IceJBreaker

I am not new to the RC hobby but i am new to RC planes. The planes i have been looking into are the Aerobird Challenger and the Aerobird Extreme... Any other planes that i should choose from... I was wondering which would be better to start off with? I want something thats good for beginners and something that wont get boring when i get more advanced.. I like the fact that the Aerobirds have to modes to fly in. Sport mode and Pro mode. I was also wondering how big of a field is needed to fly these things?

Dr.Watson

My Feedback: (10)

dont get the aerobird series. because you cant use the stuff out of them on future planes. get the GWS Slow Stick. the kit is easy to build and comes with a motor and propeller. you can get a good radio system from around $120 with 2 micro servos and a micro reciever. a GWS battery ranges from around $8 to $20. chargers from $20 to $80. also stock up on propellers and prop shafts!! go to your local hobby shop and they will help you out with propeller selection and prop shaft size. good luck and welcome to the addiction!!

CrashParkFlyer

Wow! A pretty definate damning of the poor old Aerobird series there - just because you can't rip the guts out. In fairness, I would say what I always say to people who ask this question (I'm new: which plane?). The answer you get depends on who you ask. No plane is perfect. People who like the ability to transfer electronics from plane to plane don't like the Aerobird series because you can't do it. If you have no intention of transfering the components fron one plane to another - it ceases to be a problem. I think as a beginner to RC flying, you need a plane that is.............. easy to fly! The Aerobirds are: Forgiving in flight; Very durable; Very repairable; Very "modable"; Parts are readily available and fairly priced. But above all, they never pretend to be the "be all and end all" of RC flying - they never pretend to be anything they are not. I started on a Firebird Commander - its like a 2CH Challenger. It taught me to fly - I had NEVER flown before. Do you drive? Did you learn in a Ferrari? Thought not. I would steer clear of the larger Extreme for now. If you do go for the Challenger: Start on a virtually windless day for your first flight, use it in Pro mode and be gentle with your control inputs.
I have no comment to make about the plane mentioned in the above post - I've never flown one. I can only give you my experience. Keep us all informed and let us know how you get on.

jmir

My Feedback: (1)

IceJBreaker,

It's difficult to tell you which plane you should start with as a beginner. So, I'll just tell you how I got started in this hobby (6 months ago) and why.

First, I wanted something really cheap. Didn't know if I would like the hobby. Sometimes the idea of flying an RC plane in circles didn't look very exciting. So, I purchased a Vortex on Ebay (a stick with wings!) for $60 that came complete. Nothing else to buy and it took about 30 minutes to put it together. It had only two channels -- rudder and speed control. At full speed it would climb, at low speed it would descend. Well, it got me hooked up into the bobby. I crashed that thing over what seemed hundreds of times, but some glue kept it flying. I still have it.

When I was able to fly the Vortex without crashing it, I purchased a Parkzone Cub at the local hobby shop. That's a 3-channel plane built very well for beginners (translates to durable and easy to fix). It took a while to learn how to fly it. When I was able to fly it without crashing it, I purchased a Cessna 182 that turned out to be much easier to fly than the Cub -- maybe because I had already learn how to fly these foam planes. Both of these planes come complete with everything needed to fly them. The Cessna 182 is a 4-channel plane but it comes in 3 channel version also from Parkflyers.com.


About three weeks ago I purchased a Parkflyers Edge 540T since I was already "an experienced pilot". Well, it was a humbling experience. I had a very difficult time learning how to fly it. It took a couple of fligts under supervision by an experience pilot before I could control it. This plane comes complete with brushless motor, li-po batteries, 4-channels, 72Mhz RX/TX and it all works great. I can control it very well and I'm presently learning how to do all the aerobatic stuff that makes this hobby so much fun.

So, that's how I got hooked into this hobby that I'm thoroughly enjoying. Have not crashed a plane in a long time but I still got lots to learn!

Good luck!

tmproff

My Feedback: (5)

Slow stick is the way to go. I have many many planes...some that are fast, some that are extremly aerobatic, but there is still a soft spot in my heart for a slowstick. There's nothing like riding the wind with one of these!

Mountain_Flyer

IceJBreaker,

finding a "good" first plane is not all that easy .. allot of people say the slowstick... its a fine plane if you live in an area where there is "no" wind.. (but ive yet to find that place) however you actually end up finding out how fragile the slowstick is on your first wind induced crash. once you get some experience with it it becomes easy to fly and not crash but ends up costing you a bit in repairs, parts and frustration before you get to that level..
What you need something that can handle repeated crashes and survive with little or no damage. Now there arn't too many of those type of planes out there .. many say they are but few live up to the claim.
the only plane ive ever seen that even comes close to this is the Magpie from [link=http://www.mountainmodels.com]Mountain Models[/link] about the only way ive seen to really do in the Magpie is to run over it with your car .. anything less than that is usually repairable... only drawback to the magpie is you have to assemble it. even though its not overly complex, it can be a bit more than some people want for there first plane. other nice thing about the magpie is you can grow with it or i should say " it can grow with you" you can get it with a Slow flyer wing to start with then once you have mastered it in that form you can install the sport wing with ailerons and have a entire new plane ( it can be ordered with both wings )
the recommended motor and prop and electronics are more than adequate for it ( unlike some of the beginner RTF's ive flown that can barely get into the air let alone have enough power to do even a simple loop ) the Magpie can do loops, etc. at half throttle with ease with the stock GWS350C motor and 9x7 GWS prop.

so in conclusion i would say if you don't mind getting a bit of CA glue on your fingers and spending a few evenings assembling a plane seriously look into getting a Magpie.

PX

gigelus2k3

Person_X,

You're mostly right about a stock SS not handling the wind very well. However, clip its wings and you'll have a totally different plane, capable of cutting through 15mph winds.

Anyway, for a beginner's first flight, it is mandatory to choose a windless day, regardless of the plane he's trying to fly. Then the issue of the SS in strong winds becomes a moot point.

IceJBreaker,

Get the Slow Stick! You will not regret this decision.

bigB

I agree with CrashParkFlyer. The Challenger is the plane that I am learning on. If you don't care about using the radio gear in other planes, it is a good deal for the money (found mine for $115 on eBay).

IceJBreaker

Ok thanks for your inputs. I am now deciding on two planes now and need your inputs again

The Aerobird Challenger
and
The Begin Air by parkflyers

I know for sure that my LHS has all the replacement parts for the ABC but im not sure about the Begin Air. I need to find out. If they dont carry the parts i probably wont get the begin air then

The Begin Air a 4ch plane comes with Ailerons. Rudder, Elevator and Throttle. Would that be a to difficult to learn on?
If so that would probably be a good 2nd plane.

Thanks

CrashParkFlyer

The Begin Air might be a bit much for a first time flyer. I'm not familiar with it, so I've just had a look at it on-line. I've never seen one here in the UK. What we need here is for a Begin Air pilot to reply and give advice. Can anyone out there give IceBreaker the benefit of some first hand Begin Air experience?

IceJBreaker

How is this plane... CAP 580 FlatOut ARF by Great Planes... Hows it compare to the Aerobird Challenger?

flyingace451

Well I have never flown the Cap 580 so the only difference I know is that it is an ARF plane and the Aerobird Challenger is an RTF. With the Cap, you will need a Transmitter, servos, etc...

Dr.Watson

My Feedback: (10)

the cap 580 is WAY too much for a beginner. my neighbor has one and you cant even blink! the control surfaces are massive. it is a full blown 3D plane. bearly 1/8 of a stick movement on the CAP 580 is almost full on a slow stick. it is just a handful to fly.

IceJBreaker

Thanks for all the help and your inputs. I bought the Aerobird Challenger on Sunday... Havent been able to use it yet because of work. When i do use it ill tell you how it goes.