no problem,,,good luck man,

I do lnow what you mean. However your idea of the long may not be what you expect.

You could (and IMHO should) use your trainner for as long as posible.

You should also know right up front that each plane can have different engine radio requirment. Read this as for each plane you put in the air you buy an engine and flight pak (Battery, Servos, Rx) Some people even buy the transmitter (I have 8 6 non computer 2 computer)

If you want to enjoy this focus first on getting the first plane and learning. You can allways sell it or its parts to fund later projects

There is no "magic" formula when starting out and trying to anticpate where you will be "later" on can drive you mad..

If you want to fly the 4*60 as plane number 2 and don't want to have to buy a second engine then go with a .60 size trainer

Problem with this is it leaves you with only one flyable plane.

Who knows you might find out that this isn't for you?

Bottom line is no amount of questions is going to give you 100% accurate info.

My suggestion is get into the air fast stay in the air and take the hobby 1 project at a time.

In the 19 years I've been doing this I can honestly say that every plane I've owned has costed me something to get it airworthy. Its part of the hobby.

As far as the Wife is concerned here is some more free advice everthing costs 20.00 and pay cash when ever possible (no paper trial)

adws, the Hobbico Avistar RTF is a consistently good trainer which you will not get bored with quickly. Admittedly, some folks say that the 4*60 is easier to fly than a trainer, but some folks don't, so it's hard to say - depends on the flyer. If you get the Avistar RTF you will have the Transmitter already so you will only need a "flight pack" for the 4*60.

If you're into computers, you may want to try the simulator

www.realflight.com it saves a lot of planes!

have fun.

Say, you're into astronomy, what do you think of Meade's larger ED refractors? Thinking of the 5" or 6". The 7" is too bulky.

A-men brother,,,VERY GOOD ADVICE, LOL,,

Dude, I gotta get rid of this pile of receipts!

"Dude, I gotta get rid of this pile of receipts!"

For a small fee my LHS simply files them for me in my personal shopper folder!! That way they never turn up during wash day!!!

Remember thinking it costs alot and Proving it costs alot are two entirly seperate issues.

Another little trick (Works better with ARF's then kits) Buy two identical. Then after the crash take pieces into the shop leave behind bench (for 2-3 days) then show your "beloved" how "well" you were able to put that broken plane back together. See honey good as new!!!!

That's too funny. You guys are killing me,,,OH,,, it's so true though. I was thinking I was the only one in this boat. Let me move over, you guys can sit right here.

$20 for everything that comes through the door huh? I'm going to use that one next time I get grilled.

That's right just remember to put the small stuff in one bag that way you can claim 20.00 for the entire bag. Honest honey that itty-bitty bag (Rx battery and 10 tiny servos) was only 20.00

bgi - I think you can never go wrong with a Meade. Very good lens and great tech surport if you need it. The only thing about Meades I don't like is the cost. I think Orions are just as good, but they are alot cheaper. You can get a 8" Orion Reflector (Skyview pro 8) with a dual axis drive for less than $600. That reflector will be able to see alot of deep space objects. But the Reflectors are pretty bulky (around 60 or so lbs). The refractors you talked about are very good. You might want to try think link since you don't mind forums. http://www.njnightsky.com

And I love the idea that everything cost $20 and pay cash for everything. But my favorite thing to do is say "Hey I got it on ebay, and if I don't like it I can always resell it." That ones works all the time for me. Of course I have never sold anything on ebay, but I don't have to remind my wife of that...LoL.

Well... She already knows I have two Kyohso SenSation 1400's. I need to get a spare Pitts soon, though!

what ever you do get a 2 stroke ball bearing. And just get servos that are cheap but work great. Standard servos work great.

I recently put together a 4*60 ARF for a buddy of mine that had not flown R/C for 20+ years. We figured that since the 4* is a very forgiving plane it would be a good choice to jump back in with. I set it up with a Saito 1.00 4-stroke and a JR 662 radio set. Total cost to complete the plane was about $550 in addition to the 4* kit.

After breaking in the motor, test flights and trimming, it was time to put him on the buddy box. I flew it up a couple of mistakes high and turned it over to him. First turn he over-banked to inverted, I grabbed the plane and looped it out to save it. Tried again with similar results. And again... and again...

Decided to put him on my LT-40 trainer and he flew it with no problems! He ended up taking the LT-40 home with him (he lives several hours away from me) and he joined a local club. After two months practice with the LT-40 he was ready for the 4*. Boy, was he ready- first time up with it he was doing rolling circles, etc.

With this experience under my belt, here is my advice-

The 4* is a forgiving plane, but it is very acrobatic- it is not a trainer! You will positively need a very good instructor to keep you out of big trouble the first few flights. Find a club and a good instructor willing to train you on the 4* before spending any more money on it!

Consider buying a 40-size trainer to learn with. Once you are comfortable with the trainer you can move the radio gear to the 4*. A 60-size trainer would allow you to use the motor as well, but it would cost you more right now. You will still need an instructor!

Whatever you do, don't go cheap on the motor! I've seen more problems with newbies because of cheap motors than any other reason! I fly OS and Saito and there are other good ones out there. The extra money in this area is well worth it.

You don't have to get fancy with the radio gear or servos. I would get a low-end computer radio. The standard servos that come with the radio set will be fine. Find your instructor first and buy a brand that matches what he has.

The 4*60 is truly a great plane! But it is not the easiest or cheapest way to get into the hobby.

The most important thing is to find a club and an instructor ASAP, since this will help determine which is the right way to go for you.

Good luck!!!