Hi,
I've been into RC cars and trucks for a while now (5 years) and after lots of research, I'm a RC car maniac. I know about every car out there. Now I'd like to try planes. I want an electric, RTF, large wingspan, trap door (if possible), trainer, and under $300. I like the trap door style like this one has http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...LXCKWL&P=0where I can drop things out of the sky with a flip of a switch. I really like this plane so far for looks, but is it hobby grade? Is it a worth while plane? Or am I gonna end up spending another $500 just to make it decent? I'm not HUGE on foamies, but if that's what it comes down to inside my budget, then I can live with it. So what is a worth while plane that I should get?

The Sensai is an excellent trainer and a good start. I have trained two differnet people with that airplane and for those that do not want to fly 'glow' it is the electric trainer I would recommend.

I would just not get to hung up on 'dropping things out of the sky' just yet and concentrate on learning to fly first.

John

Just an additional note on the Sensei while it comes with one three cell Lipo 2100 mah or similar I would reccomend planing to buy at least one additional flight battery and better yet two additional packs. There is no need to start experimenting with higher capacity packs and the fellows often get hung up fixating on excesssively long flights.

All the learning takes place in the first few minutes of each flight and dragging on with excessively long flight will accomplish nothing. Far better to keep the flights short and many multiple flights. That means more than just one battery each time you go out and all charged up and ready.

John

I know you said electric but do not base that on what you see running cars and trucks...aircraft glow is a different world....glow plugs last forever compaired to cars, engines run cooler as aircraft are faster and are away from the heat of the ground. once tuned you hardly have to mess with the mixtures.
I started RC trucks glow and was shocked at the differences between aircraft and trucks...besides with glow all you have to do is refuel and off you go again no time waiting for batteries to cool and charge
Just a thought

I did as John said and bought three packs and it's about perfect for me. I fly a stunt plane and I'm getting 15 minute flights from my 3 cell 2100mah packs. I start with all of them fully charged and as soon as I land I put the pack on the charger, by the time I land the next flight it is almost fully charged, it is ready to go again by the time I'm done with my third flight. Three packs are fine but I think four would be even better. There would be no down time. I have been getting my motors, ESCs and packs from Hobby King and the packs are about $10.00 a piece. Just finished a new plane and will be buying a few more packs. I'm not a big fan of Hobby King but the packs and a lot of other items are being shipped from there US warehouse so they aren't nailing you on shipping. I fly gas, glow and electric now and enjoy all three. There is usually a small electric in my van with me at all times so if I see a spot that looks like a good place to fly I just pull over and have some fun. I have ticked off a few golfers but what the heck, it gives them an excuse for there poor game at the end of the day. I can't do that with a gas or glow plane.

Great! I am not a fan of Nitro or Gas. First off, they're way too expensive. Secondly, I can't bring them into my room and set them on my carpet. (I'm 13yrs and I'm an RC fanatic.) I plan on crashes, lots of learning time, and just getting better at knowing the plane. So should I pull the trigger? With RC cars, I can tell somebody who makes a thread like this exactly what I think they'd be happy with. Does everyone think this is a good first plane for me? Something that will last a long time?

Thanks.

While I cannot speak for everyone of course I can speak of first hand knowledge with this airplane and several examples. So yes of course pull the trigger if thats what you want to do

It fits your requirements perfectly so yes I think its a great first airplane for you. As to will it last a long time well thats dependant entirely upon you. Nothing is totally durable and in most cases the so called durable airplanes are horrible airplanes so what will contribute the most to the life of your airplane will be if you seek a mentor.

Good luck and enjoy the passion[8D]

John

That plane would be a good option for starting out. I started on something similar. The one limitation you have is that because that plane is very light, you'll be limited to very calm days for flying. The slightest bit of wind will create a lot of work for you and will slow the learning process.

If you're willing to spend a bit more, you can go this route http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXSGY1**&P=7 and have a more substantial plane that is suited for a greater range of flying conditions. The plane will fly more stable and you may learn faster.

Also, do yourself a favor and find a local flying club that provides instruction. If you don't you'll probably have to abandon your concern about it "lasting a long time." I know of no one (including myself) that was self taught that didn't crash and rebuild (oftentimes more than once) before they became a proficient R/C pilot.

The primary objectives of a good instructor are to 1) teach you to fly, and 2) keep your equipment in one piece through out the process. By using a "buddy box," the instructor can intervene and correct a flight path where a crash would be imminent. They can gauge the progress of your learning and extend you increasing amounts of control as you learn. Not to mention confirm your airplane is airworthy and ready for flight in the first place.

The Sensei will be a good first plane as it's similar to this one that is also a good first plane:
www.horizonhobby.com/products/apprentice-15e-rtf-with-dx5e-radio-EFL2725#t2
As mentioned get one or two extra lipos and here is a place with good lipos and good pricing:
www.valuehobby.com/power-systems/lipo-batteries/20c-2200mah-3s.html
The connectors on the plane ESC and battery could be changed to a more standard connectors like Deans/T or EC3.

Later on you can get a better charger that will charge the Lipos faster and properly maintain them. Good second chargers can be bought for between $40-100.00.
www.valuehobby.com/power-systems/chargers/lipo-balance-chargers/gt-power-a606-d-50watt-6a-6s-balance-charger.html

Also try and find someone who flies so they can go over the plane with you, take it up and land it for the first times while you learn to fly it when it's in the air and then learn take-off and then landing maneuvers .

Keep in mind that unlike an rc car, kick it back onto it's wheels and go, the plane is way more fragile. I learned with a duraplane back in the 80's.

If you do find a club, be prepared to devote a lot of time in the learning process. For all intents and purposes, there really isn't an easier way to learn. Just hope that you find a club with available, qualified and eager to teach instructors.

http://www.rc-float-flying.rchomepag...instructor.htm

This is more or less of what you will face via club instructors and like I pointed out, there is no way around it.

fliers1

JohnBuckner is correct in saying that a lot of learning occurs in the first few minutes of a flight, but you can also learn a lot in the last 10 seconds.

I wish a couple of mine would just learn SOMETHING soon . ENJOY !!! RED

Buy a simulator before you buy a plane, doesnt cost money when you crash a plane on a simulator. Just a heads up if you havent flown before!

Yes, a simulator is a good thing to have and practice on, but the problem is for beginners is they will teach themselves bad habits if they weren't shown how to properly move the sticks.

Beginners spent many hours practicing on a sim, but when they came to me for training, they tended to flip and bang the sticks around, because they didn't know any better. I had to help them unlearn all these bad habits they taught themselves. It was much easier to teach someone who had never had a lesson on a buddy-box or simulator.

fliers1

+1 on getting a real lesson before working on the sim. The very best use of the simulator is to practice what you were taught in your last flying lesson all week, trying to replicate what happened and finding the stick movements that give you the results the instructor was talking to you about.

Just from reading your posts diehard, I can already tell you that you'll have to slow down in your expectations of having fun with it when you start learning planes. If you're only 13 and have already bought a lot of different cars then you have a short attention span for what you are doing. With cars, you can unbox them and put them together and have a fun experience on the very first day. If you think that way with planes you'll just wreck it. Learning to fly is work, and it takes discipline. You have to listen to your instructor and let him be in charge. When he's in charge, he'll tell you to work on maneuvers that aren't exciting to do but are necessary for being a good pilot. If you just want it to be fun for you, you'll never learn how to do a proper takeoff, a proper coordinated turn, or land right. I can't tell you have many student pilots I've seen who wanted to skip straight to doing loops and rolls and all the flashy stuff and could do them, but then turned around and crashed their planes on takeoff because they wouldn't take the time to learn how to do it right. So the point of all of this is if you're looking for instant gratification like what video games gives you, stick with cars. You'll be a lot less frustrated and spend a lot less money. But if you're looking to learn a new skill and develop the character to work for a result that's hard to get, planes will be a great experience for you.

Yes i hear what you are saying as im only new to the hobbie myself 2 years my maye who has been flying told me to get a simultor so i did i used it for six months learning to do figure 8's and landing's i never was tought from anyone, my mate took me down to the park and after 30 mins i was landing my plane and flying it with no problems at first yes my nerves were giveing me the hand shakes but i got over that in 10 mins

the plane will be great to learn on. the biggest thing i can say, that alot of others said, find a local club, join, and learn. it will be alot cheaper in the long run. and be careful. just cause its a little electric foamie dont mean you cant get hurt. speaking from experience. And most important, have alot of fun and be responsible with it. Steve.BTW, when you get into bigger models, electric isnt always cheaper.

When I am teaching a new student I loan them my old SIM to use, only a G-2 but it was top of the line once. My instructor loaned me a G-nothing and I did learn quite a bit from it. When I got my G-2 though all I used it for was learning new stunts, it got my brain and fingers working correctly before I did them on a real plane. They can be a big help but nothing is as good as a good instructor.

I am sooooo going to steal that line!