Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

Hi! I have never had the experience of using an rc plane, but something I remember wanting as a child, soo...I decided to do a little "early Christmas shopping" for my 6year old son.
I would appreciate some recommendations for a first plane for a child, after looking at some of the prices I am going to have to say an inexpensive one (less than $100).
Or any advice on what to look for in purchasing one (are any of them that are offered at like Toys r Us worth getting??)
Thanks!
Mary Jo

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

If you're just looking for something durable and really easy to fly.. then maybe the Air Hogs Aero Ace Jet?

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...ductId=3123841

Relatively cheap, and at the very least would give your son a taste of flying with easy success :) My 13 yr old and 10 yr old daughters love mine.

They fly them straight into the walls at the local school gym.. and it just bounces off and keeps flying. Hasn't broken yet anyway.

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

Well...Have been flipping through this site and OMG - these planes are very cool- not quite what I was thinking of when I thought of rc plane...just not ready to put hundreds of dollars into one of those for a 6 year old! Soo, back to what I was looking at I guess I would say in the "toy" line - you think that will hold up for him (and me ) to play with - I just dont want to get him something and have it get destroyed the first time he uses it.

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

I wouldn't go with any Toy-R-Us or Wal-mart type junk. Some of them might be good, especially for a six year old, but if you really want to give him an RC experience, I'd try Hobby Lobby, at www.hobby-lobby.com. If I remember correctly, they have some decent three channel trainers for under a hundred bucks. I taught myself to fly with one and have graduated to much bigger things since. Keep in mind, though, you might want to learn how to fly it yourself before you let him try, there is a learning curve. Have fun whatever you do!

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

I see you are from Stanton. There are 2 good clubs near you. One flys at Expoland and the other on the left of 11 near Harrisonburg. http://www.vrcfc.org/
Check with them on the weekend and see whats going on.

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

I will onlt tell you what i did , dont even know if there still around .
I fly alone , first I bought a real flight sim from Tower $199 , best money ever !!! that you will spend in this hobby , plus its fun
2)I bought a duro plane and an os max 40 size engine , that is all I needed , I flew and crashed the hell out of it alone , withen one season 3 months , onece a week , I learned to fly , Two years later , I was flying warbirds , no problem at all

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

Remember all... she did mention a price tag of under $100 for starters

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

Well the duro plane is cheap but the engine and radio will put her over , problem is its better to buy the plane , save but the radio , save buy the engine ,
why buy toys that in the end will not deliver real rc flight learning

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

sorry , I just noticed it was for a 6 year old, very sorry ,
yes , Hobby Lobby and hobby people have some great stuff in e-flight that will give a ton of fun for a 6 year old

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

Yes, it is for a 6 year old.
I started my venture looking at Toys R Us and fortunately they have user reviews- which most of them were negative where the plane was purchased for a child, which led me to do a bit more research and I found this site.
I can be flexible on price ( I just guestimated that with the price of what I saw at Toys R Us had to offer that $100 would be reasonable to spend on something that actually works)- but- I want it to be durable and easy to learn and backyard friendly!
Thank You RVator for the local club info - I emailed one of the members, so hopefully they will get back to me!
MJ

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

My vote is for the Sky Fly, it was my first capable rc plane. This is what I used to learn orientation. I understand its for a six year old but if you get good at it you can hand the controls over to him. Its a very good flying plane, it will take off from the gorund with the right condtions or you can hand launch it. Its also very durable, I crashed mines a bunch and it kept going. But if you do break something parts are cheap, a new wing is only $10. It comes with a home charger and a car charger, and the controller has a built in beginner flying setting. If you give to much rudder input it automatically adds elevator to help keep you airborne. Ive moved onto to nitro planes now but would definitly get another to play around with or let a friend try. Here's a link to it: [link]http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXKLV7&P=ML[/link] If you create a account with towerhobbies they usually send out discount codes. You could probably pick it up for $89 plus shipping with a $10 off code.

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

What is the difference in the radio control with the different channel numbers?

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

Back to the remote... he/we wouldn't be able to use a plane untill the weather is better, so if I find him a plane that is suitable for him(checked out Tower Hobbies and signed up for their newsletter with any deals that they may have - Thank You), I am wondering what you guys think of this item and basically I looked at the reviews and want to know what you think of the remote if it would be similar to the plane where he could figure it out inside during the winter... http://www.kbtoys.com/s/genProduct.h...67184/ctid/17/

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

I have one of those dragonflys @ home that our CEO gave me for Christmas :) It's pretty fun, and my little dog hates it! I'm not sure to the strength of it overall... I've only flown mine a few times becuase it gets kinda boring after a while :)

There are several small & thin plastic gears that make the wings flap.. not sure to their longevity.

That aero ace jet at least I can attest to its durability. It does however fly best in a large yard or local gym.

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

In the event that you simply want to get him the experience of RC flight -helicopters are great .
Hobby Lobby has some great e-flight copters under $100 , he can fly them in the safety of your backyard and eventually and depending on the make and model he can fly them in your living room

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

Hobby Lobby!!!!! They WILL get you started with there Ready to Fly Models. My first one that I had full control on was my Art-Tech Wing Dragon. I had no flying experiance or lessons and I had a fantastic first flight. After that I joined a Club because I knew I needed lessons... my knees shook so badly!!! Yes... don't get AirHogs or go to walmart. They don't last very long and it's almost impossible to get parts. Cox 3 Channels aren't bad... seen a few and kids have a ball with them and you can get parts. JMHO



Luftwaffe Oberst
AMA District II
Radio Aero Modelers Club
Pulaski, NY

Supporter of RedNeck R/C- Fulton, NY

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

If you want to save a little money since we're talking about a young child, you might want to check out this site ; http://www.chiefaircraft.com/rcmsec/...YellowBee.html
Chief aircraft is well known and the Yellow Bee Electric RTF that they are closing out is usable by a child. Plus it's not a bad buy. Get the RTF, ready to fly, or get 2 so when the first one gets beyond use you'll have a spare and 2 are still only 1/2 your origional budget.

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

Hey...Hows Pulaski LuftwaffeOberst I was up there once...quite a memorable trip!! ;) Was in a fight with some big burly looking guy that just about snagged me along the river in town some (if not most) of those people are nuts fishing like that!! hehe - I enjoyed it, it was an experience, but I had a much better time going out near the lake where it was quieter!

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

The more channels a remote/transmitter has the more functions you can do with your plane. A basic 2 channel remote is for cars, one channel controls the throttle and another controls the steering. The SKY FLY comes with a three channel remote, one channel for throttle, one for rudder, and one for elevators. If you ever get more into the hobby, a nitro trainer will require a 4 channel at the minimum. The first three channels being used for the things i said before, and the fourth channel would be for ailerons. If you really really get into the hobby additional channels are used to operate retracting landing gear, flaps, smoke systems or just about anything you can think of that requires some sort of switch function.

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

OK...the SkyFly - its design...what is the benefit of the way it looksI mean the body isn't "whole" -looks to be part of the body is wire -from the front to the tail. Are the remotes interchangeable between planes?

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

Definately give this a look!!! www.spadtothebone.com & www.spadworld.net These planes are virtually indestructable!

RE: Need Help finding a first rc plane
 

I can't really tell you why Hobbico designed the Sky Fly the way they did, but I can guess its designed to keep the price down, but at the same time offer a good flying plane. The tube that runs from the body back to the tail serves two purposes, the main one being that it connects the body to the tail section and the second purpose is that it has string that runs through it which moves the elevator and rudder. The Sky Fly is just a basic airplane, nothing fancy, and thats why it costs so much less than some of the other planes on here. But don't let looks fool you because this plane is very capable and fun to fly once you get the hang of flying a plane. You might want to also consider the SKY FLY 2, this second version came out about six months after I got the original SKY FLY. The biggest difference that I saw was that the SKY FLY I have uses string and rubber bands to move the elevator and rudder, it gets the job done, but its not the best way to do it. Even before they came out with the second version I was thinking to myself they should improve it, and they did with the second version. Instead of string and rubberbands they use a solid piece of plastic to move the rudder and elevator. This plastic piece is called a pushrod and is similar to what you find on more expensive planes, the only difference is that the pushrods are most likely going to be metal instead of plastic on the larger planes. The SKY FLY 2 costs $10 more than the original. Its $109 on towerhobbies. Heres a link to it: [link]http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXUVS3**&P=ML[/link]

And to answer your other question about if the controller/ transmitter can be reused. The answer is yes and no, the one that comes with the Sky FLy is a 3 channel transmitter, so you can reuse it on any plane that needs a 3 channel transmitter, but if you ever decide to get further into the hobby and want a more capable plane that has ailerons, elevators, and rudder. Then you will need at least a 4 channel transmitter.