FRABITZ.. SLSDSRu.. GDSLSDF (^*&^$&*^(&( expetive deleted... damned WINDOWS VISTA!!!!! I was in the middle of a reply and good old Vista just shut down to install an update.... jeech...

Aaaaaanyway, I will go forward.h

1. Building supplies.

Ok, well, most kits/arfs worth their salt will indicate what building supplies and non-provided accessories are needed. Usually the required build materials include:

Epoxy (5 minute and 30 minute.. five minute for non critical mounting surfaces, 30 minute for critical such as wing joints (see below) and tail feathers for instance.
Thin CA and thick CA.
typical tools... pliers, hex head wrenches, screw drivers, exacto knives, and so on.

Consult your build manual for what you will need as the barest minimum. If it doesn't lay this out for you, then choose a different model. Usually Goldberg, Great Planes, and so on, will have a list of what you need to get when you get the ARF or Kit to put it together. The engine all depends on the model you choose. Radio.. well, I am partial to Airtronics and Spektrum. Others are Futaba fans, and yet others JR and Hitec.. and others. You choose what you want, but I can heartedly endorce the Airtronics RD6000, RD8000, RDS8000 (their new 2.4 GHz version of their RD8000 system.. and at a great price of $230). I really like my Spektrum DX7 system, the cost is more than the Airtronics, but it is a great radio.

Again, the engine is all dependent on the airframe you select. I opt for the larger end of the spectrum of choices.. if it calls for 40 to 60 size two stroke, I would go 60. You never have to much power (well, you know what I mean.. you obviously cannot put an OS 1.20 AX on a 40 size trainer.. well, you can but it won't do much for you.. ) Look over the choices that the manufacturer recommends and go from there. With electric, well, you must choose the right combination of battery, ESC and motor for your size and weight of aircraft based on what the manufacturer recommends and go from there. It's not as easy with electric as it is with glow.

2. I have both two part wings and wings that have been permanantly joined. Your transport room (I have a Volvo V70 wagon so I have some room, but not as much as, say a cargo van for instance... overkill, but I'm sure you get the idea. A Mini Cooper, for instance, won't transport much. Some models will allow you to join the wings or leave them separate.. depends on the model. For instance the Tiger 60 ARF you can do either... epoxy the halves together for a solid wing or join them each time you fly. Either way, you are ok. It comes down to a matter of choice with some ARF's and with others, you must join the wing halves. My Super Star 120 ARF, for instance, I do not have this option because it is a mid-fuselage wing and it bolts to the side of the fuselage and uses a long hollow aluminum tube as a spar. It cannot be joined.

2. Dead stick. Ah yes. If you don't know what this is, well, you really need to work with an instructor. Dead Stick is a term to describe flight conditions when the engine quits. Simple as that. You are flying, in the pattern, and the engine quits. What do you do? Well, that's what the instructor should tell you and teach you, and you should practice. The first thing is situational awareness... where are you in the sky with reference to the landing and YELL OUT DEAD-STICK!!! to let others know you are having a problem.

Can you safely get to the ground without destroying your aircraft? That should really come automatically to you which is why practice and proper instruction is necessary. First you must MUST get the nose down a bit to maintain airspeed. Next, you should know this already, where is the wind coming from? You have to get it pointed into the wind AND get on the approach for a good landing, all the while the plane is losing altitude. NEVER raise the nose because that will quickly bleed off airspeed and stall.. then it's all over.

Then you have to get lined up somehow, with the runway and get it on the ground safely.

This all happens rather quickly after a dead stick and should almost be automatic... done without having to think about it. "Ah.. oops.. my engine quit. What do I do now.. should I cry or is it going to crash or or or... " Nope. Get it pointed into the wind, nose down and get it on an approach for landing. There are times when you cannot get it pointed into the wind AND get it lined up for a proper landing. So, in that case, your first priority is to get it down.. safely. So, you have to figure out what to do and how. All this takes practice.

I had an Evolution 100 engine on an Excelleron 90 pattern plane. I had that damned engine on that plane for about 6 months and in all that time, I never NEVER got to burn a full tank of fuel. When I did get the engine running so I could take off, it would die in flight and I had to dead-stick the thing to the ground. And that was often. So, I got lots of practice landing that thing and I still have it, and it still flys, only with an OS 1.20 AX engine... which is another story.

So, as you can see, there is more to this than just moving sticks around on a transmitter box and flying a model around the sky. It all takes time and practice. Your first emphasis when you solo is not to just fly, but to practice what you learned, especially emergency procedures. Do landings.. touch and goes, then climb high and pull the throttle to idle and practice dead stick approaches.. once on the center line and ready to land, throttle up and go around and do it again, but from a different location, always keeping aware of your surroundings and where you are in the sky with reference to the landing strip in the pattern.

GET AN INSTRUCTOR to help you out.

Best of luck!!

CGr