Just to start im 15 and want to build (not buy) a small cheap plane that can basically only take of fly turn and land. No fancy stuff just that. Im trying to build a small 24" high wing span plane built out of all wood (probably balsa or spruce)
Before i begin i know most people will think im stupid thinking i can actualy think that i could build a plane from stratch but im motivated and determined so let me learn the hard way.
I just really need advice of what to buy,a design, any advice to a beginner pilot and builder. Please reply with important information a beginner would need to know.
P.S. Im builing my plane from scratch no design.

I'm not sure I understand what you want. You say you're building from scratch but you want to buy a design?

I would suggest you buy a kit. Something simple like this:
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...1&I=LXFG11&P=0

Building this kit will give you a lot of knowledge in building techniques if you ever want to design your own later.

No lie, why re-invent the wheel. Learn to build first, then design and scratch build something later. I have seen so many over eager teenagers want to get into flying, but they won't listen to anyone and get right back out of it. Buy a good trainer, learn the hobby well, and enjoy it for a really long time!! Get help from a local club also. They can guide you.

I meant kit when i said design
what i need is tips about what kind of engine, radio, servos, wing length battery etc... The best possible easy flying/building plane for something i can buy the parts for about $200-$300. How small could i build my plane (could i get a 5 lb plane with a 2 ft wing span. Should i build a high wing midwing low wing?
Whats the advantages of having an angle on the plane.
how many channels do i need for my radio?
how powerful a engine do i need in order to get the small plane off the ground in less than 20 meters?
And any useful other advie anyone's got id really appreciate it
Also do u think i dont have a chance at least or u think its possible?

You need to get with a local club and get help from an instructor there. There are a million planes. I tend to recomend the goldberg eagle 63 or the like, maybe a 4 star 40. Basically a high wing .40 size plane with ailerons, elevator, rudder, and throttle. I would only buy Futaba radio, but that is my preferance. Talk to the members, see what they are using. If you get one like they have, you can buddy box with them, which is hooking yours to theirs and they can teach you to fly, saving you a ton of money and time. do you have a local hobby shop? They can hook you up with someone that knows what is going on. Talk to a few people, don't just jump into something. Make sure you are getting good help and good equipt. It lasts a while if you buy good stuff, if not, you replace it a lot.

As already said, you need to go to a club and get some help. If you do not have some form of training there is a very, very, very good chance that your new plane will not last more than 10 seconds.

No, most people will not think you are stupid at least I won't . I started building from kits when I was about 9 years old and built my first R/C airplane when I was 13. That was in 1953 and the radio was built in an electronics class at school.

You can meet your budget of about $300 by building a high wing trainer. A Sig LT-40, Eagle etc., a basic 4-6 channel radio (I like Futaba also but there are others) and a bushing type .40-.46 engine.

You will need to join the AMA and a local club, visit more than one if possible, and get an instructor. Do not try to fly alone you will crash!

Apparently, you don't know what you are talking about, yet, when it come to rc model airplane. Go to a hobby shop and pickup a book for beginners. That was how I started. I don't remember the title of the book off-hand, but it has a picture of a guy wear eye-glasses starting an airplane with the help of his little boy. It's a pretty good book. I think all new rc flyers should begin with this book if he is doing it alone. Don't waiste your time with a kit first time, get a 40 size trainner, and spend 4 to 5 months on it. Get some help from your club coordinator for the first few flights! Otherwise you will be disappointed and drop out of the hobby the first day at the field!

agree with most of the other answers,check some clubs and hobby shops in your area ,find an instructor then buy something that the other members are familiar with in case you are like most of us,and not a genius like some in other talk forums. ARF's will get you in the air normally fasted than a kit,but a trainer kit also teaches a person how to build and the name of the parts,I notice people at the clubs I fly have trouble building when they start building the second or third plane,just my opinion

thanx for the replies,
one question whats the best protection (light yet durable) to protect my plane' engine etc..
and IF my plane happens to crash exactly how much damage would it actually do?
i dont wanna have to build a plae for like 3 months fly it and have to make a whole new one ffomr start.
would only like a piece of wood chip or it totally collapse.

Most of u suggested going to a club but i dont know any clubs that are near by where i live.
Will a local hobby shop and some books give me enough information to get started?

Tell us the city you are in and someone will guide you to a nearby club. Mine is 7 miles away and I never knew it was there until my brother joined the club.

There is nothing you add to a plane to protect it from a crash.
The one thing that will give some protection is an instructor.

It all depends how you define a crash. I have ripped the landing gear out of my 4 star a couple times. It ended my flying day, but I was back a week later. I have seen other planes reduced to dust. MOST of the uncontrolled landings I have seen have come from people that show up with a plane and refuse the help of an experienced flyer.

The one thing that will give some protection is an instructor.

If you want to minimize your emotional investment, get an ARF.
They go together fairly quickly. It will not take 3 months to build.
Should it break, you won't agonize over months spent turning a pile of sticks into an aircraft.

The hardest part of the learning is when all those $$$ get in close proximity to the ground!

hobby shop will get you started ,but if there is a hobby shop there is probably a club not to far away, ask the hobby shop.

papa you might want to start with electric you can fly in a park, I got a GWS stick, radio , all the electrics, and battery packs , for under $200, I already had a charger though, they fly pretty slow which is good for starting on, you can always transfer the radio and stuff to a faster plane when you are ready for it....Rog

ur saying with the expection of ur wood and charger u built a plane for under $200.
if so did it take off fly and land nicely?
and exactly how slow is slow? MHP?

well, slow is slow maybe 20 or so, but yes I got the plane ,radio, and batteries for under $200, it takes off in about 10 feet, goes for 8-10 minutes on a batt-pack (I have 3) lands easily,..there is no wood, its all foam and took about 2 or 3 hours to build and if you do crash you can buy any part of the plane you want, its great for learning on, I am getting back into the hobby after 10 years and I already have another plane (glow) to put this radio equipment in..btw slow is what you want to learn on , you wouldnt believe how fast you can crash with a slow plane..Rog

Oh and the wingspan is like 32 inches, you can get smaller , go look in the 1/2a section thats for the really small .049 engines but those usually arent for beginners they can be kinda squirrely..

You really need to get a kit and/or prebuilt plane and some help from a local flying club. I won't say you can't fly a scatch built plane. However, never having built a plane before or flown before, I predeict your odds of success of being les than 1%... hate to burst your bubble but just calling it like i see it. Stupid? Naw, you are just motivated, but I'd hate to see you do all that work only to fail.

Damage? For very minor crashes such as a hard bounce on landing, you may only have a few hours of repair work. Damage goes up from there. Even if you lose it just a few feet above the ground on landing it can cartwheel, effectively destroying pretty much the entire plane. Couple that with never having flown before and your pride and joy can be a pile of sticks in just seconds after takeoff.

As for costs, IMO it is pretty hard to get started for under $500. But don't let that discourage you, it can be done for less. You will probably be best getting a "ready to fly" plane that has everything you need.

Here is a glow trainer with everything you need except fuel and starting equipment. It is about $230 - figure another $50 for a gallon of fuel (good for probably 20 flights) and starting equipment. http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...1&I=LXE585&P=7

Here is one that is electric and has everything except 8 AA batteries. It is only $150. http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...1&I=LXCGR1&P=7

These are just two examples. There are litterally hundreds of beginner models available in various stages of completion, from kits to open the box an fly.

There are some very good suggestions in this thread. Find the local club (ask the hobby store, they should know), go to a local hobby store and ask them what they have, look at web address that shows the trainer kit, consider a park flier, etc. Learn how to build and fly first...THEN tackle your scratch built project. I think you will have better success this way and a lot more enjoyment too.

Thanks for ur replies ill take everything into consideration.

flying rog,
question u think i could make the same kinda plane u made exept build it in balsa wood?
and if u can u think u could send me the design or plans for the plane thanks.

<http://www.microrcflyer.com/main.htm> this is the site I ordered from and what the plane looks like, the stick is a very simple plane, I understand that you want to build one but I really wouldnt recommend it to be from scratch for your first plane, like monkeyboy said one good(bad) cartwheel can be the end of a plane, I dont have any plans. sorry
there are lots of stick plans out there look up tower hobbies and see for your self, go to a hobby store..........Rog

I know most suggested a kit or arf plane however thats not really what i want to do. Ive heard the flying the plane is the hardest part in making a plane however i dont want a rc plane to only fly it i want to actually get the engineering part out of it. I dont want to follow a kit i just wanna follow a design get the parts myself and experiment with it. Hopefully coming out with a plane that can get off the ground. if anyone has a nice looking (very important) plane design thats an easy flyer not too expensive (although my motto is cant put a price on experience) and easier building please send it to me or show me where i can find it.
Thanks

Ok, heres an idea for a cheap plane that will keep you out of trouble. Get an 8 1/2 x 11 inch piece of paper, fold it in half leangthwise, fold the front corners back at a 45, fold again to make wings and throw it. hehe. just kidding.

Stay away from the electric foamies for now. You will trash it in a flight or two. I just sold mine. It is fun to fly for a day or two, but you can't do a lot with it. It won't handle much wind and is very brittle.

Forget scratch building. You don't know what the pieces are that you will be putting together. Get a kit. You can get it for about $60. Start slowly working on it with help. After you get some work done on it, you can get an engine. After you get it done, you can get a radio. You don't have to do it all at once. I know you want to fly right now, but geez, you have a long life, enjoy it. Nothing good comes easy. I got my first one when I was 12. Mowed lawns for 4 months to pay for it. Was a magic time when I started flying it. I can still remember the picture of the plane on the front of the box.

Your not from new york are you? You sound just like a kid I tried to help with helicopters last year. He finally got one, broke it the next day and asked me to buy it because he wanted an rc car that wasn't so hard. Don't be that kid. Do it right!

Flyboy,
I dont know whether to take the first comment as an insult or a joke hopefully a joke. lol
i dont mean to sound kinda stupid but what exaclty comes in a kit i mean u said i had to go out to buy an engine that means a kit doesnt come with everything u need.
how much would u have to buy extra with a kit and how much of the actually customization builing and desgining is involved with a kit (i like that stuff dont wanna totally get rid of it)
i understand that building from sratch can be very hard and expensive and even worse can easily crash thats why i think ill take all ur advices and buy a kit.

Can anyone suggest a good, cheap, kit i could buy?

See Post #2 for the kit.
Where are you from?