Lynx

I've decided I'm going to pick up a 1/2A Shrike kit for my first build, going to use it as an electric and I have no real build schedual. I'll place the order Monday, but I have at least an additional 80 dollars to spend on building/support equipment. This is for sport and fun so I'm keeping the radio equipment what I have around (Attack 4 and reciever) and picking up micro servo's. I'd really like this first kit to be relativly succesfull, at least getting a few good flights in before I turn it into fertilizer, as I'm sure I will. I've practiced on a simulator for endless hours, trying to switch off aircraft to keep from getting too comfortable untill I fly somethign real. I'm trying to get all the low budget items I'll need out of the way first (can't live without tools) lots of glue, iron on tool maybe. Just looking for a price prioritized list of must have tools for this kind of build. Keep in mind, I'm not in a hurry and I'm serious about getting everything going smoothly. I don't mind a little extra work for skipping a few expensive items, but I'd like to know what builders find truly irreplaceable. I'm planning on growing into the hobby from here. I've studied long enough, I want something to do, and regardless I'll still have a full list on Monday <G> I'll be searching through posts a plenty, though if you have any you find extremely relevent I'd appreciate it, and mostly I'll greatly appreciate all your opinions.
P.S. I'm not worried about the power plant at this point, so please no posts on it =)

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

HI LYNX! You can do a lot of kit building with very little. I'll go down a list of things I had while living in a motel room, while I was working out of town.

wax paper to overlay plans with
a yardstick and a 12" plastic ruler/triangle
thin & medium CA glue
120 & 220 sand paper
#11 XACTO knife, with 100 pack of blades
jewelers' screw driver set
small pliers, needle nose pliers,small wire cutters
a 12"by 36" board
regular old steam iron for covering

optional is a razor saw, razor plane, balsa stripper, etc., but now we're delving into scratch builder stuff. You can find dirt cheap, light weight tools of the trade at those dollar type stores. If you want to save money on glue, keep your eyes peeled for an ad that pops up around here, they are selling 2ozs of CA for $5. Good luck with your SHRIKE [trainer[X(]?]

DICKEYBIRD

You got that right C/P! Lynx, a Shrike just couldn't be a worse 1st time plane! It's a great design for an expert pilot but is too small, FAST, draggy in the glide with power off, hardly any built-in stability and has an unusual shape with big v/stabs so the visual references are all screwed up in different flight attitudes. Not to mention hard to build straight. You ought'a think about putting it on the shelf 'til you get a LOT of stick time with a trainer, then progressively quicker planes.

Having said that, good luck with whatever you decide to do, it's all fun! Keep us posted.

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

1200 posts and no flying?, you must be in another aspect of the hobby somewhere,, actually the "powerplant" may be a key factor in what it is you want to buy,, did you say to not bother mentioning it because you already have one?,,ie if you have a .40 than you might want one of the ARF trainers...very little tools to buy for that,,, , if you have .049-.10 then I can recommend the JK Aerotech trainer (actually they have a large trainer too) as a fairly easy build and next no tools (its foam) for it either,oh and there is no covering, you use colored packing tape ( I hate covering, but others love it),,I have very little stick time,, but I know Dickeybird is a seasoned flyer and I concur that a shrike is no starter plane....Rog

Lynx

Yeah flyingrog, I'm an electronics nut and I've been spending the last couple years learning about R/C radio system and servo's and electronics. I have some ideas with micro controller design that I'd like to put in the air one day to see how they work out. Along the way I've picked up enough 'book knowledge' to at least know what I'm talking about with servo setup's and radio's receivers and the entire electronics aspect of R/C But I had tax money last year and I blew a bit of it on Real Flight G2 had a ball with it, the helli's and the planes. Want to build a helli one day but not ready for that level of commitment just yet. I'm only really interested in electric flight at least with planes, don't want to get into anything more serious than speed 400 stuff. Didn't relize the flight charactoristics of a Shrike were that bad, I may rethink my plan and look for a more suitible trainer. I was planning on buying the Shrike kit just for something to do (lot of time on my hands lately) and a learning kit. Then after I got it built in a month or two was going to work on chosing the powerplant. I don't want something as zippy as the Shrike really is but I figured a properly selected engine and prop would increase the slow flying charactoristics enough for me to fly it as an 'advanced trainer' and if I find I can handle it at that point I can always upgrade the engine and prop for a little more sport flying. I'm not in a hurry to put this together and I'm not going to rush any aspect I'm uncertain about, knowing that would it be possible for someone without any real flying experiance to 'tough it out' and get something like this in the air? The real reason for picking the Shrike is quiet vane =) I just like the way it looks. I don't mind having an 'ungainly beast' as far as flying going I think it'll teach me more, but I don't want to start on typical trainers because I honestly think I'll outgrow them too fast. I'm not afraid of my vanity making me dumb thumb it and fly into the ground doing 40, I'll pay for it if I have to, as long as I have a chance => My only other serious thought was a Zagii, but I want to do more than put tab A into slot B on a couple pieces of foam => Trying to keep to a 'clasic' start, or at least as close as you can get with laser cutout parts <G> Keep letting me know what you think => Thanks again for your comments already.

Andrew

I don't want to second guess DickeyBird, but I don't think he meant to imply that the flight characteristics of the Shrike were bad, just that it was not necessarily a good choice for a first build/first plane. You may be quite accomplished at building, but the Shrike has a mid-spar, mid-wing planform -- although the kit is well made -- that can be a little daunting for a first build. It's a "hot damn/lickity split" little plane, but if you don't stay ahead of it, you can stick it in the ground in a hurry. The Lanier manual has on the first page in large letters, "This is not a beginners airplane".

If you're worried about quickly outgrowing the trainer, try a SST (RCM plan #654 -- I think Lynn S. may have one) or Lanier's Indicator. The SST is A/E and the Indicator is R/E, but you could modify should you like -- both are more than a putter around plane.

If you're intent on learning on your own, hand launching the Shrike on your first stick time could be pretty exciting -- the Indicator will be more stable and there's more to hold on to.

Quoting DickeyBird, "Having said that, good luck with whatever you decide to do, it's all fun! Keep us posted. "

the "other" Andrew

DICKEYBIRD

Hi Lynx, I wasn't trying to put you down for your choice of the Shrike; as a matter of fact, I have a scratch built plane similar to the Shrike that I call the "Zot!" that I really love to fly. It's VERY fast and maneuverable and makes the adrenaline surge every time I fly it. I was simply trying to point out that a Shrike is NOT a trainer, no matter how much sim time you have. You're gonna be amazed how different and exciting it's going to be when you fire up that engine and actually fly for the first time. ANY TRAINER is going to be plenty exciting and, believe me, it's not going to get boring very quickly. Thousands of beginning r/c pilots have "been there, done that" and the majority have been successful by using a trainer style aircraft with designed-in stability, a decent glide and a fairly sedate power to weight ratio.

Try to find a local club, go out and hang around when they're flying and get chummy with them. There's usually someone that will respond to intelligent, enthusiastic questions and may ask if you want to get some stick time on their aircraft! A very big part of this wonderful hobby is the camraderie with fellow modelers.

Lynx

The only problem with that is I'm an anti-social person to begin with! I would really feel more comfortable getting something off the ground on my own and makeing a few huge glaring mistakes than do it in front of people <G> Forgiving or not => The tips here are enough technical and personal that I get the same experiance here as I would at a flying field, though at my own pace. I'd like to get a half dozen flights off of at least a trainer before I show up at a local field. The Shrike is right out at this point, thanks to some keen advice that it's more than a beginner should really try to handle and I'm thinking more along the lines of a Dandy Sport, I'm avoiding some of the more simple trainers because I'd like to at least start out with aileron's, and the Dandy Sport seems docil enough to start flying with, easy enough to build, and enough hop-ups that it'd make a good first plane. Their kits aren't too expensive and come with matching electronics as well. It's big enough and small enough at the same time to do some experiments with the control electronics that I'd like to play around with, both static and flying. I know it's a big shift, but I don't mind to avoid taking off more than I can chew. Though I'm still set on a Shrike, it'll just have to wait a while. It's not perfect, but I think it'll do for a start. Any last thoughts?
P.S. Thank you all for some very good advice! =)

DICKEYBIRD

Sounds like me a long time ago! I learned to fly U/C by myself when I was a young tyke, learned (sorta) to trim FF models by myself 'cuz I was stubborn and too shy to ask anyone for help....broke a lot of stuff!.

When I started in R/C in 1980, a very wise man in the hobby shop told me that there was no way I could learn to fly on my own and told me to go out to the club field to watch others fly. While I was still completing my trainer, I started driving out to the field on weekends to watch and there was a guy there that was real quiet, wasn't talking to the others much, was a great builder & flyer and was always the last to leave. I started talking to him on & off for the next several trips and before you knew it, I brought my trainer out for him to look at and see if it was built OK. One thing led to another and he took it up for the maiden flight, trimmed it out and handed me the box with the plane up "3 mistakes high." He patiently hung in there with me for 3 weeks of afternoon lessons until I had soloed successfully. Like you, I didn't want to screw up in front of a crowd but soon found that they were all too busy doing their own thing to worry about what I was doing!

Believe it or not, I joined that fairly new club, went on to be club secretary for 2 years, then club president! I met a GREAT bunch of fellows in that club and I believe much of what I've accomplished in the world has been due to the people I met and the experiences I had as a member....and I'm still a member, 24 1/2 yrs. later!

Believe me, the building and flying is only part of this wonderful hobby, the socializing and camraderie is a big factor as well.

2fast4u

My Feedback: (5)

DICKEYBIRD has seen my Shrike move out, so he KNOWS what he is saying!! The Shrike is just the WRONG plane to start out with. There are hundreds of other choices that would at least give you a fighting chance at success. The Shrike is real unstable at launch due to it's small size and lack of gear to build ground speed with. I had been flying for 17 years before my first Shrike......I dorked it 3 times before I got a real good launch on it and it's first flight.

Everyone is just trying to help you make a better informed decision so that you will not get discouraged right off the bat. Flying on the computer is fine, but the real thing will break!!! Then you start all over again. My Dad had over 40,000 hours in the real planes, could fly the computer sim just fine, but when it came to R/C he was lost.

I would listen to the guys here, otherwise your asking for added problems. Just the opinion of a person with 19 years on flying under his belt.

Andrew

Hi Lynx --

With 1200 posts, you can't be too anti-social -- perhaps you just prefer typing to talking. My experience was a lot like DickeyBird's -- learned to fly C/L on my own and flew FF models on our farm. My early R/C experience was limited to slow, COX powered R/O gliders with an escapement -- performance was closer to FF than R/C. There wasn't anything resembling a hobby shop where I grew up, so all information came from model magazines and supplies were ordered from SIG. I grew up in such a rural community that much of my entertainment came from scaling up plans from the model mags. It wasn't until I went away to college that I had any contact with others that flew "model planes". I learned of a local club from the LHS and started going to the field to watch them fly where one of the club members took me under his wing and helped me get started -- proportional radios were just too expensive for my budget, but I could get enough extra money together to buy a Galloping Ghost TX and actuator. I build the RX from a kit. I had drawn up a set of plans for a .15 sized RIVETS -- a T-tail pylon racer -- and took them to his house for his blessing as my first plane. He gently, but wisely suggested that I might want to rethink my first plane -- I ended up drawing another set of plans -- high wing Clark-Y sheeted wing (no foam in those days), sheet fin and stab and a box style fuselage -- ugly as sin and dubbed the Orange Bomb. I was self conscious at first, but my fellow club members were always supportive and never condescending. The Orange Bomb survived several learning mishaps and was used as a trainer for 3 others.

My current club has every Tuesday afternoon in the summer set aside as training day -- designated instructors are at the field and no one flies except the folks learning -- primarily to reduce traffic and to keep the new guys from feeling intimidated. New flyers can get any level of help they want -- checking out a new plane, engine tuning, test flights, first flights, buddy box support --

Aside from the flying, my fellow club members are great bunch of guys -- I get as almost much enjoyment from being at the field talking models and visiting as I do flying. I suppose I am biased, but I think you will find people involved in this hobby to be some of the most easy going, helpful and generous (both with time, help and anything they can give you) folks you will run into. All of us have gone thru the learning process; we are aware of the what goes on with the new flyer; we have all stuck planes in the ground and I will probably stick a few more.

Today's Flight Sims can give you a real leg up on coordination and orientation, but it's not quite the same -- if there is a local field, I would encourage you to just go watch -- you would be surprised how far a common interest in R/C will take you in making acquaintances.

the "other" Andrew

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

Hey Lynx, well I,m not anti social, but 14 years of working 6-7 days a week and/or 2 jobs at a time, the last 10 years on 3rd shift has made me something of a loner,,, you dont have to fly in front of anybody for a while if you dont want to , but you'll meet some nice folks there, especially the ones with trainers or 1/2a,, you'll run into a snob now and again but you would in any hobby...the easiest thing to get in the air with is a park flyer (in my opinion)... low cost (GWS Pico Stick) after the initial radio purchase... slow,, can fly in many places, without AMA membership or club fees...Rog