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What plane? - 7/7/2003 1:39:27 PM   
jatoo



Posts: 162
Joined: 7/4/2003
From: Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
Status: offline 		I am a beginner flyer and I am about to buy a plane. I'm choosing between the 2 channel falcon and the Aerobird. The Aerobird is twice the price but I have heard a lot more about it. The guy at the hobby shop I spoke to was keen to sell me the falcon, but I'm not sure if it worth the extra money for the Aerobird. Any advice would be appreciated.
       Post #: 1

What plane? - 7/7/2003 5:14:56 PM   
goofup



Posts: 222
Joined: 12/10/2002
From: Yukon, OK, USA
Status: offline 		See [URL=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/tm.asp?m=907351]this thread.[/URL]

Slow Sticks or Tiger Moths are the way to get started in this hobby. And don't worry about the cost. Once you're into it, this "entry fee" will be a drop in the bucket..

(in reply to jatoo)
       Post #: 2

What plane? - 7/8/2003 6:43:55 AM   
goleith


 

Posts: 43
Joined: 6/15/2003
From: somerset, NJ,
Status: offline 		I second the above opinion !! skip the toy planes (aerobird etc)

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In the end there can be only one,
Make it a savage

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       Post #: 3

What plane? - 7/8/2003 7:50:02 AM   
Crash_Airlines


 

Posts: 79
Joined: 7/3/2003
From: mesa, AZ, USA
Status: offline 		I just bought an Aerobird the other week and I like it for it's ease of use and its durabilty since I wanted something that could withstand a few crashes while I learn to fly.

I don't have any regrets buying my Aerobird, and I'm still learning to fly it, but I have been reading some of goleith's posts on other threads and he has me kind of interested in this Tiger Moth. I kind of agree with Goleith when he wrote somewhere that it would be better to buy a plane where you could use the radio and transfer the parts for other planes you might want to fly down the road which makes sense. The Aerobird can't do that from the way it sounds.

My big thing for me though is I don't really want to spend a lot of time building these planes. I really want to get more into the flying than the building which is another reason why I currently like my Aerobird.

For now I'm still happy with my aerobird, but if I want to get a plane down the road that does more trick flying than an Aerobird, are there any models that fly similar to a Tiger Moth but are almost ready to fly like an Aerobird? Like I said, I'm more interested in flying than spending time putting planes together.

(in reply to jatoo)
       Post #: 4

What plane? - 7/8/2003 9:51:51 AM   
goleith


 

Posts: 43
Joined: 6/15/2003
From: somerset, NJ,
Status: offline 		i hear you, crash, and i share your feelings.. One reason I originally went with the aerobird was because it was RTF. It seems that there are good RTF gas powered planes but not so many elect. ones. I will say that I put together my Tiger moth last friday and It was pretty easy. Took abt 7 hours (straight) and I have never been good at art or crafts either. I have been reading abt the hitec sky scooter pro 2 which is a RTF electric that comes with the servos, speed control and reciever that can be used in other planes which is good.. the prob is that it has ailerons which make it a bit more difficult to learn on. But most posts say that is is designed for begginers and is easy to fly. That is the only RTF that i know of that you can use the parts later. If you are coordinated, maybe drive rc cars, you should have no prob with it. But dont let the building scare you off- the tiger moth was eaiser than you might think... just do a search on this forum and Ezone for the gws tiger moth..

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In the end there can be only one,
Make it a savage

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       Post #: 5

What plane? - 7/8/2003 11:01:33 AM   
Crash_Airlines


 

Posts: 79
Joined: 7/3/2003
From: mesa, AZ, USA
Status: offline 		I'll have to see. I first want to see how much I hopefully improve my flying with the aerobird the next couple months. If flying it eventually becomes 2nd nature to me and my interest in planes continues to grow, the Tiger Moth has gotten my attention from reading some posts on this forum. It sounds cool to fly a plane like that in a small area.

(in reply to jatoo)
       Post #: 6

What plane? - 7/8/2003 4:32:18 PM   
Wright Flyer



Posts: 485
Joined: 9/10/2002
From: Finchingfield, Essex, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		Guys,

A Tiger Moth or a Slow Stick will only take a few hours to put together - you can easily do it in one evening if you use fast epoxy. It's not the major trauma that "building a model" might appear. In fact it's quite fun cos at the end you not only get to fly a GREAT plane but you can tell people "I built it myself". That kudos alone has to make it worthwhile!

Cliff

(in reply to jatoo)
       Post #: 7

What plane? - 7/9/2003 2:37:55 AM   
Stark Cty Flyer


 

Posts: 11
Joined: 5/26/2003
From: Canal Fulton, Ohio
Status: offline 		I will give you my experience. I started out last summer with the Firebird XL. I bought it on impulse when shopping for a RC car battery. I found it to be a lot of fun. It did a couple of things for me. 1) Showed me electric flying is fun and not messy like glow flying which I tried a few years back. 2) It is an easy cost effective entry point to try electric flying. It is very reasonable from a cost point of view to repair the plane and parts are readly available. It was so much fun that Xmas brought a Fighterbird under the tree for both my son and me.

However their is a downside as the other posts point out. When you want to expand into other planes, fly indoors (something we stumbled into and found it to be very interesting) or fly at a flying field you find that money was wasted. I now have a pico stick and a slow stick flying and am building an E-Starter. The planes are reasonablty priced. The radio gear and other electronics are on the expensive side but you can buy them once and move them from plane to plane. Plus the radio transmitter controls are now compatable with the other radios.

My Firebird and Fighterbird are sitting on the shelf and the electronics cannot be used in other planes (It would be possible to build a plane from scratch and move them but then you are not compatible). That includes two transmitters on two different 27Mhz channels.

Flying the Slow Stick is so much more fun and it is just as easy as flying the Firebird. The buillding process is not bad and it teaches you some things. I recommed fitting the pieces together before gluing or permanently fasting any of them. It doesn't take long to build these plans and have them flying.

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       Post #: 8

What plane? - 7/10/2003 11:14:20 PM   
goleith


 

Posts: 43
Joined: 6/15/2003
From: somerset, NJ,
Status: offline 		Stark, thats a great synopsis of your experience. I went the same route when I stumbled apon the aerobird when looking for parts for my glow hpi savage monster truck.

Let me know how the e starter is when you get it built. I built a gws zero but going from the tiger moth to the zero could prove a bad move so I have been considering the estarter..

_____________________________

In the end there can be only one,
Make it a savage

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       Post #: 9

What plane? - 7/13/2003 12:26:12 AM   
aeajr



Posts: 5581
Joined: 1/14/2003
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Status: offline 		Here is a positive recommendation on the Aerobird. This three channel plane is a great starter. Tough and rugged it can stand up to lots of punnishment.

As far as moving the components, who cares. My Aerobird will be kept flying. Either I will fly it or I will use as an intro plane for others.

It is just a great plane to teach yourself how to fly!

Oh, and you can pick them up New in the Box on e-bay now for $120, about the same price as the Firebird XL, so there is no reason to buy an XL any more.

Aerobird is a great first plane.

I would also put a vote for the Sky Scooter Pro II. RTF for $160 and also quite rugged.

What ever you get, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

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Clear Skies and Safe Flying!
Ed Anderson
Moderator
Park Pilot Program Partner

(in reply to jatoo)
       Post #: 10

What plane? - 7/15/2003 8:47:59 AM   
Tweet



Posts: 481
Joined: 6/11/2003
From: Windsor, CO, USA
Status: offline 		I'd skip the Aerobird. The controls are non-standard, and as has been said, the radio cannot be reused.

The Slow Stick and Tiger Moth are even easier to fly and you'll be picking up skills that you can use on other planes.

Get a 4-channel radio and you can move up to airplanes with ailerons (like a Crazy Max) once you master the Slow Stick or Tiger Moth.

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       Post #: 11

What plane? - 7/15/2003 3:48:20 PM   
aeajr



Posts: 5581
Joined: 1/14/2003
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Status: offline 		[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dave Genet
I'd skip the Aerobird. The controls are non-standard, and as has been said, the radio cannot be reused.

[/QUOTE]

Dave, I think you have a different plane in mind.

The Aerobird controls are standard. Same as a Futaba, Hobbico or Hitec single stick system. I believe there are others that also use this same configuraiton. So easy to use. I should know, I use a Hitec single stick three channel on my sailplane and moving back and forth is as easy as can be.

The only difference is that the Aerobird and the Futaba have the third channel, the throttle slide, under the thumb. The Hitec and the Hobbico have it under the index finger on the back. All have rudder and elevator on the single stick.

You can see it better in this review:
[URL=http://www1.wildhobbies.com/news/default.asp?cmd=view&articleid=853]Aerobird Review[/URL]

I can understand your comment if you feel any single stick system is non-standard. However but they are growing wildly in popularity, and that is what defines a defacto standard.

Perhaps you are thinking of another plane.

< Message edited by AEAJR -- Jul 15 2003 10:53AM >

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Clear Skies and Safe Flying!
Ed Anderson
Moderator
Park Pilot Program Partner

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       Post #: 12

What plane? - 7/16/2003 5:59:15 AM   
Tweet



Posts: 481
Joined: 6/11/2003
From: Windsor, CO, USA
Status: offline 		AEAJR,

I stand corrected. I was getting the Aerobird confused with the Firebird XL. Any airplane that puts the aileron (or rudder) and elevator on the stick together is fine. Slider or stick for the throttle doesn't matter. I think the Firebird XL control setup really is limiting.

I do think a four channel radio is not a bad idea. It keeps your options open as you move along. However, a three channel will come in handy for a lot of electrics.

I started off flying a Slow Stick and have moved into glow power as time has moved on, but I still really enjoy flying my three channel Slow Stick.

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       Post #: 13

What plane? - 7/16/2003 4:44:55 PM   
Matt Kirsch



Posts: 7079
Joined: 7/5/2002
From: Rochester, NY, USA
Status: offline 		Yes, the Firebird* control setup is limiting, especially for experienced pilots used to the availability of elevator, but you also have to consider the intended audience. The Firebirds are intended for people with no prior flying experience, and are intended to be flown with no assistance from an instructor. The fewer controls, the better.

What's really nice about the Firebird* control system is that it doesn't teach new pilots anything that can't be transferred to a more sophisticated model airplane. Throttle up to climb, throttle back to decend, left to turn left, right to turn right. It's all the same.

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       Post #: 14

What plane? - 7/16/2003 7:30:47 PM   
Tweet



Posts: 481
Joined: 6/11/2003
From: Windsor, CO, USA
Status: offline 		I think most people will be happier with a Slow Stick. The Firebird doesn't fly all that slow (doesn't have much wing area) and adding throttle to climb can make things interesting at times, especially until you get the tail set up perfectly. It typically takes a few flights to get the Firebird set up (angle of the tail) and my experience is that will cost you a wing set.

I think any positive experience is good, but I think someone who buys a Slow Stick (or similar) and gets a little help from an experienced pilot is more likely to have a positive starting experience.

Still, I did fly a Firebird for a couple of weeks (birthday present for my son) before I decided what I really wanted was an airplane with standard controls. So, from the perspective of hooking me into a fun hobby it was a good experience.

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       Post #: 15

What plane? - 7/16/2003 11:22:47 PM   
Neil D


 

Posts: 12
Joined: 7/10/2003
From: England
Status: offline 		Hi,

You bad bad bad people!.

From a novice of 4 weeks I brought the Firebird XL as my first plane. It is a perfect plane for 1st timers.

It flies out the box and up and away with little effort and it floats really well.

YES, I agree there is no flexibility for mods or upgrading BUT surely that is the point of an entry level opener. Easy, light and crashable.

IF you wish to stay flying planes as a hobby then sell the FBXL or other and INVEST of money in a REAL 'flying model' with removable gear with servo's, 3 or 4 channel etc etc.

As far as I am concerned the FBXL is a great little starter and will keep me happy for a few more months until the coffers are a little more less spare!

There we go, rant over and done!. Great topic line, just what the site needs!

Happy flying!

Neil D

(in reply to jatoo)