I’m planning my first flight this spring with a Hobbico SuperStar Select MKII Blue 4Ch RTF 60" Kit and a Futaba 4YF 4-Channel Micro FM/2 S3108 Servos. Is this a mix for a beginner?
Also, I’m new in the Masontown,PA area; are there any clubs in the area?

Thanks,

Rich

I wouldn't know about any clubs in your area as I live in MS but you can always goto www.modelaircraft.org and look up the club that are in your area. That radio/plane sound pretty good for a beginner, just make sure you join a club and get an instructor.

Nope. The flight pack (servos, receiver, etc.) with the Futaba radio that you are describing is not sufficient for a .40 size glow trainer like the SuperStar. S3108 servos are "micro" servos and are only appropriate for small electric planes. You need a standard flight pack with standard size servos like S3003s. You also need 4 servos, not 2. The SuperStar, however, would be a fine trainer. If you truly purchase it "RTF," it will come with the correct radio and servos installed.

-Scott

Scott --

Thanks for the Tip, The plane does already come with a radio system...I'm glad you said something...

csdawggie --

Thanks for the link! I found two clubs within 10 miles of my house!

Ibflying-

If you won't be flying till spring, I would consider getting an ARF rather than an RTF and taking the time to put it together.. You could then upgrade to a slightly nicer computer radio, like a Futaba 6EXA, which will be nice when you move to you second plane. You could also upgrade your engine. The .40 LA is pretty low on power. It will move a trainer OK, but is not known for it's spirited performance. A Supertigre GS-45 or 51 or a Thunder Tiger 46 Pro would be a good choice. Others would probably offer different suggestions.

Regards,
Scott

Hmmm, two clubs within 10mi of each other could be an indication that either one of them is full of jerks, so some of the guys broke off and started their own, OR the jerks broke off and started their own.

Check them both out, chances are you'll like one much better than the other.

Sage advice from Minn and probably 100% correct. The chances of those guys NOT knowing each other is less than 0 considering the close proximity of the clubs. Proceed with caution!

The Superstar Select MkII RTF package comes with four S3003 servos, which are perfectly adequate -- where did you get your info?

It also flies very well with the OS 40 LA provided in the package, although that engine will have limited follow-on utility after you have finished training.

The Superstar itself is one of the better trainers on the market & it makes a terrific hot rod with some power & mods.

Brit,
I think jagn was referring to the fact that the OP was considering buying the ARF version, and supplying it with the Futaba 4YF radio system which (according to Jagn) comes with the micro servos as the flight pack. That's how I took the post, anyway. In fact, he followed up by suggesting to buy the RTF version instead, and the correct servos and such would be included..

OK thanks -- I must have taken a wrong mental turn while thinking (trying?) of two things at once.

OK, to set the record straight, here's what I was saying. In Post #3, I began by observing that the micro servos were insufficient for the SuperStar. I then noticed that if Rich was actually looking at an "RTF" version, he might not realize that it already came with an adequate radio installed. I was not suggesting that he get the RTF instead of an ARF. In Post #4, Rich apparently confirms that he had that misconception.

After a few moments of reflection, I thought, "If Rich is going to be waiting a few months to fly, he ought to assemble an ARF instead of buying an RTF trainer." That way he can upgrade the radio and engine. Hence, Post #6.

Minn-

It is possible that two clubs within 10 miles of Masontown indicates the scenario you describe. I can think of a couple of other scenarios. First, AMA's club locator seems to have one disadvantage. For most clubs, the address is the home address of the contact person, not the flying field, which may actually be several miles from the listed address of the club. The two clubs that Rich found could actually be 40 miles apart, but appear closer due to this quirk.

Second, the club locator pulls up all chartered clubs, regardless of whether or not they actually have an RC flying field. Here in the Cities, there are clubs like the scale club and the electric club, that are chartered clubs but don't have their own field. When I punched in the zip code for Masontown, John Brodak's "Flying Circus" club comes up as being 5 miles away. Because Mr. Brodak is a dominant manufacturer in the control-line segment of the hobby, I assume this is actually a control line club. Not sure if this was one of the two that Rich found, as there are two others that are w/i 10 miles.

Either way, Minn's advice is sound (as always). Check out both of them. I live equidistance from two fields. I joined my club because the people seemed a lot nicer and more helpful. You should also check to see what the club's land status is. My club owns its field, but many clubs rent and development eventually causes them to lose their fields.

Rich, it sounds like you are on the right track. Have fun and feel free to ask lots of questions. As you can see, there are no shortage of answers here!

-Scott