Ive been into rc cars and building for a while and i thought it would be cool to try rc flight. for a first plane, how many channels would you recommend. the two channel ones are pretty lame and wouldnt involve real flying because all the action is controlled by 2 motors, not like an actual plane. i was thinking like a 3 channel electric to start with and was considering a multiplex RTF from tower hobbies. anyways, would you recommend for a first plane and or good brands. ive checked out hobbylobby's planes and the're pretty expensive, so i was looking for one at tower hobbies. thank you.

Tower has a few RTF glow powered trainers, these would be 4 channel models--- If you wanna start smaller the park-flyers are usually 3 channel and are a bit cheaper (electric also-)

Do you have a budget for the set-up?

Cheers,
James

If your budget isn't real big and you want to get into flying you might want to check out the spad section of RCU. If you need plans to build yourself a plane visit [link=http://www.spadtothebone.com]The SPAD Website[/link] and pick one to build from there.

Biggest expense flying spads is the motor and radio gear.....the airframe can be built for roughly 5-10 bux and they WILL survive a crash that would turn a balsa plane into toothpicks. How can you go wrong with cheap fun like that

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.

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.

If you are totally new to RC Flying, these articles may be helpful in
understanding how these planes fly

RC Planes Are not like RC Cars
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=17

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

Launch into the wind
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=43

Parts of the plane and how they work
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=54

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

Flying the Plane
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=64


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

not all of Hobby Lobby stuff is expensive . look through the catalog some more.The Skimmer, 400 or 600 is very cheap and flies very well for a beginner plane. its kind of a cross between a true glider & sport plane with excellent rudder control.