I'm looking to get into RC planes and would like to know what should I start with. I don't want to have to refinace my house to get one. What is the dif. between gas and elec? I have elec. cars and never had a problem with them. I heard that gas has its problems and isn't good for someone who doesn't want to spend lots of cash.... What plane should I go with and about how much would I expect to spend????

You may want to repost this thread into the beginners category to get some more response on it. First of all, you will want to start with a trainer airplane; they usually have .40 cubic inch engines. I chose to go with gas because I really enjoy having something that I can hear up there in the air and I think it is really cool to see these little engines work. The gas might take a little bit more money because of the fuel and it will take more time becasue you have to break-in the engine before you can get it running in top notch shape. You will probably get mixed opinions on what type of engine, gas or electric to get becasue everyone has different things that they like. For the price of the airplane, you can probably expect to spend somewhere around $325 and up for everything that you need.

Picking your first plane can be a difficult task sometimes..
You will get alot of different opinions with a question like "what should I start with?"

Well, for a first time plane you should be thinking of nothing other than a trainer, a basic flatbottom wing trainer.
There are several good trainers out there that you can buy that will teach you to fly and give you tons of enjoyment.
A trainer is also a plane that you might want to keep long after you have progressed to low wings, scale or whatever..

Regardless what most hobbyshops might tell you stay away from Cubs, they ARE NOT trainers!


Anyways for a first time plane I would suggest the following...

Hangar9 Easy Fly40

Sig Kadet LT-40

Hobbico Superstar

Great Planes Pt40


Those are all good trainers that have a flatbottom wing with dihedral (slight v shape in the wing that adds stability) design that generates lots of lift which in return helps with easy takeoffs and gentle landings.

Engines for these planes..

ThunderTigre .40 , O.S 40LA or ,46 LA
SuperTigre GS .40
Gms .40
O.S 40fx

Any basic 4 channel aircraft radio will do fine with these setups..

Join a club after you have purchased your plane and ask alot of questions and get training with a instructor.

DO NOT TAKE A PLANE UP BY YOURSELF IF YOU HAVE NEVER FLOWN BEFORE. You can seriously get hurt or hurt other people and also throw all your money away..

I hope this helps you.

good luck

The acual price difference between electrics vs glow powered airplanes really is not very much. By the time you buy a motor, speed controller, micro reciever you will have spent about the same as a basic glow trainer set up. Micro servos are very expensive compared to standard servos. You may also want to consider a computer RC simulator.

I would suggest you join a club BEFORE you purchase. Many clubs have club trainers for use in basic flight training, and if they don't, most have members with something used to sell.

In my club, used trainers went for as little as $10 for the airframe and $25 for the used .40 sized LA engines once the fledgling pilot moved up. Some trainers went through several owners - planes didn't look so good but got the job done.

If your going to buy a radio (and stick with the hobby), I would suggest investing in a six channel computer radio. Again, these can be had used for less than $150 used (Check out eBay, swap meets and other sources). The Futaba 6XAs and others are just over $200 brand new ($229 for 6XAs on Tower, just checked). Of course non-computer radios are somewhat less. Don't forget frequency control - consider serously the channels all the other club members are on, then buy a channel which they are not. Also, the brand of radio you choose might be influenced by what the local club is flying - its nice to have local support.

Flight gear too (starters, field boxes, etc.) can be gotten cheap - Local club members, eBay, and don't overlook R/C swap meets.

MOST IMPORTANT - Find an instructor. I have heard of too many instances where the newbee destroyed plane, radio, and engine (not to mention the danger) because they though they could do it themselves (count my brother, who is a full-scale pilot who thought flying an R/C plane would be easier than his Cessna 210)

You asked about cost. About a year and a half ago I walked into a local hobby store and told them I wanted everything I needed to start flying. They set me up with a trainer plane, radio, flight box, starter, glow driver etc. Everything includeing glue. The total cost came to about $600. The gear I got was not top of the line or bottom of the barell either. The one change I wish I had made was to go with a 6 channel radio insted of the 4 channel. I have allready bought a second radio.

Ronald, your story sounds just like mine, I started 18 months ago and the hobby store took about 600 of my hard earned dollars, not to alot more since then.

Buy a Zagi first. Master it, own it, love it. Then go get your balsa trainer.

I picked a Tower Hobbies Tower Trainer 40. It's a great plane. I'm pretty sure Great Planes makes it for Tower. I put a Tower .40 ABC engine on it but now I wish I went with something bigger like a Magnum XLS 46(my club's pet engine). I got my plane as a kit and assembled it this past winter. It flies absolutely fantastic. The plane kit was $55.00. Engine $50.00. Covering $13.00. I bought a 4 channel Futaba radio system for it - $140.00. At first I figured I'd save a few bucks and buy a used one from ebay. What a mistake that was. Before I was hit in the head with a 2x4, I bought two used radios that both sucked. I did get some money back out of them but I just went to my hobby shop and bought brand new. I'm not going to say not to but I will NEVER buy a used radio unless I know where it came from. I'd say that all together, without the radio debacle, I spent around $550.00. I haven't actually added up the receipts. It's all of the little stuff that adds up. There's a ton of little stuff.

That's right, there IS a ton of little stuff. I agree with BruceDana, talk to your local club, they've probably got tons of used stuff. I do however disagree with his suggestion of getting a 6 channel computer radio. As a beginner, you'll have plenty of new things to deal with. you need 4 channels to fly. extra channels are for things like Retractable Landing Gear, Flaps, Smoke systems, Etc. None of which you'll be using while you're learning to fly. And a computer radio just complicates matters further (not to mention adding to the bite taken out of your wallet) IMHO, Extra channels and computers are something you graduate to, not start out with. By the time you're ready for them, you'll have a much better understanding of what you need or want.
As far as Elec vs Gas, While electrics have come a long way in the past few years, there are MANY more choices of planes if you go with gas.

I think starting with a good radio is important. If you advance at all your going to need more channels. Having to shell out $250 and more after already buying a radio is going to hurt. I also think you need to know your radio inside and out and changing in mid stream doesn't really allow you to do that. I bought a used Futaba 8US ($250) and I love it. It is really coming in handy with my new funfly obsession. I say start with a good radio and good engine. They will hopefully stay with you many years even if your planes don't.

Visit our website to get beginners information

Best trainer around is an LT 40 Arf.

I agree you should ask a club and find an instructor. If you get a .40 size plane and engine now, it will cost a lot. But if you buy another .40 size plane for your second, you can reuse the engine and radio. That makes the second plane much more economical. I would recomend getting a .46 instead of a .40. You'll want the extra power for future planes. Good Luck!

Where was AirplaneDan98 when I bought mine. I have a .40 in it and it flies great but I wish I went with the .46.

Get a 46 size engine, either Thunder Tiger or OS FX. The priece difference between the 40 and the 46 sizes has dropped to around $5.00 difference but the extra power is nice to have in reserve. For radio, a basic 6 channel will do more than you will need for a couple of years but get one to match the RC clubs buddy box. Theres no point in buying a Futaba if the club only has Airtronics buddy boxes. The best trainers are still the Sig LT40 or the slightly smaller LT25 taildragger. The LT40 comes in both kit and ARF versions. After all this its still best to visit your RC club first and see what they have to say!

Actually I've been trying to figure out why any manufacturer sells a 40 sized BB motor. For the most part they either weigh the same or more than their 46 brothers, yet produce less power... I'd agree either get a 46 BB or maybe the TT GP 42. It's a great brushing (no BBs) 40 sized engine which makes slightly less power than a 40 size BB, but weighs 4 oz less. I started flying glow with an Avistar powered by the 42 and it's great. I did swap the motor out for a TT Pro 46 for a little while (actually to break the new 46 in), and although, it flew faster with the 46, it wasn't necessarily better due to the added weight of the engine and lead in the tail to balance the plane. If you're plane is light, you may think about using this as an option.

Go to our website at the following address for a recommended buy list:

http://www.rivercityflyers.rcclubs.com

Beeker,

I recently changed my opinion about what new flyers should puchase. After I had been flying about a year and seen that I was hooked, I wished that I had bought better stuff when I first started, radio, flight box etc. I told everyone it was a mistake buying cheap (inexpensive) stuff because I was going to have to upgrade when I moved up to .60 size aerobatic models.

Now I'm beginning to think I was wrong. Now that I moved up to giant scale planes I've had to upgrade everything again. You see its a cyclical process according to how far you take it. Beleive me you dont know how far you're going to take at this point.

What is my point??

Get by with at least as you can until you find out which way your're going to take the hobby. Beg, borrow or steal (thats just an expression) whatever you can at first. Then, in a year or so, start buying high quality stuff that meets you specific needs (giant scale, pylon racing, gasoline engines, jets, etc) then you'll have that stuff many years down the road

Bravo Ninefingers! I agree with you whole heartedly! Too many people suggest buying the best, when a beginner has no idea where he will end up. I always say, start as cheaply as you can (without buying junk) and upgrade when you are ready to. (or sell the stuff if you decide this hobby's not for you and you're not out a small fortune!)

Nine fingers, well put, bravo

You even changed my mind. A difficult feat. BULLY~!

Well good, now that we all agree, Let's Go Flying !
Woo hoooo!

Buy a kit and put it together. If you really enjoy the smell of glue and you are loosing sleep putting it together and reading all these posts then buy better radio and engine.
If you are finding it difficult to find time to build and do not like the smell of glue and feeling constant aggrevation then buy the cheapest stuff.
Building is part of the hobby, not as much now as in the past but you will get a serious feeling for your desire when tested by building a kit for the first time.
Comments?
Steve

When you realizing your dreaming about building then you will know. The only frustrating part is I can never get it together in my dream. I'm little bit better builder in real life.