Before Your First RC Flight:

1. Check your budget. You need a plane, motor/engine, servos, Transmitter Tx, matched Receiver Rx, buddy box, batteries 6Volt and 12 Volt and others, fuel, glo sticks, electric starter, props. You will need tools and glue. Within you budget you should allow for a crash or two. It is also possible to loose the entire aircraft. Purchasing a simulator is an excellent idea. To this entire sum, add another 15-25% for unexpected extras. You should decide on a monthly budget for the hobby. Wait for the budgeted funding to become available. This is not a race. You will likely need an AMA card and pay a fee to join a local flying field. Choose one close to your house. If you have to drive for an hour, you will not go as often.

2. Selecting the Plane: Be sure you have chosen the correct type of training aircraft. Good examples, but not recommendations would be; Alpha 40, Apprentice, LT40. You are looking for a plane with upswept wings. This is called dihedral and required for a good beginning plane. Choose a Almost Ready to Fly ARF plane. Decide whether you want electric or nitro. Nitro planes tend to be a bit more expensive. Electric plane batteries are not cheap either. Do not waste time building and covering a masterpiece from sticks. Do not buy someone else's mistake off the internet unless you are being closely guided by another good RC pilot.

3. Before First Flight: Don't be in a rush to fly. Rushing is a big mistake. You need time on the simulator. This means taking off flying a rectangular pattern and landing. The more time you spend, the easier this will be. I would suggest a minimum of 500 takeoffs and landings. Spend time at the field getting to know the rules and some of the pilots. Spend some time getting to know who the instructors and the engine guys are and watch what they do. Bring the plane to the field for ground testing and absolutely no flying (it is all part of being patient). Have someone show you how to properly start and adjust the engine. Check the radios for correct servo movement. Connect and check the buddy box for correct servo movement. You are not to taxi the aircraft or do anything but run the engine for a while. Get familiar with the field's wind indicators and the pattern being flown. When you get home, correct any deficiencies no matter how small. Do not touch the engine needles. A small tug on all control surfaces to check to see if anything rattled loose.

4. Select a Flight Day: You want a calm day (no wind) with sunny or broken skies. Again don't be in a rush to fly. An overcast day will make it more difficult to determine the planes orientation. I like flying in the morning. If you fly in the afternoon do not fly within an hour of sunset as the planes tend to silhouette. If you cannot see the other airplanes clearly, don't fly. Make an appointment with the person you have chosen to be your flight instructor, don't just expect them to show up. Do not accept anyone but your choice. Make use of the buddy box... no buddy box, no flying. The instructor should make a final slow ground check on the plane checking for any problems mechanically or electrically and do a range check. The instructor should take the plane up with you at his side. Don't talk about anything but the current flying situation. The instructor will trim the instructor's radio so that the plane flies hands off at a low throttle setting. Land the plane and make sure that the buddy box is trimmed to the same settings. When the trainer switch is pulled, the servos should not jump. Make sure that the full elevator, full aileron and full rudder settings agree between the buddy box and the instructor radio. Stop if they do not. The instructor will takeoff and land the plane until you show competent control. The instructor should always announce when you can expect to be given control of the plane. When the instructor takes the plane away, he should announce it when it is safe to do so. Initially, the plane should be flown at "three mistakes high" altitude. Fly the plane even when you do not have control. You want to be flying a slow constant speed at the instructor's direction. Tell him if it is too fast for you. Tell him when you are having difficulty.

5. Fly the Pattern: By learning to fly a rectangular pattern you will learn everything you need to land. If you cannot fly a decent pattern you will not be landing anytime soon. Keep things straight and level. Up and down, right and left and quick movements are all signs you do not have good control. You need to fly a right to left pattern as well as a left to right pattern. The plane is never to go behind you for any reason. Now it is a matter of lowering the pattern, and flying the low pattern consistently. When that is achieved, you are ready for some landing practice.