So i finally ordered my first plane, an alpha 40 rtf. I joined the AMA, a local club, i'm getting a simulator and my uncle's going to teach me how to fly. My only question is this: Does the Hangar 9 Alpha 40 RTF come with a receiver battery? I've looked through the manual and it's not listed as included, or needed, so i don't know whether or not to order one. Thanks in advanced.

If you ordered the Alpha 40 RTF then the answer to your question is "yes" it comes with the receiver battery.

http://www.horizonhobby.com/ProdInfo...400-Manual.pdf

If you look at page 23 in the manual (provided link) you can see a picture of the receiver battery where they are explaining how to link the receiver ot the transmitter.

Ken

Welcome to the hobby
At the top of this forum are some "stickys". REALLY good reading for all new flyers. Worth the time to read. This is, in my opinion, the best web site for beginers just because of the time and effort put into those stickys. I send all my students here to "do there homework".

You will have a blast. Expect to have to repair the trainer from time to time...trainers get beat up that is their purpose in life. Alphas are real easy to fix though. [8D]

I still have mine from about 10 years ago. I fly it at the beginning of every year once the flying season is back to get my fingers back in shape. Mine has survived several people learning to fly, and you will enjoy having it for some time. Take your time, as everyone has a slightly different learning curve. Have fun!

Thanks, everybody

Stupid question, but,
Do I need to buy special rubber bands to hod the wings in place or will any rubber bands work?
Thanks

It's best to buy the ones the have at your local shop for now. There are others that will work, but get a box of the right ones first and go from there. Never re-use them.

Oh and use 10 of them.

Good advice, I used to use 10-12 of them. If I did not the wings had a tendency to come up while flying. I almost crashed it one day because the wings came up in flight. Since then I modified them to bolt on wings and she is a fantastic bird now. Getting rid of the rubber bands was the best move I ever did with my Alpha 40.

I think i'll do that too, how did you do that?

It's not worth the trouble during your training time. The bands are used to save the wings in the event of a cartwheel crash, and the only real downside is the time required to put them on. Get in the air as soon as you can and start enjoying the hobby.

A general "rule of thumb" on how many rubber bands to use is at least 2 bands for each pound that the model weighs. I.E., a five pound trainer would require 5 bands on each side of the wing for a total of 10 bands. A seven pound model would require 7 bands on each side of the wing for a total of 14 bands, etc. The last 2 bands should be criscrossed in an X pattern not straight front to rear, as this will hold the other bands from comming off in flight. I have also found it handy to criscross the first 2 bands as this seams to help keep the wing on square as you add the other bands. Rubber bands CAN be reused once or twice IF you clean them so the the exhaust residue/fuel/oil dosen't attack the rubber. I keep a small coffee can half filled with kitty litter and throw the bands in as I remove them and shake the can so they are buried in the kitty litter. This will soak up the oil/fuel mess and the band can be used more than once. If in doubt, THROW IT OUT!!! Two or three days use max, then use new bands. Use common sense and caution.

The rubber bands are #64 size latex rubber bands.
I bought a large bag from Office Depot and have hardly put a dent in it. Should last for a few more seasons. Keep them cool and in the dark to help prevent dry rotting.

There are a number of places out on the internet for bolt on wing mods. Just do a search for bolt on wing conversions or something like that to give you ideas. If I get time I will take some photos of mine, or maybe some others can post theirs. This is something you can do when you don't have decent flying weather.

I bought the Dubro wing bolt downs to bolt to the fuselage and I just added a plate for support for the plastic screws. I also added a plywood plate in front of the leading edge on the fuse with a dowel hole. I then added a couple of plywood plates to the underside of the wings at the leading edge to support a dowel and installed an oak dowel. Works great!

Maybe it isn't for everyone and there are some debates over this issue, but for me the rubber bands got to become such a hassle that I was tiring of it so I did the mod. All of my planes have bolt on wings. The nice thing is that the wing mod can be done at anytime and I just picked some bad weather and did the mod.

Oh, on the rubber bands, one thing to check frequently is the condition of your rubber bands. Even new rubber bands can be bad sometimes. Don't re-use them too much and stretch them out at least once to tell if they are ok. I have had brand new ones break by stretching. I have found that when I do that I can tell if they are going bad. You can see small places in them when you stretch them out.

+1

Tip always check the AGE of the rubber bands you are buying. Nice light tan color and no cracking when stretched, Keep 'em out of the sun!

There is a reason virtually all trainers use banded wings. If you are going to use the airplane as a trainer, leave the bands be. Much further down the line if you still want a bolted wing then go for it.

Also the Rubber is nowhere near the quality it use to be only a few years ago and I do not recomend reuse. Rather just replace them each use. They are cheap. Yes keeping oil off them and cleaning seems like a good idea but it will do nothing for what really kills them, and that is UV from the sun. That is the real killer and #64's can be killed in a single days exposure. The damage is cumlutive from the sun therefore Its difficult to judge suitabilty for reuse other than the cracking from the edge when streached.

If the airplane is to be exposed for a long hot day assembled a simple expediant of throwing a rag over the bands can minimise the uv exposure.

Do yourself a favor, do not convert to a bolted wing for now and do use the bands just once.

John

yes use the rubber bands but ask your LHS if they have the silicone rubber elastic bands these can be reused. Clean them after flright and store them in talcum powder to prevent cracking.