Holy Moley, guys/gals. Thanks for all of your informative replies. I really appreciate it!

My stance on this endeavor, is simply this: I don't know all of the terminology yet, I dont know how or why one would delete one control option and add another instead, and adding in stuff like retracts and stuff... I need to get up to speed on all of this so I understand it better before I build the kit, and moreover would like my first kit build to be built as it was intended so I can just get out and fly. I want it to be simple. My plan is when I am comfortable flying, and have several flights under my belt, I plan to get my dad flying as well. He used to fly CL Cox .049 planes back when he was a kid (He's 55 now) and RC flight appeals to him more than the CL planes do. He's wanted to fly for many years but didnt have the information, or courage to do so. So, this is kind of a joint effort on my part to learn to fly and also get him into it also.

So, I will re-investigate the radio situation as I do not know where this adventure may end up. I've got interest in a multi-engine craft of some sort, but thats a far off place from now. Perhaps I buy a 6 or 7ch radio now, and when I'm ready for the "big boys" I'll step up to a 8 or 9ch radio and pass the Trainer and 6/7ch onto my Father. I'll just have to see.

I think I'll run off to the library in the next day or two and grab a few model airplane books to kinda get brought up to speed on the terms and functions of model aircraft.

Right now, I'm still kinda leaning towards the 6ch Spektrum radio, and the LT-40 kit; However I will keep the other options listed in mind. I have a truck, so hauling a bigger plane around isnt going to be an issue but I dont want to get all crazy right away. I've been so scared of flying a plane that I am really set on keeping it simple and easy. If I crash it, I crash it. I'll learn a lesson from it and build another one. Its bound to happen, and I know its happened to veteran pilots as well. Its a bummer, no doubt but one must learn somehow.

I still have not heard back from the local club so I will send another email out. I hope they're still flying out there so I can go talk to a few pilots and get a little info from them as well.

If anyone has other ideas or suggestions, keep them coming. I'm keeping an open mind here and am doing my homework beforehand.

You asked what radio you should get.....I come from a different line of thinking than was posted above....
It's an easy question to ask....but very difficult to answer.....first off you'll probably never get half your money back selling used equipment so ask yourself some basic questions.....If you were to crash your new airplane on it's maiden flight...would get a new airplane and begin again...or walk away? If the answer is a new plane and you're sure that this is the hobby for you.....then get the biggest baddest radio you can afford.....if you might walk away.... then perhaps something smaller until you know what your future is in our great hobby.
Here's what I'm thinking....in the long run it's cheaper to get a big radio now than later.....it's also cheaper to get a big radio now than a small radio now and a bigger radio later....
I know you're probably saying as I did that you can't ever see using more than 6 channels.....If down the road you get into larger airplanes like gassers...you can eat channels pretty quickly....like 2 channels for aileron and 2 for elevator...there's 4 rudder makes 5 battery 6, throttle 7, optic kill 8, choke 9 ...see where I am going?
Now you don't need a choke servo..so lets say you add flaps or gear....
All you need now is 4....but who knows down the road.....
Good luck and have fun

Not sure I agree with this path, although alot of folks are going this way today......two of my friends tried this method and I think they struggled early and crashed more than necessary because of lack of help (In the form of instructor).... so not much can be done about that if you live 100 miles from the nearest club, etc....

But I think the BNF and Ultra Micro's are cool, but small and more likely to be affected by wind, etc.....which in my opinion makes it harder to learn.

Best thing I have ever seen was a 30CC Gas trainer from AMR......nice Kit, a few hundred more than a LT-40 and Nitro setup, but saves you in a few months in Gas.....

As far as help in your area, you can get some help...in the form of Dave's book (HIGHLY recommended) Better to learn the right way than develope a bad habbit and have to break it later....

Get the "One week to solo" manual, trust me

http://www.rcflightschool.com/Manuals_Page.asp

AND get Real Flight Simulator.....

The two of these will help a TON!

Good luck and I have to weight in on the trainer, LT-40 with a .46 is the best starting point for sure, no question.....and once you learn, you can move those servo's and motor into something more sporty like I did (Listed below)(THis plane has my O/S .46 from my trainer and my original DS821 servo's from my first TX unit, My beloved DX7

Have fun.....

I have a few suggestions. I think the sim idea is a god idea, you can also get the Phoenix sim for less money then Real Flight, and I know that Tom's Hobby Warehouse in Richfield has it. I know that we are not supper close to you, but we do have a good group of guys that would be happy to help you, we are in Jordan www.tcrconline.com. I would also suggest that you save money and come to our annual auction in February, you can often get a second plane for a very fair price. If you have anymore questions, please don't hesitate to ask me.

Jon

Let me weigh in as an instructor of new students.

The OP wants a LT40. That is a great choice. A 46 is plenty of power. I have trained students with heavy Mark II's with 35's that flew well.

Second he has run cars so he is familiar with the controls being reversed coming at him. (that is half the battle with new students.)

A multi engine plane can be flown easily on four channels if he does not need flaps or retracts. So a six channel is more than enough radio for most planes. He is already invested in spektrum though I am not a fan of them. it is good to stay with what you know or are familiar with.

My recommendations for success.

Build the plane by the plans. Use epoxy on the firewall and other critical areas. (Wing half join, tail section, etc.) Removal of half the dihedral in the wing will help with basic aerobatics. (if desired.)

Get HELP! Find a local club and go there. They can test fly your plane and make sure it is set up properly. They should have instructors that will teach you how to fly and teach you proper techniques in some cases they have "club trainers" and can teach you while you are building yours. Find the experienced builders and pick their brains you can get many good tips and secrets.

Have fun! Welcome to the hobby!

You guys really have been awesome... I cannot thank you all enough for your help, expertise, opinions, and your time. Thank you!

MinnReefer: I sent an email to the president of SodBusters R/C out by Woodbury/Afton area since that field is closest. TCRC was the next closest I believe, and I have a card or flyer from that organization. I'd love to come out and talk to you guys, and probably pick your brains and ask a zillion questions. I've wanted to do this for awhile but I had been patiently waiting for a reply from the other club. I know the weather isnt going to be all that warm next weekend, but if theres a chance anyone will be flying out there, I'd come down to see the place and talk to a few guys..

I have another question regarding noise limits. Some of my engines have a pretty gnarly bark to them. Is there any noise limits at TCRC? The engines I speak of are an Enya30SS bb engine with stock muffler, and my (what I call anyway) mini revver TT.46 with a red Jettstream muffler. Am I going to need to load the engines down a lot to keep the noise down or can I fly 'em as-is? The TT really came alive with the Jett muffler, so I really want to keep it on there if possible.

Would my little Enya fly the LT-40 okay? What flight prop(s) would I expect to use on the TT? Others recommended a 9x6 on the .30. I have 9x5,9x6,9x7,10x5,10x6 all APC and 10x6, and 10x8 MAS K-series props.

Your TT with a 10x6 will do a good job.

Your ss30 either 9x6 or 10x5. your 30 if it runs well with a 10x6 might even pull a trainer.

Back in "the day" we flew goldberg eagles and kadet mark II's on Enya 29's with a 10x6 prop. My Enya 29 is still in a box from my "trainer days" So if built by the plans your 30 should fly a lt 40. It will not be fast and not to aerobatic but it will fly.

I would have a good pilot test it if you are going to run the small engine on it.

I will probably still put the TT on it, I just figured if the 30 would fly it I might try it. SIG recommends a .30-.40 2-stroke on the LT-40. I figured the .30 flying it a little slower might be better but either one has been pretty dependable. The TT .46 has maybe 2 gallons on it and has been used on 2 different airboats I built. The Enya is still breaking in on my test stand and has seen about 1 gallon of fuel.

I have a kadet sr with a os 46 in it for my 8 year old sons training but i ran across a e-fligt apprentice trade for one of my small warbird scratch built airplanes and made the deal. I was very impressed yesterday when i took him out for a lesson with how the apprentice can float along at very slow flight and also land very slow. I will be training him on both ,but for easy fast trip to the field the apprentice is the way to go for me and him. I can charge 3 -3200 lipo packs at home and when one is dead i can throw it on a charge at the field and keep flying. Good luck with what ever you choose and try to find a club and instructer with a buddy box to help you learn on. After my 8 year old learns how to fly i will have to put my good planes up high in the basement where he cant reach them. lol joe

The SIG LT-40 is a good way to go.

I've flown this model for years and still fly a modified one regularly.

First off, get the "ARF" version, because it uses a front "wing tooth" (fits into the front plywood former) and two nylon wing bolts instead of rubber bands to secure it to the fuselage. While I say "ARF" it's got more to do than most ARF's so just be aware of that. Also, the ARF has a fully sheeted exterior fuselage with partial plywood sheet reinforcements inside. Your .46 engine should work just fine. There are a few issues to be aware of with this model aircraft. After a few flights you will notice the nose gear will give you problems, by either becoming loose or the wire will bend. The main landing gear wire is designed to be "springy" and take hard landings, but you will get tired of bending this wire back from being "splayed out."

The wing on this model is almost flat bottomed, making it a "floater." While this is good for a beginner, it limits wind penetration and tends to make the model "balloon" on landings. Overall, this is the model trainer to get by far and I highly recommend it, but read below for some options with this model you can add from the start. That said, if you've never flown RC models before it might be best to just keep things simple and not make the changes I write about below, besides, you can add them later.

While the LT-40 is designed to I fly with a .46 I bolted in an O.S. .61 two stroke because after the alterations this model has slightly more weight. Most of the weight was added by covering the fuselage with a light (sorry don't remember the thickness) fiberglass cloth and West resin. An auto body shop friend of mine then finished the fuselage with sprayed on auto primer and paint.

Use a Fults Dual Strut nose gear:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXH129&P=7
Every LT-40 trainer should have one, because it just works flawlessly and has for 5 years.

Get yourself Dubro main landing gear and a set of wheel axles:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXNM65&P=7
This gear needs to be bolted at the location of the stock wire gear, or just behind. Make sure you bolt it into plywood or basswood that makes contact with the plywood sides of the fuselage for support. This is another reason to get the ARF, because it has plywood side reinforcement.

Instead of using one servo (centrally located) for the ailerons, use one for each servo located in a plywood box out in the center bottom of each wing. This allows you more precise control over your ailerons and you can even use "flaperons" which will help get off the ground faster and make for some "interesting" slow flights and landings.

Because of the "flat" bottom wing, I installed a pair of Graupner wing spoilers top side of each wing, right behind (touching) the rear of the top spar.
While this is an extreme alteration, spoilers provide a very predictable sink rate for precise landings even in windy weather. Without these spoilers landing the LT-40, in 10-15mph wind is not fun at all. With these spoilers you get to land with throttle and a lot faster, which is loads of fun. Spoilers on this plane make it way more fun!

Practice with an RC flight simulator with a trainer model, not a "warbird" or other scale jet model.
The tendency is to fly a cool scale model RC jet aircraft which is a mistake. Always fly on calm days with the sun to your back. Always watch your time to avoid running out of fuel. Keep the model relatively high in case your engine quits and/or you run out of fuel (having so much fun). Imagine a huge funnel going from your head up into the sky at a 35 - 45 degree angle and keep the model in that airspace at all times. Turning with the ailerons is where newbies "auger in" because once into the turn, they hold the turn too long with the ailerons, instead of using the elevator to complete the turn and keep the model in the air. Put a black stripe under both wings and keep the top of the wing white to differentiate top from bottom at distance. This way when you see the top of the white wing the model will be flying in a turn toward you...black stripes means it is flying away from you, because you're seeing the underside of the wing.

Landing is the hardest part. You will need to get over the desire to turn your body as if you are sitting inside the model as it lands. This was a huge problem for me until I used a flight simulator and just, well, got over it! Flight simulators may cost a few buck, but the learning experience pays off big time.

Tower Hobbies links above were just easy to grab and are here for no other reason.

I have been to sod busters, I have not flown there, but I have seen it, it looks like it has a couple of minor challenges as far as the field goes. Tcrc does as well, our biggest challenge is the area that we fly is near the Minnesota River and tends to flood in the spring. But we do have paved runways and we own the land. A lot of clubs including ours is hit and miss as far as who will be out and when. I will let you know when I am going to be out and I will see if I can get a buddy box working on a trainer of mine. I am not sure what your schedule is, but I know that a friend of mine (Dave) is out at the field most Mondays (that is his day off work) and I know he would be happy to talk to you. PM and I will forward on his info if you are interested.

i would go with a 4-6 channel radio now, then you can always use it latter for a buddy box of your own or as a backup if something happens to your "good" radio. I would also look at Airtronics radios and or Hitec radios. Both are very good radios and may be a better value then JR (Spectrum)

As far as noise goes, I am not an expert as far as those mufflers goes, but we generally don't have noise worries (but much of our club seems to be going electric )

Good luck, it will all work out at the end, just keep reading and asking, there often is no right or wrong answer.

Jon

Thanks for the help. I will have to do things in steps - get the kit, and later on get the radio gear. Money is very tight so I have to budget for everything. The getting-started costs are higher for me but operation costs for my cars and boats are relatively low as I make my own fuel and buy the consumables in a quantity to last for a year or more.

I end up with more free time in the winter so thats why I like starting my builds in the mid-late fall and into winter. That is, when I'm not out ice fishing trying to find Moby Dick. (har de har har)

Looking forward to meeting up sometime and hopefully learn more from you and anyone else thats willing to share.

Thanks again!

-Tim

What ever you decide : get someone ( an instructor ) that knows how to fly to at least help you with your first flights. I know you are into cars and that will help but you still should get help at first. If for no other reason then not messing up your first build. Keep us informed on your progress !!!! ENJOY !!! RED

I have been actively searching for a club and club members willing to teach me how to fly. As I said at the very beginning of this thread, I probably could go at it alone and learn but there would be casualties... I'd rather go on the advice from many other guys to find a club, get a good teacher (or a few), and learn that way. Simulators are a good way to go, but I am a far better learner watching someone do it and then doing it myself in the flesh. I'm a fast learner and I am confident I can do this, but I'd feel better having some instruction to go along with it. I'll build the plane, tune the engine, and let someone else fly it before I try it just to ensure the thing will fly right.

I'm looking forward to it. I'll say this also - I'm not one to quit after one failed attempt. I will probably stick with it even if I crash a time or two. If I quit RC Cars the first time I crashed into a fence or mailbox, I wouldnt even be exploring planes... I think I can RC anything, honestly.. I'd RC my lawnmower if I could afford the servos and motors to make it move and steer just for fun.

Anyways, I look forward to the adventure. I'll be the kid in the candy store when the kit shows up and my wife says "I'll see you in a month"... LoL..

I like it, someone that thinks like me
I've been working on a Kadet Jr myself. This thing is a 48" spanned version of the MKII without ailerons or, at least it was. I've taken mine and made a couple of changes:
1) extended the wingspan from 48" to 54"
2) added barn door ailerons that are 3 bays wide and 25% chord deep
3) removed ALL THE DIHEDRAL
4) am installing a larger, counterbalanced split elevator and a taller, wider rudder that will extend to the bottom of the fuselage
I'm setting this plane up for floats so, in theory, the larger rudder will increase directional control on the water and the larger elevators will make controlling the aircraft's pitch easier with the additional length and weight of the floats. The dihedral, again in theory, won't be as required for stability due to the weight of the floats below the fuselage and, due to it's absence, won't fight the control of the ailerons

I know a lot of people will disagree with the suggestion, buy I know more and more people that are buying this radio. They all love it (for the price). All of them re-flashed the firm ware with ER9x which is the main resin they like it. It really opens up the whole radio. You can download the firm ware for free. But for $40, how do you go wrong? Well, most of them converted them to Dragon Link too, but never heard anything bad about the stock Rx's.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...Firmware_.html
http://code.google.com/p/eepe/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MhRL-rdrkg

G'day

I also bought a Turnigy 9X simply to see what it was like. I used it "out of the box" and did not try to re-flash the software.

I liked the feel of the radio. It has a quality feel much better than its price would suggest. The receivers are a little large but they seem to work well enough and binding is no problem.

It came with a battery carrier for 8 AA cells so I put a load of Sanyo Eneloop cells in it and they worked extremely well but the fit of the battery holder with the cells in it was a very tight fit in the case and getting the case closed was not a simple task but it did work eventually. I found that a Hitec charger I had spare would charge it.

What I did not like was the menu system. It is quite clunky in parts. Naming a model is a real pain but you can do it. All the important functions are there, you just have to play to find them with the manual beside you.

Mine came without any manual but I managed to down load quite a thick document as a PDF and this told me what I needed to know once I got inside the head of the writer.

I just bought it to play with and eventually sold it to a friend and he likes it a lot. For the little they cost, you cannot go wrong.

My other choice for a low cost but expandable system is the Hitec Optic 6 2.4 Gig. When you decide you need a bigger radio, then the Aurora 9 is available and will work with any receivers you may have accumulated.

I also have a Spektrum DX7 which is a nice radio but the receivers are expensive here in Australia so I don't use it as much as the Hitec systems.

Mike in Australia

I have 2-dx7 2.4 radios and they have been good for me in the last 6 years. You can buy d-x recievers in the US for around 5o bucks and some times even less. I can program and mix just about anything i want to with these and they are not bad on price. joe

I went looking for model airplane books today - My local library first and then Barnes and Noble. Unfortunately, the library has 3 books in the entire library system of which I had to request from other libraries. The book store (I tried a used book store also) and couldnt come up with anything. What I was trying to achieve is getting a little background info on terminology and learning a bit of the functionality of the various moving parts of an airplane. Can anyone recommend a book or books that are going to be a homerun for a brand new guy trying to get acquainted with terms and functions of a model plane? I dont want to buy a book online and find it to not be what I need/am looking for. Some have exclusive no-return policies with online purchases since the stores dont sell stuff. There are some used books around, but again I dont want to buy it and end up having it cost me money should I need to send it back.

Thanks for anyone who has some information. I appreciate it greatly.

Tim

If you spend an afternoon at your local flying club, all your questions will be answered.
Then when you get a good kit, a good manual has a few pages of explanations in it.
Otherwise you can look for the full scale literature. Those will explain why an airplane flies and what the control surfaces do and then some....
(most people believe in the Bernoulli theory, I think that guy had too much vino).

You can also Google most of the information you need.
If you are afraid to build - just buy a good kit and take your time building it. Or get an ARF - or just buy a used trainer.
The best way to learn is to get started. Yes, you will make mistakes and you will learn from it. Don't be scared to ask a 'dumb' question.
Get help from some fellow RC pilots in your area, don't try to teach yourself how to fly - this is always a very frustrating experience.
And even the best pilots break stuff - that is why we always bring more then one plane to the field.

Well, my fear of flying is diminishing. I'm just looking for something to read while I'm waiting to afford the kit and start building. For now, no ARF's, used trainers, or RTF planes. I'm a little broke right now, so I figured getting a book to read will help me learn a bit, and quell my wife's wish that I read more. The book is not to learn to fly. I will go to a club for that. I wanted to find a "building" book that outlines a first plane and moreso explain most of the terms. I would rather sit down with a book with all the info than spend half the day googling stuff. I dont know what half the terms are much less a reliable source to find out.

I have sent emails to 3 different local clubs (the farthest club I emailed is about 45 miles away from me) and have heard nothing back. I think the season is about over here. One member of one of the clubs offered to meet with me and show me the ropes a bit this year, but the wind has been so bad the last few days, nobody in their right mind would fly a plane. SO, as far as the club thing goes, I think I'm out of luck until spring.

I started out flying a GWS Slo-Stik, it was inexpensive, and slow. I bought a brushless outrunner, esc, and servos and rx from hobbyking. you can get a lot of stuff on the web. alot of good prices if you order direct from china, or from the west coast. A slo-stick is a good place to start small, and then grow from there. Blue Skies and low winds to you!!!

I picked up a book from the library that is just what I was looking for. It is outlining all of the terms and explaining them. My question comes in where it was recommended to build the kit with zero Dihederal (I hope I spelled it right). What my book has said is the less Dihederal, the less it will bank in turns requiring a much larger turning radius. I guess I can kinda see the point to this for learning purposes, however for later flights (after getting comfortable with flying it) not being able to bank in turns sounds like it might be a single purpose plane instead. I dont really want to build it as a single-purpose plane (learning only) as I would want to be able to do a little maneuvering with it down the road.

What are the pros and cons from the guys that know, Dihederal or No Dihederal, or just a little bit... ?

I put zip code 55016 in the ama club search http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx and it returned 9 clubs within 25 miles. All have a phone number listed. Don't wait on an email reply. Call the contact and try to arrange a time to meet some of the instructors or other members.

I agree with your thought of getting a kit and building it 'per plan' rather than redesigning the wing to convert a 3 channel kit to 4. Save the mods for a future build. The LT-40, with a 46 engine, is a great choice.

I tend to buck the system on radio choice. My thought, get a fairly simple 4 to 6 channel system to start. If a local shop has lots to choose from, see what feels comfortable. If you'll be using a neck strap when flying, use it when picking a radio. If you need/want 'more radio' in the future, give the basic radio to a new guy to help him get started.

Built per plan the LT-40 is capable of a lot more aerobatics than you'd think. It may not be as graceful or precise as a pattern plane but it can do the maneuvers.

High wing airplanes with dihedral tend to level themselves if you bank with aileron and then release the stick. The more dihedral they have the faster they level themselves. Without dihedral you need to use the ailerons to level the wings. Left aileron + up elevator = left turn. After the turn, a little right aileron levels the wings. Even with dihedral, using the ailerons to level the wings after a turn makes them look a lot smoother.