Hi guys,

I've been at this hobby now for a bit and it has really grown to be something that not only I enjoy, but my family does as well. Often they show up at the field and become my "cheering section". Well today a couple of the younger ones made it for the first time. Needless to say, the one old enough to understand what was going on fell in love.

This little boy, my nephew, is going through a very tough time. His dad, my brother in law, is headed to Iraq Monday. He's of significant rank and as such has been ordered to a tour of up to 2 years. He is leaving his wife, six year old son and four year old daughter behind to serve his country and, hopefully, to help secure freedom for others. We as his family will do what we can to support them, but obviously this is extremely difficult for everyone.

After seeing how his son "lit up" when the planes danced in the sky, he and I both felt this might be something the boy can dive into. At the very least, it might provide a distraction for a time. The two promised each other that, when he gets back, they will build a plane together and fly it with their uncle, me.

My brother-in-law asked if I could look after his son while he was away. Perhaps even take him under my wing(s). Maybe RC planes is the bridge the boy and I can build.

So, where do I start with him? I don't want to underestimate the skills of a six year old, but on the other hand I don't want to thrust him in full speed. I was thinking a very easy ARF, maybe an electric he can fly when I'm not able to be with him. Just something we can take to the park and enjoy without worrying too much about all that comes with full fledged glow RCing.

Please suggest anything you have in mind. Especially those of you with kids. My wife and I don't have any, and so I really don't know what a six year old is or is not capable of. If this was your son or daughter, how would you start them out?

Thanks for your time.

-JW

Sounds like you and him could have some great fun. As I'm sure others are going to suggest PLANES to get, why not consider an [link=http://Irvine Pixie]Irvine Pixie Glider (4th one down on the left column)[/link]. They use a very simple two channel rudder and elevator control system and it is very good for a way into gliding or powered flight because it will help build up an understanding of the aerodynamics involved in flying. If not a glider, what about a heli? The Hirobo XRB SR Lama is a very recommendable beginners heli, and, while not directly helping him fly PLANES, it will give him skills which are needed and the XRB is the simplest heli out there which is very easy to fly and is designed to be flown inside, ie. in his bedroom. Just a few suggestions. If he is set on fixed wing powered flight then the Multiplex Space Scooter is a very good beginners electric plane with a 3 channel control system, an all inclusive deal and being made out of the almost invincable foam material for WHEN he crashes.

Hope that helps!
Chris

Jason.. First of all we need to thank your brother for supporting us in our times of need. Our soldiers need support, both here and abroad. So, thank him from us!

Now, you're going to be the interem dad for a couple of years huh? That's a pretty big feat in and of itself. Your six year old nephew is lucky to have someone willing to take the time to spend time exploring different paths along the way. At six years old now a days, you could probably get him a 42% airplane and he'd be flying it like he's been flying for years in just a little while. It's so unbelievable how kids that have grown up with computers and joysticks (joysticks nothing, complete instrument controls) for their computer programs and that they have such unimaginable eye/hand coordination. You can probably see where I'm going here. I would certainly suggest that you get a simulator and let him have a ball on that. You can probably gauge his aptitude and interest on how he progresses on a simulator. You don't have to be right next to him to let him have a ball and practice flying. Hundreds of crashes = no loss in $$$. He can fly on windy or rainy days. It will at least give him the understanding of what does what and why. Then, when you take him out to the field and put him on a buddy box with a slow flying trainer, he'd know what to expect from the stick inputs.

Both of my kids, even though they were much older, flew on the simulator quite a bit before I gave them the chance to fly my airplanes. Guess what, after I took the airplane up and handed them the TX, one flew and landed the airplane on the first try and my other son landed on his third time up. They both seemed pretty excited about it at the time, but neither had the want or the urge to continue flying. They each went out with me a couple of times after that, but overall, airplanes weren't their thing.

So, I would suggest getting a simulator, giving him the help he needs on that before attempting the actual hands on flying of any kind, whether it be electric or glow powered. That too will give you the opportunity to see if flying is HIS kind of thing.

Good luck with your ventures and just enjoy whatever the kids like to do. Sounds like you're a pretty teriffic uncle to take on this homefront heroic task..

Jason, First, best wishes to your brother.

Second, I would suggest a basic 40 size trainer - Something really docil like the LT 40 and a simulator.

When he's not with you, he can practice on the simAnd when he IS with you, he can fly the real plane - which will make his time with you that much more special.

Jason,
I agree with JMurdoch 100% in everything he says in post #3. Thats the way I would go about it if I were given the same challenge. Please pass on to your brother-in-law thanks and best wishes from this RCer north of the 49th.

Steve

From one vet to another, Best of luck to your brother.

I strongly second MinnFlyer suggestion of the 40 size trainer, buddy box and sim. The sim will let him acquire some of the basic skills needed, AND let you judge his interest in RC planes.

If planes don't interest him, there are very few kids that don't enjoy fishing.

id suggest you carefully evaluate what he can handle especially attention wise. dont try to over saturate. Yes, some of our kids have grown up pretty fast in this computer age but they are still kids with developing motor skills /judgement. its possible a 40 size plane may be just too much for him. consider the safety issues as well. there has been some successful teaching of very young children but it takes time & tons of patience. expect two steps forward one (or two) back. the smaller electrics that fly well may be a place to start as well as the simulator. the Goldberg Electra or Hobby lobby Skimmer are excellent beginner types that fly well & would be easy to maintain/ no mess. nofuss over glow engines/ worry over teaching engine starting skills either.between flying sessions , have him build some simple trainer.that will also bring about some appreciation of the process by participation rather than an arf.

For a six year old I would sugest the sim which everyone with any interest will enjoy, however I think he is a little young to fly a plane cold turkey. Most kids his age seem to think crashes are the exciting part. While he is learning the sim I think an elec offroad car or truck will provide lots of entertainment with less risk. From there a nitro car or truck to teach engine management then if the interest is still there he is ready for the plane. He will probably learn the sticks much faster than most of us, but there are other things to learn in this hobby that are not inherant in a 6 year old. Good luck and you are to be comended for the effort. He is a lucky kid inspite of his dad being gone for a while

JasonWilliam,

You don't specifically say what kind of plane you have in mind or what kinds of planes you have flown. Others have suggested some glow planes. I am going to suggest that an electric might be a simpler and perhaps more rugged option. Many can fly very slowly and can take quite a beating so if there are some misshaps, the plane will not be wrecked.

In particular I will suggest the Easy Star. Made of tough Elopar foam, this plane can take a real beating. The electric set-up eliminates glow fuel, glow starters and tuning the motor. Plug in the battery and go.

If you have a radio system, then you can get the ARF and have it in the air in a few hours. Long enough for the two of you to bond on the build, but not so long as to lose his interest. When you are done for the day, it packs up in the box it came in.

This is a very stable plane using R/E/Throttle controls. It glides beautifully!

You can fly him up on a buddy box but I find the hand on hand method works better on young children. The disconnected feeling of the buddy box does not help him feel how to fly. And they hate it when you TAKE it away from them.

I have had 7 year olds flying my Aerobird in a matter of 10 minutes. You can do the same with the Easy Star, perhaps even easier.

I launch, get it to height, throttle back to half, then give them the basics. Within 10 minutes I can remove my hand and they are flying with confidence. I manage the throttle. They cruise the area over the field. Never had a kid fail to get it on the first flight. At half throttle you should get easy 10 minute flights.

I land it, but if we kept at it I am sure I could have them land it too. The Easy Star is a pusher type prop, so he won't be breaking propellers and you belly land it in the grass, no landing gear. You can literally shut the motor off in the sky and just glide it down. It glides that well.

If he noses it in, it will bounce. Brush it off, straighten stuff and go up again. If he does break a wing, a little CA will have it fixed in a few minutes. The plane is virtually indestructable. And it won't smell like glow fuel, which will please his mother.

I would recommend the Aerobird, but in your case, I think the Easy Star would be a better option. It can handle a fair amount of wind for a parkflyer and it glides very well so you can get him up to height and cut way back on the throttle. It can fly very slowly. Great for a 6 year old.

It can also do basic loops, tail stalls and similar rudder aerobatics.


Easy Star - RTF - $180
Super tough foam. Comes with 72 mhz radio in the US.
Good parkflyer and a good glider
Radio in RTF package can be used to fly other planes
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
Video - touch and gos
http://plawner.org/video/easygo.wmv
Video - Testing the planes's behavior
http://plawner.org/video/easystar.wmv


Another option you might consider is a flight assistant:

In simple terms, each of these devices uses the difference between sky and
ground to identify
straight and level flight. You release the sticks and it will quickly bring
the plane out of most
situations into straight and level flight if there is enough room. They use
different approaches but the goal is the same. If the pilot gets in trouble,
just let the sticks go and the system will bring the plane to straight and
level flight in about 1-2 seconds.

At 6, children chafe at too much supervision. If you can get him to learn to release the sticks, you can get him out of trouble without taking the plane away from him. They hate it when you do that, even if it is on a buddy box. Over time you trim back the assist till you remove it.

Take a look. They work on electrics, gliders or glow planes.

The Futaba PA-2 PILOT ASSIST LINK AUTO PILOT SYSTEM - Approx $50
http://www.futaba-rc.com/radioaccys/futm0999.html
Manuals
http://www.futaba-rc.com/manuals/notes-pa1.html
Here is a newsletter review on the Futaba PA
http://farmclub.torqueroll.com/NewsL...Apr02-3rd.html



FMA Co-Pilot Flight stabilization system - $99
https://www.fmadirect.com/site/Detai...m=1489§ion=20
Co-Pilot with receiver $180 - may have extra features - not sure
https://www.fmadirect.com/site/Detai...m=1722§ion=29
Backyard Flyer Product review
http://www.backyardflyer.com/BY/articles/co_pilot.asp
Product Review
http://www.fmadirect.com/support_docs/item_1040.pdf
In-flight demonstration -e-glider
http://plawner.org/video/copilot_2axes.wmv
In flight demo - flying wing
http://plawner.org/video/copilot_delta.wmv
In flight demo - Helicopter
http://plawner.org/video/copilot_heli.wmv

As you can see from the video, they do not interfere with the flying of the
plane at all. They simply add a level of self stabilization that is already a
characteristic of a trainer. So if someone says this will interfere with your
flying, they are wrong. That is the value of the videos.

I have not used either unit personally but everything I have read says they
work as advertised. I have spoken to people who have used them and they say
they work very well if you take the time to calibrate them and to understand
their purpose and their function.

Both can be adjusted from a 5 channel radio
so you can change sensitivity and assistance level from the radio while you
are in the air. Both can
also be adjusted on the ground if you only have a 2-4 channel radio.

I think you are doing a great thing. I think the Easy Star would be a great plane to help you. The flight assists would just be another level of help.

Good luck and keep us informed.

Wow guys, thanks for all the good thoughts and great suggestions. I do appreciate the compliments, but really I'm just doing what I can to support someone and his family, who are supporting all of us. They and the thousands of families like them are the ones who deserve all the good will we can send.

Tonight will be a rough night for them, as he leaves at 0'dark hundred. I think at least a couple of days will need to pass before anyone feels like playing again. At that time, I will be there to pass along and hopefully implement many of the suggestions offered here.

I have Reflex XTR... I think I'll sit down and let him burn a few planes there. If he then decides he wants to do the real thing, I think the plane suggested by aeajr is the ticket. If he doesn't want to pursue flying further... well then we'll just need to find something else to pass the time.

Thanks again guys. I'll keep you posted.

-JW

Six years old , hmmmm, thats pretty young for RC. But not too young for models. There are some great rubber powered models or even the balsa and tissue gliders. Heck , there are great simple balsa and rubber models at the Dime store, ( or what ever they call them now). Remember, the fascination is with airplanes, not necessarily RC airplanes. Heck , flying a free flight glider is a thrill, even at my age, (43).
I started with plastic models, and at the age of 6. You might consider them. I believe he would be very thrilled with something much simpler than RC.

Oh, I'm not suggesting that you completely omit RC. Sure get a buddy cord and let him fly with you from time to time. And by all means let him play on the sim, if you have one. But too much too fast could jade him. What will be left to thrill him later, tight ropes and bank robberies ?

There are some fantastic paper airplane books. They have the airplanes printed in them in color. You just pop them out and tape them together. And they fly ! There are toys to consider, like those little helicopters, Verdi-birds. They are a hoot. And let us not forget the COX control line airplanes !!! Absolutely mandatory. The gateway drug of any true aviator. RC is not step number one when growing up into a life of aviation. At least it didn't used to be. There are many wonderful and enchanting steps that precede the digital wizardry of RC.

Sim and Buddy Box are the easiest jump into RC. I also have a 6yr old but he has been exposed to it since before he could talk. I started him on a sim and now he flys on the box just cause he hates crashing. We also have a lite stick we fly in the street. Something no one has mentioned is model rockets, they are cheap, exciting, and fun to build. The latter may be the best way to spend some time with the little guy. My son may like building an flying rockets more than the planes. The main point from my experience is spend time togeather. Have an area where the two of you can do whatever you like, we like to go in the shop and cut foam to whatever comes to his mind and then put some paint on it.

You have really caught my attention with this project of yours. I thought about this all night last night. How to really catch the attention of a 6 year old.

Sims are fun. They really help teach stick function, but somehow I find them boaring. I have a lot of trouble "seeing" the plane and knowing where it is relative to the ground. But that is me. I probably have the attention span of a 5 year old. But he may really take to them.

Having a real plane that he can touch without having to worry about breaking it will be a blast. And, if you can involve his "best friend" it would really make this a big deal. It will be something they can talk about when you are not there. Hang it from his ceiling. I had planes hanging from my ceiling when I was a kid. My Dad had them on wires so I could pull them across the "sky" with a wire. There was some monofilimet tied to the front and back of the plane that would pull it along the wire. Tons of fun.

How about this? You might be able to suspend the plane from a couple of wires or a clothes line in the yard, if there is a yard, and fly it across the yard on the wire or a clothes line to give him the idea of controling the throttle. That might really turn him on and would allow the two of you to play with the plane even when you can't go to the field. Even Mom could set this up for him when you are not there. Mount the plane high enough that he can't touch it directly. Have a string hang down so he can pull it back to the start so he can fly it again. Keep the antenna short, one or two sections up, and you won't interfere with anyone flying somewhere nearby.

One of the nice things about the Easy Star is that there are no fragile parts. No built up balsa or lite ply. No Monokote to get ripped. No thin fiberglass that can crack or break on a bad take-off or landing. Heck, he could stand on the wing and it would not matter. For a child, the constant "no, don't touch that" to avoid breakage is too frustrating to tollerate.

Also, with just a little help, once you have the electroncis fitted out, he can really put it together. If you do some color coding of the wires/plugs he can learn to put them together. The wings just slide in and "click" together. Then the two of you could go through a preflight check list, like pilot/co-pilot and make sure it is all connected properly. Great way to teach proper procedure right from the begining. Build a range check into it. He can walk away with the trans and wiggle the sticks. He should love that.

I am sure you will have to do the inital hand launches but he may be strong enough, soon, if not now, that he will be able to do the hand launch while you fly it up. Having him personally involved is what will make it exciting. Watching you is dull. Again, the prop is high and in the back, so it is a pretty safe set-up. And, if the launch goes badly, no harm/no foul. It is unlikely that anything will be damaged. This thing really bounces. Even adults can learn to fly on this one.


Just a few ideas/thoughts on how this can work for a six year old.


And, after a flight or two, hang some streamers off the wings. He should love that.

Sorry for going on, but I think this could be wonderful thing and very rewarding for both of you.

Jason,

Go back and re-read Kingwoodbarney's post everyone that I have talked who claim to be Avaition nuts tells a nearly indentical tale.

Funny thing is if he truely is an avaition nut he'll do those things with or without you.

Key to interacting with small childern is to let them tell yoou what they want to do be prepared for an intresting afternoon it could start out R/C and end up Cartoons or Video games doesn't really matter as long as you both enjoy yourselves

Boy Crashman, did you hit that one on the nose! You are absolutely right about the the changing focus of kids.

He He, I'm taking that road... I'm 13 and I have been building static planes and models all my life (literally! Even before I knew what plastic was!! ) and recently got a nitro car to build up experience with RC (boy, I hope my dad doesn't read this as he thinks I'm set on rc cars!) so I could work up to my ultimate ambition: to fly RC gliders. I'm gonna get a Sim, and have been messing with free flight models to increase my building skills and experience with weighting, cg etc. However, in the case of the 6 six year old, I think planes are the way to go if his uncle flys them.

Jason, save this internet page on a cd. When the boy is 18, show this him! I bet he'd loved the attention!

Chris

while your deciding witch way to go with him. take him with you to the field and make him a member of your pit crew. he might get a kick out of helping you. (feul the plane, get set up, clean the plane etc...)

My son loves the idea of being my crew chief.

Get one of his old T-Shirts and Print "Pit Crew" on the back lol!

Just let him see them fly. Get one of the best pilots to show him som aerobatics. At his age, a loop is awsome. Also, what about full scale? Find someone to take him up in a cessna or something. They are like roller coasters. I think he'd love it

A two year tour of duty? I don't think so... And I know the ideal flying toy for a kid of six, it's called a Kite.

^^ yeah a two year tour of duty wouldnt suprise me. try a four year overseas on a naval vessel(older brother)......

i would be willing to put a spad together for the boy if youll tell me what you want. if i build it smal, you can get an electric motor and a 3 channel radio to toy with for him.

I don't think 6 is too young but to keep him happy I like the idea of keeping him on the buddy box all the time. You take off and land, and he gets to fly around, which is probably what he cares the most about anyway. Good luck to you.

I wish you were right Wokka. However, two years is a minimum. Also, if North Korea keeps up, he'll head over there and start the tour all over again. We may not see him for a very very long time. Also, I'm wondering why you would make this statement. I'm not sure its really all that helpful.

tx... would you mind elaborating a bit? I'm very interested in what you have in mind. Electrics are completely foreign to me.

Well its been a month. He did deploy as planned. Its been pretty tough; in fact his daughter turns 4 this weekend. I've met with his son a few times since and the boy is really interested in flying, and not so much interested in building. I think, above all though, he's interested in hanging out.

Interestingly enough, before he deployed they were hunting around in the attic and found an unopened Goldberg Eagle 63 kit. It looks like its from 1980 or so, but all the parts are there and the wood looks to be in great shape. We've sort of made it something to look forward too; when dad gets back we'll all build it together. He seems to have really locked on to that and talks about building the plane with his daddy all the time. In the mean time, I think we'll stick to small cheep electric park stuff, and buddy box him with the nitro.

Thanks for all the support guys. I mentioned this thread and the outpouring of good will to his wife, and she was overwhelmed. Its isn't going to be easy, but if he keeps his head about him, stays focused and comes home safe, I think they'll get through this just fine.

Jason,

I dont think 6 years old is too young: one of my flying friends here started when he was 6, and soloed before he was 7, when his dad just walked away and told him to fly it and land it !!! He is now over 40, and needless to say that he is an excellent pilot.

However, be prepared for the kid shifting his attention to new areas of interest at any time: I tought my son to fly when he was 14, and he lost interest soon after his first solo flight; he got into RC cars for a few months, but now 16, he is completely out of RC.

I dreamed about RC flying when I was 14, finally could afford it when I was 20, and have now been flying for 28 years.

Good luck, and have fun.