Success in teaching yourself is directly proportional to the amount of time you spend preparing. Having a plan, reading books, and learning to operate the engine and equipment are all vital parts of preparation that should be done long before you intend to fly.

WOW - Thanks Red B!!

That was a great post about teaching yourself to fly! The majority of the comments are to the tune of don't fly alone ever type of thing, but you took the considerable time to answer the question. Congrats!!!

I have an instructor, but he doesn't seem to like doing it too much... I want to be able to take some basic skills I learned from him and try some small flights by myself. The program you layed out sounds PERFECT!!

Thanks again!!

Well... "Don't fly alone" is good advice.

If an accident happens... someone has to call the paramedics. And no matter how good you are... you can have a "brain fade" and stick a hand in the prop.

It doesn't matter is you are a first time beginner or Chip Hyde... you should have someone else at the flying site with you.

I agree, -
Learn by yourself if you choose, but don't learn to fly alone. (although some may have to in certain cases) also make sure that there aren't people around the areas of the field where you intend flying over.
I learnt by myself ( still learning ) mainly because of some peoples' attitude, and the need for a special chair to sit in.
Had quite a few crashes but my trainer was a very inexpensive scratch built "almost unbreakable" type. - you don't need a beautiful looking expensive aircraft. just an inexpensive, docile, predictable one.

A simulator is a very good start for teaching you orientation etc. if you can get access to one.

There is a few people on this site that says they have done it.
I personally do not know any one that has done it with success.
But i have had a few that tried with no success and has sense
been trained by me and now are avid flyiers. We have 2 big
clubs near us and we train for those clubs at times when they
have a lot of people to be trained. Our club is very small and
way out in the boonies. 70 % of the people we train doesnt
join our club. They like the newer and bigger clubs. We do our
part for the R/C community ever chances we get.

If you try it own you own than good luck.

Oh no. I might cut my widdle finger. [&o] While I'm at it I better hire somebody full time to be with me 24/7 because I might stub my toe... and that would hurt a lot so I need somebody to kiss it for me and make it all better. Thanks for the TLC mom... I feel much better now.

More FHHuber drama as usual. Well drama is good for entertainment I guess.

MikeMc+++
I am one of those whom has taught myself to fly.
It is 1. challenging.
2. sorta expensive, unless you use your head, and start out at the bottom, with a foam hand launched glider-no radio, then learn to trim. Move up to rubber power, then to a park flier. The to Glow/gas R/C. (wish they would have had park flyers when I started, made my own from a 4' span foam glider, 2 channel radio, speed 400.)
3. A great way to learn, if you have time, patients, and a little spending money. ESPECIALLY IF THERE IS NO ONE IN YOUR AREA.

I would not trade my self taught experience for anything. I fly alone fairly often, and the only time I've been injured is when I was with others, and not paying close enough attention. I have put on a couple of spectacular bleeding shows for the students!!!!!

Been flying for 16 years, and if I hadn't taught myself, I wouldn't be flying! When teaching yourself is the only alternative- go for it.

Jetts

I taught myself to fly control line. It took me a summer and many crashes and I now fly with my handle upside down in relation to everyone else. My point is that I spent a lot of time and effort learning mistakes. If I had had the assistance of an experienced instructor I would be much better off today.

I have flown alone a good bit. It is indeed more dangerous than flying with others. You have to be completely responsible for situational awareness. This means you cannot concentrate on flying as much as you would like, plus your situational awareness is probably not what it should be. As said, if you have a problem, there is no help. Twice I have had to drive myself to the emergency room.

Jim

That is your experience, and in your way of looking at things ( and most other people's ) what you say is probably all correct.
However, in my case I know that I learned by myself - first by access to a simulator to get my coordination right, then by the odd crash, and the odd cut finger, to wake up my ideas, I made it!

The key to the whole effort was to scratch build an almost indestructable aircraft, ( which cost me all of $10 and a little time).
An instructor would have been great, but I went along to a local club who frowned on my aircraft and was rather obstructive, so I decided to try by myself, and was successful!

Another reason for this decision was that I'm not able to look up or sideways and need to sit in a special chair ( which I mentioned before ).

My main point is, too many people are put off at the beginning by the huge list of rules, (which are often flaunted by the rulemakers themselves), and the cost of kits which often only survive one crash.
In my opinion, only a few sensible rules are necessary, and only a very inexpensive aircraft is necessary to learn on.

Willdo++

++

My dad taught himself how to fly. It got really, realy expensive though. Started off with a Firebird, then a sky scooter, then a soarstar, then an avistar. My dad soloed his avistar and still has it today after 2 years. Never crashed, but it was very expensive and took lots of time just to solo glow plane.

You sure can, Unless you listen to over bearing know-it-alls like FHHuber. It's a darn good thing the Wright Bro's didn't have a guy like him working for them or none of us would ever fly. It's your plane, you can play with it if you want to. Just Make sure you have plenty of open space with NO ONE around. Dont bring anyone along to watch, it will just be one more thing for you to watch out for. Dont worry about needing someone to drive you to the doctor if you get your finger cut by the prop. I never heard of anyone dieing from a cut finger. I personaly have driven myself 60 miles to the hospital with a crushed foot(not flying related). The guy's who say "you cant teach yourself" all seem to be on a power trip. They seem to think that they are the holders of sacrid knowledge and you MUST ask them to impart some of their secrets to you or you will die, or kill some one else. BS..... Just do it buddy. I would be willing to place a very large bet that more RCers die while driving to the field than die from being hit by a plane. You want to talk about a dangerous hobby? My other hobby is High Power Rifle competiton. We are NOT required to join ANY sanctiony body OR carry any special insurance OR be taught by an instructor. You just go out and buy a rifle and show up at the range with enough ammo to complete the course. It would be a very good idea for you to start with one of the indestructable type planes like the Aircore or Dura-trainer. These planes will be very forgiving of your first mistakes and allow you to crash without destroying all of your hard work. Or you can go the way of my good buddy Willdo and build one from scratch like he did. Either way will work fine. First step to teaching your self is to ignore the know-it-alls and listen to the guy's who have done it. Red B gave you some GREAT advice although I would avoid a tail drager, they are harder to handle on the ground. Maybe thats why he say's you should burn up 2 gallons on the ground. I only taxied around for a couple tanks of fuel before I just had to take off. I see his point though and if you have a tail drager go ahead and give it a shot. If you learn on a tail drager you will probably be miles ahead in the long run. I think I will wait untill I get the trike gear thing down before I add the difficulties involed in tail drager ground handleing. But thats just me. Now get out there and start flying.

The answer is not to buy great looking expensive kits,
Scratch build a soft foamie reinforce it with wooden spars and cover it with parcel tape, (I will describe how I did it, - with directions from a friend, - if anyone is interested), but it's basically similar to the inexpensive slope soarers (but with different type of spars). Very tough machines, good enough to learn on cheaply!
Go to the expensive ones if you want to, after you have learnt to fly on one of these simple contraptions.

If you are shunned by others who want to show off or be pompous, then learn by yourself (carefully, away from other people, and of course applying all the commonsense rules. ie. don't be bl***y stupid), and above all don't try to adjust your mixture through the prop!

I know, I did it this way! I'm still not a great flyer but I sure am happy to have done it the way I did.

PS: Todd, we must have been typing at the same time, and it looks like you pressed the button first! Thanks for the vote of confidence. I guess I would have bought one of your type of "indestructable kits" before someone showed me how to build the one I'm using - I liked the price!

Its great advice like this that always makes me laugh. He has been flying what, about a month, and knows how everything works and how everyone learns. Its great advice like this that gets people hurt. FHHuber at least has some common sense.

Learning on your own is not impossible, and some have done it. What you are not getting from the ones that do learn on their own is that if you have an instructor, he can save you a lot of headaches because he can show you easier ways to do some things, or help make the engine work when it doesn't. I have a frined that has gone through at least 3 engines now because he doesn't want to take the time to work with them and make them run right. Its easier to just sell it cheap and move on. Fine for some, not all.

Instructors are not a bad thing. You might learn something and make a friend. If you must go it alone, just do it carefully. It isn't impossible.

I just remembered the most durable plane I ever saw. It was a plastic baseball bat with a foam wing. Don't know what size engine but it was pretty small like15 maybe with a fixed throttle (wide open obviously). These 2 guys had a pair and beat the livin crap outa them. Intentional midair collosions and crashing into everything they could and just put some more rubber bands on and kept going.

We used to fly combat gliders like that. Man were they tough.

True intructors are great help and a lot of people would never fly without them, but what you are not getting is some people enjoy the challange, or headache as you call it, of doing something 100% for them self even if it is a hundred times harder. If you want to learn from and instructor then that's great and I'm 100% behind you. If you want to learn on your own then that's great too. What my best friend in the whole wide world, FHHuber, continues to faile to see is that most adults like to decide for themself.

Edit: I removed the last part because I don't it to sound too strong. Wasn't intended that way. You can read the revision if you really want to.

Edit: more typos

And they should. The ones I worry about are the 12 to 14 year old kids who don't understand the dangers and think they can test fly a plane in a K mart Parking lot or in front of their house in a crowded neighborhood.

I remember flying my Falcon when I was about 14 off the street and over the field across from the house and when dad found out, I didn't fly for a month. I at the time didn't think about what that plane could do to a house, car, kid or anything else it hit.

Its not rocket science to learn to fly one and the first kid I saw fly one with absolutely no help but a sim amazed the heck out of me. I would have said it was impossible if I wouldn't have seen it with my own eyes, but he did well and put it down in a very tight spot. Was funny as heck watching him try to get it started though. I offered to help and he wouldn't hear of it.

Oh well, to each their own.

That's good to hear. I worry about them too.

Oh? well now flyboy, I am a funny guy, and thanks for letting me make you laugh. I think your last two sentences say the exact same thing my post did. (If you must go it alone, just do it carefully. It isn't impossible. ) The satisfaction of teaching yourself to fly will far outweigh any additional expense incured in the process, but then I am an independent SOB.
And your ignorance of my flying experience or lack there of, and your proffessing to know my level of knowledge shows you have a lack of common sense. Never assume that someone only has a month a flight experience when you don't know for sure. I have been flying model planes since 1968. I have possessed an A&P license since 1984. I have a couple years of experience as a crew chief on UH-1H's in the US Army and I cant even count how many hours I have in the air in all kinds of planes from Stearmans to Cubs to 150's, 172's, 185's, 310's, Comanche's, Apache's, Staggerwings, etc,etc,etc..I was taught full scale aerobatics at the age of 13 in a citabria. And YES all of that experience is relevant to RC flying. So nanner nanner dude, stick that in your pipe and smoke it. heheheheeee.....Never assume ANYTHING, it will come back to bite you. I never said that instructors where a bad thing, just the know-it-alls that claim to be instructors from heaven.

P.S. tell your friend that I want to buy the next engine that he can't figure out, I love a deal. But at least I won't be hopeing for him to fail so I can get it like your buddy fubar,(spelling changed to reflect attitude) what a nice guy he is eh?

P.S.S. Howdy Willdo, I guess I was just a little faster on the draw, er..I meen click.

My error todd. I took it when you said you just taxied around a couple tanks and then took off to mean you just started. Sorry for the confusion. The way you wrote it, you sounded a lot like a few others who just started and have the attitude that the guys trying to help on here are all stupid because they want people to use instructors. No offence meant. I just hate seeing people telling newbies to go out and crash a plane when help is so close. I guess I don't have the attitude that doing it alone is so much better. I was taught by a nationals champ, and have always strived to be the best pilot around. The ones that come to the field and have the attitude that if they don't crash they didn't have fun drive me nuts. I fly as hard as anyone else and do more with a plane than most around here ever thought of doing, but I don't make a habit of crashing. Being a good pilot both full scale and RC is all about attitude. The ones with the bad attitudes don't last long in either. I have seen it before and a couple guys that worked for me in full scale had the MACHO attitude and ended up crashing. Its something that doesn't have to happen.

Have fun and be safe. Thats all that matters in the end.

I am an engineer ( tradesman, journeyman, whatever) and I am the only one in our company, I do a sterling job, but I am constantly harassed by various officious people from the office who consider themselves to be my "superior", not by virtue of what they can do, but because they wear a shirt and tie and I don't. - and they couldn't do my job even if they tried.
Now ( at 60 ) I have got a little fed up with this, so I have started model flying to relax, and what do I find? they're in the model aircraft club too! AAAGH! - so much for relaxing. It's not my lack of white shirt and tie now, it's my lack of a proper aircraft! - So I learnt by myself for that reason (and others).

Mr. Huber, You are undoubtedly a good and well meaning guy, and you're correct in what you say, but there are many different ways of solving problems. Unfortunately some people have a habit of slapping a rule on everything, and God help anyone who comes up with a different workable solution. ( happens in governments too)

I agree, with teaching kids properly though, but kids are unlikely to go out on their own to try these things anyway, they'll either be with their parents, or friends' parents etc.

I don't think anyone here said instructors were a bad thing. Just because a person wants to know if he can learn on his own doens't mean he or anyone else thinks that instructors are a bad thing. Where would you get an idea like that?

Flyboy, No problem guy, I AM new to RC flying but not aviation. I think I probably should apoligize to Mr. FHHuber for picking on him about this subject. I singled him out because of his comments, the way he jumped on the originator of this post was wrong. Hopeing for the guy to fail is not very productive and is a sure way to chase people away from the hobby. He is not the only one who seems to have a problem with learning on your own but he is one of the most vocal on the subject. I did unfairly single him out though and I apoligize for that. My comments directed at him are also unproductive. Sorry FHHuber.
I can see that for some people an instructor may be needed but when someone wants to do it on their own you should NOT try to put them down for it. Give them as much info as you can/want to and maybe even a pat on the back for having the b$%#s to try it. It just aint cool to be a jerk about it. If someone wants to learn on their own they have probably figured out that they could crash and it just might break something and cost a few dollars to fix it. If they have made the choice anyway why would you care? You didnt buy their plane for them. Now if someone shows up at a crowded field and wants to try their first flight on their own in among the everyone else I would think that would be a big problem, but out in the boonies all alone? no problem, it's their money and their plane.
Crashing isn't all that much fun either, although it can be funny, as long as it's an RC plane you at least get to walk away from it and it wont cost you a fortune, unless you hit something expensive, or something that bleeds. Thats why I think you should be alone, out in the middle of nowhere for awhile. This is supposed to be fun, isn't it? I have crashed my plane twice, once my fault, first attempt at flying more than a few feet. And the other time dead stick after an aborted landing approach. I guess you could call the time I stuffed it in the ground to keep from hitting myself a crash too but I think of it as more of a forced landing. Thankfully my Aircore can handle it and I was back in the air shortly after every time.

Willdo, your boss/superiors fly's at your club? Oh man, I couldn't handle that... She is just toooo needy of my attention at the office and it would probably be the same at the field. Todd, help me with this, Todd will you take care of that for me, Todd, can you do me a BIG favor.. AaAahhhhhh.......I'm already missing to much hair.