well i just bought my first remote control airplane off the internet and it should be in monday. I ordered the Graupner Extra 300 S ARF Airplane(http://www.hobby-lobby.com/extra300.htm) with all the required stuff Price came out to be about $570. ok here are some questions. when it says that it is a 2-stroke engine that means it takes the gas/oil mixture right? the same stuff you would put in a 2-stroke weedeater? or is there some special fuel your supposed to use? has anyone flown this plane? when i bought it i was looking for a fast and fun plane ( i know i know not good for begginers but i couldnt resist) also it had to have a resonable price. Unforently there are no hobby stores around that sell remote control anything! so im forced to buy off the net. any advice would be helpful! thanks

ok, dont put in the stuff for the weed eater, go on the internet and buy some Glow Fuel, and get 15% nitro, and pick up atleast a gallon, maybe 2. Befor you fly it, you are going to need to break in the engine, it will tell you what to do. Another thing you will need pick up are props, the book that comes with the engine will tell you what size you neeed, and they are also on the internet, pick up a couple, because they will break, Also, join the AMA (www.modelaircraft.org) , find a club and a good intructor to help you, and you might want to pick up a trainer to get started

if you have any questions, you can PM me

haha yeah i thought weedeater fuel didnt sound right [sm=spinnyeyes.gif] thanks for all the info, i bought a little kit that comes with some props, glow sticks, iginiter sticks, and a fuel pump the kit claimed that all i needed is fuel after buying all the stuff. so ill go look for that fuel and buy a bunch. thanks for the website ill be sure to check it out! thanks again!

i tried to PM ya but it wouldnt let me, but how does this stuff look http://www.towerhobbies.com/products/towp1350.html i plan on buying the 4 gallon stuff, good price good product? i did notice the $20 shipping fee[:@]

NegativeEffect15,

Just curious. Are you going to have an instructor help you learn to fly the plane?

yeah, there is a r/c airport behind my yard and they invited me come over and learn (they crash their planes in the back of my yard sometimes and cuz i dont realy mind going get them for them they invited me) so i bought one last night


side note: i just had an interesting idea, are there kits that you can install tiny video cameras on the airplane and have it transmit the video to a laptop? that would be interesting to see.

A Extra 300 for a first plane??? Wow that will be interesting to say the least..... If I were you I would put the 300 on the bench for now and invest in a high wing trainer!

John

gez, haha well umm do ya know any that are under $100? also, can i use the controller for other planes or would i ahve to buy another one of those?

yes you can use the same radio..... probally the engine too.... only reason I said that is because the 300 isn't a very forgiving plane, and thats what you need when starting out. What size 300 is it? and whats the engine size?

Thunder Tiger Pro 61 R/C Aircraft Engine is what it comes with, so what kind of trainer should i look for? 63” wingspan, 46” overall length, 639 sq. in. wing area, 90 oz. flying weight. thats its specs

The gas looks fine, I haven't used it, but towerhobbies is a good company

To stay close to the $100.00 price range [link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCAS1&P=0]tower trainer[/link] that might be a good place to start. I always look at two things when I pick a plane... First the design and any feed back I can get on performance... and second you have to like the way it looks to enjoy it...just my opinon for what it's worth

John

would i have to buy more servos, servo extentions, and prop? i noticed i can use the engine i already bought and the radio i already bought but do i need all those parts i listed?

I have to second what Flyin Junkie is saying........

Ok u might like the plane as they are fast but it will only be fast until you crash it and you will [&o], its not a plane to learn on plain and simple...... this type of plane should really be your 3rd/4th plane, so keep it and build it and then it will give you something to aim for... and for any instructor to teach you using that.... well all i can say is they cant be much of an instructor..... you should start with a basic High Wing Trainer which are very stable in the air and very forgiving and you can do and learn nearly all the moves on a standard trainer then when youve mastered it then move on but not before as this will be an expensive mistake and might put you off this excellent hobby......

Get the right advice first and instruction and it will pay off in the long run.... good luck

You could either pull out the servos and rx from the 300 or buy a flight pack on the same channel as the 300.

John

Hi and welcome aboard, NegativeEffect15.

I'm glad you're looking for advice, and everybody sure has some! I'll go on record with the guys who recommend a high wing trainer. That will be the best investment you could make, and I'll suggest the standard ones: Kadet, RCM Trainer, and the house brand trainers from Tower and other marketers.

One other item that is expensive, but a good investment : RC flight simulators. There are expensive ones, and free ones, and they all help. It's difficult to explain how focused you must be on a trainer, and that goes double for the Extra. The simulator offers you the chance to practice, and if a reversed control causes the simulator plane to crash... you just restart the program!

I'll bet you find it's all fun.

Best wishes,
Dave Olson

thanks for all the help, ive decided to cancel my order and get the extra when i feel im ready for now im going with the Tower Hobbies Tower Trainer 60 MKII ARF .46-.61,69.5" and its complete kit, its about $200 cheaper than the extra too so thats good. thanks for all your help

what a pity!i would have said GO FOR IT.with a very good instructor i think you would be o.k. with low rates,my first plane was an aerobatic low-winger ,it taught me a lot very quickly and no i didn't smash it into little bits,in fact i only sold it 3 months ago after 3 years flying,and to all those who say "it's too fast",the throttle works both ways you know!

i think you did the right thing

well, its not like i cant buy the Extra later but i have to agree with everyone else that i need to get some exp. before getting something like that. and its still has the same size engine as the extra so it may be just as fast i dunno. but im sure ill love it! but now i ahve to wait till like the 27th before it comes in stupid shipping

thats why you need a LHS, start your own, make decent money

we used to have a cool R/C shop that had jet planes and reg plans, he also custom built jet cars, crazy! but he went out of business, id love to own a dealership around here i just dunno if it would be profitable

NegativeEffect15,

I think you made a very wise choice! I didn't say you could not learn on a 300 but it will be easier on the trainer thats for sure. It will forgive you for the mistakes you make in the begining.... The extra 300 would not have been that easy with you.

Good Luck and Most of All Have Fun!

John

thanks everyone, im sure ill have a good time with this plane...but ill be honest my dream plane is a huge B-17 with workin bombbay doors retract gears everything! ive seen a few kits taht are like $500-$1000 but id prolly build it then be scared to death to fly it lol..none the less it is my dream plane

HAHAHAHA *coughcough* hahaha. Riiiiiiiight. Make money in the hobby buisness. sure. Can have some of whatever you're smoking?

(the LHS has a really hard job staying in buisness. Their own suppliers are in direct competition with them, and usually undercut their prices. Kinda hard to compete on those terms.