Hello all,
I have been flying electric r/c planes for the last couple of years, but recently decided to move on to a gas plane. After looking around for a while, I came to the conclusion that I would enjoy taking the time in building my first r/c gas plane. I'm sure it will take lots of patience (which I have), and probably a lot of research. I bought a HOB Beechcraft Bonanza kit, and it should be arriving this week. I was just curious if anyone had any good tips, tricks, cautions, or warnings for me before I started. I will most likely go all out with the assembly, and I know it won't be easy, but the end result, I'm hoping, will be one that I can take pride in. Thanks in advance...
-Bobby

I'll just suggest that the Kit Builder's forum is a good place to look for tips. You might want to post there, but first read through a bunch of the posts. Also, there are some "sticky" posts, I believe the Kit Builders forum has building tips in one of them.

Welcome aboard, and good luck.
Dave Olson

I realize you have a few years of electric flying under your belt, however, glow planes are a bit different than electrics. The most noticeable feature is that they are faster than the majority of your electrics. Another couple of items are that the majority of your glow planes use ailerons and the response time of a glow plane is also noticeably faster than many electrics.

I would suggest going to the flying field and seeing if someone can take you up on a buddy box with a trainer 1st. That will allow you to judge the skills you presently have on a glow plane and decide if you want a sport/scale plane (such as the Beechcraft Bonanza ) for your 1st glow plane or something a bit more sedate.

Thank you for those tips, I definitely have somewhere to go from here. I guess I will hang around in the kit builder forums and at the field for a while.

Read the manual before you start, if there is something you don't understand re-read till you do. It will help understand what and why you are doing what you are doing. Also save all your scraps. It will save you some $$$ at the LHS when you need some material for those little mishaps you may have. Saved me alot so far fixing my trainers.

Test fit all parts and make sure you are using the correct piece before getting near it with glue. Once you apply glue, you are commited. Sort of like the old addage of: measure twice -cut once. It applys even more here.
The Bonanza may be a handful to start out on for a first Glow plane. Go to a local club and see if you can try a trainer and see where you stand. Generally anything that looks like a real airplane (scale) is going to have touchy flight characteristics for a beginner in glow flight.

Welcome to glow and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

I agree that the Bonanza will be a handful as a first glow fuel plane. Since you already have flying experience, you'll be a ahead of the game, but flying a gas trainer is a good start. I don't know if your planes have landing gear on them, but you need to learn how to land a gas plane to figure out power management ( and sometimes the dreaded dead-stick landing). Having flown a few electrics, I'm glad that I I have so much time flying power --it was an easy transititon. Get your time in before building the Bonanza. Also, add some triangle stock betweenteh fire wall and fuse - it will make a world of differernce concerning strength.