I am just starting looking around at R/C planes. I want to get a trainer airplane. I was looking at the thunder tiger trainer with a .60 engine and the other thunder tiger with a .40 engine. I don't know what al I have to buy to get going but I will take my time in the preperation and I am in no hurry to just jump up and fly. I want to be careful and learn the right way. Any tips or anthing?

Standard advice.

Look up the AMA (Youa re in the USA Arn't you?), and find a club nearby.

Contact the contact person, and find out when the beginner;s sessions are.

Visit for the beginner's session, and get an idea of what happens in the club.

Go from there.

gus

Welcome to RCU and the addiction (hobby)!

Find a local club and go to the field on a Saturday or Sunday and just sit, watch, and listen (ask questions, too); most people are more than willing to talk with prospective hobbyists and explain pros/cons and give tips. You will learn a LOT this way. You can also see planes and techniques and decide for yourself which you think would be better for you.

IMHO this is the best way to get involved in the hobby. Most clubs offer training free of charge to members and some even have a trainer plane on hand to let you have a try "at the sticks" to see what you think.

There is also a TON of information here on RCU; thousands upons thousands of hours of experience to learn from. It's amazing!

G~

There is also a lot of reading on the net available to help you out while you explore. You'll find tons of good advice in these forums. Also, the [link=http://www.towerhobbies.com]Tower Hobbies[/link] website also has a "Getting Started in R/C" section that might provide you with some good basic information (you can find the link in the bottom left of the main page).

Now that there is enough info here on where to go, I will give you some info on some good beginer packages. If I were to do it all again, I would get started with one of the 2 packages that Hobbico has to offer. Here they are! [link=http://www.hobbiconexstar.com/]NexSTAR SELECT[/link] ..... I think this is a great deal. You are flying in 20 minutes! You get the top of the line engine, a futaba radio AND a computer simulator which is very useful.

[link=http://www.hobbico.com/airplanes/hcaa16.html]AVISTAR SELECT[/link] .... this is another great deal from Hobbico.

Just surf around the web, go to the club and ask questions, and have fun.

Don't forget the Hobbico Superstar (basically the same plane as the Thunder Tiger except Futaba gear instead of Airtronics). This is the plane I learned on and the one my 10yr old son has done his first take offs and landings on. While it may not be as acrobatic as the Avistar or Hobbistar, it is a great first flight plane. I can't think of anything that the Hobbistar can do that the Superstar can't. You may need to practice a little longer to do the aerobatics on the Superstar as it has more of a tendency to get you back to flat level flight. I plan to keep a Superstar around. I like to get it out for a relaxing flight, or to practice rolling circles, or to wring it out down low. I greatly enjoy getting it out with the buddy cord to introduce someone new to the hobby.

A big plus for me with the Superstar is that the flat bottom wing is much easier for me to repair straight and true than a symmetrical wing.

Dave

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In our area Futaba is the radio of choice. If the radio of choice in your area is Airtronics, I would give the nod to the Thunder Tiger.

I'm about to retire my trainer, so some advice is based upon all that it went thru:

If you buy a trainer, look for the Evolution engine. It is a very easy engine for your first one. You don't need to spend time tinkering around with engines- you need to be flying with an instructor. The Evo is always easy to start, it stays tuned right, and they rarely quit in flight. And, they have a lot of power.

Try and either buy a trainer with a nylon bolt landing gear setup, or ask someone at the field about modifying yours over. You are going to be landing hard....often. The nylon bolts shear off and saves the fuselage bottom on hard landings. You just replace them and go back to flying if it wasn't a catastrophic landing.

Get someone at the field to look the plane over. Almost all ARF trainers need reinforcing to make them tougher as you are going to brutalize the plane for a while. A little triangular balsa stock glued here and there will make your trainer last longer. The engine firewall is a good place to beef up.

Anyway, it may sound all bad but it isn't. It is just how it is with a trainer. We have to learn on something, and a good trainer will let you learn and have fun. I got my trainer second hand and had the usual bout with hard landings, etc. It has now been repaired and strengthened where it needs it, and will probably last thru a couple more new guys.

I agree. Find a club through the AMA and pay them a visit. Ask lots of questions while your there.

BTW, some clubs have a trainer airplane so you can get started and see what you think of the hobby before spending any moolah.

I WOULD NOT suggest a "package" setup. The engine, while fine for a trainer, USUALLY has marginal power for a second plane. The radio is USUALLY a base 4 channel radio. Many people, by their 4th or 5th plane want flaps/retracts. If all you have is the 4 channel radio, it means buying a new radio.

I would suggest getting an ARF trainer, a decent ball bearing 46 engine (Thunder Tiger, OS FX/AX series, GMS) and a 6 channel (or more) COMPUTER radio. The initial cost is a little higher, but in the long run it is cheaper.

As for the engines, stay away from the OS LA series. Do a search on MDS and form your own decision on that brand. The 3 brands I suggested are very user friendly and USUALLY run great right out of the box. GMS is the cheapest, Thunder Tiger in the middle and OS the most expensive - price difference between the 3 is usually less than $40.

Okay here is my $.02...I started with the Hobbico Avistar and the OS .46LA...great plane and great engine..2 years later and it's still going..plane is sturdy and motor dependable..no problems at all...It's your money you decide...

The Evo trainer engine will be about 1000% easier to run than the brands you mentioned. I had a TT, an OS, and the Evo. No comparison between them. I've spent hours on the TT and OS compared to mere minutes with the Evo. The Evo only deadsticked twice and that was due to a lot of trash in the needle valve from beginner noseover landings. The TT and OS? Well, they made me pretty good at landing deadstick. They both are hard to get tuned and stay tuned. The Evo cranks and runs great every time. Period. That is just what a beginner needs, not teadious tuning lessons and deadsticks. When a beginner gets tired of the trainer a bit, he can replace the flywheel and go to a 2 bladed prop for more power and pull for less than $5.