Hello. I am fairly involved with RC cars and trucks but have never flown an RC plane. I have been looking at the "ready to fly" models and am not sure which to go with. I would like to get a good electric trainer to learn on and eventually save up for a nitro trainer. Any advice would be great.

I live in central Florida and will primarily be flying in a park, baseball fields, airport field, or orange groves.

Any advice would be very helpful. Thanks.

Welcome to the hobby, you’ll have fun. Most of the guys here are talking about glow powered ARFs, the park flyers are in a different league, however they are ARFs as well.

Your best bet is to get something both easy to build and fly, and there are a few good models that fill that bill.

First, get yourself a good Tx, HiTec Flash 5 for $100 seems to work great. You can have as many as 5 models, and it will do almost anything.

Second, get your plane. I would go with one of the following:

For slow flyers I would go with the GWS Tiger Mouth or GWS Slow Stick, both are inexpensive and easy to build. Just add servos, ESC, and Rx.

For something a bit more aggressive, but still a park flyer try to Wingo, same deal you’ll need servos, Rx and an ESC. Wingos are cool, you can add floats, skis, lights, they are a blast.

If you have a bit more room, and want something a bit more challenging, go with a Zagi. They are tough to break, fast, highly acrobatic, and easy to build.

Best of luck.

Dave

I agree with dave's recommendations. You might also want to consider a simple 2 channel plane to find your feet with - like a Firebird XL. Dave's suggested route is cheaper in the long run (eg. buy a reasonable tx to start with), but if money is a factor it's better to get a cheap 2 channel plane and get flying then to not start at all because of the initial cost.

Check out e-zone for lots of electric info

Peter

The Firebird is a great idea, that how I started just a year ago. Now I have 15 planes, electric and glow.

The problem with the Firebird is the lack of elevator and it's ability to turn quickly. However, a 2 channel bird is not a bad idea for a beginner. Also, you can't transfer the Tx to another plane, as stated.

In the end you'll end up moving on, and have to buy a new Tx along with a new plane.

If you're looking to get someting up quick, but will be a toss away, go with the Firebird. If you want to buy equipment you can resuse, and want ot learn on 3 channel planes go with my recommendations above.

Dave

Thanks for all of the advice. After reading the posts I decided to get a good "starter" plane (RTF). After I do some more research and learn the basics I will purchase a good radio; the Hitec Flash radios look nice... and inexpensive too.

I ordered this plane:

Hobbico Aero Cruiser EP RTF w/3-Channel Radio 37.5"

Any thoughts on my selection?

I will let you know how things go for me soon.
Thanks.

That will work just fine, also I think you can use that radio with other Rxs and models.

Have fun.

Dave

That is good news too. I can use this radio with other models. What would I need to do if I wanted to use this radio with another model? I wonder if that radio is servo specific.?

I look forward to getting my new, and first, plane in the air.

Just need an Rx on the same channel. By the way, you may want to check with the vendor, just to be sure.

Dave

I would recommend either the Hobbico Avistar or the H9 Alpha. Both are great planes.

You can also visit our beginners section for additional information.

I'll back you up 100% on the Avistar.
Beautiful RTF and excellent flyer

I am going to start flying electric motors, however, when I feel that I am ready to move on to nitro I would like to get the Hobbico SuperStar 40 Select RTF 60".

I have not looked at the Avistar yet but will surely do that.

Do you know where I might be able to find a review on the Hobbico Aero Cruiser? Has anyone owned this plane? Likes dislikes...

Thanks again.

Hey, please post your results when you find that electric trainer. I've been looking for one to recommend to students, they all ask, and I have yet to find one I consider good for buddy box training.

Please let us know what you choose and how you like the results.

Good Luck,
Dave Olson

Heres a link to read up on it.Not bad but i'd go with a glow fuel plane.http://www.hobbico.com/airplanes/hcaa2004.html


http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...63&FVPROFIL=++

When you want to get into Nitro power, my favorite is the Hanger9 Xtra Easy. It is about $350, but it comes with all reusable gear. It includes a JR XF421EX 5 channel computer radio, JR 5 channel receiver, 600mah battery pack, 4 JR 517 ball bearing servos and an MDS .40 engine - all installed. All of the above can easily make the transition to your next nitro plane. Also it's flight characteristics are great. It is the trainer of choice at several clubs in the area. We have 2 that belong to the club that have been abused and 3 students are currently learning with their own Xtras. IMO this is better than the Evolution trainer. It has one of the largest wingspans of the .40 size trainers which makes it very easy to track in the sky. I still have mine and I added the optional camera mount option to take sky photos.

JimboP

With your ability to drive a RC car away and towards you allows you some ability to fly RC planes without this loss of direction and attitude. I would recommend that you get real fight G2 and practice. Then get with a RC plane club member to help you in the transistion.