I am fairly new to R/C planes. I currently fly a Hobbyzone Commander and have had a lot of fun with it, but would like to upgrade to at least 3 channels. In electric, I am thinking along the lines of an Aerobird Xtreme, Parkzone’s Typhoon 3D, and the Begin-Air from Parkflyers.com. I would much rather get into glow planes, but then along with them comes the instructor and club fees (I don’t have a lot of money!). I have looked at Hanger 9’s Alpha and Arrow trainers and they seem like good trainers if I go with glow. Do you have any suggestions on what I should buy? Any other electric planes or glow trainers you would recommend? If you have had any experience with the planes I have mentioned or ones like them, please tell me about it.

Thanks, Jay

question removed for lack of attention.

Have you ever considered building your own? If money is tight, building allows you to buy components as funds come your way, and you won't have to come up with a big investment right away. There are many good Plans or Kits available for Electric and Gas powered Planes. Kits and building from scratch are a little more expensive in the long run, but you learn alot in the process, and as I said before, you stretch your purchases out over time. The biggest benefit is watching a Plane that you built yourself take to the sky.

Go buy an LT-40 ARF and put a good BB engine in it. A GMS .47 or a Tower .46. Total cost = $200

Buy the best radio you can afford. 6 channel Total Cost = $140--$250. If your tight on money--then buy a 4 channel radio. Total cost = $100--$150

Get some help from the local club for assembly if you need it. Join a club and get an instructor.

Have a blast.

thanks ckangaroo70 for responding! I have thought about building my own plane and as you have said, it would spread out the cost. For example, SR Batteries has great plane kits for around $100, and I would love to work on putting a kit together. But when you add a radio system, electric motor, and the tools needed to complete the kit, the cost would buy a nice glow trainer and everything else needed. I don't know what I'll do.

Set a limit on what you think you can afford and post it. That will help people make recommendations.

Also, even though you may not like the idea of a club, some of the best bargains can be had from people selling stuff. For example, lots of people try out R/C and decide they don't like it. Quite often when they decide to sell off their stuff, they turn to the club help them sell it. Also, R/C people are usually really interested in helping more people enjoy the hobby. If the club knows there's a newcomer who doesn't have much money, they'll usually bend over backward to get you enough stuff to get going. Look at the "pay it forward" thread for a perfect example of this.

For electrics, the GWS EStarter and Slowstick can be bought as a package for a pretty reasonable price. They're both small, but as long as you don't try to fly on windy days, they'll do fine. If you are in a windy area, you will want something larger.

You may not like this, however the Parkzone P-51 is a AWESOME bird. Pretty quick and flys great. No rudder, but you dont use much rudder on a Mustang anyway. With moderate skills, anyone can look like a pro pilot with one of these.

I am a 3D pilots and got one for my son. I have taken it from him. Several of us now have them and we pylon race and combat them, bone stock They have much better performance then anyone expects.

180 bux, can't go wrong.

I bought my first trainer--an LT-40--from a guy who had tried RC and then decided he didn't have the guts to continue with it.

It was an LT-40 KIT that one of the guys at the LHS had put together for him. It had a TT Pro .46 engine and an Airtronics Vangaurd 4ch radio. The plane had been flown 3 times when the guy gave up on RC.

I picked it up at the LHS for $375.

All I needed was the usuall support equipment--field box, starter, ni-starter, etc.....

Join a club and join the AMA. It's the only way to fly.

I'd guess that about 95% of the clubs in this country REQUIRE AMA to fly. You'll have a hard time flying without AMA. And you really don't want to "poach" that old dirt road outside town. Should you happen to hit a car or one of farmer Browns' cows--your in big trouble.

AMA provides liability insurance that you really can't afford to be without.

The club will help you out in many ways. DON'T pay a fee for instruction. Most all clubs will provide free instruction to new members. It's a nice gesture--on your part--to buy your instructor a gallon of fuel when you've soloed--but not required.

Well based on my presonal entry into the hobby, i would go with an AeroBird Challenger, it was my first airplane and i learned how to fly it all on my own and did pretty well. they are very easy to put together and very fun to fly. they are a great way to prepare you for a glow trainer if you decied to go down that road. after my aerobird i got my 2nd airplane, a Goldberg eagle 2 and i soloed on it after my 3rd flight.