIS HOBBY.

BillK

You can get Slow Stick, flight pack, a couple batteries, and a used transmitter for only $30-$40 more than the XL and you can use the transmitter and servos in future planes. I had a firebird for a while and the slow stick is a much funner plane. It's also a lot easier to land than a Firebird. It'll float in for a landing at a couple miles an hour. It's also easy to repair. I crashed mine nose first from about 20 feet today and had it back up in less than 10 minutes with some 5 minute epoxy. The Firebird XL's lack of elevator control is it's biggest drawback IMO. The Aerobird is a much better plane.

joebob

My Feedback: (14)

I second the Slow Stick. This thing is one of the best investments I've made in my 25+ years of modelling. I'm teaching my son how to fly and got him one of these for Christmas. He's been on a buddy box for a couple of months, but I just hand him the plane and tell him to have at it. He flies all day, taking off, landing, looping, flying inverted , you name it. AND, he's having a ball doing it. When we fly the glow powered ones, he's ready to go home after 1 or 2 flights. With the Slow Stick, I can't get him to leave the field.

The thing is super easy to put together (1 hr or so), and flies so slow and easy, you have all the time in the world to correct your mistakes before it comes down. For the money, you simply can't beat it.

jacob rogers

i own a firebird, and you are right it is somewhat hard to fly at first, i ran into a neighbors tree/house/into backyard. well it's not my fault he built a house where my runway should have been( but that's another story). i was hoping you could give me some advice for a second plane? i was looking into a gas powered lazy bee or something in the slow flyer department that is also extremely versatile.

crash and burn

My Feedback: (19)

I was out today and got two of my new pilots up and flying the Slow stick.

There were many dads and kids out there today and they all were amazed at the ease of the slowstick.

One caution, be sure to put in a low rate for starting out on the elevator and rudder. Just like any model, too much elevator and you WILL STALL IT!!

Have fun! and don't forget to clip your wing!

C&B

easy2fly

My Feedback: (3)

i have flown both, and say the slowstick is a good plane if someone plans on moving up in the hobby. the gear can be used in many other planes. the firebird xl is an easy plane to fly, but isnt helpful in moving on and doesnt teach someone to fly have "regular" planes are setup (rud,elev) both are durable also.

darenm

My Feedback: (2)

Mine is almost impossible to stall. If i do give it too much elevator, it just loops. Only time i have to worry about the stall is when the battery is low. But it glides in nice and slow. I don't force to keep it in the air.

crash and burn

My Feedback: (19)

I did not find the Firebird at all easy. I think without elevator controls your asking for trouble.

C&B

PHIL I.

Where I have to fly, the wind is usually 5-8 mph. Will the slow stick handle that without constant working the stick? In the old fuel days, there were some trainers that were good untill the wind came up.
Are there other alternatives that would handle the wind better?
PHIL I.

joebob

My Feedback: (14)

As great as the Slow Stick is, it's NOT a windy weather plane. anything above 5-8 mph will make it truly unpleasant and difficult to keep in the air.

dirtstripper

im a beginner and would like to know who makes the slow stick and where can i get it by mail?? thanks ED

Peter Khor

My Feedback: (4)

Horizon's the importer, you can get it directly from them:

http://horizon.hobbyshopnow.com/prod...p?prod=GWS1040

But it looks like they are out of stock now ... so are some online vendors like:

http://www.allerc.com/
http://www.parkflyers.com/html/slow_stick.html

You can also try your local hobby store or get them to order from Horizon (you should be paying Horizon's price, no shipping, but local tax).

Remember you will also need:

* Transmitter/Receiver/2 Servos (I'd recomend anything under 18g each)
* Battery pack (better to start out with at least 2 packs)
* Charger
* Spare props

Radio Equipment - one possibility:

Horizon sells a Flight Pack for the Slow Stick 2 Mini Servos, Receiver, Speed controller, and 6 cell battery pack for $73

http://horizon.hobbyshopnow.com/prod...p?prod=GWS2080

However you will still need a transmitter ($35 for GWS) and receiver crsytal (~$10)

A better option would be GWS complete kit for $105
http://horizon.hobbyshopnow.com/prod...rod=GWSRCS250B

This includes 3 mini servos, battery, receiver, transmitter, speed control and all crystal. The original intent of the pack is for the Zero (bad choice imo), but it will all fit the slow stick just fine (you only need 2 servos, so you get one "spare" or "free")

I'd also recommend getting a second battery pack, 7cell pack in the 700mAH range and up.

For a charger, get a good charger that does peak detection charging (starts in the $30 to $40 range for DC charger, $40 to $50 for A/C D/C charging).

dirtstripper

Thanks for all the info and advice Pete i appreciate it! im going to try to learn to fly on a hlg one with rudder and elevator only! i figure if im going to crash it wont cost that much to fix or replace! do you ever fly gliders? i also sent for a fms flight simulator for my windows zp! cant afford g2 ! BEST ED

ElectriFan-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

Here's what I think.

If one is not sure that flying is their thing and want to test it out, then the Firebird/E-gull makes sense for a scant $100 and ready to fly in an hour. Equipment is barely acceptable quality and not reusable unless one gets creative. I went this route and have plans to make a hover craft science project with the electronics some day. These days, the T-Hawk/Aerobird models even give elevator control for $150. Not bad, but gets close to the other school of thought.

If you are sure that this hobby is for you (or have lots of $$ to burn), then go with the conventional wisdom - reusable electronics. Toward this end, I think that the Slow Stick is one of the best easy-to-fly parkflyers released lately. There are other very good models out there (Gym-E from toddsmodels.com, etc), but none like the SlowStick IMO. It can handle wind better than the Pico Stick or Tiger Moth (GWS models), floats/glides better, can take pico or naro flight packs, different battery packs, even some payload (dig cam, plastic bombs/parachuters, etc), easy to fly at night with flying lights, etc.

I got one for my 7 yr old for xmas. He was able to fly the E-gull (Firebird 2 clone) quite well. I also downloaded the SlowStick model for FMS (for those that don't know, FMS is free beta rc simulator). Built the plane in 2 hours (watched a movie at teh same time too). First I started him off with an hour on FMS. Since no simulator is going to be exactly like the real thing (those cost mega $$ and primarily used by professionals - air forces, flight training schools, etc), I had one training session at the field (my thumbs on his). His confidence eroded quite quickly but a good pep talk was enough. Back to the simulator (turned off the 'model uncrasheable' option this time) for another hour practice. By this time, he had a better feel for the softer/smoother sticks on better radios. Weather cleared up yesterday, so off to the field. First battery pack was again guided by me including a demo of a dead stick landing. Next flight, I just took the plane up to 50' and just stepped back a couple of feet (ready to jump and grab) - voila he was flying!! Over controlling at first, so softening the stick response helped (this is mostly available in computer radios). By the time we were done with the battery packs, it was getting dark, he was able to ROG fine, land fine, perform 2-3 consecutive loops and even manage a dead stick landing all by himself. Yeah, sure I piped in with a suggestion or two when appropriate, but that was it. Both of us were flabergasted and thrilled!! We never expected it to be so soon. Now he wants to fly every day and inverted too so I am getting a basic 4 ch radio so that *I* can fly too

goofup

Shootmo, I'd like to know that nut behind the counter sold you!

Phil I, I hear you about the wind! However, there's no reason you need to make something as hard learning how to fly 10 times harder by trying to learn to fly when it's windy. Try flying in the morning or evening when the wind calms down. After you've learned, then 5-8 mph winds are much easier to handle. (Believe me, the words "trainer" and "windy" should never be used in the same sentence.)

Ayway, for my take on the whole thing, see my page for newbies:
http://www.geocities.com/[email protected]/Newbies.html

Goofup

ElectriFan-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

Nice article goofup. Personally, I pretty much went your route except with the E-gull (T-Hawk wasn't available then) and then the Moth. I recommend the SlowStick because the electronics are easily accessible, handles wind a little better (okay, okay, not wind - breeze ), and can take some payload.

I suggest adding that newbies should take a kite with them to the field/park too, so that one gets something to fly. If one takes the kite out first, the wind gods may even go away.

goofup

Thanks for you comments on the page.

You're right! Someone should start a MLORC (Murphy's Laws Of Radio Control) thread:
1- If you pull out a kite, the wind will die down. If you pull out a plane, the wind picks up.

My entries:
2- The further you drive, the windier it will be when you get there.
3- The chances of you having a reversed servo on a new plane is directly proportional to the time and money invested on it.

Goofup

jskrebs

I modified both of the Firebirds I have to max travel which greatly improved the control authority. Prior to that they could not turn worth a dam. Now my 10 and 12 year old can fly them solo. You want tough try a wattage lightning which my kids can also fly, but crashed a lot on the way.

The throttle vs elevator is also a valid concern, but not all that hard to overcome.

However for less than $ 100 and everything is in one box the firebird is an attratctive lure for RC wannabees. I guess if you see somebody attempting to learn on one you should help them out as they will most certainly get hooked, and you could beef up you club roster.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

If you are looking for a dirt cheap all included plane, the e-gull or firebird II are about as low as you can go.

I have been through the same eval that you are going through. If you can swing an extra $70, go for the Aerobird. Three channel, all included plane. If you check the other threads, you will find good comments. T-Hawk has tail and rudder but no speed control. Aerobird has all three.

To me it looks like the best value around. HobbyZone says it is not for beginners, but then no three channel plane would be for beginners.