I have been enjoying flying my Hobbyzone Firebird Freedom, which I learnt to fly by myself after a series of crashes. A couple of trips to my local flying field have fuelled my interest in 'proper' model flying. I have read alot of articles in various magazines and have many questions, I would be gratreful for any advice that can be given to a complete novice.

Which Plane?
Which is the best plane to learn to fly? I have noticed that there a dedicated trainers such as Seagulls Arising Star, Thunder Tiger Trainer 40 and Irvine Trainer 40 to name a few. Is a fair to assume that all these planes will do a similar job? or is one better that the others?

I would also like to know what materials and tools I would need to complete the plane?

Radio Gear
Eventually I would like to fly some kind of scale model, perhaps a warbird with retracts etc. and to this end I need to decide what sort of transmitter would best suit and last for some time. I think, looking at the articles, I need to buy a computer radio set up, but which one should I chose, Sanwa, Futaba, Hitec? I think a deal that includes servos, receiver and nicads would be sensible as I could then use these in my trainer?

Extras
What equipment do I need when I go to the flying field? Is there anything obvious that I have missed or need to know?

Check the Online stores. Tower Hobbies etc. Your in the UK so not sure if you have an online retailer. I got everything (again, third time back into the hobby) plane, engine, radio, accesories for <$500 American. Hope that helps

I assume you will have a trainer at the field to get your wings
If that's that case talk with him or her they can give good advice as to what you need. One of the club members may have a used trainer you can get into
for allot less money. Go slow why run into trouble when you can walk

If you want to stay with electric, consider the ParkZone "3D Typhoon" as a next plane. It is complete and comes with a four channel FM radio for around $220 US. If you can fly the Firebird solo and have confidence with it, you should have good sucess with the Typhoon. I would consider it a "proper" airplane as it will do anything a fuel powered plane will do.
If you want to go to glow fuel then seek advice from the local guys as to the plane, radio, engine and equipment you will need. They will be gald to answer your questions and help you get started. We modelers are the same the world over and always want to see new commers to the hobby.

They all more or less do the same thing, so personal preference is your choice here.
I started off with the Thunder Tiger trainer, - as good as any, the Arising star is a popular choice though where I live.
All trainers have a few things in common, - high wing (above fuselage) with plenty of dihedral and slow / stable flight characteristics.



Basic hand tools, knifes, drill bits, clamps, rule pencil square, etc, nothing special.
Materials to complete include:
Epoxy glue 5 minute setting, 30 minute setting.
CA Glue (superglue -medium thickness)
Some foam to pack out your fuel tank, and wrap around your receiver & battery pack to eliminate vibration.



Again, personal preference here, but if you are planning on using a buddy cable system to train with, then you will have to buy the same make so that they are compatable with an instructors Transmitter, so it may be best to find that out first, before commiting to one.
Most guys here use Futaba, but not everywhere does.
You can buy all transmitters though as a set that come with servos, receiver, nicads, & charger.



Now this lot can cost you nearly as much as the plane, engine and radio without realising ![X(]

Glowstart stick & charger (battery supply to make the glowplug ignite the fuel to start the engine)
or Power panel for a flighbox (supplies power to glowplug & starter motor from a single 12v battery)
Electric engine starter
Chicken stick (to start engine in the event of electric starter power failure from flat battery)
12 volt battery for your electric starter or power panel (minimum 7 Amp lead acid or gell cell reccomended)
Fuel
Fuel Pump (hand operated or electric to get fuel in & out of your plane)
Flightbox to store all your field equipment in
Receiver battery checker (essential for safe knowledge of battery condition)
model restraint (to enable solo engine starting safely)
Spare glow plug
Spare prop
Spare wing bands, or wing bolts
Glow plug spanner
Various tools to keep in flightbox, such as spanners, allen keys, screwdrivers.


And above all get some insurance !
Many club memberships also include this.


Hope this helps you out, and good luck [sm=thumbup.gif]


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Those are tough questions, because many different answers are correct. Most of the 40-sized trainers fly about the same, and wouldn't be a problem for you. I'd go with whatever you think looks best, and also whether you want to build or buy something pre-built. As to radios, you can't go wrong with Futaba, however there are cheaper brands that work perfectly well, and each brand has its adherents. Minimum field equipment would include someting you can use to fuel your plane (e.g. pump) and something you can use to start it (glo-plug igniter). Starter motor, batteries, tools, spare props, and other spare parts are up to you. It's good advice to visit your local flying field and have a look around.

If your into building try the sig Kadet Senior it's big but it flies so easy! I flew it without any instrustor present.

Yep, some parts are optional, but they will make your flying session more pleasurable, & easier to deal with, and you are more or less guaranteed to end up getting them anyway, so I would get them from the offset, if you are serious, but do compare with other fliers to see what they have, as it will give you a good idea, when you see it in the flesh as such. [sm=thumbup.gif]

Above all, the best bet is to seek out a local club and get an instructor,
That aside some trainers are a bit better than others but more costly as well. They mostly all will get you trained though.
What to get is based on trainers recomendations and your budget.
To get an idea read through the threads in this section of the forum. This topic has been well covered.

im still in my trainer stage.i got a alpha 40 and alpha 60 trainer.the 60 is much larger than the 40.the 60 is a breaze to fly compared to the 40.my opion is the larger the better when training are flying after ur training allso.i heard the sig cadet senior is pretty big to.hope this helps u out.landing these birds for the first 10 times is another story.be ready to change lots of props when u start to land on ur own.i keep 5 on stand by every time i go fly.good luck and happy landings.

I was alright on props, and never managed to break one until after about 3 months [sm=lol.gif]
and then it was only because of having to land short of the field into ploughed soil, because of a deadstick landing.
So not breaking any must have been down to beginners luck ?

But having said that, I have only broke 2 more since then in the last 2 years, and one wasn't my fault as the undercarriage broke off when taxiing back after landing, and broke the prop when the front of the plane hit the ground [sm=lol.gif]

If this is the case I would say that you need some more instructions. Yes, it's possible to have an occasional prop strike when training, but you shouldn't be going through that many. After reading this post, and several of your other posts, I would say that it would be a great benefit to you to go back on a buddy box with an instructor until your skills improve some.

Ken

But you can't deny the improvement in his prop-changing skills.