My friend is looking to get into R/C and he wants to start with an electric plane. I've been in the hobby for a while but everything I have is glow powered so I was hoping someone could recommend a good electric trainer (parkflyer sized would be best) and equipment to go with it (radio, motor/battery, etc.). Thanx

I think since you fly glow, your friend should start out with glow.. Electric is just now really "coming into it's own." Everything is still fairly expensive and heavy compared to nitro stuff. Especially if he ever wants to conbvert... Then he has all that elec. stuff laying around

When the hurricanes aren't blowing, are the winds fairly light in Daytona Beach? Too much wind is the only reason I'd stay away from park flyers.

A hard question to answer, what to buy. Is he just trying it out to see if he likes it or is he getting into seriously? Is he on a budget, or can he afford to spend more on better equipment now?

I think the GWS Estarter is a good 4 channel trainer to start.
Radio? The best you can afford. I'd get at least a 6 channel computer radio if serious about the hobby.
Servos? Hitec HS55's will do the job nicely.
If he's got money and some help to learn to fly, I'd start out with a Himax 2015-4100, GWS C gearbox (you won't have to buy this if you get the Estarter with the 300 or 350 motor) and a 9x7 prop on 3S lithium polymer batteries. You can get a Castle Creations Thunderbird or Eflite ESC to go with that. That'll give the Estarter lots of pep.
If he does get the Estarter, decide on what batteries he's going to buy before building it so you can carve some of the foam out first.

If he decides to go with the stock motor first and nimh batteries, GWS batteries usually aren't recommended for the 400 motor (or any motor if you ask some people). If he gets the 350 version, he'll need to decide whether he'd rather have longer flights or a lighter plane.

the aerobirds (challenger/xtreme) are probably the absolute best way to get started in rc. they are cheap, nearly indestructable, easy enough to fly without an instructor and in an area much smaller then most glows... yeah, most of the equipment used in one isn't capable of being used in another model, but they also cost less then a decent transmitter by itself!

lots of people will always say go out and spend $300+, but for someone that may not even be sure they like the hobby, that could be a very expensive single flight. get something cheap, and if they are hooked at that point they will go on to bigger and better stuff on their own.

OK, heres my .02, it may be that in certain analysis that large electrics are more expensive than nitros . All right, that might be true, I don't know for sure, however what I do know is that electrics are for the most part smaller than nitros . That means that it'll be cheaper, especially when you factor in AMA costs. Also, there are no where near as many regulations as nitro, just down to individual field regulations really. The motors out now are very powerful, and make really don't require much maintenance, instead of nitro engines which can leave a mess and need to be cleaned and inspected, which should help beginners. Not intending to down nitros , but you have to admit, electric is just cleaner.

To answer your question, the planes mentioned above are good, and if that is the way you want to go, that is fine, just know that there is also the Slow Stick out there, which is an ARF, it is a good plane, and all the electronics aren't locked up in a plastic fuse.

Indeed electric is coming into its own, or maybe its already there, in any case, its a good time to join in.

Did AMA start offering discounted memberships for electrics only members? I'm not sure what you mean when you say "there are nowhere near as many regulations as nitro..." Are there specific regulations banning nitro planes?

I suspect what you are hinting at is buying electrics and flying in places like school yards and abandoned lots allows people to bypass AMA. This is mostly due to the fact that electrics are smaller. One could do the same thing with 1/2A size planes. While this might seem to save money in the short run, it also causes people to miss out on some important parts of the hobby such as learning from people with experience. It also puts people, and the hobby, at risk because even little electrics can cause injuries.

Whether someone begins with electrics or nitro doesn't matter. However, it is important that they learn the right (safe) way to fly, and for this joining AMA and seeking assistance from an instructor is way more safe than flying alone in the local school yard.

ICE, you may not have noticed, but electrics are not just "coming into its own", it's here. If someone wants to fly electrics, there's little to no reason to insist that they start with glow.

I second the suggestion of getting something like the GWS eStarter. Spending any less than that (on new equipment) buys throw away toys that have limited value. I suspect that while the OP lives in Daytona Beach, that their flying field is not actually on the beach. Usually once one gets inland a bit, the winds are lighter. There should be plenty of times when the winds are low enough to fly electrics.

Mig, NiMH are a good choice for batteries. Get them in a size that's appropriate for the plane. If your friend is a careful person, he could consider Lipoly batteries, but only if he's NOT the type who is going to put them on the charger and walk away for a few hours. They're getting safter, but are still a bit unforgiving.

I guess I should have been more specific with details. piper_chuck is absolutely right. We're about 3 miles inland and the winds aren't too bad usually,but it is Florida so we do get the occasional rain shower daily. The only field we have access to at this time is a soccer field on our college campus. We're right next to KDAB if anyone knows the area or the school, and our R/C club is pretty small at this time. I asked him what he wanted to start with and we both agreed on electric b/c of the space limitations as well as simplicity and relative cost. Because of our proximity to the airport and other things electric is probably better than gas for us right now (noise, exhaust, fuel cost, storage.......) and our resources are extremely limited (see $). So for right now it's going to probably be electric.

Just because we can only fly in such a limited space @ this time doesn't mean there won't be experienced people willing to teach him how to fly. As an AMA member who HAS flown mostly at sanctioned fields and with clubs I understand the value of it, and we're not trying to bypass them at all. I'm actually going to bring up the idea of joining to him, just incase anything were to happen. Also as an R/C pilot with a few years experience, I've seen what can happen when people just try to teach themselves and don't seek instruction, so that is not an issue.


So without going on too much more,


We're not just a group of kids who bought a $40 plane from Kmart and call ourselves R/C pilots and fly alone in some field or on the beach and think the AMA is some medical group.