DanaWatson

I need your help! Which of these models would you suggest I purchase this Christmas...

1) COX EZ Flyer American Eagle R/C Trainer Plane ($59.99)

2) HobbyZone Firebird Outlaw ($49.99)

3) Sky Vector 9930 ($79.99)

Any feedback would be great! Like what are the main difference in these flyers? What am I looking for as a beginner (besides something that won't bust up on my first landing attempt!) It's my first purchase of an RC airplane and I want to make the right decision, but I have little experience buying. I feel like I'm buying my first computer, because there is just so much that i do not know. Please help! knowing what you know... which would you buy?

Dana Watson

Crashem

I don't know about number 3 but IMHO planes 1 and 2 are junk...

I classify these types of planes as the "toy" store variety they are cheaply made and don't fly like more traditional R/C planes.
Usually one needs to spend between 250-500 to get a decent RTF plane (either electric or glow)
I don't say this to discourage you I only bring this up because I've witnessed first the disappointment of some beginners when they actually tried to learn on these types of planes (Firebirds XLs and Fighterbirds).


Why don't you look up a club and drop by BEFORE you buy any gear?

Askalon

My Feedback: (1)

Depending on your budget, If I were to do it all over again, I would still do the same thing and buy the H9 Extra EZ 2 or the new Hobbico Nexstar. My personal opinion is against the cheap foam park flyers. My Friend had one and after that I decided to save my money for what I consider a real R/C plane. Only difference would be is that I got a better controller.

DanaWatson

How much are these planes?

Crashem

$300-$400 plus you will need field equipment and fuel another $50-$100 depending on how fancy you get also don't forget AMA Membership dues $58.00 (for adults) and club membership $25-$100

It isn't the cheapset hobby out there but it is a lot of fun!!!!!!!!

raptor5900

My Feedback: (4)

hey i pay $13 for ama and $15 for club and $2000 for my plane[:@].........i would go with the nexstar (i think its $425) but it is well worth it from what i've heard i dont have one but i sounds good and looks good.

jdr2008

Dont buy any that you mentioned, especially the sky vector, this wonderful piece of expensive junk is made for someone who can fly a rc plane with experience, not for the beginner regardless of what the advertisement suggests, I know from experience, and I ended up throwing this one in the trash, If you are a beginner like me you need a plane that will stay in the air, a slowflyer, that way you can actally get some experience flying and not picking your plane off the ground in pieces all the time, if your going to get a good beginner plane you are going to be spending around 200 to 400 dollars, and these planes will still get broken, Dont let the price be a discouragement, You get what you pay for,and once you get the hang of flying the plane you will note it was worth every penny you spent, get an instuctor and join a club and the rewards will be even greater, the mini-piper 35 from hobby-lobby is a good beginner plane. good luck and good flying.

neo

The Ripmax trainer 40, the best trainer ever!! Really easy to fly. Best I have flown. And cheap, around £50.

Marcel

rider_89

Hobbico Avistar Select RTF, great plane, will last long since the wings aren't as square on the bottom.

GameHard

Hi
I'm new and looking for a first plane, so I'd like know what do you mean by "square on the bottom."

rider_89

I am fairly new too, but what I mean is most trainer wings are very flat on the bottom for added stability, although this limits what you can do with the plane as far as aerobatics goes. The Avistar is a little more rounded on the bottom of the wing, so you can do more aerobatics and stuff, aswell as still being a great plane to learn on. Just so you don't have to go out and buy a new plane in a couple of months because you get bored, this will last a little longer.

Hope you fine the right plane.

AirGar

My Feedback: (7)

I believe he's referring to the airfoil. Most "trainers" have wings that have flat bottoms to create lift, while the Avistar is a semi-trainer that has a semi-symetrical airfoil (curved on the bottom). A little less drag, doesn't "float" quite as nice as a trainer does, however, still a great first plane to learn on.


When you step up to the "intermediate" class of planes, the airfoils are full-symetrical, or most are.

Best thing to do is buy yourself an "ARF Trainer" and GET HELP with it. Don't try it alone as there is a lot to learn.

To save some bucks, buy when they're sale. ( I bought my trainer at Tower for $79) If money is tight, buy a good "almost new" BB motor right here in the Marketplace. That's right....a NEW plane...but a used motor.

Hope this helped.

Gary

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

I would not recommend any of the planes you listed in the first post.

I started flying in March of 2003. I had no interest in building models, so I
went the R-T-F route. I think this is such a great way to get started.

I was a first timer. However I am also one of these guys that goes into intense
research when I get interested in something. After several months of research,
talking to people, flyers I decided to start with an electric parkflyer. I
looked at lots of planes and packages and selected the Aerobird.

It is a super value and very easy to fly. It includes a peak charger that can
be used in a car, as well as the batteries for the radio. Wings and other
parts are cheap and available at most hobby stores.

The new version, the Aerobird Challenger looks to be an even better performer.
Also, it has two flight modes - Sport for the beginner or relaxed flyer and
expert for the more advanced or aggressive flyer.

HobbyZone AEROBIRD CHALLENGER
THREE CHANNEL ELECTRIC PARKFLYER

Very inexpensive and rugged for a three channel starter - $115-$150
The plane comes complete and fully assembled. Charge the flight battery with
the included 12 V peak charger, put
on the wing, put the included batteries in the transmitter and up you go!
With a little throttle management you can get flights of 12-15 minutes on a
battery.

The plane is very rugged, but there is a full line of parts available at
reasonable cost. You can replace the whole main fuselage for $49 including the
motor and all the flight electronics. A wing is $15 and the tail is $9. So, if
you crash badly you can get everything for under $75 and you are back in the
with a three channel plane.

In addition to being a fun parkflyer, the plane glides very nicely. We
thremal soar the Aerobirds at our glider club field. Because the plane only
has a 42" wingspan it can't go as high as the sailplanes because we would lose
site of it. I have also read reports of people slope soaring with the
Aerobird. This is a very versitle plane.

If you are interested I have written up a tips sheet on how to fix the
Aerobird.

Here is a review of the Aerobird ( before the new Aerobird Challenger)

http://www1.wildhobbies.com/news/def...&articleid=853
On these pages you will find Videos of the Aerobird in flight
http://www.parkflyers.com/html/aerobird_video.html
http://www.modelflight.com.au/model_flight_videos.htm

With 100+ flights on the Aerobird, I fly in 15 MPH winds and fly with great
confidence. Personally, after all the bad landings I am amazed that the plane
still flies, I love it and have recommended it to many friends who fly them
now as well. They all learned very quickly!

SKY SCOOTER PRO II

The Sky Scooter Pro II is another plane I like and recommend to new flyers.
You can get it as an ARF or as a RTF package with a 72 MHZ Hitec 3 channel
radio for about $160. The charger is 12 V, but is not a peak charger, so you
will eventually want to get a peak charger. On the recommended batteries you
get about a 5 minute flight, but there are other batteries you can get that
will extend that to about 10 minutes. I think the Aerobird is a little easier
to fly, but I really enjoyed flying my friend's Sky Scooter Pro II. It is
worth a look.
http://www.hitecrcd.com/Funtec/Pro2.htm
Videos
http://www.hitecrcd.com/Funtec/videos.htm


From Electric Park Flyer to Sailplane

THE GREAT PLANES SPRIT SELECT 2 METER

If you are more interested in sailplanes than parkflyers, the Spirit Select is
completely assembled with all the electronics installed. It includes a 72 MHZ
three channel radio. It is branded Hobbico, but it is really a Hitec radio.

Here is a link to the site where I purchased it for $139 complete!
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXVK55**&P=7

Here is a link to the ARF version where you can find links to two product
reviews. If you want to do some building, the ARF is the route, but for an
extra $40, I got the radio and the plane ready to fly. For me that was
perfect.
http://www.greatplanes.com/airplanes/gpma1045.html
Video
http://www.greatplanes.com/gallery/gpma16.mov

The plane has spoilers built in the wings that are not set-up when you get it.
If you want to use spoilers, you can set them up later, as I did. The third
channel on the radio operates the spoilers. The included instructions tell
you how to do it.

I started flying the Spirit in Mid July and have about 65 flights on it. I now
have that down pretty well. This plane has a reputation of being a great
thermalling plane but I have heard of people flying it on slopes as well. I
is so great when I get it so high it is just a dot in the sky. I recently
built an electric power pod for it so I can launch it with an electric motor
if I like, but can take it back off so that I have a pure sailplane. I
definitely recommend it as a first sailplane.


SPECTRA MOTOR GLIDER

I don't have one of these, but if you are more likely to buy a motor glider
than a pure sailplane, there is a version of the Spirit called the Spectra.
Essentially the same plane, but with a motor. Again, tower has it for $199
RTF - Add $10 for Eveready's and you are set.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXVJ51**&P=7


Both the Aerobird and the Spirit have been a pleasure. I would recommend them
to anyone starting out in electrics or gliders who would like to go the
ready-to-fly route rather then building.

If you are interested in sailplanes/gliders, visit this link and look for the
article on getting started with gliders.

http://www.rclibrary.com/index.php

DanaWatson

Hey! Where were you when I first posted this!?! I could have used all that information.

Oh well, I have bought a Freedom Flyer and I am determined to learn on that plane. It is a very durable, but not as easy to fly as it should be for a beginner plane.

Thanks for the tips. Wish I could have read this about two weeks ago!

Dana

Yub, yub, cmdr!

Wots a freedom flier?

Is it glow or electric?

DanaWatson

It's electric. A very good 3 channel plane. Check out www.littleracers.com

dcw1969

Dana,

I just started flying back in September. Like you, I was new to the hobby and had no real idea what to buy. After doing alot of research and talking to the LHS and some of the guys I met there, who I now fly with, I bought an Alpha RTF. It cost me around $350 and that included everything else I needed to get it running and in the air. I would have to say it's very durable. I have had only one crash and that was caused by radio interference. Plane went nose first into the ground from about 125 feet with the engine still running at about half throttle. The only damage was a busted prop and two busted fuselage formers caused when the RX and battery pack slid forward due to the abrupt stop. Much to my surprise when I pulled it out of the hole, the firewall was still intact. Repair costs were less than $20 and a few hours of my time. I found the Alpha very easy to fly. I only had about a dozen flights with my instructor before I soloed. I had never flown before, not even on a sim, and we didn't use a buddy box. I now have skiis on it and I am still flying as much as I can. From one beginner to another, if this is within your price range, I would take a serious look at it!!

Hope this helps,

Darren