RE: Just getting started... quick question!
I can see where a lot of the guys on here are coming from when they suggest getting into the club and going that route. I love the club I am apart of down here in the Twin Cities, but I can also say that we do not have a training program, and it might be a little challenging to find someone to instruct you here. With that being said, you can find some good deals out there if you know how and where to look. Electric is getting better everyday, but it is also a bit of an investment to get started the right way. One of the best investments would be a simple simulator. You can actually download a free simulator called ClearView and that will get you some experience with perspective and orientation, which are the hardest things about flying. Coming at you and going away. Also, getting a feeling for how the plane will stall and such things. You can buy a simulator box where you can connect the sticks to the screen from [link=http://www.hobbypartz.com/60p-dyu-1002.html]Dynam sim from Hobbypartz[/link]. Once you spend a few hours on the sim, you will be better equipped to take the cub out for the real deal.
What I would do is try to get a plane from a swap meet here in the TC area. HobbyWarehouse and skyhobbies both have swap meets pretty frequently, they should be coming up in May. There you should be able to find a trainer style airplane. You can outfit it pretty cheaply. You can find an engine and 4 servos on Hobbypartz (SG5010 servos, and an ASP .46) together for under $90 and the radios there are about $50 or less. If you want to dabble in this, you can go cheap and not worry too much of your investment. People will try to sway you with more expensive things, but as a beginner who is pretty young, it pays to be smart with your limited resources.
If you have any questions, you can PM me and I will be happy to help you out.
Good Luck,
Curtis
P.S. I started out in the hobby getting a balsa electric trainer kit that was way overpriced and underpowered. I went the mainstream online hobbystore route and kick myself thinking about what I could have gotten for an electric if I had asked around.