My dads friend has a mid-wing. It is a tail dragger also. It needs an engine and radio. I was wondering, can I learn to fly with this plane or is that pretty much impossible? I run boats but they aren't that hard to run. Thanks in advance.

You can learn to fly with this plane, but you should get some help no matter what plane. Airplanes are a little bit harder to learn than boats.

Hell, you can learn to fly on a turbine powered BVM King Cat. But I'll bet it'll be in pieces when your done!!! Flying aint as easy as you think it is. Your best bet is to get a Nexstar or another high wing trainer aircraft and use a buddy cord with an instructor. And, grab one of the RC simulators out there and practice on it. Newbies tend to be very "stick" heavy and lose control quickly. Tail draggers
are also not as easy as trike gear when you rolling out for take off.

Dave...

I would recommend searching it out throughly before you get to deep and end up spending to much money on that plane, as lucky mentioned a high wing plane would be the correct way to start out and there are allot of package deals out there for within a 250.00-400.00 dollar range fully equipped and ready to go rather than spending money for an engine and radio and finding yourself spending more than what its worth only to disappoint yourself...planes are not as easy as they seem,Cars and boats are 2 dimensional, 1) you start IT...2) you but it in the WATER OR ON LAND,stop where ever you please... Planes... 1) start it... 2) take off... 3) WOW.. now i have to land it,you cant just stop and park it when your up there,No breaks until its on the ground. so i highly recommend some help or you will be very disappointed, that beautiful plane that once sat on your self is now only a box of scrap. Here's a site check it out, and do the math.its a good place to start. [link=http://www.towerhobbies.com/]tower hobbies[/link].. good luck![X(]

Yes, you can learn on that type of plane. Depending on WHAT this plane is, the learning will range from slightly more difficult to "Oh My God, what have I gotten myself into."

I STRONGLY suggest going to your flying field/local club and do the following:

1. Get an instructor. The lessons are free. The first flight of someone trying to teach themselves to fly is typically less than 30 seconds and usually results in damage to the plane and/or equipment on board.

2. Find out what BRAND of radio is being used by the MAJORITY of the members and what the LEAST USED channels are.

3. When you purchase your radio, get the brand used by the majority of the members. The manuals are good, but a live person with knowledge/experience of your brand is better WHEN (not if ) a question/problem comes up. By getting the radio on one of the least used channels you will minimize your waiting time for the channel to clear so you can fly.

The plane is usually one of the cheapest parts of learning how to fly (usually an ARF trainer is about $100 ). The expensive stuff is the radio and occasionally the engine.

I would STRONGLY suggest getting a 6 channel (or more ) COMPUTER radio and a USER FRIENDLY ball bearing engine. OS AX, Thunder Tiger PRO and Evolution engines are very user friendly. By user friendly, I mean that 99%+ are going to run well right out of the box. There are a lot of good engines out there, HOWEVER, many of them require "fiddeling with" to get to run properly.

I suggest staying away from the RTFs as the radio is typically a base level 4 channel radio and the engines are USUALLY a bushed bearing 40 engine. The power on these engines range from marginal to OK FOR THE TRAINER, but are rarely useable in a second plane due to lack of power.

Your radio equipment for the boats should not be used as it is not on the 72 mhz band (aircraft band )

Hope this helps.

I agree with the others. you would be better off getting a trainer first. Once you've mastered that, you can move to a mid wing or low wing trainer. Not all mid wing planes are created equal, so without knowing about the plane in question it's kind of hard to answer whether you could learn on it. Since you will be new to planes, it's also hard for you to evaluate how well the plane was built, what condition it's in, what kind of flying characteristics it has, etc. Unless you have some way to assess these things, you might want to pass on it. Of course since it's owned by your father's friend, you should be able to trust him more than a stranger. If he knows it's easy to fly, has seen how you do with boats, and is going to help you learn, perhaps you could learn with it. I had boat and car experience before I learned to fly. I can say it definitely helped, but flying was definitely harder. The biggest difference is the plane has to come down. Developing the skills to keep it in one piece takes time.

On to the recommended trainer planes. There is no "best" trainer. I do NOT recommend RTF or package deals. These package deals are good if you don't want to invest the time researching and selecting components yourself. Every time I've run the numbers it's been obvious you can do as well or better selecting the individual components yourself. Most of the ARF trainers from a known name will do fine. Since trainers are somewhat disposable, you buy them to learn, and then move on to "nicer" planes, I usually recommend looking at the less expensive end of the scale. The Nexstar certainly is nice, but many people find it's got many bells and whistles that are not necessary for learning. One of the lowest priced trainers is the Tower Trainer. Obviously, you will need an engine and radio. If you do decide to get the plane from your dad's friend, pick an engine for you trainer that will go well in the mid wing. Then you can move the engine when you are finished training. Your choice of radio depends on your budget. If your funds are very limited, go for a basic 4 channel like the Futaba 4YF or an equivalent from JR or even Hitec. If you've got a little extra to spend, look at the basic 6 channel computer radios like the Futaba 6EXA. They have many features that you can use as a beginner, and will get you through several planes, or even for years. If you do go the 4 channel route, make sure it comes with a 6 or 7 channel receiver. This way it will give you full function if you later decide to upgrade to a computer radio.

Good luck

O.k. Lets say that I don't have a field very near. Is there anywhere else I can take off?

Also, here are some trainers I am looking at and an engine. Let me know what you think.

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXCAS2&P=0
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...2&I=LXKF83&P=K
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...2&I=LXDXM2&P=K

My dads friend says he has a 4 channel radio that I might be able to buy. I have all the servos so no need for those, but heres a radio
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXCUM2**&P=K

LEARNING ON YOUR OWN

Interesting title. Lets see, my crystal ball predicts a very short initial flight immediately followed by balsa splinters, torn covering and possibly damaged radio and engine components.

I am not saying you can not teach yourself to fly. What I am saying is that the above prediction is 99% correct if you do not have an instructor.

Teaching yourself to fly, especially on glow planes, is expensive and has a steep learning curve. You may be lucky and be one of the less than 1% of the people who is a "natural".

As Dirty Harry said: "Do you feel lucky ?"

I was going to have a guy my dads friend knows help me. He has been flying planes for a LLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGG time.

I think that the Tower Hobbies .40 trainer will be fine. I just bought a couple for my old man. They are made by Hobbico, (but cheaper), they only take a couple nights to put together and have good instructions. They also come with a garentee that you will learn how to fly or Tower Hobbies will replace it with a trainer of less or equal value.

Sweet, what about the gms engines though???

Go with the Tower trainer. I'm not crazy for GMS engines, they get mixed reviews. Thunder Tiger, Super Tiger, Magnum and even the Tower 46 seem to be better received.

o.k. I figured out what I am going to do.

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXCAS2&P=0
My dads friend has one of these engines that he'll give me for a cheep price.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...p?&I=LXBY45&P=

And he has a futaba radio he will give me for free.

So I'll have a trainer for under 100 bucks

EPJ, just so you know, the System 3000 radio you were looking at is a renamed Futaba Skysport 4. All the System 300 radio equipment I've seen is Futaba models with a Tower nameplate.

Then he should know if it would be a suitable trainer plane and wouldnt sell you it if it was not.

Well, I haven't really talked to the guy. My dads friend brought me a 4 channel futaba radio tonight. He said the thought he had a o.s. .46 somewhere but he needs to look. So, looks like all I am going to have to do is order the plane.

ejp, since your getting the radio free i wont say anything about it bad cause its awsome cause its free. But you will prolly need to upgrade to a 6 or 7 channel electroc for ur next plane. And if you are gonna teach ur self go to www.kombat40.com and get an airmadillo. They are good for teaching urself

o.k. I am going to get the tower plane and the o.s. fx engine. I think I am going to order by this weekend.

ejp, I AM WARNING YOU, A AIRMADILLO WILL LAST LONGER. They can do strait into concrete and still fly in 15 minutes

My 2 cents. I dont care for GMS but hey thats a matter of prefrence. Just keep in mind you get what you pay for. And secondly the only thing thats going to remain constant through your flight experiences is your radio. Spend a little more upfront get e nice 6 to 9 depending on your budget comp radio and you wont be looking for another for a while. And thats the item you will be swapping out the most from plane to plane or at least programmign more into one radio. Def a good investment. Good Luck

Coventry, RI? Now there's a name from the past. I learned to fly at a club on the outskirts of East Greenwich many, many, many years ago. IIRC, it was somewhere off of Division St, road, or something like that. A little further out were some sand dunes that were popular for the dirt bike crowd.

The club had a problem with dirt bikes making ruts in the runways so they got a tractor and built moats surrounding the runway. The result is it was like flying off an aircraft carrier. Very painful if you landed a few feet short of the runway.

I also got to fly off some of the turf farms down toward URI, had an in with someone who knew the owners. I headed south not too long after learning to fly.

WOW Piper I must say you are right on track. That club off of Division is still there and thats the one in fact that I am a member of. However we have gotten over the whole dirt bike issues. As for the URI field there are now 3 of them and they are controlled by the South County Aeromodlers Club. So as for an update not much has changed. ITs cool to hear from a member that lives so far away be so familiar with our small state not to mention its RC end of it all. Good to hear from you.

And a second note I wish I was further South. I hate only having 7 months out of the year to fly. I mean I can fly year round but I hate the cold. So I prefer to fly my micro helis indoor and use my sim. BRRRR Supposed to be getting another 7 to 12 in the next day or so. Woooppppeeee.

Just one little tip if you buy a radio. If you are going to ahve to buy one yourself. Do not get a 4 channel. The reason I say this is because if you are hoping to go farther then just a trainer, and you wont a better plane a 4 channel might not cut it. Just my 2 cents.

I occasionally miss the snow, but then I come to my senses. It was TERRIBLE here last weekend. I actually had to wear a long sleve shirt when I went to fly. It's been in the 60s during the last 4-5 days. We will get more cold weather, but it's all relative.