Wonderful Hal. Clear and concise.

Slehmann I have not seen it suggested above but I will suggest it now. I have to say I learned more about flight from flying sailplanes, discussing the different designs with others and hard core experimenting than from any other combination. With sailplanes you do not have the luxury of increasing the throttle ... you are 'stuck' with the launch mechanism, gravity, slope wind and thermals to supply the energy. So I became very sensitive to where energy is coming from, how to tap into it and how it is being dissipated. After that an engine was a 'nice addition' if I wanted it. The 'wing' became the focal point. So if you have reached a stage where you really want to LEARN about flight, airfoils, proper dimensions, etc. please try sailplanes for a while. It is addictive. You can still have power planes but there will be no substitute for the feeling of pure flight like sailplanes. And I do not mean just thermal duration (TD) sailplanes. Slope soarers are just as intense. In sports I would associate sailplane flying to fly fishing. You have limited resources and generally light tackle and you are attempting to get maximum results. If you think you have no interest in sailplanes I would suggest you try it first (just do it) or you will be overlooking one of the most gratifying branches of R/C. It has been proven over and over to me that those who try it find something completely unexpected and it is a brand new learning experience because they are finding out all about what it really takes to makes a vehicle 'fly' well.

It has always been wonderful to fly in the late evening when the thermal activity settles down and the air becomes cooler, the wind is gone and the air is stable. At that time, after launch, I can just stare at the plane and see the most subtle changes it makes to my very, very slight changes in controls. It drives home exactly what the plane is going through and just where stall is approached and reached. Recovery from stall is also very evident. Making a slight change in the center of gravity or the installation of a 'trip strip' on the wing becomes a very simple but very interesting experiment because one can 'see' the change in flight behavior or duration of flight changes.

Maybe you have already tried sailplanes but if you have not then give them a try as you make your journey into the study of aeronautics.