Hi all
I heard about RC planes form one of my friends and got very much interested in it . I would like suggestions as to how to start this hobby.

Maverick1000

Go to your local hobby shop (LHS) and ask about a club to join. Go out to the field and introduce yourself. There will be plenty of members that will be more than happy to help you get started.

The reason for this is that learning on your own will be a long and expensive journey. Also, buying a radio and equipment will be easier since they will suggest what most of the locals are using and, therefore, what they have the most experience with.

WELCOME TO THE HOBBY!!!!!! its one hell of a hobby to be in and your realy gonna enjoy it To start off you gonna need urself a trainer. Tower Hobbies makes some really nice ready to fly trainers (RTF). There around $250 american dollars, i dont know how much that is in indain curencey. Do you know of a club you can join to learn how to fly?? I highly recomend you get involved in one so that you can get with an instructor who can help you learn how to fly, learnign to fly yourself is HIGHLY not recemended.

I also suggest if you have the extra $$$$ to invest in a flight simulator. Great planes make the G3 flight sim, wich is supposed to be very good. I have the G2 and i love it. Ill give ya links to Towwrhobbies, this is an on line hobby store that has pretty much what the modeler needs.http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...=LXCXF4**&P=ML or you can just go to www.towerhobbies.com and type in trainers. Any plane that says RTF means its ready to fly no work to do other than charge up ur batteries and go. If it says ARF it means the plane is almost ready to fly. Usauly with an ARF you need to glue in both horizontail and vertical stabilizer, and glue the wing halves together. You will alos need to purchase a motor and radio system.

The plane i mentioned to you above is was i learned on 11 years ago, at the time i was 8 an ill tell yea my hand and eye cordination wasnt that great i was able to solo with no problem. Its also one tuff sbird, i still have her to this day, and i take her up one a years at the begining of the season. If you have any more questions feel free to email me.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/A_Be...2420167/tm.htm

Yep, find your local club and go visit them.
Then look around this forum and use the search function, there are hundreds, if not thousands of discussions on beginners equipment and advice.

Welcome!

This is an index of clubs. Always a good idea to stop by their flying fields and see what's doing.
http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubmai...5E31DE4FA6F552

If you have never flown an RC plane then these articles might be helpful in preparing, regardless of what kind of plane you get.

The New Flyer's Handbook
by Ed Anderson - AEAJR on the Forums

If you are new to RC Flying, this series of articles may be helpful in your
training. Consider them part of a beginners handbook. They are written with
the new flyer in mind.

If you are going to be successful in flying an RC plane, understanding the
content of these articles will help you.


How RC Planes Differ from RC Cars
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=17

Stall
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=31

Take Off and Land into the Wind
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=43

Parts of the Plane
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=54

The Radio - The Pilots Cockpit
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=59

Why Join a Club
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=64

Lost Model Locators
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=67

Radio Systems Part 1 - Standard Radios
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=44

Radio Systems Part 2 - Computer Radios - A Better Investment
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=65


Good luck new pilot and welcome to RC flying!

Below I list electric planes, parkflyers and e-gliders for beginners. Some
come ready to fly, some are almost ready to fly (add your own radio gear) and
some are kits. All of them are electric. Whether you are finding your first
plane or looking for that more advanced electric, you should find something
here to peak your interest.

I don't recommend two channel R/T electrics, so you won't find any on the
list. They can be very easy to fly and can be a lot of fun, but they can also
be very easy to lose. A three channel R/E/T is a better choice as a first
plane, in my opinion.


READY TO FLY STARTER PLANES - Parkflyers
No building - they practically fly right out of the box

Aerobird Challenger - RTF Electric
I started on an Aerobird RTF. I love it and recommend it highly I have
almost 250 flights on mine. It is a ready to fly package which includes the
radio, charger, batteries, and all. $150
http://horizon.hobbyshopnow.com/prod...p?prod=HBZ3500
Review
http://www.hobbyzonesports.com/Disco...ID=1289#Page01
Discussion Thread
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147621


Slow-V from Parkzone
Best flown in still to under 5 mph breeze
Can also be flown indoors in a gym or similar space.
http://h1071118.hobbyshopnow.com/pro...p?prod=PKZ1300
Discussion Thread
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_20...tm.htm#2089493


T-Hawk - RTF
http://www.toytx.com/thawk3chrtf.html
T-Hawk - Without Radio - add your radio and receiver
http://www.readytoflyfun.com/wittran.html
T-Hawk Discussion Thread
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...ighlight=THawk


Easy Star - RTF
http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/240025.asp
Easy Star - ARF - Add you own radio gear
http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/240009.asp
Discussion Thread on Easy Star
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258656


ALMOST READY TO FLY and EASY TO BUILD KITS - STARTER PLANES

Some of the planes in the previous group are available ARF as indicated.
Below are ARF and kit planes. You will need to buy a radio if you don't have
one, so you might want to read these articles on radios. Radios. The
articles are written for sailplane beginners, but all the info applies to
electrics too.

Entry Level Radios - If you have to go cheap
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=44

Computer Radios - The recommended path for almost everyone
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=65


ARF typically means you are not gluing balsa pieces together, then covering
with Monocote or some other shrink film. Below are ARFs and some are very
easy to build kits. In each case you must add your own radio, receiver,
servos, speed control, batteries and battery charger. They all come with a
motor.

Slow stick
Best flown in still to under 5 mph breeze
Can also be flown indoors in a gym or similar space.
http://horizon.hobbyshopnow.com/prod...p?prod=GWS1040
Discussion Thread
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...hreadid=122951

Tiger Moth
Best flown in still to under 5 mph breeze
Can also be flown indoors in a gym or similar space.
http://horizon.hobbyshopnow.com/prod...p?prod=GWS1020
Review
http://www.backyardflyer.com/BY/articles/tiger_moth.asp

Tipsey
http://www.hobby-lobby.com/tipsy.htm
Review
http://www.hobby-lobby.com/pdf/gr6232.pdf
http://rcgroups.com/links/index.php?...at=198&id=3871

Balsa Wood Kits - If you like to build, these are highly recommended.

Dandy
http://www.mountainmodels.com/dandy.php

Dust Stick
http://www.mountainmodels.com/duskstik.php


ELECTRIC GLIDERS

Have you considered an electic glider? Usually larger than the typical
parkflyer, they also tend to be quite stable and fly a bit slower, which makes
them easy to fly.

If you would like to try soaring with the birds, then an electric glider might
be a good choice. These planes are launched with an electric motor. They can
be flown around using the motor, like a parkflyer, or they can be flown to
height, then the motor is turned off and you hunt for thermals, just like the
birds.

They can do loops and simple aerobatics, but are really optomized for thermal
soaring. The Aerobird and the T-Hawk, which are often mentioned as first
parkflyers, glide and thermal pretty well, but they come with fixed props.
These planes include folding props which make the plane more streamlined and
so it can glide better than a fixed propeller plane.

Some are RTF which are fully built, include all the radio gear with everything
installed. Battery and charger are included with the RTF planes. Some are
ARFs where you assemble the simple package, then add your own radio equipment.
Some are available either way.

With these planes you get a good first plane, a good first electric and a good
electric glider. It may not have been what you were thinking, but it may be
exactly what you were looking for.

Easy Star - RTF - also listed above
This is a Park Glider - can be flown as parkflyer or glider
http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/240025.asp
Easy Star - ARF - Add you own radio gear
http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/240009.asp
Discussion Thread on Easy Star
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258656

Ascent - this is a park glider ARF
It can be flown as a parkflyer or a glider
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Shop/ByC...ProdID=EFL1075
Review
http://rcgroups.com/links/index.php?...at=237&id=4233

Spectra - 2M - RTF
78" wing span - perhaps too large for a parkflyer, but a good first e-glider
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...=LXVJ51**&P=ML
Spectra ARF -
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXADK2&P=7

Electra - 2M ARF
78" wing span - perhaps too large for a parkflyer, but a good first e-glider
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXDJB2&P=7

If you are not familiar with soaring, it is a lot of fun. Flights can be as
short as parkflyer flights, or can last for hours, if you find lift.

This article may be helpful in understanding lift and the fun that e-gliders
offer to the electric flyer.

Finding Lift
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=57

Welcome to the insanity, I mean hobby.

Definitely find a local club and talk to them and get an instructor. It will save you a lot of greif and money.

I WOULD NOT suggest an RTF for the following reasons:

1. The engine in the majority of them is a bushed bearing .40 This engine can be anywhere from marginal to OK FOR THE TRAINER, but is rarely useable, do to lack of power, in a second plane.

2. The transmitter is USUALLY a base level 4 channel radio. You will have no choice of channel and rarely will you have a choice of brand. For learning (normally done with a buddy box cord which connects your transmitter to an instructor's transmitter) this may create a problem since many of the radios are not compatible with each other for a buddy box cord. Being unable to select the channel you want may mean you will have long waits at the flying field before your channel is clear and you can fly.

3. You will have absolutely no knowledge on how the plane goes together or how the equipment is installed. This may be a problem when (not if, but when) you need to make repairs.

4. With some careful shopping you can get a good BALL BEARING .46 engine, an ARF trainer and a good 6 channel COMPUTER radio for the price of some RTFs and frequently no more than 15% over the price of many RTFs. You will then have equipment that will grow with you and an engine that is extremely useable in a second, or more, planes, without having to go out and buy more equipment.

ONe more link with information
http://www.geistware.com/rcmodeling/novice.htm