Here's my story for fellow newbies. I've been into some type of R/C since maybe 12 (now almost 31) I used to sleep, eat, and drink R/C. I pretty much have the darned Tower Hobbies catalog memorized then, and now too! I remember my father telling me back then that if I could only learn my shool work like that tower hobbies catalog! My toys then were a Marui Big bear, Blackfoot and the strange Chevy 4X4 with one of the first 2 speeds on an electric car. Planes and gas motors were a no back then. See back then parents didn't buy children everything they wanted and $400 was a fortune, out of the reach of every other kid I knew (parents now take note!!!!!). So I got into motorcycles (one I got for free), then girls, then cars. Even now I'm a total toy friek from the boat to the corvette to my beautiful Jaguar. Ok enough about me. About 11 years ago I built a midwest Sukhoi as a static display, but then went and added the radio, motor, and everything else. To my dismay, well it's definately not a plane to learn on. Being in the Navy with $0 it sat. Now 4 years ago I bought a Hobbico Airvista to learn to fly my Sukhoi. So being how I am I decided not to go with the instructor. My preference and my mistake. Well being out here in the "semi sticks" I found a field right up the road. I finally got the motor running perfect(tower .46) and I took it off and Viola! I was flying not too hard as it was a decent overcast day with a light breeze.. Now for newbies and planes. For me it was unbelievable how from the first few seconds of awe to see my new plane take off. Well that was fine I'm pretty darned good at cars. Well the airlerons are the hardest thing to master those few moments. I'm used to hold til you're done turning. Try that with those and well obviously you're rolling.. So I couldn't get it so I decided to bring it a little closer and lower so I can see exactly what I was doing (I know I know) well you guessed it the closer and lower just reduced my "safety margin" and I did the exact same thing so nose dive in the field. Bummed, but it only broke the firewall and dumped the fuel tank right through the bottom.. Well 4 years later (2 weeks ago) I decided to get back. So I replace the $1.50 worth of wood I broke and I had a plane again.. Being me and the lack of getting an instructor. I highly recommend one, but I personally decided to do it 100% no matter how many planes I crash. Guess I want to show it's doable. So 2 days ago I took it out and looked for a good place. My old place is now inhabited by cows so that was out.. I found a dirt road in the middle of nowhere with huge open spaces great.. So there it went, but it was extremely windy and It was all I could do just to keep it up (didn't sound good ) well after yankin and bankin I got it down w/o breaking anything. Sure it went into some thorny bushes and put a hole in the covering, but a little scotch tape and that's that. So there's my lengthy story. If fellow nubies don't mind get an instructor, but I'm proof it's not 100% necessary only 99% ... This weekend I'm joining the local field (Raleigh Aeromasters here in NC). That was my biggest thing was the place to fly it at, and of course the wind too. Being windy and new it was really hard to differentiate my inputs from the effect the wind gusts were having.. My advise is to have fun, it's sitting on my dining room table waiting for my next flight and I can't wait!! I also want to say what a terrific place this is and just reading the handful of posts and the help and kindness is unmatched! Other forums I've been into isn't "close knit" feeling.. Guess everyone here are just like the one's I used to look up to in awe when I was 12 and dad took me to the local flying field. Simply Awsome! Thanks for letting me share my story!

Todd

Nice story BUT I'm have to say that one takeoff, one "landing" in thorny bushes with a punctured wing does not mean you are trained. You are FAR FAR from it. You are however doing the right thing by joining a club. Just don't think you know what you're doing after this one experience of getting it back "in one piece" Good luck with the club. That is the BEST decision so far.

Nice Story Todd. Your doing a good thing by getting a trainer and joining a club along with getting an instructor.

Congrats on the successful flight! About a year ago I started learning to fly on my own also. Except I used Realflight G2 to get used to the orientation problems before I sent up my Aircore .40 trainer (boy, can those things take a beating!). I could take off and fly with little problems thanks to the sim, but landings took the most practice.

This past Christmas I got G3 and fly on it about every other day. Now I can take off, fly, and land the trainer and my newer Spectra Select sailplane with little or no problems. Getting a little boring, actually.

My next project is a Model Tech Magic Extra 300 which is almost ready to go. I know it's a big jump but with low throws and some expo I think I can handle it. If it makes it past the trim flight I'll get used to it with ovals and figure 8s for a few flights, then progress to mild aerobatics I've been practicing on G3.

I'll agree that these forums are awesome! Any info you need is here. I just found this site about a month ago and I'm glad I did. I'll be joining our local club and the AMA shortly to help me progress. Right now I'm only interested in "sport" flying, just having fun.

I fear you're making a bit too big of a jump to go from a trainer to the MT Extra. The airfoil on the Extra is thin which means it doesn't develop much lift. It's also not the lightest .25 size plane. These things mean it requires significantly faster landings than a trainer and won't be forgiving if you stall it. Low throws and expo are not going to protect you from these issues. You would really be better off flying a more forgiving low wing plane between the trainer and the Extra.

Chuck:

I'm not sure we're talking about the same plane. It's the Magic Extra rated for .40 to .46 with a pretty thick airfoil. From what I've read in the forums and in the RCU review, it can be a very slow and easy to land plane when set up correctly.

I'll be setting it very mild for now, gradually getting more wild with time.

Yup, you're right, I missed the magic part. I better go get some more coffee!!!

Lol, Pour me a cup too chuck.

Piper Chuck - You know reading all these beginner posts I feel old.

I think the likes of your and I are of a dying old school breed. I too tend to warn people off flying hot models and years ago most would listen. Nowadays they don't care and want to do it one their own.

The only reason I can't think of for the shift in attitude is the invention of the ARF. Back when you and I started we would spend a good bit of time taking great care creating our models from planks of wood. Once we had finished it was our pride and joy. The investment of time alone meant that we would be much more concerned for the model then newbies these days.

I might go so far to say that the modern attitude is a bit cavalier, mostly because ARFs are so cheap, quick to build and thus easy to regard as toys.

Back in the good old days we were heartbroken when we smashed something we spent weeks/months construction from raw materials. Smash one now and you just buy another one.

At least we can benefit from lower cost engines and radios these days, and it's always really great to see people appear on the Kit Building forum who are bored of ARF and want to do something for themselves.

I remember when I flew my first warbird years ago, it was a 1/8 Top Flite P-47. I could have sworn I could hear my heart pumping over the 2-stroke engine as the tail lifted off the ground for the first time. I was so nervous I might have been dangerous. The feeling once I saw the wheels retract one after the other and realised that it flew beautifully is one that makes all the effort worth while though

To the thread author, well done on a lucky first flight with minimal damage, but congratulations on your decision to join a club. You'll find the hobby much more rewarding learning from others and later passing your experience on to future newbies. I'm 100% confident you'll progress much faster in their company too. You don't need to make all the mistakes yourself that way!!!

I'm going to agree with what others have said above. You need to spend A LOT of time on your trainer and A LOT of time with an instructor. Getting it up and back down does not make you ready for an extra. I know that may sound like I'm being a bit harsh with my words, but I'm trying to get you to see that more time is needed before you move up to an Extra. I tell my students that the only difference between somebody flying a trainer while they are learning and a pilot flying a high performance plane in competition is practice. The knowledge of what to do is easy to learn, but it's practicing that makes a pilot able to put that knowledge in use to safely and successfully fly their airplane. When I'm teaching students I will have them fly entire flights doing nothing but touch and goes, or other basic parts of flying in order for them to learn those skills. Please get an instructor and spent time properly learning to fly before you move up to that Extra, otherwise I can safely say that the lifespan of that Extra is going to be fairly short.

Ken

Ditto!! I finally soloed a couple months ago now & I still wonder if I'm gonna get it back down in one piece everytime I fly. I have a number of more advanced planes just waiting in the wings for me to break them out, but the key is knowing that at this point I would just break them up! Go ahead & build away as you like but have the good sense not to try to fly them until you are really ready. I don't mean ready in your mind, but in your skill level. Take it from someone that had to learn that the hard way. I ruined some very nice airplanes before I broke down & started back at square one with a Trainer & some real help. Good luck.

Sorry, Todd, about the thread hijack, but I need to explain myself better.

I understand that a sim is no substitute for flying a real model. But I have proven, at least to myself, that it does help with orientation problems (right is left with plane coming toward you) and with general Tx control. My maiden flight on the trainer went very well. I landed about 30 yards from where I wanted to but no damage. The next few flights ended with some cartwheeled landings but the take offs and flights went well.

During the summer and fall I've logged about 40-50 flights on the trainer. About 5-6 flights every good enough weekend. Many of them were strictly touch and go flights to get my landings down. I can now land within 10-15 yards of my landing point (that's before or after, pretty much right on side-side). In the fall I purchased a Spectra Select to try something different. Besides having less power than I expected, I really like it. I only have 10-15 flights on it but so far, with the exception of a windy day, I have had no problems. All landings were successful.

The thing is I'm starting to get bored. I want to advance my flight proficincy and the planes I have are fine for circles and figure 8s, but I want something I actually have to fly. I don't want it to be easy anymore. I want a new challenge. So I went looking for a low wing. After researching many planes I read up on the MT Magic Extra. The words "Mild to Wild" caught my eye. Some of the user reviews mentioned the trainer-like landings and great slow stall speeds (I realize it will be more difficult than a trainer, but that's what I want). And as I get more experience, I can increase the throws and not need another plane. The price was right, so I bought one.

I know I'm taking a chance. I may crash it. I may not. But if I do it will just make me more determined. And I fly over a hayfield in the middle of nowhere so myself and my car are the only targets for a runaway plane. I honestly don't mean to be anti-social or arrogant but doing things on my own makes it feel more like an accomlishment.

I think if I use my past flight experiences, my G3 practice, and the info on this awsome forum I can control that Extra with low throws and expo. If it does go in, I'll get a milder aerobatic trainer, but I want to give this a try first.

Right now I cant fly anything at all (40 below zero with the wind chill), but if I could it would be my nexstar. I have a few others, including a sig extra 300xs that I can't wait to get out, but I know if I got it up it wouldn't come back down. I flew my first few times solo as well, and everytime the plane left the ground I started shaking so bad that I thought the plane would land itself better if I just put the radio down. I now belong to a local field, and even though I have flown successfully by myself, I still try to get an instructor around when I fly. If you don't need him, no problem. If you do need him and he's not there??? Still a lot of fun though, just can't wait to get out there again.

Jamie,
Just to let you know, I'm part of the noo-b's getting into it and I have a kadet that is almost done. The kits do take a lot of time and patience but I think everybody should do at least one, just to see what goes into the airplane that youre flying. It's not nearly as complicated as I thought it'd be, but since I have so much more invested in that kit, I am going to be a wreck trying to fly it. Some of the guys in my club can build these planes without any kind of plans at all. I really don't ever see myself getting there, but I really do admire you guy's for being able to do that kind of stuff.

I'm betting that it would

Delighted to hear you're putting one together yourself. You've hit the nail on the head there - it's all about an appreciaton for what you have flying around. You have an intimate knowledge (sounds dirty that ) of the entire model.

As for the fancy building - if you want to you'll get there. Some models will always be thrown together so you can go fly. If the bug bites you you'll chose one or two that you're in no rush to fly and want to build as well as you know how. It all depends on whether you get a taste for building or whether you prefer to fly. I enjoy both aspects 50/50, so I get to enjoy the hobby on the rainy days too which I feel lucky for. I have a friend purely into ARFs and on the rainy days (this is Scotland remember) he's grounded and bored!

It's entirely up to you, but I really respect your decision to build at least one from a kit so you know what goes into them.

Happy Landings, Jamie