hi, im new to flying and i have a few questions.

what is a good starter airplane? is it possible to learn how to fly without an instructor? if not how much does it cost for an instructor?

For most people it would be very hard to learn to fly without an instructor. Most clubs provide instruction free of charge. There are lots of good trainers. If you do a search here on RCU you can find lots of posts about trainers. Or, check out, for example, Towerhobbies.com where you can see some good trainers including the Nextstar. I recommend 60 size trainers if you can afford a few more dollars; they are easier to see and bit more stable.

Hi Ozzy,
Just about any "40-sized" glow trainer is a great way to get started. Some of the more popular and proven ones are the Sig LT-40, The Hangar 9 Alpha, or the Hobbico SuperStar. Nowadays, there are a lot of electric airplanes that make great starter planes too, if that's the route you would like to take. The GWS slow stick is an excellent beginner's electric. Due to the light weight of the Slow Stick, your flying time is limited to when there is not much wind (less than 5 mph, preferrably).
Getting an instructor is usually the easiest way to learn......but I won't say that people haven't learned to fly without them....some on this forum have.....but generally, an instructor will teach you the basics of flight, and save your airplane when the inevitable mess-up occurs. All club flight instructors that I know teach new pilots to fly at no charge, and are usually more than willing and happy to help new students. Also, and instructor can look over your plane and make sure that it is flight worthy......you'd be surprised how many planes are found to have potentially disasterous problems!
Flight simulators are a great help too, and most of the people on this forum who have taught themselves to fly, had practice on a flight simulator first.....but in my opinion, an instructor is a better way to learn.

Good luck and welcome to the board!

And, just to throw more options your way, it's also perfectly ok to start out with a .25 or even .15 size trainer. All of one of my planes have been one of these two sizes and I've not suffered for it. I like the smaller planes because they cost less, use much less fuel, take up less space in the car, can use standard servos and battery packs, etc. About the only downside I know of is they don't do as well in strong winds. However, I regularly fly when some of the people flying .45 or .60 size planes are having trouble too, so it seems to not be a big problem.

Next is the build or ARF question. Assuming you want to fly before winter sets in, you should look at an ARF. As has been said, Tower Hobbies is a good place to go look around. However, I think the best thing you can do is to find a club and instructor before you spend any money. Having someone local to give you advice is very important. Why do you need this? One quick example. Let's say you decide to buy a Futaba radio. Then you go to the club and discover that all the instructors have JR radios. What do you do for a buddy box? An instructor can give you some advice on which plane to choose, what brand of engine they like, etc. That's not to say you have to buy exactly what the instructor tells you, but it's bot a bad idea to listen to their experience. The instructor might also know of someone who has graduated from trainers, or decided to get out of the hobby. Sometimes you can pick up everything you need for a really good price.

i was thinking about this http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXKF82&P=0
with this engine http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXLL61
and this radio http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...1p?&I=LXVW08**

or
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFG19&P=0
with this engine http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXLL61&P=0
and the same radio as the first one

which one would be better for learning how to fly?
does anyone know if there is a club near st.cloud mn?

Make some phone calls and find your local hobby shop. You want to support them as much as possible. Sometimes the online deals cannot be beat. But if we don't keep our local hobby shops in business, we won't be able to run down and get that gallon of fuel we need that we just ran out of, we'll have to wait a week for it to get here from an online order!

I got the thunder tiger 40 (not 60) for my son to learn on, and there were several problems with it (fuel tank not on carb centerline, aileron torque rods sloppy design, covering cheap) and so I dont recommend this line of ARF trainers for beginners. The Sig LT 40 is a great choice for a first trainer. I would recommend any 46 size engine (thunder tiger 46 pro is very good, OS 46 ball bearing (AX) should also be good. The Sig LT 40 is a little bigger than other trainers and so I recommend a good, strong motor. For the radio, what you've picked out looks fine (futaba 6 channel, not a computer radio). If the guys at your field use futaba a lot, that is even better.

peter

I would go with Sig. For the radio, you might consider spending a bit more to get the 6EXA. I think it's a great radio. Things like electronic trims and end point adjustment are worth the extra $30. The OS LA series are ok. However, as has already been mentioned, there are better choices. Tower and Thunder Tiger both have strong .46 engines which are just as powerful as the .60 LA.

Followup to your other question. Most clubs will require membership in the AMA. The main reason is that the AMA provides insurance while you fly. Their web site is here: http://www.modelaircraft.org/
On their web site you will find a club locator and a hobby shop locator. This is a good way to start looking for a club and instructor.

Hi
I learnt to fly with a Tutor 40 with a skysport 6 Futaba radio. The tutor 40 is a great airplane and i would highly recomend it. The skysport 6 is also great, but I would also spend a little more money and go for a 6EXA.

Frey

Either of these setups will work well, but I do have one suggestion. Do not get the LA series of engines. They are great engines but somewhat lacking in power and when you are ready to move up to bigger and more maneuverable planes then they will be an issue.

If you are staying with OS engines then do the OS61FX for the Thunder Tiger trainer and the OS46AX (same price as the 61LA) for the LT-40. The OS46AX will power the LT-40 well plus that plane is probably the most popular trainer around and is very sturdy. You may also want to look at Thunder Tiger engines. Great power, good reliabilty and about 2/3 the cost of OS engines. In my opinion OS engines are some of the best around, extremely reliable and great power. Like the bunny, they just keep going and going and going...

I personally cannot say much about the radio as I use JR.

Ozzy-

It looks like the Granite City RC club is in the St. Cloud area. Website is http://scottellingson.com/gcrc.htm. Give them a try. If that doesn't work, let me know. Some of the clubs in the northern Twin Cities wouldn't be too far.

-Scott