Hello I am new to this hobby.I had a friend get me into thinking about buying a R/C plane but have no clue where to start.My friend is also new to this but his uncle gave him all his planes and extras and is now on the road travleing the nation.RETIRED.Any was neather of us know squat about this hobby but want to. First what is the best starter kit to get the know how to fly.I know it isnt easy nor cheap but any thoughts and help would be great.Thnaks
Felix

The only guarantee if you try to teach yourself is that you will crash. Do your best to locate the nearest club or two (check with the local hobby shop) and then visit their flying site. Most of the flyers there will be most happy to look over your items and give you constructive advice. Most probably, they will also have some people who will gladly take you under their wing and teach you to fly. There are too many areas to cover for a new flyer on a forum such as this, nothing beats one on one help at the field.

Felix,
Rodney's advice is right on, but I just want to say, since I see that was your first post here, don't get discouraged with using this site as a resource. In a couple days you will have 20 responses to your question, checking out a local club will be a common theme in almost all of them. The other thing is when you start asking about planes, radios, engines, etc, everyone will have an opinion, don't get discouraged by that, either. If someone at a local club suggests something, throw it out here and see what the guys think. There's a lot of good advice to be had here. It's a great hobby. Welcome.

Visit our site and look at the beginners section.
After cruising all of our sections, let me know if you have any questions!

Hi Felix,
welcome to the greatest hobby/sport in the world,and it isn't very expensive either,now my free advice,if at all possible, find the local flying clubs,hobby shops will help you ,go check out the people,see if they have a trainer plane and instructor to help you learn to fly,lots of clubs do, then after you have found your future family and get a little more experience,then you will be more prepared on how to invest your money
Have a goodun,John

I'll just repeat what others have said: Don't spend a penny until you've figured out where you are going to fly, and how you are going to learn (it's harder than it looks). Once you have the answers to those two questions, the decision on what to buy becomes much easier.

A good beginner's kit would be a Sig Kadet LT-40. Go to your local field or club and get an instructor, free or paid. Then start learning to fly.

The only thing I would add is: don't spend any money at the hobby shop until you check back here with the hobby shop's recommendations. There are a lot of places out there that will sell junk to a rookie just to get it out of their store.

I agree with all the above posts. 1. check local hobby shop for club and field. 2. Find the club members and let them know you will need help. Most clubs have guys that love to train. My first plane was the Sig LT-40, built from the kit. If you do not want to build a kit, the LT-40 comes in the ARF (Almost ready to fly) form. That with a nice OS .46 (good for second plane) will make a awsome trainer!

Oh, man... if you're going to travel - or your friend is... I can only say ZAGI for happiness. I finally found a case (designed for multiple shotguns - but a zagi fits too) that a zagi, a radio-controller, charger and all accessories fit into just splendidly. If you are traveling and must vent with R/C the trick r/c zagi is the way to unwind. The case protects the plane wonderfully, the plane is pretty cheap, parts are pretty cheap, radio is REAL cheap as radios go, and it's electric. No fumes, no smell, no flamable liquids. I know people who fly all over the country and take their Zagi's with them. Next time my bro deploys to Kuwait they're taking a zagi with them on the C-5.... (if they can get away with it

It's not a first plane - but it's sure an easy plane to live with.