mark57

I need a plane for two kids and want to know what is a good starter plane that is reliable and sturdy

mark57

lookin at the parkzone j-3 but may b too advanced and not sturdy enuf....any suggestions...Mark

vicman

My Feedback: (10)

Are you an RC pilot? Who will do the training?

cstevenpeterson

My Feedback: (21)

Hi,

I am not a big fan of electrics (yet), but I have the Parkzone J-3 and I think it is a good choice to get your (or your childrens') feet wet. I purchased one for my 8 year old son and he flew it for a day and then lost interest - probably because he sees my glow planes with more capability and is a bit impatient in getting there (another story). You are going to get varied opinions and good advice in reply to your post, but the reasons I like the PZ J-3 are as follows.

Firstly, you do not have to break the bank to get everything you need to get flying quickly. If you purchase most other trainers, I do not believe that you can match or beat the cost of the PZ J-3 - everything is included and there is very little assembly time required. If you decide that R/C planes are not for you (or your kids), then you are only out ~$160 and you can still sell the set to someone else locally to get most of your money back.

Secondly, no matter what you fly as your trainer, chances are pretty good that you are going to crash at some point. This being said, replacement parts for this plane are carried by most LHS and are very reasonable in cost. If you do not have a LHS, then you can order directly from Horizon. This plane is surprisingly durable, but it is not crash proof.


Thirdly, I think this bird is fairly easy and forgiving to fly and land - Cubs are not generally considered trainers, but this one is an exception. It is only three channel so you will be using rudder, elevator and throttle to control the plane and I think it is a good idea to get used to using the rudder and throttle management early on. I should mention that it is also fun to fly and you can fly it at any local sports/school field. Flight time is 10 - 15 minutes depending on throttle management. I purchased an extra battery that I charge in the car while flying so that I can fly almost indefinitely.

Lastly, if you move on and really get into this hobby, the PZ Cub is a plane that is nice to keep around since you can go out on a whim while at home or on lunch break at work and fly almost anytime without a lot of preparation or without lugging a lot of gear with you.

I started with glow (Hobbico Superstar) because I knew I was hooked on this hobby before I started, however, it cost me a lot more money and time to get (and stay) airborn. That is a decision you have to make - you can always move on to a glow trainer after your experience with the Cub.

I hope this helps.

Steve

ELTIGRE

the park zone cub was recently reviewed inRC REPORT& comes highly recomended. the superstar EP is a half decent trainer but the flight time is low. it flies much better with a gear box & possibly a 2500 MaH battery- it can handle the weight easy.. there is a web site devoted to this plane &a cheap motor/gearbox combo can be had. its pretty forgiving &for a rudder plane turns well. you might also look at the Goldberg Electra ARF. yes, its a glider but it flies long &well in every thing but stiff winds.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Are you looking for Glow (Gas) or Electric?

If you want to use Glow Engines, I would recommend the Sig LT 40

This is by FAR not your only option as there are many good ones on the market, but the LT40 is one of the top contenders

jdcool4

My Feedback: (3)

if you want glow fuel i would say kadet LT 40 its what trained me

Azzir325

To get kids started, a 3 channel electric like the THawk (www.readytoflyfun.com) is great. 160 dollars, and you get a plane, 2 batteries, installed 3 channel FM radio, with 2 wings and 2 tails and an extra prop. It's a great flyer, not intimidating for a youngster, completely repairable (white glue for the foam parts, or tape) with complete parts support. In addition, the radio/servos/speed control are completely recoverable when you want to step up. Good luck.

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

Mark, MinnFlyer's question is probably the most important to answer. Did you have an idea whether you want the plane powered by a glow engine or electric? Either will be fine.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Sounds like you want an RTF electric package.

Are you an experience RC flyer? Do you know someone who can help you?

How much space do you have? This makes a huge difference!!!!!

Not knowing your answers to any of these questions, Here are some suggestions:

Below I list electric planes, parkflyers and e-gliders for beginners. Some
come ready to fly, some are almost ready to fly (add your own radio gear) and
some are kits. All of them are electric. If you are looking for your first
plane, you should find something here to peak your interest.

I don't recommend two channel R/T electrics, so you won't find any on the
list. They can be very easy to fly and can be a lot of fun, but they can also
be very easy to lose. A three channel R/E/T is a better choice as a first
plane, in my opinion.

If you are totally new to RC Flying, these articles may be helpful in
understanding how these planes fly

RC Planes Are not like RC Cars
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=17

Stall
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=31

Launch into the wind
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=43

Parts of the plane and how they work
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=54

The RC Pilots Cockpit
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=59

Flying the Plane
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=64


READY TO FLY STARTER PLANES - Parkflyers
No building - they practically fly right out of the box
These also glide well so you can thermal soar
with them under the right conditions.

Aerobird Challenger - RTF Electric
I started on an Aerobird RTF. I love it and recommend it highly I have
over 250 flights on mine. I also thermal and slope soar this plane.
It is a ready to fly package which includes the
radio, charger, batteries, and all. $150
Flies well and stands up to hard landings
http://horizon.hobbyshopnow.com/prod...p?prod=HBZ3500
Review
http://www.hobbyzonesports.com/Disco...ID=1289#Page01
Discussion Thread
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147621
Video
http://www.parkflyers.com/html/aerobird_video.html


Slow-V from Parkzone
Best flown in still to under 5 mph breeze
Can also be flown indoors in a gym or similar space.
http://h1071118.hobbyshopnow.com/pro...p?prod=PKZ1300
Discussion Thread
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_20...tm.htm#2089493
Video
http://users.cwnet.com/dhsc19/Slo_V_Aerobatics.wmv
Night fly module on a Slo-V
http://rc-galaxy.com/messageboard/mb...ViewMsg&num=-8


T-Hawk - RTF - Excellent Value
Comes with extra wing, tail and battery
Flies well and stands up to hard landings
http://www.toytx.com/thawk3chrtf.html
T-Hawk - Without Radio - add your radio and receiver
http://www.readytoflyfun.com/wittran.html
T-Hawk Discussion Thread
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...ighlight=THawk
Videos
http://www.readytoflyfun.com/thawkvideos.html


Easy Star - RTF
Super tough foam
Good parkflyer and a good glider
Radio in RTF package can be used to fly other planes
http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/240025.asp
Easy Star - ARF - Add you own radio gear
http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/240009.asp
Discussion Thread on Easy Star
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258656
Video - touch and gos
http://plawner.org/video/easygo.wmv
Video - Testing the planes's behavior
http://plawner.org/video/easystar.wmv

EscapeFlyer

My Feedback: (1)

I like the LT-40.

FLYBOY

My Feedback: (11)

Your going to get many many answers here, but I personally would stay away from the little foamy electrics. Once crash, your done and replacing parts. The 40 size high wing trainers are built better, and with help, they can learn on the easy and if it gets dinged or crashed, you can fix it easily. I have seen many taught on them without any damage at all using the buddy box. the little electric foamies are ok, it thats what you want, but they often don't offer the buddy system to teach on and they are not as stable as the high wing 40 size glow trainers. I personally like the goldberg Eagle II, but they are all pretty much the same in that category. The LT 40 and many others are almost identical and they all fly great and build easy. I think that would be your best bet in the long run.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Interesting prospective. Let's examine these statements.

I suggested 4 planes for consideration. The Aerobird has a proprietary radio system with no trainer port. It is low cost and rugged. This is the plane I learned on and the one I do most of my teaching on. The slo-V uses the same radio system.

However if mark57 has someone to train him on a buddy box, the other two can accept standard receivers and be used with standard radio systems. So, Mark57, if you want to go the buddy box route, an excellent way to learn, you will be pleased to know that MOST electric planes can be set up that way.

Thanks for suggesting this Flyboy. I had forgotten to mention it. The buddy box system is a great way to learn. I have one, though I rarely use it.

As for the ability to survive a bad landing. I will put the Easy Star, the T-Hawk or the Aerobird into a head to head comparison to the LT 40, or any other glow powered balsa plane for crash worthiness and low cost, speed and ease of repair right at the field.

Let's take all three to 50 feet, cut the motors and take them straight down into a grass field. The Aerobird, the T-Hawk and the Easy Star will most likely be able to be picked up, brushed off and put back into the air. Perhaps a $15 wing will need to be replaced on the T-hawk or the Aerobird. A cheap spare part that we often keep in the tool box to insure that we never have to stop flying if there is a mishap. You know, just like the LT 40 pilot might have a spare glow plug.

Man I have done this myself with my Aerobird. Usually there is no damage at all, but if there is, the repairs can usually be done on the spot. You can break 'em but it is pretty hard. And, since three are pusher motors, the motors will not even be touched.

The Easy Star will actually bounce and likely not sustain any damage, but if something did break, you take 5 minutes with CA glue to reattach the broken part, and up it goes. The foam is that easy to fix and that resistant to damage. You could fly this plane into a tree and likely not sustain damage.

Now the Slo-V is a different design. Like the lt-40, it is a front motor plane, so the motor will hit first. But at 16 ounces, there is a lot less force. Most likely a prop will be broken. Maybe the gear box on the motor. Total repair cost? About $12. Cheap enough to carry spare parts for field repair. If you break the fuselage ..... $10.95.

Now, what is going to happen to a 5.5 pound balsa and ply wood plane when it hits the ground? Front motor, so the motor will take the hit first. Then the wood will start to turn to splinters. If it comes in a little left or right, we hear the crunching of those nice built up balsa wings. I know these sounds well as I fly a bunch of built up wood planes. They fly real well but they don't like to be treated too roughly. They tend to break.

Time to start learning how to repair a built up structure and working with a work area, building board, pins to tack the structure down, cutting balsa and ply parts from sheets, gluing together balsa and ply pieces. Make sure they are straight!

Then to the iron on monokote/ultracote shrink covering at $12 per roll in each color you need to match. Heat gun, covering iron, trimming razor blades. Not a 5 minute job to be done at the field. Believe me, I know. I have done it many times for myself and for others.

And that assumes you haven't damaged the engine, which costs a lot more than the price of the motors in the electrics, which are about $10 if you should manage to damage one.

Now you could keep a spare LT-40 fuselage/wing/tail around so you could just replace the broken stuff and put the plane back in the air, but that would be $131 in spare ARF. Tower hobbies does not sell parts that I can find, but others might. Wing set would probably be around $60; fuselage about $40 and the tail group, maybe $45. I am only estimating based on the price of the ARF.

Since we are going to bring up crash repairs, and since I fly both parkflyers and built up balsa planes I thought I would share some practical insights into the ease and cost of repairs for the two different kinds of planes.

Heck, if I totally destroyed the entire fuselage of the Aerobird, including the motor, receiver, servos and speed control, I could replace the whole thing for $45 and it would come completely assembled. All I would have to do is attach the tail and the wing. The receiver in the LT-40 is likely to cost more than that.

There is no comparison! The plastic and foam electrics are rugged! And they are cheap and easy to repair at the field. That is one reason they have become so wildly popular.

The LT-40 is a fine plane. Training under the close care of an instructor on a buddy box is almost mandatory for a plane of this size, weight and speed. You don't want that thing buzzing around an open field at 40-50 mph without close supervision.

The electrics should likewise be handled with care. However at 12-24 ounces and flying at 5-20 mph they represent a lot less danger and are likely to do a lot less damage if they hit something, especially the ones with the rear facing propellers. We often hand catch them rather than land them.

Since they fly slower, they also need a lot less room to fly. Smaller fields can be used as flying fields. And, of course, club fields seem huge with these planes. The Slo-V can be flown indoors in a school gym, it flies so slowly.

I have nothing against balsa planes, I own a bunch of them and I love them. I have nothing against glow powered planes. Many of my friends fly them. But please, let's get the facts straight, shall we?

spiffymafied

Buy yourself a computer simulator like Real flight G3 then you don't have to worry about paying to fix crashes, you can fly whatever plane you want, and it is easy to learn. Once they get proficient on the simulator then find a real plane to fly.

jdcool4

My Feedback: (3)

i dont like those they too slow an i can do anything one there which aint true when it comes to the field

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

The biggest benefit of sims is to become familiar with the use of the controls/sticks to fly the plane. This way when the real plane gets into the real air, the controls feel natural.

If you have a radio with a training port, you can actually connect your radio to the sim and use it to fly the planes.

There are also free sims, like FMS. The commercial one are better but FMS serves its purpose as a cheap first intro. I use it to work out stick movements on manauvers. Not perfect but it gets me going in the right direction.

FLYBOY

My Feedback: (11)

Sorry aeajr, I didn't mean to come across as if I was mocking your suggestions. Its just my humble opinion, and it may not be right, but I don't care for the little foamy type cheap trainers. They have their place, but I just prefer the glow powered trainers if the people are serious about RC. If they just want to try it and don't think they will stick with it, then go the other way. I have had a few of them myself for playing wth in the back yard, but everyone I know that has ever starte that way doesn't last long in the hobby. If they go the other way, they tend to stick with it because the quality of equipt, radio and engines are usually better. Just my thoughts on it.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Flyboy,

Understood completely. We come to this hobby from different directions. I just love the small electrics and belong to a club that is full of 'em along with sailplanes. 70 members and no glow planes at all.

I think it is great that we can each follow a path that we enjoy and can help others get to know the fun we are having.

Clear skies and safe flying to you!