the first plane that i bought was an Firebird Scout from hobbyzone. I did not like it at all and soon went out and bought a J-3 Cub from Parkzone and that is what i flew to learn how to fly. I flew this one without seeing an instructor because of distance isssues and it flew great. So i guess you could say that i first learned how to fly by myself. However a few things that i learned the hard way. Number one these planes will handle little to no wind at all so you have to be patient as far as that goes. Number two as i live on a farm i flew out over a field so that any crashes (there were several) were less hard on the plane. So if you could do that it will save you some cash Thirdly buy a couple of spare wings several props and some prop shafts as you will need them. You can do it on your own but the learning curve is a little slower. When i bought my first glow plane (hangar-9 Arrow) i got an instructor more $ at stake. You can learn by yourself just be ready for some setbacks (backordered parts) that you might not have with an instructor. Good Luck

Flyboy76

P.s. buy a couple of battery packs or you will spend all your time waiting for the battery to charge.

I am just like you Martno1fan “stubborn� the only way for me to get into this hobby is to teach myself how to fly without instructor .
I just want to do it by myself.
I will start like you and Flyboy76 and see what happens.

Flyboy76, I like J-3 cub from park zone but how is Shun Da J3 cub 3ch http://www.egrandbuy.com/3j3cubpirare.html

They kind a look the same but the park zone version cost $70 more.

i do not mind paying more for a better plane, but keep in mind that crashing it will be often.

i still say the e starter is the better plane it flies much better than the cub and has ailerons which in my view is a must!!.the ailerons give much better controll and you can even do decent rolls and inverted flight which you cant do with the cub .the e starter is a 4 channel plane rudder elevator ailerons and throttle!!.it costs $186 from gws themselves but you might get a cheaper deal just look arround.ive heard bad things about the park zone cub and its too expensive for 3 channels.as ive also stated theres lots of war birds you can move all the electrics and motor into when your ready!!.thats my advice anyway but its up to you.theres some videos of the e starter to look at ill try and find you a link for them!!.

try this link to a video of a cool e starter on floats!![img][/img]

Doom and gloom merchants? I think not. Based on what I have not only read, but what I have seen, most people do not succeed without an instructor and those that have, usually say it cost them dearly. And, many that do not succeed without an instructor just drop the hobby where they may (probably would) have stuck with it if they had proper instruction and thus, better success.

I wonder why Hobbico says that they will guarantee to replace the Hobbico NexSTAR only if instructions take place with a qualified instructor at an AMA sanctioned field. There must be a reason for that, and it isn't just to protect their interests. They feel that a person has a much better chance of success with one than without.

Hey, more power to you if you can get a safe flight without an instructor, however, there are parts of learning to fly RC that you cannot get without an instructor.

As for myself, I took my time, used the buddy box with a good instructor, four different ones in fact, at the request of my primary instructor just to give me a different perspective on flying, and when I solo'ed, it was a proud day for me, as it should be for anyone, regardless of if they use an instructor.

You cannot change opinions regarding the use of instructors. There are those of us that agree with that, and those of you that do not. But, I think that those that do far out number those that do not, and I'll go with the numbers and continue to recommend instructors and trainer aircraft with a buddy box.

DS.

Well if you really want to try on your own, there is always the [link=http://www.duraplane.com/]Duraplane[/link] route. Unless you lawn dart these things you really cant break the fuselage and shaft. Just replace the wings and tail when they take a hit.

With the duraplane you also get a traditionally functioning plane. And you can move your radio and engine to your next plane.

point taken but like hes allready said an instructor isnt an option for him for whatever reason so rather than slag him off and scare the guy to death ive tried as have others to give him a good choice of plane to give him the best chance of success!!.
me ive never been one to follow the crowd id like to think of myself as one of those pioneers like the wright brothers !!did they listen when everyone told them they were mad to try!!!!!.ive gotta say the pleasure of knowing you did it yourself cannot be compared to having someone show you how!!i realise some would rather do it the safe way and thats less expensive to some as im sure im probably in the minority in been succesfull doing it alone.personally i would aggree with you it is easier to get an instructor but if they would rather do it themselves i see no point trying to force them into it?.

Elmissir, I take it you are interested in park flyers or other electric powered planes. I started a few months ago with a glow trainer (that I would never have bought for myself, even though I've wanted to get into R/C for years). I can't emphasize the importance of an instructor enough!!!!! Mine helped with advice that made the first flight so successful that I couldn't wait to fly again and apply each tip that added to my understanding and built confidence that helped me advance.
By the way, he (my instructor) was self taught. He crashed 4 planes before he was able to land an aircraft intact. I thought I had a real head start on his beginnings! I disregarded one of the points he had made during my instruction and am now learning about various glues, sheet balsa thickness' and how to disassemble my engine to get the mud, that was rammed into the carb (and probably the cylinder) out. Instruction is a short cut.............if you listen. Plus, the guy has become a good friend. He even helped me get a deal on new tires for my car!

I bought the parkzone J-3 Cub, and I love it.
thank you every one for the help, I really appreciate it.

You are right Flyboy76 parkzone cub is a good trainer.
thanks martno1fan for all your help and emails, i tried to email you to see the video but i could not do it, my email is [email protected]

good luck every one

Ok. I havent been submitting posts lately due to summer education programs and a heck load of work. I do however hold a soloed membership card of a club. Im soloing for almost half a year now. Ive been to the flight line with my trainer plenty of times. (Check out my gallery to see what im flying). Currently im looking for a good kit to begin with, but now to your problem. I have found it best to fly gas planes, not electric ones. Electric foamies as you have mentioned are all very light and they suck when it comes to slight winds. I had a cessna 150 RTF. I had no flying experiences, no instructor, and i was just fooling around with a 150 $. Dumb idea. Its sitting in a pile of rubbish. I was gifted a RTF .46 Tower Hobbies trainer by a man who brings nothing but good to this world (J3FAN, God Bless You). I located a club and got the courage to ask my dad to take me there once for a whole day of learning. I learned so much, and since im young, which seems to be the reason why i soloed so fast (i think 4 trips to the field did it). Old people always say its because young people use joysticks for video games and have much better coordination. In my case it was just a poop load of hours on FMS. Anyway, back to your problem. Why no instructor? I thought i could do it, and i trashed it, i have to supply my own hobby goods because my dad doesn't trust in the hobby ( but after coming to the field with me, hes beginning to like it). So just go to a club, you don't even have to become a member to learn. THey will provide you with guidance. There RC clubs here in the states are great. You live in NY, what part? LEt us know what you decide. I recommend gas trainers, due to stability in wind and just the thought that you will have to care for something, like cleaning it, tuning it, makes it more fun then EP. Good luck.

Samolot, you were not only quick to learn to fly R/C, you were quick to make a valid point. Your learning experience parallels mine.........except for the age thing, and I had to make a few more trips to the field before soloing. Also, after joining my club, tons of useful information came from almost every member I've met. Geez! Why didn't I buy my own plane 35 years ago!

I fly electrics that I can fly in windy conditions. I have one that is 3 1/2 pounds and it's a balsa/monokote cub. I taught myself. It depends on the person and the availability of instructors as whether you use one. I didn't have one. Of coarse it is very helpful to have an instructor. Not having one does not mean you can not teach yourself.

You certainly don't NEED to fly glo if that is not what you want to fly! That is your opinion and good for you. Not all electrics are foamys.

Someone mentioned that none of the AeroBird have elevator control. The AeroBird Challenger does. It has throttle, elevator and rudder control using a v-tail.

elmissir, you just have to make up your mind which you want to go.

elmissir
Look, its easy for us to tell you to get an instructor because we can all fly and we have all been there, done that. When someone tells you to get an instructor, what you hear is that this is a hard hobby and full of a lot of hurdles that you have to pass when all you want to do is fly....it IS possible for you to teach yourself.

That being said, find an instructor. This does not indicate that you have to go to a lot of training. But you should really investigate the hobby in your area. You might find that there is a great flying field with lots of people ready and wiling to give you some pointers. This may lead to a lot more fun that simply choosing a cheap electric and flying in the yard. The idea here is not so much that you will be a failure without a mentor but you will get A LOT more out of the hobby for your money by finding friends that know the hobby. This hobby needs that....why....well in a year or two we are going to be telling someone, much like yourself to find a mentor in their area, and they may come looking for you!

instructor is the way to go.
i tried to do it myself and it worked but it is not that much fun doing it yourself, now i like flying with people that are into the hobby.

for the beginners out there, you can do it yourself but it will cost you more money and you will learn slow.


# 1 tip-------- do not fly when it's windy even when your new plane is calling you "hay come here to me and fly me" mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm i am so weak