Hi,
I'm new here and am interested in getting into rc planes. I have been doing a bunch of reading and learning. I have no fly time as of yet except on the demo G3 sim, and as I'm still trying to figure out which plane to get. Anyway I found there is a club here in town and sent an email to the contact person. I was thrilled when I received his response. We have never met and as stated first contact. He told me he used to be into nitro but is now only flying electric. He gave me a name and number for a gas instructor and directions to the field and times they go. I was caught total of guard that he would be so helpful to someone he has never met. The thing that really surprised me is he then offered to call me sometime so I could get some time on one of his planes. I have to say this totally surprised me. Thanks to you guys and the posts I have been reading here, your advice has got me going in a very positive and good direction with rc right out. I just thought I would share and again say thanks. I look forward to chatting with you guys in the future.

Mike

Hey there, welcome to RCU. I'm glad that we are your first stop in the RC world. I've compiled a list of planes that would be good for learning to fly with, as well as second planes when you are ready. Take a look at it to get some ideas of what's out there for you. You can find it here:

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4537845/tm.htm] Looking for a trainer, what's available. (Updated 8-14-06)[/link]

And please don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have. That's what we're here for.

Ken

"FIRST CONTACT" Phew! I thought you might be from the planet KPAX

Thanks Ken I have looked through that post a couple of times. It's kind of overwhelming at all the chooses out there. I want to go out to the club field today to talk to them and get some more ideas and suggestions. Good thing is I'm only a mile or two from the field.

Melmac is a little closer Cyclic

If those guys at the field leave you not knowing what to do, ask here. When your questions yields a string of answers, you'll find a few thatabout the same and that should give you a direction to go. When you just starting out my advise is to always go ARF. Its not personal from building a plane from a kit--and then crash it. They make combo kits with a plane, engine and radio. To me, thats the cheaper way to go to see if you like this stuff.

Thanks Cyclic. I didn't get to make it out there yesterday. I am going to stop by the instructors work on the way home as it's only a couple of blocks from where I work. So would the cost of an ARF and RTF be about the same? What extra things would I need to finish an ARF? Thanks Mike

Welcome!

RTF would mean charge the batteries and add the fuel. It is a misnomer as there are pre-flights in ANY aircraft when flown responsibly. After you open the box you should at a minimum check the center-of-gravity, check the control surfaces, break in the engine with three tankfulls before trying to get airborne.

I've never actually seen a glow fuel powered RTF, but I'm sure they exist somewhere. For an ARF you will need a single-edge razorblade (unless you have a #11 X-Acto knife), a small Philips head screwdriver, a set of pliers (a selection of pliers is better), a small quantity of 30 minute epoxy (hardware store variety is OK), probably some thin CA (hinges), some white glue (Elmer's or carpenter's glue), possibly some masking tape, a sheet of #220 sandpaper and a yardstick. Most other construction items are nice but optional. It also depends on the model. Some are less ARF than others. You might need some metric allen wrenches, but usually if you need one it will be included. You might need a drill and selection of small bits. A large, well lit flat area that you can use for a couple days is a big plus.

You'll also need fuel, foam rubber (to pack the battery & receiver), #64 rubberbands, a glo-starter, glo-plugs to fit the engine and a chicken stick or electric starter to get her running.

ARF vs RTF cost can be about the same, or very different. If you buy ARF, you choose the engine and radio. You can spend a little or a lot on these items.

When you talk to the instructor you should get some direction from him regarding "what" to buy. Getting something he's comfortable with will be a plus. You'd hate to go with XYZ product and find out the instructor had a bad experience with it and really likes QRS better.

Something else to find out about is channel usage. Our club has 38 members. At least 6 have transmitters on channel 44. Luckily they're never there at the same time; otherwise they'd all be taking turns using the channel. Getting a radio on a fairly open channel will minimize waiting time.

Many of the popular planes have their instruction manuals online. The manuals typically give a detailed list of the tools and equipment you'll need.
Hangar 9 - look at www.horizonhobby.com
Hobbico & Tower Hobbies - www.towerhobbies.com
Global - www.hobbypeople.net

Welcome aboard Alf!