Im new to planes, well not even new, i dont have one. I have had cars and helis but have never been behind the controlls of a plane, but now its time to venture down this track. Does anyone have any sugestions as to what i should start off with ... money isnt realy an issue

Any ideas and help would be great

Do you want to build it or do you want to assemble an ARF (Almost Ready to Fly). ARF's are mostly built when you get them. You have to join the wing panels, install the engine and gear and a few other things.

My suggestion is that you build your first kit so you know what's inside a model. Also, a trainer is tolerant of building errors where more advanced models are less so. If you plan to build planes later, then you should start with your own trainer so your skills are ready when you move to more advanced models.

If you never plan to build then an ARF is a good choice. It depends on what you want to do.

If you want to build, then I have a page on my site that gives recommendations of good trainers.

Radio Control Training Aircraft

IF you are training and just starting out and u are going to be flying with an instructor at first, I would recommend buying an ARF Hobbico Avistar because it is a trainer plane, but it also have a semi-symmetrical wing so u can do some acrobatics to with it once u have learned the basics and maybe buy a Thunder Tiger Pro .46 engine for it. I just finished building mine and flew it for the first time this past weekend with an instructor. He told me That I had a great set-up with my plane and then engine I picked. I have power do to alot more things with the .46 engine instead of just buying a .40 engine for it. I can also use the .46 engine in my next plane after I master my Avistar if I wanted. Hope this might help. I have flown twice this past weekend and now I am addicted.
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Flyn' High, Real HIgh

Stone is right on! DOn't bother with a 40 engine, get a good 46. Its like $5.00 difference cost wise but is a huge difference in available performance. This really helps if the wind whips up and you could use the extra power. The only thing with the Avistar/engine combo as suggested is that you probably won't want to take the the engine off the plane once you learn how to fly it. The plane is strong, forgiving, has a wide speed range and is aerobatic. You will probably want to keep it even if you get another plane.

Since money isn't an issue, buy the best trainer package currently out there -- Hobbico Nexstar. It will give you the best chance to quickly learn to fly & the plane can be juiced up later to make it more interesting, then kept in your "arsenal" for years. If you crash it, or no longer want it, the FXi motor is a first class unit & it is easily transferable to high performance sport planes.

Actually, since theedge already has car and heli experience, I'd say an RTF package for pure beginners is probably not the best choice. I'd say it would be better to look at a trainer such as the, already recommended, Avistar since it's got a semi-symetrical wing. A complete radio system may not be needed. If the helis have been flown on a computer radio, all that's necessary is another flight pack.

Thanks Guys, as i have a couple of JR X3810 radio's i would rather use one of them and probably enjoy it a little more if i got to build something a little bit rather than just to pull something out of the box ... i will keep looking but to find something decent here in South Australia is going to be a task in its self ... probably my best option is going to be to try find something from Tower that is able to be Air sent to Australia.

Thanks again for the help

Try the Nexstar complete and ready to fly. Good plane all you need is fuel and a glo starter Comes with Plane batteries charger transmitter all servos and engine installed plus a software disc for your PC and a USB cable to go from your transmitter to you PC for practice flight. All this for $400.00 US. I have one and it's the one I fly the most.

You should be able to find everything you need in OZ, even in Adelaide!!!!

Suggest that go to a newsagent and pick up a copy of Airbourne to find your nearest hobby shop. Even if you can't find one locally there are a number in Oz that will mail order

Getting stuff mail order from the US is OK if you know what you want, but you could get a lot of good advice from a decent hobby shop.

I'm not up to speed on what's the best trainer, engine wise I would look seriously at a Thunder Tiger 46PRO. This will not only fly a trainer but will take you a long way further (and if you give up it will be easier to sell than an LA40)

Terry

Contrary to some of the advice given, I suggest NOT BUYING AN RTF. The majority of RTF's come with a base level radio and (in most cases ) a BUSHED 40 size engine.

The radios are usually a 4 channel radio with few (if any ) ammenities and the engines, while OK to marginal for a trainer, are rarely useable for a second plane due to lack of power.

I suggest buying an ARF for your trainer. This is because when you build (and are inexperienced at it ) you may accidentally build in a warp. This WILL AFFECT the flying of the plane. An ARF removes this possibility and also removes the emotional attachment that occurs when building. Remember, a trainer is to learn on. Expect it to get beat up, damaged, etc.

I suggest getting a USER FRIENDLY ball bearing 46 size engine. OS FX/AX, Thunder Tiger Pro and Evolution engines are very user friendly - 99% run great right out of the box. There are other excellent engines out there, however, many of them require more "fiddeling" with to get running properly.

For a radio I suggest getting a 6 channel (or more ) COMPUTER radio. Yes, as a beginner you will not be using a lot of the features. You will find that as you get into the hobby you will want/need the additional features, often by your 3rd or 4th plane (flaps, retracts, multiple models in memory, mixing, etc ).

I also suggest going to the flying field and seeing which brand is MOST used by the people there and get that brand - manuals are nice, but a live, experienced person is better. Also find out which are THE LEAST USED CHANNELS. Get you radio on one of those channels. It will minimize your chances of being accidently shot down and maximize your flying time since you will not have to wait for the channel to clear before you can use it.

With some careful shopping you can frequently come within (or less ) than the price of an RTF and have a better engine and radio for other planes.

Good luck with your decisions.

Good stuff campy. I agree.

If you are experienced I would go with an a sig lt 40 with a .46 or even a 4 stroke .52 setup(you will love it). The afforementioned arfs are good too. Really any of the mainstream 40 sized trainers work great. My PERSONAL favorite is the Sig Kadet Senior. IT is a big ol (78" SPAN) slow flying trainer that is so easy to fly you wouldnt believe it. Also the computer radio suggestions are very good. If money isnt a problem I prefer the 9C from futaba. It will do almost everything (everything you NEED).. that the $1000 transmitters will do for about 1/3 of the cost.

Since you already have Heli experience, and since a heli, when moving, controls are pretty close to the way a plane flies, I would not even waste my time with a trainer, and go to a stick type plane. I would suggest you build a kit sometime, because it will help you repair damages when they happen. When you build from the ground up, anthing but a total loss is repairable. But since money is not an issue, and you dont think you will ever build, get an ARF. The reason I think a stick will be better is that you are already tackled problems experienced with newbies, such as reversing stick movements when the object is coming at you. Although that trainer is good, and it will get you into basic and interm. aerobatics, you will get bored with it quicker than an ARF like an UltraStick. Plus the sticks fly better than the trainers, IMO. You have to level the wings yourself in flight, unlike a trainer with dihedreal, and the landings are a little faster. But all in all, with your experience you wont outgrow a stick for quite a while. Good luck with your choice, what ever you decide.

Byrdman

While all that's true, would your rather have a trainer with a warped wing or a Sig Kougar with a warped wing? Better to learn to build on airplanes that are more forgiving than put it off and then need to have very good skills at the beginning when moving to a more advanced model.

A trainer kit will let you get away with a lot of mistakes in the build that a more advanced plane won't. If you don't build your trainer, then where are you going to pick up the skills you need when it actually matters that you have them?

You don't have to buy an ARF with a package. Standard trainers can be had as bare-bones ARFs, & you buy the engine & radio of your choice. This gives you a good airframe straight away, without risk & for only slightly more money than a kit. You are airborn very quickly, as well.

But patience results in far better aircraft. If I can build it in 30 minutes and it flies crappy forever, then that was a wasted 30 minutes. If I spend 100 hours building and have a good plane forever, then that was 100 hours well spent.

Instant gratification is poor economics.