A question for experienced people.
I am new to this hobby, I have practiced a lot on reflex now I can control Perry much all those plans.

my question is what my chance is with my new trainer if I fly it with out any Instructor.

What chances are you asking for?

I predict that you have a 10% chance of not crashing and a 90% chance of rekitting your machine.

Been in this some RC 35 years with 20 years of other modeling before that.

Your chances are 100% that if you succeed and yes it has and can be done, that your total cost in terms of dollars will exceed by around 10 times what you would have spent if using a 'mentor'. Also the cost in total time spent in the effort to reach any given level of competancy will also be around ten times greater. The cost in frustration cannot be calculated and this of course will reduce the odds around one in ten that you stick it out before just moving on to something else.

John

Cold hard odds thats evident on a daily basis

There's a big difference between practicing the moves on the ground and actually flying the plane. Just about everybody tends to 'freeze up' when they get the plane into trouble the first few times. That's why most here will tell you to work with an instructor. It may be a bit of a hassle and/or intimidating to find someone to help you, but it is worth it when you consider the cost of your plane.

BTW, who is Perry and how do you control him?

I had to read the first post a couple times too before I could make sense of it.

Get an instructor. Flight sims aren't very realistic but they are helpful and you'll learn faster if you use one. But I wouldn't put my money on being able to go out and fly an R/C plane just because I mastered a flight sim.

Keep in mind that if your planes hits somebody or damages someone's property you'll be on the wrong end of a lawsuit.

Do you have knowledge/skills in the following:

orientation
quick reactions
starting the engine
tuning the engine
fuel/defuel the plane
repair the little things that do break
understand how to trim the plane for level flight
how to setup for the landing
and a host of others

then your chances are very good at being able to do it without an instructor. It has been done succesfully, just make sure that you are no where near anyone or anything, and I mean at least a mile, because if you do crash then you could find yourself on the wrong end of a lawsuit. Expect that you will need to repair the plane at least once and this could happen even if you have an instructor.

Now, I seriously believe in the instructor method as the benefits are great. You will have someone experienced in recovering your plane should you get it into a situation that you yourself cannot recover from plus the added benefit of the knowledge of the instructor to do everything I listed above.

Most clubs/instructor go out of their way to make sure you are a safe pilot and the wealth of knowledge from being a club member is worth ever penny you may spend on the club membership dues.

Whatever way you choose to go, think safety first. running engines and spinning props just love to bite you when you least expect it. RCUniverse is a great place to learn to do all the things I listed, but the personal experience of an instructor and the experience of the many friends you will make in joing a club is hard to beat.

We all had to learn at some point and if you ever stop learning it's time to find another hobby. Everytime I fly I review my flights with myself and anyone that may have been watching to get input on how I could have done it better. The final decision on how I fly is up to me, but since I do not know everything, the opinions are my way of learning to be a better and safer pilot.

BTW... Simulators to help with orientation but cannot replace the real thing. I use G2 and in most cases I will not do a manuever on the plane unless I have done it succesfully many times on the sim. The sim can be harder in some respects.

Good luck...

I think your chances of bringing your plane home the first day in a garbage bag are 100%

I'm sure that you can do it, & if you are really good you probably won't total more than 5 or 6 planes in your first month.

Be sure to take lots of pictures of it BEFORE the first flight. This way you can fondly reminisce about the plane you ONCE flew. After the period of mourning...

In all seriousness, some people have managed to teach themselves. However, I think most would agree that unless you live in a remote area and finding help is impossible, it's just not worth doing. Get over the pride thing of "I can do it myself" and find some help. The success rate is much higher when you have an instructor. If you've already built some skills on the sim then the time with the instructor should be short.

Welcome aboard, mmt.

Everyone means well. They would like to see your first plane last beyond the training period. If that is one of your objectives, I would agree that an instructor would maximize the potential for preserving your investment.

If you had asked for a way to contact an instructor, I'm sure the responses would sound more friendly. We have ways of directing you to your nearest club instructor.

If you really just want an answer to your question, I would say (and the others will confirm), your chances are not so good. That's why we recommend that you work with an instructor.

Good luck,
Dave Olson

The TYPICAL first flight of someone trying to teach themselves to fly lasts about 30 seconds (or less) and normally results in damage to the plane and equipment onboard. There is also a VERY HIGH probability of injuring yourself, an innocent bystander and/or some property (all of which YOU will be responsible for - remember, the AMA does provide secondary insurance to cover "little" mishaps like that.)

Your BEST chance for sucess is to find an instructor. Talk to your LHS. They should be able to put you in touch with a local club or instructor.

If you have THAT much money that you can afford to go through several planes while learning, let me know and I will send you my snail mail address - you can send the money to me.

Scar,

your right, we have been kinda rough on him...[]

Your best bet is to find an instructor if at all possible. Scar is correct, we really do mean well.

mmt33,

Here is a link to a RC Heli pilot locater: http://www.p-locate.rc-helipad.com/

I think you will find most of these guys fly both planes and helis and you might be able to find someone around your area to help you.

This should give you an idea of how difficult it could be even with instruction via a club:

http://www.rc-float-flying.rchomepag...instructor.htm

CCR

Your in Ohio. That is darn near the RC Capital of the world/ Should not be to difficult to find an instructor or club