I'm completely new to RC Aircraft and even though I've been practicing with AVP and lurking on these boards for a while, I'm finally getting ready to jump in and make my first aircraft purchase so that I can finally begin taking lessons from the local club instructor. After browsing these boards and reading as many suggestions as possible, I've decided to go with the Alpha RTF. My first question is this: Does it matter if I get the .40 or the .60 Alpha? It seems that the .40 is harder to come by (sold out in a few places) but the .60 is readily available for order and the price difference between the two is negligible. From what I've been able to gather one of the principle reasons for getting a larger plane is to help with windy conditions which I don't expect I'll have to deal with. So, is there any reason I should go with the .40 over the .60? Or will the .60 be fine for me?

My next request is for links to sites that breakdown the anatomy of model aircraft. I've been able to pickup a lot of basics just by reading these boards but I'm wondering if there are sites out there that can help me to better understand the mechanics of RC aircraft technologies.

Lastly, is it safe to say that any reputable middle of the road radio transmitter will satisfy my needs as a beginner? There seems to be a dizzying array of opinions and options out there when it comes to radios but it seems to me that it mostly comes down to personal preference rather than one brand being better than another. Am I correct or crazy?

Thank you in advance for your help! I've been lurking long enough to know that this is a great community!

Gonnosuke

One of the reasons that the 40 size is popular, is that it is easier to transport. I am not familiar with the specs for the Alpha 40 or 60, but it may be worth evaluating their size and ease of transport for you.

I have had just one radio so far, a futaba XA6s. I know of others who are happy with their JR or Hitec's, and would tend to think that any of the major brands will provide satisfactory performance. I chose the 6 channel as my first radio, so I would have some room to grow. I currently have a plane under construction that will use all 6 channels.

You might want to visit some sites on construction. This will give you a good idea of the internals. One site that is rich with information is www.airfieldmodels.com. Another source of information are the online magazines like www.rcmmagazine.com. Don't overlook some of the build threads in the Kit and Warbird forums here on RCU.

Scott

Gonnosuke
What size you pick is up to you. But the .60 sized Alpha may fly a little smoother and be a little easier to see due to it's size. But the .60 will use quite a bit more fuel and will take up a little more storage area.
If the Alpha's your looking at don't come with radio's (and the .40sized one can be purchased with one installed I believe) any four channel radio of your choosing should be okay. Although I recommend a computer one for the added features and programability. Brand comes down to personnal preference and user experience.
Check out the RCU library at this web site for some aircraft basics. Tower hobbies web site has a good area about this as well. And Harry Higley has some good books for RC beginners. These are available at good books stores, local hobby shops and Tower Hobbies.
Welcome to RC !!!!

Big G, welcome to the club. The RTF version that you are looking at should come with a more than adequate JR 4 channel radio, reciever and servos already installed. The manual that comes with it explains in fair detail how to assemble the parts, what they are all called and etc. It has detailed information on how long to charge the batteries even. When you finish putting it together, before you get to fly it, you should have an experienced person look it over, just to perform some mechanical checks for the sake of integrity. They will help ensure that the servos are operating in the proper directions, and that there are no loose fasteners. Happy flying.

If the extra money and storage/transport are not an issue, then I'd say definitely go with the .60 for a couple of reasons. One, as stated before, it will be MUCH easier to see in the air, and should land much easier (I believe the wing loading on the .60 is equivalent to the .40). Also, that .61 engine will fullfill your second plane wants and desires much better. That is, of course, if you take the stuff out of your trainer to build your second plane. You might not want to do that. Evolution engines are great engines. The .455 that comes on the .40 size is a good one too! Both of those RTF kits will come with a 4 channel, analog JR radio. I replaced mine as soon as possible. Mainly because I wanted a computer radio, the quattro that it comes with is a good radio. I kept it for my buddy box. If you're looking at the ARF version, then you will have to supply your own radio kit and engine.
Good luck!!!

Thank you all for the information and the speedy responses! I'm looking forward to getting more involved in the hobby so I'm sure I'll have a hundred more questions after I get my feet wet!

Gonnosuke

like what 2slow2matter said having the .60 version is a good idea in my opinion because once you grow out of your trainer you can take the engine out and put it in another plane. Of course you can do that with the .40 too but the .60 has more power so that it makes it more compatable with larger sized planes. I have the Alfa .40 and i like it but i bought it before they came out with the .60 size..i just wish i could have got it just so i could put it in another plane that needs that size but the .40 did the job and i'm now hooked on rc planes.

You won't be dissapointed in the .60 size. I own a Sig Kadet Senior 46 that has an 80 inch wing span. It's a larger plane, but I love it. Easy to see in the air and easy to land, nice slow flyer and no bad habits.

I also should mention that Hanger 9 also makes the Extra Easy 2 trainer that comes with a computer JR radio. Wing span is 69" (4 inches smaller than the .60 Alpha). It's a bigger than normal size trainer plane and very easy to see in the air and of course has all the trainer characteristics. My dad flew one of these with no problems, that is until he introduced his plane to the earth. ...problem!

According to horizonhobby.com, the alpha .40 is in stock now. You could get it. However, Twister had a good point. For just 10 dollars more than the alpha .40, and 90 less than the alpha .60, you could get the xtraeasy 2. It's a good plane, and it comes with a much better radio than the alpha comes with! It's computer, so it will do all of the mixes, but I believe that it is a four channel, and doesn't have electronic trim--just regular sliding trim tabs.

I decided to go with the Extra Easy 2 after reading the recommendations in this thread. It's a bit easier to transport than the 60 but the improved radio is what really made up my mind. I know that I'll eventually want to upgrade the radio to a six channel but I think this one will do fine for my first couple of planes.

Thanks again everyone!

Gonnosuke

You won't be sorry with that decision! Good job, and good luck!

I trained on the EXII. Very nice plane and well behaved.

My youngest daughter is now flying the EXII. I did convert it to a boltdown wing instead of rubber bands and removed the incedence and added about 2 ounces of weight in the nose (mine was tail heavy). It just wanted to climb and climb and climb. [>:] We needed lots of down elevator (almost all of the radio trim) for level flight at half throttle. It did change when I removed the incedence. How I did it was to measure the deflection with the trim set then when I changed to a bolt down setup and raised the trailing edge of the wing that same distance and added foam tape on the wing saddle to fill in the gap.

Just in case, check the balance. It balances right on the main wing spar according to Hangar 9 support. The older books did not give that info. [:@]

Some of the newer versions did not require any of these changes. I had one of the very first ones though.

These pics do not show the changes. But do show an OS46AX on it since I was one of the rare ones that had tons of problems with the EVO 46. [:@] Horizon has since made good on the engine and it is back on the plane and running well.