Hi, I'm brand new to the hobby of R/C - Several years back I flew an electric trainer (the model escapes me now), but that flight was less than successful, unless you consider striking a telephone pole as success... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] -- Anyway, I am truly fascinated by the hobby and would love to get into it, yet am not in a position to shell out the $400-$500 I've seen for .40 size Trainers (complete packages w/ radio) -- I saw a few low-end models that look like they'd be fun, while teaching me the basics of radio-controlled flight -- The "Wingo", The "Aerobird", The "Sky Scooter Pro II", and Megatech's Capitol Flyer RTF to name a few...The problem is, I'm completely stumped as to which type of R/C to begin with...

I would like to begin with an electric model, one which allows for me to control throttle, elevator, and rudder and would alos like to simply enjoy the experience...I noticed that the "Wingo" allows for fun "add-on's" like the camera and floats, but am not sure how it performs...While on that note, the Hobbyzone "Fighterbird" and "Firebird Commander" look VERY similar to the Wingo....any thoughts on those??

I'm open to ANY suggestions as to models to purchase

Thanks!

Bill

The Wingo is a very nice flying model but if you look at the price the whole outfit, including radio, batteries etc., you can soon go over $300. I have a GWS Slow Stick that cost complete ready to fly $188. You can get a Hitec Focus 3FM for about $85. The airplane is $35 from Horizon Hobbies. I bought two batteries and a speed control, all GWS. The Hitec radio comes complete with 2 HS55 servos and a 4 channel 555 RX. You will need a battery charger, which I already had. I believe it's Wattage that has a PF12 charger for about $50. This is an electric park flyer and a very good plane to fly. The drawbacks are that the Hitec radio is a 3 channel unless you go for the higher priced Neon which has upgrades that you can add later. In any case there are other aircraft such as the Sig Rascal which includes everything but the radio and is an ARF that you don't have to build. Hobby Lobby has a pretty wide selection of electric models and all the accessories. You can pick what you want and make up any combination yu want that fits somewhere in your budget.

I dont know anything about the other models, but I've got some experience with the <u>wingo</u>. A few years ago I bought myself a glider, but it crashed (not even me flying it) and it took a while to get back into the hobby. Just a few weeks ago I bought the wingo and I'm really pleased with it. Building was easy and took enough effort to enjoy it. After some failures trying to fly it, I got it in the air without any help. First flights were about 5-10 seconds long and it took some really hard landings without any damage.
The first real good flight was very disappointing in flight time, it stayed in the air to do 1 circle and then the battery had no more power. However this changed a lot recently : flights are way longer (about 10 minutes and over) and this is the reason : I quick charged this battery pack immediately and it cant get full that way. You have to charge it at low rates the first couple of times and flights will be much much longer.
It's not a good idea to fly the wingo when there is a lot of wind. I did this once and it stalled immediately and then crashed hard into the ground. Result was a broken wing and some damage to the nose. Good thing about the wingo is the easy repair : I glued the parts together with epoxy and nothing at all has changed to the way it flies, it's just great.

Conclusion : it's easy to build and fly. It doesnt have an enormous amount of power, but it will do to enjoy nice and quiet flights. Without power on, you can put the plane on the ground really easy. I havent tried a lot of stunts, but I guess you can force the plane into some little tricks...although it wasnt designed for this.
I will get the gearbox and bigger prop from hobby lobby, it would be nice to improve the rate of climb of the wingo. For me it's a great plane, it's really great to feel you are in control of it. But like any other beginner plane it has got it's limitations (I havent reached them by far [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img])

Have fun with whatever plane you may choose !!!

I suggest as a first step, that you locate a club near you and go hang out a little and see what the local folk are flying. Most fliers will be glad to talk to you and help you get started. Several in my club have Wingos and clones and they are gentle machines that seem to be a lot of fun to fly. Here are some things to consider.

The support stuff required for electric models is quite different from that required for glow powered airplanes, and once you make the investment in electric support equipment, it will be significant additional expense if you want to try glow power later. Of course the same is true if you start with glow and want to go to electric later. By observing both types in action you may get a feel for which direction you might prefer to start.

To buy all new does require an investment of several hundred dollars but second hand trainers and equipment can sometimes be found quite cheaply and it sometimes comes with some hands on training. One of the big advantages of membership in a club is the sharing of help from more experienced modelers.

On the surface, electric appears cheaper in first cost, however you’ll soon want to replace the somewhat primitive charger supplied with the package with a peak charger, then a field charger, then additional batteries, then meters, and so on. By the time you have graduated into the more sophisticated electric machines the cost is getting right up there with the glow powered planes.

Electric powered airplanes operate with the actuation of a switch, they always start, they are quiet, there is no fuel to damage the finish, and there is no oily residue to be cleaned after each flight. The power source (motor plus batteries) is generally heavier than a glow engine plus fuel for the same power output. The initial power starts out strong the diminishes during the flight whereas a glow engine can put out it’s full power throughout the flight. To fly the electric powered one again, the battery has to be recharged for quite a while, or the battery must be swapped for one with a full charge. A glow powered aircraft can be flown again as soon as it can be refueled. To enjoy flying glow powered consistantly it is necessary to learn some basics of engine operation. Although modern engines are quite dependable they can sometimes be frustrating. Electric models are generally smaller than engine powered machines. Electric airplanes as large as the typical .40-.60 craft can get very expensive.

Decisions regarding how to start in radio control are not simple, and the more you can observe first hand the more likely you will be to make a decision you can enjoy for years to come.

I have flown the Capital Flyer from Megatech and can tell you it is a very easy flyer. I am virtually brand new to this whole rc thing and even I could fly it. There are a couple of weak links on this plane but over all it is a good buy at $135-$150. The props in my oppinion are a weak link if you decide to get one I would suggest getting a couple extra props. Also like the Wingo this plane does not like much wind. Max wind speed I would attempt to fly it in would be 5-7 mph they say it is good upto 10-15 but I don't think so. The plane will take some licks too my friends acctually owns the plane and we have yet to have a completely succesfull flight (we can't seem to get the landings down) the only thing we have broke on repeated "landings" or crashes is the prop. The last fly my friend took the plane up and did a bit more damage to it though but he also hit the ground at about 40-50 mph though so yeah it is pretty tough. Even after hearing the terrible crunch of the crash we only had to order new landing gear, prop, and a horizonal stablizer with control horns. By the way the parts are cheap too. So yeah I would say the Capital Flyer is a good plane at a good price. That is just my 2 cents. But good luck with what ever plane you pick.