unix4linux

Hello All,

My name is Tito and I have been wanting to venture on this new hobby for a while. I honestly do not know where to begin. I have no RC experience with planes and don't know what the best place to start is. I read a couple of the stickies but a lot of the information to me is foreign because I don't necessarily know how to get my feet wet or if I am going in the right direction.

I guess I should start off with a little bit about myself and my goal(s). I am a Computer Scientist over at Kennedy Space Center. I am 29 years old, married to a beautiful wife and we have a beautiful daughter (Sophia), whom is 1 year old. I enjoy watching sports and working on my most expensive hobby (cars). Sadly, this is expensive because building a race car is like working on your roof (or worse). It'll only last a few years before you have to re-do the whole thing. And in a car, that means $10K+ minimum. Yikes!!!

So, yes...I have a family to think about (financially) as many of us do. I am settling down on the car hobby and getting into something that I know I will enjoy a lot and perhaps my wife and daughter can eventually enjoy with me as well (RC Planes). It's def. a lot less expensive than building a blown engine after X amount of runs/passes a season..sigh!

With that said, I would like to learn as much as I can to get myself into expert (whatever that means ) mode in a few years. I would eventually like to build my own models from scratch and perhaps design my own. It will be an exciting time when I become well prepared to fly jet engines, but that is long ways from my skill level.

Now, where do I start? Are there any clubs in Central Florida where I can join and get help on getting me started? What type of plane should I start off with since I am expecting to crash every so often as I progress. I am a visual learner so video's are a plus but great documentation is appreciated as well. It would be nice to be part of a club to learn from the more experienced flyer's out there. Do I need to have a plan to join a club? I am hoping that I can join one to help me make a better decision into what plane category fits me best.

Thanks in advance to all

Admiral052

Welcome Tito I too just started this hobby last august. I got hooked by going to a flying event at the local club and watching the warbids soar hooked me. I remember watching these planes when I was a kid and always wanted to do it.

So here is how I did it:
1. went to local field/club after finding it on the AMA website. This club isa gold club and was private. That doesn't mean you can't go there, just means that to fly you need to be a member.
2. Got my AMA membership and contacted the membership chairmen. Very nice guy and he invited me up to the field
3. hung around and introduced myself to all the flyer there. I also met the club instructor. Nice guy and asked questions IE: how to pick my first plane, what do I need, everything (i took work in a technical field field so I know your thoughts)
4 Bought a used trainer with radio off craigslist, I knew I would crash so investing heavy money into a trainer was not what I wanted, but I also wanted a good trainer
5. met the instructor for training.

After a month I knew the regulars and they were great. I paid the dues and joined the club. I logged a lot of training hours and crashed only once on a landing. I am also offically hooked. Now I built two other planes this winter and I am waiting for the nicer weather to arrive.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Oberst

Welcome my friend to the RC community, and welcome to RCU! I've been in theis hobby for 10 years and a AMA member for about 8 or 9 years. Most clubs require AMA membership to join because it insures all airplanes that you own incase of property or physical liability. Joining a club will allow you to meet people from all walks of life that are in the hobby. All sanctioned AMA clubs include many benifits including beginners training, helicopter training, pattern or aerobatics. Some include instruction on how to keep you and your airplane safe and do teach basic construction skills if you run into a problem while building or assembling your aircraft.

Most clubs hold airshow events and picnics. Joining a club will help get you more involved with your hobby if you let it. It's a great thing to be a part of.

Here are a few links I dug up for you. You can contact the AMA and they will direct you to a club closest to you.

http://www.rcacf.com/

http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx

https://www.modelaircraft.org/joinrenew.aspx

Again I welcome you and hope to see you around in RCU. The Moderators and most members are fantastic people here and if you stay tuned, I'm sure one of the moderators will chime in to give you a hand.


Pete
District II

ES CONTROL

If I may add one thing. Find a good flight simulator.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Tito, click the link in my signature for some good advice designed specifically for beginners

unix4linux

WOW!!!

I am very impressed with the great initial guidance from all of you here. This is awesome!! I am definitely going to take notes of all the feedback and start on my venture. I will def. be around here as often as possible to show off my progress in this new hobby and to contribute as much as I can.

Thank you all for being so great!

cutaway

If you've been building race cars, you already have all the basic skills and knowledge to build model airplanes successfully. Attention to detail, getting things straight/aligned, mechanical design, strength of materials, metallurgy, various failure modes, etc all apply here. You also understand that a light touch and restraint is required in flying them just as in driving a race car.

There's several clubs and a couple of pretty well stocked hobby shops in the Orlando area. Graves R/C, just north of the intersection of Lee Rd and Orange Blossom is pretty well equipped.

There's also a free flight club that operates off a large 1,200 acre field near Palm Bay just off I95. You might want to check that out too. Free flight power models are a bit more of an elegant mechanical and materials engineering exercise than most R/C planes. Without a computerized radio to use as a crutch/bandiad for poor setups, FF planes need to be done "right" regarding aerodynamics and trim. There's no cheating with FF.

unix4linux

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

There are some great clubs in the orlando area. Also check out Bob's hobby shop

red head

Before you go out spending a lot of money ( that you don't need to ) go to one of the local clubs and talk to the folks there. They will give you a lot of info. and steer you in the right direction, possibly with their club. As an instructor I like to have a little say in what a new student comes in with. In that respect I suggest that you find someone ( an instructor ) at a club that you think you would be able to work with and let them assist you with what you need. Bragging, but that will probably be the best advice you can get.

Be a little weary of all the info you will get and hopefully your instructor will steer you in the right direction. Everyone wants to help but sometimes it's more then you need. Man that was hard for me to wright. ( some of you will understand that ) lol. Take the time to look and check things out. ENJOY !!! RED

unix4linux

Are you referring to an online store or a local place to me?

unix4linux

Thank you!!!

AugerDawger

Choose wisely.

Make your own final decisions when it comes to your instructor's direction.

ES CONTROL

It s  a hobby!   So it is your dream you focus on.

zacharyR

My Feedback: (5)

nothing's cheap in this Hobby just FYI in the grand sceam of things yes yepper then a fumla car but you still going to spend money here and it's addicting

unix4linux

I can live with the costs and addiction of this hobby. My wife can't with those of building cars ...in other words...she'll eventually kill me if I continue with my car stuff. Besides, I think this is one she'll enjoy along with my daughter. This think it's fun and cool. On the other hand, she is always worried about my car competitions at 80 - 120mph speeds at given times (with me in it)...lol

unix4linux

In regards to this, I have a Mac and have had a copy of X-Plane for quite some time with the latest additions. Would this suffice as a flight simulator or would one geared towards model planes be chosen?

cutaway

The expense is related to sweat equity invested and creativity. I rarely spend more than $50 or $60 in materials scratch building a plane, but it may have hundreds of hours of labor in it.

jester_s1

You've been really smart to think about hooking up with other flyers first and then getting your equipment. Since you are sold on using an instructor (great move btw) sit down with him and ask what plane he likes to teach with. You might even find that the club or the instructor owns a plane that he uses for teaching, which means you can try it before you buy it. On the simulator question, it's really helpful to have an RC simulator so you can get used to using the transmitter to control the plane. It's not a necessity obviously, especially not while you're training with the instructor, but it is outstanding when you're on your own to work out new maneuvers and fly more difficult planes before doing it for real.

panhndl

My Feedback: (10)

Here:

http://shopbobshobbycenter.com/

It's a smaller shop with a lot of very nice models. The folks are great in there, and they have some youtube videos up.

Another shop is Graves. It is a little overwhelming though because of the sheer volume of stuff they have.

Www.gravesrc.com

Both are in your area and both could help you get set up right and probably help with clubs, instructors, etc.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Both. But I was referring to their store which is in Orlando:

http://shopbobshobbycenter.com/location.html

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Both. But I was referring to their store which is in Orlando:

http://shopbobshobbycenter.com/location.html

on_your_six

My Feedback: (11)

This hobby can be expensive. CRASHES ARE PART OF THE COST. You need to determine a budget that you can afford and stick to it. I have lost $2,500.00 planes. Steel yourself for the possibility.

There are also risks, mostly to your hands if you flip nitro or gas props with your hands. People have died being hit by helicopter blades and I am sure planes have hit people too.

Many wives grow to dislike the hobby because of the cost, mess and time. Younger kids are mostly bored by the hobby and do not continue.

There, just so you know there are down sides too.

unix4linux

Thanks for this. I am going to consider getting the simulator so that when the instructor teaches me, I can practice those techniques with the simulator (while I work on my model of choice)

unix4linux

Oh, I know a lot about this. I have been working on my final car project for two years already in preparation for my last few seasons. I have about a year more to go in prep work. I am hanging it up once they engine is exhausted . This is why I am looking forward to this new hobby. It'll keep me busy (as the car did) but it will be financially forgiving (compared to automotive).