I'm very excited about getting into thie hobby, and I have a few questions if you guys have a couple of minutes to answer. I'm completely aware of "starting small" and working my way up, and I plan on totally following this rule. What I have planned so far is getting the Realflight G3 simulator soon, and learning with it all winter, then in the Spring (when it gets a bit warmer lol, I'd like to make a plane purchase. I was able to play around with the sim a little at my local hobby shop, and it was quite fun! They set me up with a starter plane, and showed me the controls, and I took to the air. I felt I did fairly well in the air, and it seemed a bit familiar to me as I've had a ton of time with flight simulators on the PC as a kid. I did however find it difficult to land on the runway on the G3 sim. Or land totally for that matter lol. I guess I have a long way to go on judging the attitude and orientation of the plane on approach hehe.

But finally with the questions....

1. After the few months of experience with the sim, I'm hoping to make my first purchase. I think I'd like to stay electric for a while, and have my goal set on flying the F-27 Stryker from Parkzone. But I know I shouldn't start with that first. I'm looking for a good beginner plane that's RTF out of the box, with all included neccessaties. Doesn't need to be anything fast or flashy, I just wanna be able to fly it around for a bit, and land it safely lol. I'll worry about speed, manuverability and stunts much later.

2. Honestly, I don't think I want to go to an RC club field and be a complete n00b with the basic beginner electric setup lol. If I'm going to crash, I'd like to do it in seclusion haha. It's a bit embarrassing being a complete n00b at stuff, surrounded by experts on their on turf. So, I'm wondering, are any of the beginner electric planes able to fly in smaller areas? Such as a football/baseball/soccer field? Or empty parking lot? I think that's what I'd like to do to begin with. When I have a bit more experience and have "kicked the training wheels", I'll definately join the local RC club.

3. At which point should I move on from the trainer plane? When I've learned to fly well, and land? And which plane should the Stryker be for me (2nd, 3rd, etc.)? I don't want to go into gas or nitro until I feel I've mastered the electric, and have tons of confidence.


Thanks in advance for all your help.


Vhayne

Everyone was a beginner at one time! So they've been there too. Don't be intimidated by experienced folks.

I showed up at my local field as a complete stranger and started asking questions and getting the low-down on the training sessions. They were friendly and helpful with this and got me in the air when I showed up with my trainer on a buddy box. I flew 7 times during 3 training days. About 50% to solo now.

Instructors are the way to go. They'll teach you and help you keep your plane in the air while you learn. [8D]

If you have a club close, go visit them and just ask questions and look around. You don't have to join or anything, just enjoy some time hanging out. You will be surprised how much you can learn and how it may effect your present thinking.
Myself, I think it is just plain foolish to try it on your own if you don't have to, there are to many good points to getting some assistance. ENJOY !!! RED

Vhayne, I am a stryker owner, both stock and brushless. My suggestion for you is what you have been told so far and I would recommend starting with the areobird challenger. It's a 3 channel and will take abuse(to a point). This way you can belly land on the grass(Stryker has no landing gear). Get used to this plane the move to the Stryker. The roll rates on the stryker are a whole new world from the high wing though. Hope this helps and definitly practice with the sim.

I say shop around and get a decent 4 to 6 ch radio with a rechargable battery pak that comes with the charger for radio (rx) and transmitter (tx)...then you can get the type of "flight pak" you want for a particular model like 4 regular servos and a battery for a .40 trainer,,or 2 micro servos , a battery and an esc for a parkflyer..........then get a cheap parkflyer ,,I would recommend a GWS pico stick,,but you may get other opinions on this...come over to the 1/2a forum and build the 1/2a trainer and join the carolina crew in our funflys...I hold 2 a year right here in Burlington and our swap meet (BARKS) is coming up in january come on up its only 30-40 miles......Rog

Vhayne, you'll get lots of good advice here. Get over the fear of being a noob. EVERYONE that flies R/C planes was one at one time or another, even the ones who have been doing it for 50+ years. Most of us remember this and welcome new people.

Many who teach actually suggest that new people spend time with an instructor BEFORE you use a simulator. The reason is so you can learn good habits from the instructor and then use the simulator to reinforce them. If you learn everything on your own and then go to a field, you may have developed some bad habits these can be hard to correct. Besides, you live in NC, there's no reason to hibernate, flying is a year round sport around here. I'm planning to be at the field Sat and Sunday.

I'd suggest following Rog's advice about buying a decent radio set to begin with. This radio will be much more useful than the ones that come with the electric RTF planes. And assembling something like the GWS Pico or Slow Stick is actually pretty simple.

Vhayne,

Welcome to the wonderful of R/C.

Get over the fear of being a newbie and check out some of the local clubs. You'll find a wealth of information in the accumulated experience of the club members. Most R/Cers like to do two things: 1) talk about their equipment and experience, and 2) help newbies. All experienced R/C pilots were newbies at one time. R/C flying is fun, and it's a lot more fun with others. Club dues are usually reasonable and most clubs have instructor pilots available.

Good luck!

Dr.1

I want to add to Piper Chucks advice since I pretty much agree with what he has told you thus far. A good flying, small electric Plane to start with would be something from GWS like the pico stick, or better yet in my opinion the pico Tiger Moth. Parkzone, Eflite, and some of the other stuff is probally O.K, but the equipment you use to fly the GWS Planes is "good stuff" that can be used in other small Planes, and you will be able to get alot of future use from. You can buy this in a ready to fly package with mostly everything needed to fly, but I would again take Piper Chucks recommendation to get the better Radio. I would also agree that starting on a Sim without any previous assistance from a Knowledgable Flyer will indeed plant some bad habits into your thumbs. So please forget about the fact that you are a noob, and realize that none of us that fly have ever stopped learning. I learn new things everytime I fly. So don't label yourself as a noob who knows nothing, but rather a new pilot who has lots to learn. Starting off on the right foot, taking the good advice of those who came before you, and having a good positive attitude will get you flying like an old pro much more quickly! Good Luck!

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and the great advice. I didn't even think about the bad habits that could form by using a sim without a bit of guidance. It makes alot of sense. I had assumed that the instructors on the sim would provide the basics for what I need to know. I will take your advice and visit my local field. Sorry to Rog, but I don't think I can make it to Burlington. I wanna enjoy this hobby, and having to drive for an hour each time I want to partake in it would become more of a hassle than what I had planned so far lol. But in time, I might change my mind hehe.

I really hadn't considered getting a seperate radio from the one that comes with the RTF kits. Honestly, I didn't want to spend that much money just yet, as I don't have a whole lot to begin with lol. I had planned on plopping down 200 for the sim, and in a few months, another 100-200 for a beginner plane, than later another 100-200 for an intermediate like the Stryker. Of course, I haven't a clue which radio to go with that you're suggesting, so I really don't know what kind of cost will be required lol. Any recommendations are welcome. Honestly, I'm still trying to learn the "lingo" of the different parts and equipment. I've been trying to find information on the net about basic terminology for this stuff, but haven't found too much lol. When I say I'm a n00b....I mean it lol.

Just curious.....(so I can explain to my wife about the new additional cost lol), why is a seperate radio important for a beginner, instead of the ones that come with the RTF kits? Is it so that if I want to upgrade the RTF plane, that I'd be able to control the upgrades (ie: cutting the ailerons in half, and adding servos to them to make flaps?). Or is there something more important to having a more powerful radio to begin with? I'm going to look up the planes you suggested and see how they total up in cost, and I'll try to do some more research on radios. But as I said....if you have some suggestions, links are greatly appreciated!


Thanks again guys. If everyone I meet in this is as kind as you all, I can see this will be quite enjoyable!

Vhayne

What they're saying, Vhayne, is don't limit yourself in radio features.

The radio you're likely to get with the planes you've mentioned will be good for flying that particular plane or one just like it. It won't be good for much else. As your skill increases and you graduate to a more advanced type of plane, you will quickly outgrow that basic radio.

I know you're trying to keep costs down, but sometimes it's wise to buy equipment you can grow into. Don't buy anything twice that you can buy once.

For example, the Hitec Flash 4x is an excellent beginner's computer radio. The "4" means it's a 4-channel radio. You can get it configured for several different types of planes. It has many of the bells and whistles you'll want as you continue in R/C. The Flash 4x sells for around $160.

Other good beginner's radios include the Hitec Flash 5x, Futaba 6EXA and the Futaba 6XAS.

The radios I've mentioned will last you through several planes and many years of R/C flying, if you take care of them.

Dr.1

The Stryker is a very good plane, but it will go exactly where you tell it to, including straight down. The Aerobird challenger is a decent trainer, but trust me you will want to have contact, (and fly with), experienced pilots. I have found that virtually everyone loves to help begginers. Everyone has been there once, and it really does not bother anyone.

I started with an aerobird, but I couldn't really fly it because I had no support at all, so I had to learn everything by trial and error, which is hardly very good on the plane, and when it is just you at the field, it's much easier to get bored with only you flying. After a year and a half, I finally found some others to help, and that is when I really 'took off' so to speak. In a few weeks I was ready for a stryker, and six months after that I bought a Tensor 4D, which turned out not to be the best choice, but I could fly it quite well at that point. Now I have the GP Flatouts Reflection and I'm learning to hover.

However, if I could have bought an ARF to start with I could have saved myself a good amount of money. You see, by now, the aerobird is in bad shape from all the abuse it took trying to learn by myself, and I really wish I could transfer it's electronics to another plane but I can't with its large circut board thing which is only compatible with that plane. I wouldn't have to just let all of it sit there if I could just move some of the equipment. In addition, when I bought the Tensor, I had to spend a lot of money, but then when I had a fairly serious crash, I decided to move on, so I went down to the hobby shop and bought a new plane for only 45 bucks!

Looking back, I wish my first plane had been an ARF, maybe a Slow Stick or another GWS plane, in the end I would have saved much money. Also, I wish I had found some pilots to start off with, it would have saved me a year of pointless trial and error flying and a plane that had about 25 flights and 3 sucessful landings.

Hope my experiences help.

edit: My best radio which I have used for two planes, is a Futaba 6EXA.

wow 160 bucks for the radio alone lol. I might be able to swing it, but it might delay my starting point. I think I understand what you're saying about needing one though. As for ARF kits.....I don't see myself getting into that for quite some time lol. I've never been one to take up modeling, and the assembly of those seem quite intimidating (having to get everything perfectly balanced, correctly placed and lined up, etc.), that's why I've decided to go with the RTF kits. Actually, to be honest, I haven't even considered looking into RC flying until I saw some Airhog planes at Walmart rofl. I nearly bought one, but figured they were more of a toy than anything else. After reading some reviews about them, I'm glad I didn't. But it got me thinking...."If they can make a somewhat flyable plane for so cheap, then I bet there are more, and better planes on the market that actually work". You see, years ago, I looked into it slightly, and discovered the extreme cost involved in this, and was turned off. But with the release of electric RTF kits, it seems the costs have been lowered drastically, which had me looking deeper and deeper, until I caught the bug haha.

Iturnright, I have a question for you.....couldn't you just buy some replacement parts for your Aerobird to fix it up? I mean, the way I understood it, is even though the electric RTF planes are fairly cheap, you're still gonna crash them, and they're still going to need repair. If this isn't the case, then I missed something, and frankly it scares me to death lol. No way I can afford to buy a new plane each time I have some bad luck or crash a landing haha.

Also, could someone please explain to me what a Buddy Box is? I think I got the basic of it down, but not totally sure. What I think I know about it is it's when an instructor hooks their radio to yours, and if you make a mistake when flying, they can take over and try to keep you from crashing?

Vhayne, I'm not trying to convince you one to go my way,,I'm just throwing out an option,,I started with a GWS radio (did NOT like changing the 8 batts. in it) a Pico stick and the electronics to go with it, and a couple of battery paks,well this ran about $200...several flights into the new hobby and I lost my plane waaaay up in a pine tree and came to the sudden realization that of the $200 about $150 of it was up in that tree....a buddy cord goes from one radio to another where the trainer can take control,,,a buddy box is not a radio but will act as one through the trainers radio..not familiar with the stryker but some of these package deals come with the radio that will only work with that plane...oh I didnt mean for you to join the club here in Burlington I meant to come up for the swap meet (jan)and funflys in may and october...I had a megatech plane with radio that on its first flight the wing folded and went down in high grass swamp and I looked for 2 days for it now I have a radio that I could buy a rx/xtal for but again I dont like the 8 AA cell battery deal ...most of these packages say " all you need is 8 AA batteries to fly!!".....that equals a crappy Tx in my opinion....you certainly dont have to buy today,,shop around,,there may well be someone at the club who wants to get rid of his stuff cheap!! Go, Watch, Learn, have fun, you might get a whole set up for 1/2 price....HTH...Rog

ROG and VH ,You guys need to get together .VH ,I drive 60 miles ,each way, to get to a hobby shop.With an invitation like ROGs ,I wouldn`t hesitate going to visit him,and his Club..See if Rog, will take you under his "WING".ROG will know ,what to look for, at that swap meet,that he was talking about..VH. I know,you don`t have confidence to build at the moment,So maybe you can talk Rog, into building you the 1/2A trainer, for a fair price.What you would end up with, is a GOOD plane ,and not a toy.From the swap meet look for a good used radio , engine,etc..Or with ROGs help ,maybe forget about the used radio, and engine, and go for a radio, like the FUTABA 4YF skysport.Its a 4 channel radio (basic),entry level, but you can get it, in micro version(small servos,battery,and reciever),or,with the standard size accesories.It`s inexpensive ,and, reasonably priced too.You`ll NOT need, a buddy box ,if your instructor has a futaba radio as well, because a trainer port is built in.All you would need is a trainer CORD..That set has all the batteries and chargers with it...You can also get a NEW Norvel engine,also very reasonable pricing on these too.I would suggest the 0.074" so that you, can get into a more sporty plane later, when you get the hang of things..I`m another guy that hates to wait for batteries to charge up[:@]. HERE`s a few pics, of the 1/2A trainer, I`m building for my nephews(40" wing span).The power will be, the 0.074" Norvel engine I mentioned ,and the radio I was speaking of..I`m only trying, to give you a little push ,in the right direction,without blowing the bank,and ending up, with a real decent set-up ,all at the same time..

Hey Vhayne,

When I crash a plane, I want as many people around as possible. The way I see it , that crash cost me money. The more people that see it , that are entertained by it , the more I have gotten for my money. Seems like a rip off if I'm the only one to see the crash.

See what pearls off wisdom you might hear at a club field.

Actually you will learn a great deal from folks at a club. But just realize, that most people will never answer your question with, " I don't know" . Everyone has an opinion. Some folks' answers are based in fact and science and other folks' answers are based in mysterious mythologies.

The great thing about RCU is that you generally get a consensus. I agree with others here that the simulator is a great idea. I think instructors are the preffered method of learning to fly. I don't know diddley about E-lectic airplanes. I fly em. But they don't belong to me. I flew a real sweet Mig15 today. Its fast and powerful. But I don't know what the owner put in that little plane to make it go like stink. So I can't really offer any opinion about the plane that you mentioned. Someone mentioned buying a slightly more versatile radio...........sounds like good advise to me. I have radios that are 20 years old. Buying a radio that you can grow into sounds like a good tip.

Anyway, welcome to the hobby. Enjoy your simulator. See ya around.

I know this goes against what most say, but I endorse self learning and RTF's if you are on a budget. For starting, I really don't like the entire Hobbyzone line of planes, especially those without elevator/pitch control. They porpoise and have trouble being controlled. A Parkzone Cub is the way to go; not too expensive, r/e/t control with a pretty good 3-ch radio, and flies very well. It also self-corrects to a degree. You can get it just about anywhere for $159.99, everything is included, even a peak-detect charger, lots better than the timed ones.
Just my 2 cents.

Well don't get me wrong, I had fun with the aerobird once I started to figure it out, but it did take a lot of abuse from self learning. Even though it has a new wing on it, the airframe itself is disfigured, and the servos seem to have lost their effectivness. If I could open up the body to help fix things inside there or take parts out to use in a new plane I would, but it is impossible to reach the servos without taking apart everything else. If I had bought an ARF to start with, and found an instructor, I would be basically an entire year ahead of where I am now. In reality it isn't really very hard at all to assemble an entry level ARF. Everything is explained very well in the insturctions. Just keep it in mind that you will have to buy an ARF (or kit or build) eventually if you want to go anywhere in the hobby. So the sooner you start collecting transferable equipment, the cheaper it'll be in the future.

Hi!
I have helped some newcomers this summer that visited our club with their Park-zone CUB airplanes (Kyosho made or at least sold by Kyosho over here in Sweden) and compared to many similar size electric trainers the are just junk! They are very hard to fly for a beginner and don't behave particularly good in the air compared to many other similar size airplanes. The batteries don't last long...just 3-6 minutes. The motor also have a weak spot with its motor axle that easily get bent in a hard landing (better electric airplanes have rubber band mounted props).
As has been said earlier I also recommend that you get a "real" radio and not the "toy" stuff you get with a Parkzone CUB.
A good beginner radio is the Futaba Skyward 4 or 6 channel radio. Or a similar radio from JR or Multiplex. But if you can afford it, a computer radio is much better.
Being an active in R/C flier for 30 years I recommend these brands over Hitech.
I also advise you to contact a club if you want to learn to fly ...and don't be embarrassed just because you are a newcomer...we have all been there
Have a look at some of MFT's airplanes. Here you can find many good airplanes and Johan the proprietor knows everything there is to know about airplanes
http://www.mft.nu/

Regards!
Jan K
Sweden

Following this path you will have spent $400-600 and all you'll have to show for it is a sim and a couple broken RTFs. What people are suggesting is that you choose some components that can be moved from plane to plane rather than a package that's only good for one shot.

If you're on a limited budget, $200 for a sim seems like a huge expense. Before going this route, decide what your goal is. If the idea of sitting in front of a computer flying a virtual airplane seems like fun then he sim might be a good choice. On the other hand, if your goal is to get out in the fresh air and fly, and you just view the sim as a tool to help get you there, the sim might not be a good choice. Practicing with a sim can help you avoid crashing your airplane, but learning with an instructor is a better, and much cheaper, alternative.

If you still want a simulator, spend some time looking around. There are some choices that are less expen$ive, including a couple free ones, where all you would need is a cable to hook between your radio and the computer.

You don't have to spend $160 for your first radio. You can get a basic 4 channel system, which includes rechargable batteries, for around $100. My list below has one of many examples. The advantage of a radio like this is low cost and simplicity. The disadvantage is it doesn't contain the many additional features that you will get from a computer radio. A computer radio will cost about $60 more. This extra money will get you additional features, including the ability to save the trims and other settings for multiple airplanes. This means if you go out and buy additional flight packs (receivers, servos, batteries, etc) you can have the radio setup to control each plane without having to move the trims and servo reversing switches. That's a nice thing, but not absolutely necessary.

For the plane, pick one of many ARF electrics. For discussions sake, I chose the GWS Slow Stick. The plane comes pretty complete, is easy to fly, and the price is low. To this, you will need to add the radio components (which came with the radio system you bought), batteries, speed control, and some other stuff such as glue, spare props, etc. When you outgrow this plane, another $30-50 will get you in the air again because the components you bought are reusable. You can move everything from the first plane to the second one.

Here's one of many ways to accomplish it:
Radio: Futaba Skysport 4YF 2 S3001 $120 + $20 gift certificate
Plane: GWS Slow stick $35
Batteries: $40
Charger: $30
Speed control: $30
Misc (props, tools, etc): $50

The 2 orders are priced at Tower Hobbies. I chose them because they have everything you need, great service, and good discounts. There's nothing saying one couldn't shoop around for the pieces.

Order 1:
Radio $120
Speed cntl $ 30
Shipping $ 8
Discount -$ 15
Total $143

Order 2:
Plane $ 35
Batteries $ 40
Misc $ 50
Charger $ 30
Gift cert -$ 20
Discount -$ 15
Shipping $ 8
Total $128

Total startup cost $271
You should also factor in AMA membership $58 and club membership.

That Skysport 4YF is gonna limit him if he steps up to more complicated planes. I know he's trying to save money in the beginning, but there used to be a TV commercial for automotive oil where a mechanic advised the listeners, "You can pay me now or pay me later." For only $40 more, he can have the Hitec Flash 5X, which is a lot more radio than the 4YF, IMO.

Here's what he gets for $159.95 at Hobby Lobby:

Five channel radio with 5 model memory. Preset mixes for Flaperon, Camber, Flaperon/Spoileron, Camber/Elevator, Elevator/Flaperon, Flaps on the throttle stick. 3 Flight modes, elevator and aileron programmable dual rates and exponential, servo reversing, more. 5th channel (on-off type). Included: 555 receiver, 4 standard servos, nicads and charger. 72 mhz.

That's a LOT of bang for the buck!

Dr.1

Yes, it MIGHT hit the limit IF he steps up to more complicated planes. However, the $60 difference is significant to MANY people. Somewhere around 80%, or more, NEVER fly planes that won't work perfectly well with a basic 4 channel radio. And as Minnflyer has shown (can't remember if it was here or another thread) one can do WAY more with a 4 channel radio than many do with the more expensive systems they seem to feel are so necessary.

I'm giving the OP alternatives to show that it IS possible to begin this hobby with limited funds. If he can afford a more expensive system, great. If not, a BASIC 4 CHANNEL RADIO will do just fine for the first and many more planes.

Wow guys, you are all quite helpful! I mean, seriously, you all put alot of thought, and didn't mind taking the time to type up so much information. Most forums, on different topics of course, people just respond with one-liners and such. Very different community here, and I thank you all greatly!

I think I've decided what I want to do. I now plan to get a radio. Probably the $160 one. I was looking at some of the other radios that come with the RTF kits, and they do seem a bit inadequate. And I'd like something to grow with over the years and become totally used to. So this is probably my first step.

As for the sim....I still want to get it. Actually I very much want to use the sim, not only as a learning tool, but I think it looks like a ton of fun (I'm a big pc gamer anyway lol), and something I can actually learn from and take into real life and show what I've learned. You can't do that with games hehe.

I also plan to talk to an instructor or 2 or 3, or however many I can find lol. Especially before I actually try flying for real. I'll try to make contact with some before anything else, but I still have yet to actually "find" my local field haha. The hoppy shop told me relatively where is it, I just have yet to drive there and check it out. I don't even know the hours of operation or anything yet. But I'm definately going to check it out. I might even drive over there today and see if I can find it and if anyone is around.

As for my starter plane.....I've been looking at some ARF models, and they really don't look like they're that difficult to assemble. I'm sure I could do it. So I'm considering that now as well. But honestly, I don't see myself actually getting one until after I've bought the sim and practiced with it for a while. I REALLY wanna fly the sim haha. All winter long really....I really want to practice approaches and landings. And hopefully I can do this with a new radio.

But trust me, I'm very patient (have to be with this budget lol), and I'm not into a rush to get up in the air. I'm going to try my hardest not to do anything stupid.


Vhayne

Vhayne,

You take my point well. If you buy the Hitec Flash 5X, you will not have to buy another radio for a LONG time, if ever. The bells and whistles on the Hitec will make setting up your plane much easier, and also may ease your learing curve. Most beginners overcontrol a LOT. This is helped a lot by exponential rates, which soften the stick response around neutral. The Hitec radio has those, the Futaba doesn't. The Hitec radio will also fly 5 different planes. Flight packs from Hitec are fairly inexpensive, and can be had for special types of planes, such as sailplanes and micro planes.

Dr.1

piper_chuck,

I do understand that $60 may be a BIG difference to a beginner in the hobby. However, it may also be money well invested. If he had asked about buying an OS LA vs an FXC, my advice would be to buy the FX. More money, sure, but a good investment for the years of flying to come.

Buying cheap is sometimes called "cutting your nose off to spite your face."

Dr.1

Vhayne,
I wish you lots of luck getting into the hobby. As an instructor I try to discourage new pilots from spending any time on a simulator before they start instructions with an instructor. This may seem odd to you, but the problem with you spending time on a simulator is that there is a good chance that you will pick up and learn incorrect procedures or just plain bad habits. Simulators are a great tool that you can use to practice what you learn from an instructor. But when you get on a simulator and start from scratch it's a pretty good bet that you are going to pick up bad habits. I have had quite a few students that I've taught that showed up with this exact problem. It was bad because it actually took longer for them to learn to fly because I had to "un-teach" the bad habits they had picked up before I could teach them the correct way to do things. Trust me on this one. Even though it's winter now, take the time to contact the club and get an instructor. Tell him you want to start on a simulator now and see if he will spend some time with you. If not, I'd recommend setting the simulator aside until you can start instruction with an instructor

Hope this helps

Ken