Hi all,

I was wandering if you all could give me your oppoins on what is a good electric plane to start with before I move to glow. I wanted to start with electric becase they are cheaper and easyer to fly.(from what I was told) I would like a plane that would have all the same things that a glow does so when I move over to glow it make it easy for me.

Hobbico makes an electric trainer, the Superstar EP (or is it the Avistar EP?) Anyway, both are good as Glow powered, I don't see why the electric ones wouldn't be. Some of the more experienced folks here might disagree, however.....

Not quite true

Not sure what you mean. But the best why to learn how to fly glow planes is learn using a GLOW plane.

To start with new equipment expect to spend 300-600 dollars If you go used you can save some bucks just becareful you don't get "stuck"

What I mean, I would like a plane that I can learn to fly with and do some trick with. After I get good and not crash so much I would like to move to a glow. But for now, I would like to get a tranier that has the abality to do tricks and would let me make the transion to glow much easier.

I'm assuming you plan on learning by yourself....

If that is the case get you might want to consider a plane that can't do many tricks (The trick will be keeping it from getting destroyed) Then progress to a slightly more aerobatic plane as your skills progress...

The best way to learn is to go glow and get an instructor at your local flying club. Going electric first has the advantage of giving you a more durable plane....mainly due to thier lightness, most electrics dont even weigh a pound and most of them are foam. If you crash one, its not a huge loss.

The telemaster is a nice electric, but it is a wood kit if my memory serves me correctly. But if you get that you might as well go glow.
With glow there is more to know and more to learn...but if you approach it correctly, it'll be very easy to learn. I am in the process of building a SIG LT-40 (glow plane) and it is my first plane. I thought about going electric, but after LOTS of research decided against it. One reason why is because they only fly for about 8-10 minutes on a battery. You can get another battery, which isn't cheap. Glow can fly forever, just land a refuel. So you can fly with an instructor until you get tired, not until the 8 minutes expires. Also, for me the fun of building a kit was attractive. I am college kid, 22 yrs old, and dont have a lot of money....the built in delay of building a kit, allows the fun to start immediately and allows a few paychecks to come it meanwhile. A foam electric or any ARF for that matter, would just sit around until I got more money to buy the other parts.

If you went glow, you wouldn't regret it. I guarantee it. Electric is fine, but its like buying a bicycle to learn to ride a Harley. Just learn to ride the Harley, slowly and at your own pace. read literature on it, and once you learn....you've got a Harley, and not a bicycle!

Hope this helps.

One more thing to ask, who has the best prices out there. Both for glow and electric

SOME OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER.

MOST electric trainers are 3 channel (Rudder, elevator and throttle OR rudder, aileron and throttle). MOST glow trainers are 4 channel (rudder, elevator, aileron and throttle). MANY of the electric trainers have difficulty (especially the park flyer size) with wind much over 5 mph. Much of your equipment is most likely not going to be useable for a glo plane unless you select it very carefully. Even selecting it carefully, items such as the servos will most likely not be useable (not enough torque).

I would suggest starting with glow. If you do decide to go with glow first, spend a little extra money and get a 6 (or more) channel COMPUTER radio, a decent ball bearing 46 engine such as Thunder Tiger Pro, GMS or OS (stay away from the OS LA series and MDS). The brands I have suggested are user friendly and have plenty of power. There are several very good ARF trainers out there. Hobbico SuperStar and Avistar, and the SIG LT-40 are just two of them (about $100 - $150 for the plane).

This will allow you to grow into the transmitter with out having to get a new one in a year or so, and the engine (and electronics from your trainer) will be able to be used in a second plane. The glow planes can also handle a lot more wind (because they are heavier), and because they are larger, they are easier to see and see what the plane is doing.

PACKAGE TRAINER DEALS

I would STRONGLY SUGGEST you stay away from the NexStar if considering a package deal. The majority of users have had nothing but trouble with the AFS and for the same money (or just a little more) you can get what I have outlined above.
The trainer "package deals" have a BASE LEVEL 4 channel radio and a bushed bearing engine. While these aren't bad for a trainer, the power in the engine is often marginal for use in a second plane and the computer radio offers a lot of options that you will be using very quickly, such as trim memory, model memory (you will wind up with several planes), and additional channels for things you will most likely have in a 3rd or 4th plane such as retractable landing gear and flaps. One other thing, MOST trainers fly pretty much the same.

LEARNING TO FLY.

People have done it on their own. I would not recommend it though. Teaching yourself to fly has a steep learning curve and an awful lot of frustration built into it (not to mention it can get very expensive). The first flight of someone teaching themself the fly is USUALLY less than 30 seconds and NORMALLY results in "rekitting" the plane.

A simulator will help quite a bit, but it can not teach you to fly. It is excellent for practicing what you have been taught and new manuvers as you advance. FMS is a free D/L that requires you to provide an interface cable and use your transmitter. FMS is a PRETTY GOOD sim. At the other end of the spectrum is ReafFlight G2. This costs about $200, but comes with a computer interface (looks like and operates like a transmitter) and is probably the closest you can come to flying without actually flying the plane. There are differences between the sim and the actual plane and flying, this is why a sim will not teach you how to fly.

I don't think that electric airplanes are necessarily cheaper to fly. Depending on the gear you get, you may end up spending more.

For example, I paid twice as much for lighter servos than a .40 glow trainer would use and more again for a lighter receiver. I also needed to buy two extra batteries and charger which was another $60. This is for a park flyer. If you want a big bird that flys electrically, then you're talking more. Then you need an Electronic Speed Control. Prices get even higher if the electronics are for a brushless motor setup (which you don't need, but is, apparently a great upgrade).

If you are building from a kit, the savings are few. The two electric park flyer kits I have were about $25 and $35. My .40 trainer kit was $45. The park flyer kits are a rip-off if you think in terms of price per pound.

Heed the wind warnings for Slow Flyers. Last windy day I took my Slow Stick out was not that much fun. It was like flying a kite for the amount of headway I made into the wind.

If you're learning alone, get a simulator to put you in the ball park about what it is like to fly (FMS is free), consider a Slow Stick as you can use standard RX and servos in it, with the intention of moving to a little faster e-trainer (which will likely need smaller servos and RX), or look for someone to help you learn on the glow powered aircraft right off the start.

I started on an Aerobird and love it and recommend it highly, but it is a
ready to fly package which includes the radio.

http://horizon.hobbyshopnow.com/prod...p?prod=HBZ3500



These are ARFs

Terry
http://www.hobby-lobby.com/terry.htm

Tipsey
http://www.hobby-lobby.com/tipsy.htm

Tiger Moth
http://horizon.hobbyshopnow.com/prod...p?prod=GWS1020

Slow stick
http://horizon.hobbyshopnow.com/prod...p?prod=GWS1040


Take a look, ask your questions

I also started on an aerobird and went to glow. Worked for me!

I started on a FireBirdII (2 channel) and quickly mod'd the tail with business cards taped to the 'ruddervators' to increase the control surface, then eventually upgraded to a speed wing, then a larger battery. I can do chandels and a sort of roll/loop thing, fly in 15 mph+ winds and ride thermals. I've spent about $300 canadian so far (base plane, 2 extra batteries, speed battery, 1 wing, 1 speedwing, 2 tails) but, I had no help in learning to fly (except reading the forums and the manaul). I could probably transition into a proper 3 channel kit plane with reusable electronics but I'm going to get an Aerobird Challenger. It's still a V-Tail but with tail mods will be a good trainer for basic areobatics. I've found that the electric, foam planes are very crash resistant and quick, cheap and easy to repair. As for battery life, it takes me 90 minutes to go through 3 batteries (lots of gliding/sailing) and if I charged the first battery while flying the other two I could spend most of the day in the air with only minimal breaks (and you don't have to buy more fuel).
Basically this kit had me out flying the day I bought it. A week later I was ready to upgrade and now that a month has passed I would be hard pressed to crash this plane. My local flying club membership is $50/year plus an AMA membership, which meant that trying to jump into GLOW right away added almost $100 to the price, plus having to beg instruction time from someone at the club, plus driving all the way across and out of town to the club. plus plus plus.

medic_4077

That is a great success story. Congratulations!

You will enjoy the Challenger. It is much more responsive and much more capable.

One thing I would like to ask about. You said the plane is still a V tail. Do you feel there is something poor or bad about V tails? Lots of planes have V tails. Some large sailplanes that cost thousands of dollars and win world competitions fly with V tails.

Just in case you were not aware of the common use and merits of the V. One big advantage over standard tails is that it is much less prone to damage when you land in grass, or if you land off angle.

I have planes with V's, T's, standard tails and planes with no tail at all. They all fly well.

Slow stick, and other GWS products. They are good for one stop shopping for a begginer's electric.

Jetts