first of all, i need to know if any of you know of any clubs that are around the Dayton, Ohio area. Preferably around Troy, Ohio (where i live). If anyone knows a site for them, to where i can contact someone...that would be awesome.

We do have a hobby shop in town, which was were i originally learned about the Alpha trainer and the Xtra Easy. Im gonna go there tomorrow too and ask about if he knows of any clubs and instructors i might look at.

I do want to know more info about the xtra easy though, as its the plane im looking at to get. Is the radio on it pretty decent? and is it a good price to go with? Like i said, i dont want to spend more then $400 because i have college to pay for too

So is the Xtra Easy the best plane to get for the price?
I did hear from the guy at the hobby shop here that if i were to build the Alpha trainer myself, i would spend like $600 or more.
Is that true?

Here's a list of clubs: http://modelaircraft.org/templates/a...1C47C7004100AC

Keep a few things in mind. You're going to have to spend a bit more than just the cost of the RTF package. There's field equipment, fuel, AMA membership, and club membership. If your cap is $400 total, you're looking at the wrong type of airplane.

Horizon lists the Xtra Easy for about $380, and it's got a fine radio with it. The Alpha is a little over $300.

It depends on how many $20s you want to stuff in the tail. In other words, no. Not even close.

hey, thanks a million for that link for clubs!
I emailed a few local ones, hopefully i hear back from them.

Oh, as for the xtra easy. I may get the plane and save up a little extra cash to get the field equip and gas and stuff.

I think i saw that horizon had a kit that came with all the field equip for $40 or around that.

Hi SocMan18, hope the person at the hobby shop had tall boots when he quoted those prices,480.00 more or less will buy every thing needed to fly,that includes support equiment and fuel. Doesn't include AMA,or club fees,beer or girl friends to tell about the first flight with out an instructor using an Ultimate bipe,and doing 3D in a major blizzard,and a perfect landing with 200 mph winds.

Tower Hobbies has the Avistar Select for $299 with a $15 discount. Shipping will be around $7 -$8.

It is a great plane and will take you alot further than the extra easy.

The alpha should be around $309 I believe. I have not seen one but have heard good things about this plane.

AMA is another $50 or $60. Club dues could be anywhere from $50 to $150 for a new member.

You should be able to get all the needed field equipment and fuel for under $100. It won't be the best equipment but it will get you in the air.

Ask about used trainers at a club. May find a good deal well under $200 for everything.

so do you think that the Avistar Select is better then both the Xtra Easy and Alpha trainer?

How about the radio and engine in the Avistar Select, is it good stuff?

sweet!
I emailed one of the local clubs and already got a response back!
Im going to their meeting on December 7th!
Im SO excited!!!!

I was also told they have Real Flight at their Hanger, so looks like ill be spending most of my winter there
Although, ill probably buy it for myself too

Thank you so much for that link MikeL. It really helped me alot!

oh, and to make things better, their club fees are only $25

Find out what kind of radios they are using at the club and get a radio that is compatible ie: Buddy Cord.

The Avistar comes with a standard 4 channel Futaba radio and an O.S. 40 la engine. The radio is fine. The engine is not as powerful as some would like but it is very reliable and easy to adjust. Great for beginners. The avistar has a semi-symmetrical wing which is more aerobatic than normal flat bottom wings on most trainers. It will keep you happier for a little while longer.
People tend to want more aerobatic second plane very soon after learning to fly.

It all comes down to personal preferences. I think the Avistar Select makes a great first and second plane.

I think you would probably be equally happy with any of the 3 choices mentioned.

SocMan18,

The Xtra Easy is a great plane to start with. The radio gear it comes with is high quality, something you can use with your next plane. With 5-channels the transmitter is limited but the receiver (R700 7-channel) and servos (NES-537) are very capable and first rate.

As far as flight characteristics, out of the box it is setup just about perfect for a trainer. Then, once you get the basics down, turn up the throws and it will do entry-level aerobatics with ease.

I converted my Xtra Easy to a tail-dragger setup, removed the baffle from the muffler, bolted on an 11x5 APC prop, increased the throws on all control surfaces, and I love it! It does loops, rolls (pretty fast for a trainer), flys inverted, and will even do a half-way decent knife edge. It is a very capable trainer. And I'll tell you what. It's easy to do all the above on an aerobatic plane. Doing it on your trainer takes more work and will give you a feeling of accomplishment.

Good luck.