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DarkWombat -> RE: New Hanger 9 p-51 mustang **Trainer?!?** (7/7/2005 7:01:39 PM)
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Well, there are surely greater risks involved now with so many people flying, but also it's a matter of what plane it is. If you got hit with a Firebird, I'm sure you'd be in much better condition than by a .40-sized trainer. Yes, Parkflyers are dangerous of course, but in many cases they are much less dangerous than the "big boys". I think if someone doesn't want to plop down $300 in this hobby from the start to start flying, why shouldn't they spend $85 on a Firebird II that comes with everything they need to fly so they can start learning. At the hobby shop I work at we all make an effort to steer new flyers towards the Firebirds, because they're excellent trainers, we don't recommend a Parkzone P-51 even though it looks cool, (although I still regret having to sell one to a guy who didn't have a clue what he was getting into, after repetedly answering the same questions from him and telling him that the P-51 is NOT for beginners).
Yes, people think flying a plane is easy, just as they think that flying a Blade CP will be easy. Just ask the guy who tried flying one for the first time...in his kitchen. There are a lot of stupid people out there, but there are also smart people who have a basic idea what they're getting into and are willing to listen to those more experienced and take their advice. I've sold numerous Firebirds to people who understood that this isn't such an easy thing to learn, and I've got one guy who's taking it the slow and smart way who just moved up to an Aerobird Xtreme (3-Channel 4 1/2 foot wingspan Firebird) after reaching the limits of his Firebird II.
And most parkflyers are not ready-to-fly, just as most fuel-powered aircraft aren't either. You still have to install your radio system, you still have to assemble it. But when you're just starting out and don't want to shell out so much money to get started, how is a simple RTF electric plane that costs around $100 a bad thing?
I for one don't want a ready-to-fly plane anymore, I've gotten past the Firebirds and I want to build some aspects of the plane. That's why I'm getting a Hangar 9 Solo Strike ARF instead of an Alpha Trainer RTF, and that's why I'm getting a 6-channel radio instead of a Quattro. But for someone who is totally new to this hobby, all this terminology and equipment seems like information overload. I think it's a good thing to offer RTF aircraft that someone can start out with, and making it electric makes it that much safer and easier. There's practically no maintenance required, it's clean and quiet, and it's far less powerful and dangerous than a fuel-powered engine (at least for the small parkflyers, I'm not talking about brushless powerhouses).
This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's another door for the beginner in this hobby to get started, and it's easier than ever now. And it's communities like this that help to get new, responsible people into this hobby, or some people who don't like change to scare them off.
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