Ok.. i finally did it. Got my plane in the mail yesterday. Purchased a Hobbico Superstar Select .40 glow engine. Got the plane together, measured the throws and checked for proper direction of throw controls and proceeded to taxi a full tank of fuel in order to get comfy or so i thought with the plane.
First flight 15 seconds, one banked turn followed by nose hittin the dirt. Applied a bit of duct tape and re checked all controls and now its time for the second flight. Of course the second flight ended a bit early as i had somehow had throttle trim all the way back. So then I throttle back accidentally shuttin the engine down and actually landed the plane somehow.
Flight three. 10 mph crosswind takeoff due to limited runway. I took off and it seemed as though the wind had caught the plane in a very bad way. Plane goes to the right and ends up hitting pavement engine first!
Anyways, now the body of the plane is nearly destroyed and i am ordering another from hobbico. My question is this. Obviously the wind had a lot to do with my final flight. Is there a rule of thumb for how much wind is too much for a beginner? Also i had opted not to join an ama club as theres not one really close. 35 miles or so to the closest and i was a bit concerned about the cost as well. How much would it cost to join a club typically for an adult including insurance?