Hi all. This afternoon while picking up my mom, I caught sight of a R/C plane in a nearby park. Being a monster truck guy, this really caught my attention because it was no ordinary plane, it was some sort of bat out of hell! [X(] I seriously don't know what it was, but it was a triangle with two vertical tail fins. *almost* resembling a B2 bomber, but with tail fins. The sucker was fast, zipping all over the place at a very fast clip, going vertical at that speed what might have been hundreds of feet with no problems, and seemed to fly just as well upsidedown as it was right side up.

Truthfully, I'd love to get into that sort of model right now, but I know it probably wont be a good idea. So, I want to at least learn about R/C planes before taking a (financial) jump into them. What would be a good website to start looking at (links more than welcome)? Also, are there such animals that you can crash into short grass, and not have to buy a completly new plane if you want to get back in the air? Perferably, I'd like nitro just for the run times, but I suppose I can start with an electric one... I do have a small park nearby that might be too small for a big honkin' nitro plane anyway.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me get in the air.


BTW, I have a OS 40LA engine my uncle gave me when he heard I was into R/C cars; left over from science fair. Well, I couldn't use it in my Savage, so it's been sitting... Can I use it in a trainer to learn on?

http://home.hawaii.rr.com/asrcc/

Here is a link to a club in honolulu, hawaii. I would get in touch with them. Just reading I get the impression that you are pretty young, but regardless they will more than likely be more than happy to help you. . Get in touch with that club and if they are on a different island, maybe they can refer you to one that is accessible for you. They can help to assess your situation and get you hooked up with the right equipment and more than likely a trainer.

There are lots of electric and glow trainers to choose from. Just browse through the beginners forum and you will see literally dozens of choices.

the 40 la engine will work in a trainer it is a little low in power for more advanced planes but for a trainer it will work well. If I was to hazard a guess I would think you saw a shrike for an airplane. These planes are little speed demons, fairly cheap but a lot of bang for the buck

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4537845/tm.htm

That is a link to a list of available Trainers that RcKen has compiled for new guys to look at when shopping for that first Trainer. Since you have a suitable engine, you will only need to pick up an ARF Trainer & a complete radio system. Of course then you will need some fuel & field support equipment. You don't need it all at the very beginning. Just a glow ignitor, some type of fuel pump or fueling bulb to get fuel into & out of the plane, & a chicken-stick for starting the engine. These minimul things will get it in the air. The thing you will need to get it back on the ground in one piece is an Instructor!! If you're going to go with a glow-powered plane, & personally I think that is the best way to go, just my opinion though. You should really give thought to joining the AMA for liability insurance, & a club for proper instruction, & a safe place to fly your plane. You will also meet a lot of new friends that will more than likely be willing to help you out in any way they can. By contacting a club or two first you might even find a great deal on a Trainer airframe that someone no longer needs because they have moved on to more advanced planes. If not a new ARF Trainer is not very expensive. Welcome to the hobby & good luck!

may have been one of these too.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=745

heres my site. Read up! [link]http://jimsrc.com[/link]

Thank you all for your information!

MikeEast, I love to be a kid at heart. Why else play with toys like these?

Anyway, I guess joining a club really does sound like a necessity. I was hoping to just grab everything I needed (thanks for the list elenasgrumpy, I couldn't figure out the proper equipment by browsing a towerhobbies catalog), head out to a park, break in the engine, get up in the air, and try to teach myself to land. On the same note, is there such a thing as surviving 'oops' landings? Like, I blast it, dive bomb style, into the ground? Well, probably not that bad, but say 45 degree into the ground?

Will take a look into the links you guys provided (thanks again), head out to a LHS to just look around at prices (and get truck parts), and think about it (see if I still have the same strong urge in a week or so).


And BTW about the 'mystery' plane, I don't think it was either. It was black (pft, anyone can change the color), but the shape, I thought, was different. It was not a true triangle shape, but the bottom is angled in, similar to a boomerang. And I don't think I saw any landing gear? [&:] I won't die if I don't know what it is, so you don't have to kill yourself over it, although it can be a (fun?) game.

The plane you saw sounds like a Zagi to me, especially considering you saw it flying in a park.

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...=++&search3=Go

Its usually a bad idea to fly a nitro powered plane in public parks, because of their larger size, weight, speed. This makes them more dangerous to fly in parks where there may be spectators. This is why nitro powered planes are recommended to be flown at flying clubs/flying fields like the one Mike pointed out. However, smaller electric plans like the Zagi are pretty well suited to be flown in parks, though the pilot still has to be very careful.

"Oops" landings are usually not very forgiving, even with a "mild" 45 degrees of impact, depending on the plane. But the .40 size glow trainer that we are talking about here will most likely sustain damage that you cannot simply "pick it up and fly again". And it is not recommended that you try to teach yourself how to fly either. The club/flying field you join should be able to get you in touch with isntructors for free training. The truck experience wont help very much, with the exception that you are most likely already comfortable controlling a truck that is driving towards you, and therefore the controls are reversed. This is a usually a major hurdle when learning to fly planes, but you probably already have it down with the truck driving experience. Still, you should get join a club and get an instructor. If you already have the "backwards controls" down, you may not need instruction very long! [sm=shades_smile.gif]

Hope this helps, and hope that you successfully get into flying![sm=thumbup.gif]

Is what you saw something like this?

http://www.gws.com.tw/english/product/airfly/b2.htm

Or maybe something like this?

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXMKN1

This second plane is a good flying little thing. A couple guys at my club have them. I was amazed at how well they fly even with the stock brushed motor that comes with it. This is one electric that is not under-powered with the stock motor! It really scoots around at a good clip.