G'Day guys,

Been away from these forums for a while and thought i might share a few things i have learned as a noob to flying RC planes.

I have only been flying for about 18 months on and off but i am 100% self taught and have yet to destroy a plane. I see a lot of people turned away from this sport because of the difficulty of flying, trainers, buddy boxs, simulators, although they are all great i think it puts a lot of people off getting in to the sport so i'm here to say don't let it!

I live in central Queensland Australia and have no clubs within 3 hours drive from where i live so for me to learn to fly i had to do it all myself and it can be done.

A lot of people told me not to bother, to make sure i take a big plastic bag to collect all my balsa wood splinters, but i'm now on my 3rd plane with 200 flights under my belt and all 3 planes are still intact. Here are some of the major challenges and things to consider when going it solo.

1. Research what plane you want to start with, there are lots of options, if you get it wrong your doomed from the start.
2. Triple check your build. I had played with my trainer (Boomerang 40) for hours and hours after i had built it before i realised my control throws where backwards.
3. Engine tuning! How i wished i had someone to help tune my engines and i still do! Expect this to take a long time and run as many tanks of fuel through it as you need to make 100% sure it is running properly, there are numerous guides to tuning engines, use them all.
4. Control throws, make sure your trainers control throws are as stated in your manual! It might not look like they are moving much but don't worry about that, measure your throws accurately! and match them to your manual.

So once you are 100% sure everything on your plane is perfect and ready to fly, check it again! If you have any doubts, post messages on forums or do what ever it takes until you are absolutely sure in your mind that everything is perfect.

All of this preperation won't mean anything if you do something drastically wrong on the big day, it will make sure that you have the best possible chance of a succesful outcome.

My biggest tip for the big day of your maiden flight is make sure you are mentally prepared! I can't stress this enough! DO NOT even contemplate flying if you are tired, stressed, anxious, nervous etc. I think everyone still gets a bit of nerves or excitement when they take off or land etc but if you are going to learn to fly solo, you need to put all that away before your maiden flight!

Taxi the plane around on the grass for as long as you want, if your hands are shaking or you have got butterflys, you are not ready to get it off the ground. A well built trainer will just about fly itself, your main problem will come from a serious pilot error, the more calm and relaxed you are the less chance you have of making that serious error!

That is the method i used and as i said, i'm on my 3rd plane, only damage to date is 3 broken props and 1 collapsed nose wheel.

Learning to fly solo is not the ideal option but if it is your only option, don't let people put you off, it can be done!