It sounds like you have made some progress.

I don't see anything about fail safe in the [link=http://www.commonsenserc.com/ESC_instructions.pdf]online instructions for the Common Sense ESC[/link]. Fail Safe normally refers to how the plane will behave if it loses the signal from your transmitter. This could happen if the plane flies out of range, for example. A fail safe might be set up to return the servos to the neutral position and the throttle to minimum in the event of a loss of the transmitter signal. I've never seen a small electric plane with a fail safe system.

Yes, you should hear beeps from the ESC, as explained in the ESC instructions. If you're not hearing anything and the motor isn't working, first check very carefully that the motor is properly connected. The beeps actually come from the motor, which the ESC uses as a sort of "speaker."

If you are sure the motor is connected properly, I would suggest contacting Common Sense RC and describing the problem.

One other question: What brand of transmitter are you using? If it's a Futaba, you must reverse the throttle channel. This is mentioned in the online ESC instructions.

- Jeff