Ive been looking at some planes and ive seen so far that the smallest plane was about 50" wingspan this kinda scares me cause i was thinking of a 25" wingspan and 20" fuselage can a plane that small take of nicely fly smoothly and get down safely?

How small? Well Henry Pasquet flies CO2 and rubber-powered RC models that would fit in your hand!

The January 2003 issue of Flying Models has just arrived and there is a color photo of one his models- a 4-7/8" Lacey M-10. This was at the NEAT 2002 Fair.

Dave Segal

You're only limited by your imagination, building materials, and skill (building & flying)...

bigger planes tend to fly better... also, with small planes the weight of components such as servos/batteries/receivers becomes MUCH more important.

Hey PaPa I'm back: To keep this short, I am currently flying a Carl Goldberg Tiger 60. It has a 70" wingspan and it gets very small, very fast. I recommend going as big as your finances allow. and make the bottom of the plane a different color from the top, a light color, and a dark color. You will be surprised how fast you can become disoriented. Especially while learning. always happy to help if I can. Garry

$$,
u said a 70" flyes real nice and fast.
for say smooth flying 25mph plane could i get between a 30" and 40"?
cause 70 seems kinda big

Hey PaPa: I suggest if you can make it, go out to your flying field and watch how fast the planes get small. May be someone will let you get some stick time, this is the only way you will really get a feel for how fast they get small. My Tiger will fly at a snails pace so it's not really to bad. But then again, I've been flying for 4 years, and can pretty much tell if the plane is coming, or going. Sounds funny but I think if truth be known, when the plane is in certain attitudes, even the most experienced pilots become disoriented momentarily. Also bigger planes are just more stable in the air, are not affected by the wind as much. If your heart is set on a smaller plane, I would suggest one of the park fliers, since they don't weigh hardly anything, they will usually absorb impact a little better. Remember the smaller they are the closer you have to fly in order to see them. This gives you less time to react. I can almost guarantee you will have a tendency to over control in the beginning. To answer your question bigger will be better, you can go smaller but I would refrain from flying if there is more than a 5 to 7 MPH wind. Check HERR engineerings web site, they make some good sturdy little balsa kits that might survive the first crash with minamal damage. They can be built as elec. or glow. If memory serves 35" to 50" wing spans. But I can not stress something in the 50" to 60 " span enough. Always glad to help if I can. Garry

A bigger plane is easier to keep oriented in the air. If you get the right plane a smaller plane will not fly out of sight any faster than a larger one. A park flyer or slowflyer, will be flyable with in a school yard without a problem. These are electric models. an anything of this size I would go electric.
If you wish for glow powered I would urge you to get a trainer. The smallest I would go would be around 50" Such as the Carl Goldber Eaglet. Anything smaller than this will have to be flown on near zero wind days. Smaller = Lighter = more affeced by wind.

Papa, think about this...

Which of these things seems to fly faster: A hawk, or a housefly?

One of the reasons most of us agree on 40 size trainers (Note, 40 size refers to .40 inch engine displacement) is that it is a good over all size. It's not too small, and it's less expensive than a bigger plane.

You will find that in many cases, smaller planes are less stable or more "squirrly".

Listen to what people here are telling you. We, unlike salesmen, are not trying to sell you anything. We are trying to help you.

Thanks for the replies,
im not really looking for an extremely fast plane im just saying when i stretched out that tape measurer 70" seemed kinda long i was thinking ive something i could just shove in a big box and bring it anywhere (on vacation etc..).
also for my first plane i think im going with a kit but for my second and third i think im gona build it from sratch. And building a fuselage of 60" and wingspan of 70" seems a hell of a lot harder than a 20" to a 30".

If your heart is set on a smallish kit, try this link:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...XVY37&P=0#tech

I love my Li'l Rascal to pieces (not literally pieces ). It flies well on low wind days, and handles like a dream. I plan on modifying it, soon, to add ailerons, and a 4th channel. This kit can be built either for electric or glow. I opted for a norvel .061 BigMig, and it's a ball. It doesn't burn up the sky, but then, I didn't want it to.
Even it has a 40" wing span, though, so maybe you could check out some of threads on Guillows conversions, if you have good building skills. If this is your first kit, try the Li'l Rascal.