Big noob here. I plan to join a club to learn how to fly, but I need to get my equipment first. Is there a list on here someplace of everything a new pilot needs to get his plane off the ground? I'm building a Debonair if it matters.
I figured there would be a sticky for this, but no luck.

First I'll assume you mean a SPAD Debonair? That's fine I guess although I don't know much about SPADs myself.

Anyway about field gear. It's pretty basic really.

Fuel
Method for transfering fuel to tank. Pump (manual pump or syringe at minimum)
Glow plug ignitor
Chicken stick for flipping prop (to save fingers)
That instructor you mentioned before in the club.

This is the bare minimum. From here you can add more including tools and spare parts and items like tote boxes and power panels and electric starters.
Tools:
A quality 8 inch long box end wrench that fits your prop nut PROPERLY is an important tool. Gives sufficient length to properly tighten the nut. 4-way cross wrenches are too short.
4-way cross wrench is good for glow plugs though
A few screwdrivers that will fit various screws on plane and/or engine.
Allen wrench set. May need to be metric if using OS engine or similar. SAE set for other uses.
A cleaner such as Simple Green and paper towels.

A few other "musts" for the field.

Spare props.

When learning to fly I highly recommend using Master Airscrew (MAS ) props. These are black and have square tips. They are not as efficient as an APC prop, but they are A LOT more tolerant of prop strikes.

A couple of spare glow plugs.

Nothing ruins the day faster than having a glow plug burn out and no spares.

Extra #64 rubber bands for the wing in case one breaks or you need additional rubber bands to keep the wing on. FWIW - I suggest 4 rubber bands on each side plus 2 cross over bands (total of 10 bands ).

G'day Mate,
Go to your club FIRST, you may find that you won't need as much as you think.

Cash! That's what your going to need.

From my experience here's what I suggest.... And no, this was not a bad experience. Just what I noticed when I was learning.

Since your just getting into this. Going the AMA route is great and all, but be prepared to deal with people who are not always willing to help... not everyone who 'belongs' to the club is nice. It's like your local Polo club or Golf Club, you have regular Joe, Bill, Ted who are willing to help, then there is the 'Skip, 'Biff', and (insert other Polo name here) who will not help.

Get a trainer ( First a Piper Cub is not a trainer they are not something to learn on even though it has a high wing -STAY AWAY. Any inexpensive 'high wing' trainer will do, chances are your going to crash it, and don't let anyone here tell you it will last you years (unless you learn from the best instructors, blah blah blah...) your first plane will end up looking like tooth picks sooner or later, thats life, get used to it, accept it, and move on)

OS LA40 engine is a great engine to slap on that trainer. You won't need more than a .40 (o.K. a .46 counts) to start with and don't listen to that nonsense about throttling it down if you get a .52 or something, you'll find that .52, .51 or whatever being the cause of problems learning to fly, the .40 or .46 has plenty of nut to pull loops, rolls, etc..) Sure there are others, heck find the least expensive one and you'll be fine with it. Each manufacturer will put out crap once in a while in there lots, there is no getting around the rotten apple in the bunch, just hope you don't get the one thats rotten. And as far as using it on your next plane. I bet you will always have a trainer in your house next to the CAP 232, P51 or what ever you fly afterwards... trainers are a blast for those lazy days so you'll end up keeping it for a long time

4 channel radio min.

Buying these seperate will save you money. You can pick up a LA40 for about 50.00 (I've seen them as low as 35 shipped, if you keep your eye open on the selling side of this site. I have a K&B .45 and am happy with it that I got for 40 bucks) a 4 channel radio on Ebay can be had for about 70 bucks or less and a Tower 40 MKII is about 70, plus shipping. (keep your eyes open for deals!) In the end you can save up enough for extras

Extras (that you will need) Yes you will need this stuff, reasons listed.
-Gallon of fuel - 20 bucks
-Turkey Baster (yes, I still use my old fasioned turkey baster type fuel pump, it's basically a turney baster, but the bottom accepts a fule line to suck up the fuel from your tank to squeze into your plane's fuel tank!) / Hand Crank Fuel pump / Powered Pump
-Glow starter 5 bucks on ebay or at your local hobby shop. (I have 2 a rechargable, and one that take a AA battery as a backup, you can start with the AA type, just keep extra REALLY GOOD AA batteries around, or read down further. (either way the AA one is a nice backup)
-Extra Glow Plug, nothing sucks more than having your glow plug burn up, and having to go home because you don't have a spare.
-Forget the chicken stick you'll get p*ssed off trying to start your plane flopping over that prop... so pick up a starter on ebay (I got mine for 11 bucks shipped.. just have to watch for deals)
-12V Gel Battery (I salvaged mine from one of those scooters that have 2-12V batteries in them)
*** this is the best way to go though - I say watch for deals on power panels that include a battery or a whole field box with all the stuff you'll need, including the starter, Glow Starter, Battery, Power Panel, and some people will throw in extras you'll have everything you need on one box. (60-70 bucks on ebay)
-Props, props and more props, cause your going to break them. Kits come with 10x6's for some reason... 11x5's are much easier to learn with, since it will slow the plane down when you throttle down better than the 10x6. You'll get some that tell you to learn it right by going the 10x6 route... sure you can have a great time on either, but lots of these people have forgotten what it's like to nearly cr*p in your pants when you've landed and your hands are still shaking from all the excitement!
-a bucket or field box to put all your stuff in.
-Tools for each type of bolt, nut, Hex, Allen head, screw drivers, and a real wrench for your props that you will tighten down, and a glow plug wrench. Just any tool that you possibly can use, cause things loosen up, and having to leave cause one of the bolts that holds down your engine loosened up, and not having the tools...sucks.

SHORTCUT... Avistar 40 trainer or any other similar RTF will do. Expect to spend about 275.00-300.00 on this. That will save you from putting things together and such. Plus the Avistar is a nice flying plane, I've spent a few flights on it. That is until my brother who is learning just turned his into a pile of toothpicks! No he didn't go the 'AMA Authorized Instructor' route, but I did help him till he solo'd.

One thing you will find out quick is to learn your left from right when facing a plane. Sure is easy to bank when it's flying away from you, but when heading towards you better know which way is which, cause it's all backwards and your brain needs to learn this, and the only way to learn it is by doing it... but still, you'll lose it more than once, so fly high where you have time to correct mistakes, 50' off the ground sounds good, but when your flying at 30-40 MPH, 50 feet comes up fast, and you have no time to correct for pitching the plane the wrong way! I like to get up about 200' where I have room to play! Up there even a major mistake will give you pleanty of time to correct it and keep flying instead of picking up pieces of balsa and monokote, going home and thinking, if I was only up higher...

One IMPORTANT THING I DO SUGGEST... no mater what plane you purchase, go out and get 1 strip of Yellow, 1 strip of Orange and 2 strips of dark Blue or other dark color self sticky MonoKote. Put the yellow and red (make a two colored arrow pointing OUT across each TOP side of your wing, and the Blue (or whatever dark color you pick across each BOTTOM side of your wing. WHY? from a distance you will lose track of what the plane is doing since you will only see a 2D profile... the colors will help you see if your looking at the top of your plane, or the bottom, and which direction it's headed... away or towards you! This will save your A** from picking up those tooth picks sooner than later. It takes a while to always be positive of what your seeing as opposed to what you THINK your positively seeing!!!

And after all this and you've gotten help (I can't stress this enough... get someone with experience to help you out in the beginning till you can solo...and that includes landing, cause what goes up MUST come down). Practice landings till your sick and tired of them. Touch and Go's, sticking it right. And even practice deadstick landing (no engine power). It's more important to get it to the ground safely, than to land it on the 'runway'. This goes back to the tooth pick theory!!!

Other random thoughts... Don't fly near dusk or when the sun is low. you won't see what your plane is doing 200' away from you. Use common sense and make sure there is no one under your plane when flying. For exaple going to your local High School, or other open area. Never fly over people. Never fly over houses, have a friend there to help if you feel like your ready to go it alone. Your responsible for a 6 pound missle, it can injure or kill someone if you hit them. Be responsible and have fun!!!

Is this too much stuff... I say no, it's better to be prepared, than to be P*ssed off and have to go home. Flying is that much fun!!! it's the crashing that sucks.

The SPAD Debonair is a FANTASTIC trainer. Don't use an LA engine. Go with the 46 AX or a Thunder Tiger Pro 46. The Deb is a heavy plane (coroplast ain't light) but its sturdy. You'll need the power. My first plane was a Deb, and I still have it. Use an 11x5 prop (I like the APC - they're more efficient and hold up better).

You can lighten the plane by building an RNAF wing (also known as the Buhor wing). Its a 4 mil bottom, 2 mil top, with a single rather than a double yardstick spar. You get a better airfoil, and its lighter. Just build it to the Debonair dimensions. You won't be dissappointed. You can also save weight by making it a tail dragger (no nose gear). I built mine as a tail dragger, and have never regretted it.

Minimum field equipment is the Fuel, Fuel pump or bulb, fuel tubing to get the fuel into the plane, a glow igniter, and a chicken stick. Option upgrades are the hand crank fuel pump and electric starter. Premium upgrades are the electric fuel pump. If your field doesn't have plane restraints for starting stations, you may want to get a tent stake and a bungee cord to restrain the tail while starting and tuning.

Look at the SPAD forum for other advice. Also check out Spadworld.com and Spadtothebone.com (although I assume you've already been there to find the plans.

Good Luck,
Brad

The Debonaire SPAD is a good plane, but be darned sure you build the wing straight. Have someone check it out before you fly. Have someone around when you do the wings. I did mine, and I have experience, and I messed up the wings. They were not straight. Oh it flew just fine, but would not fly straight without an awful lot of trim. And, yes, it's a heavy plane.

If I were you, I would opt for one of the inexpensive trainers, Tower Trainer ARF 40 for example, and a decent four channel radio (if you don't mind spending a few dollars, the Spektrum DX7 is great because it will go with anything... ANYTHING you build after the trainer.

And, no matter what some people say, if you get the right training, with a qualified instructor and using a buddy box, you should not crash it. You might ding it up a bit, bend landing gear, tip a wing, break a few props, but that's all immediately repairable and you can go on. My trainer is still around and still flying.. third owner, by the way, I bought it new, solo'ed, flew it for a few months, then sold it to another student, who did the same thing I did.. then sold it to a third person who is still flying it.

That does not mean you won't crash, but you should not be concerned with that, just be concerned that you are getting the proper training and feel ready when you are ready to solo.

As for the other stuff.. most of it has already been mentioned. Alan said it best.. go out to the field and see what they have and ask for ideas on what to get. Someone may just give you stuff.. I did at my field.

Good luck. We want to hear how you made out.

DS.

Join a club first.

Then, you will meet your club instructors who might already have some trainers and buddy box set-ups. I'd recommend the newcomer not buy anything until you get the "blessings" of an experienced mentor. Use what they recommend and are comfortable with.

The beginner will likely save plenty of ca$h which could have gone into a nice computer radio or a better-suited airframe.

Most beginners throw money at the hobby (out of their enthusiasm) then find themselves a few months later trying to sell some (or all) of the stuff they just bought so they can fund those things they should have bought in the first place! You'll probably find that someone will be selling a Nextar, Avistar, or similar trainer as they progress. Why spend two or three hundred (or more with field gear, etc.) when you might buy a fella's complete set-up for $150 or less!!!

One more thing to remember...in the beginner forums, you are very likely to get answers from other beginners who try to answer your questions. They are trying to be helpful, but some of the posts I read make me cringe! Instead, try to find "mentors" - either online or at your field - who have been through the "learning phase" and can steer you clear of potentially costly and demoralizing mistakes.

Good luck!

After you get all the other goodies
do yourself a favour and get one of these
check it before the first flight

Nothing worse than loosing a plane to a low rx battery


http://www.hobbico.com/fieldequip/hcap0356.html

Go back and read what kolarshooter wrote --- " Join a club first " it's real good advice. ENJOY !!! RED

jester_s1,

$1,000!!! or a credit card. They covered the rest

Welcome aboard,

Gibbs

I do plan to join a club before doing anything with my plane. That is advice I've seen pretty much everywhere I've looked. It's a $100 investment where I am so if it saves me one destroyed model it's a bargain.

E-Mo- I already have a multimeter I use for auto repair. Does the one you posted about have anything special that I need beyond that?

On glow plug ignitors- is there a substantial difference between them? I see lots of different brands at lots of different prices. Will the cheapest one work fine or is it more complicated than that?

Thanks for all the replies guys. I had not thought at all about a fuel pump.

The meter in the post has a built in load that simulates an active system. It gives a more accurate picture of the true state of the battery condition. Ni-cads under load are the ONLY true way to be tested or through cycling.(another story)
From the meter tech info:
"Use the built-in load to simulate actual R/C conditions for testing 4-, 5- and 8-cell batteries—or de-activate the load to use as a true DC voltmeter."

Most glow ignitors are basically the same theory. Vary on battery size/capacity, length and method of attachment. Oh, cost too. Anywhere form @$15 -$115.

$100 for the club is reasonable. I pay more here, others pay less. It depends on the club size and the cost of the land lease and maint costs.

Fuel pump can be anything from a squeeze bulb, syringe, hand crank pump or electric pump. They all work.

When you meet your new found friends and you see one holding a temperature guage or advising you to get one, find another buddy. If not, then you may be sent to look for countless "left handed crescent wrenches."

I picked up a real nice glow driver from Radio South. It has LED's on the front panel that indicate that you have a good glow plug or not. Rechargeable with the pack that comes with the glow driver. It's about 2 inches square or so and is very compact and neat in that you can wrap the cable around the provided bracket on the unit. Cost, though, is $74.99. See the picture. My instructor has one of their older models and has had it for years now. So, that may justify the cost if you are considering something like that.

Our club dues are $75.00/year, we have 82 members. Our field is not leased, we have permission from the NJ Department of Forestry to use it, it's a full-scale grass runway that they use for their water tankers during forest fire conditions (we live in the pine barons of southern and central NJ... no it's not all like Newark.. .

DS.

CG, which Club do you belong to? And are you flying around the area of Lakehurst NAS? I used to go to Toms River alot until my Father in Law passed away. I'd really like to see your field sometime! (Might make a nice change from my field)

I pay $100.00 for my dues as well. My Club leases our field from Waste Mgmt (a de-commissioned land fill)in Burlington NJ for a $1.00 a year, and to my knowledge, they have never cashed a single check in the 6 years we have been there, but we are paying for a new mower, so hopefully this will change by next season.

Jester, you'd be surprised at what you'll start picking up for your flight box as you progress in the hobby. A lot of things you can get from extras or spares you may have in the garage (tool wise) and others you just have to keep your eye out for. For instance, I take two kits to the field when I go flying, my regular flight box (fuel bottle, fuel pump (manual), power panel, spare TX/RX batteries, tachometer, plug wrench, hemostats (to work with the fuel tubing), frequency pins, chicken stick, etc) I got from Hobbico. My flight KIT is an old makup case (looks like a miniture metal suitcase) I got from my Daughter when she ran out of the cosmetics it held. It makes a great kit and hold all sorts of stuff (props, tubing, wheels, CA, epoxy, screws, etc) and it was free!

Just look at what your fellow Club members bring with them to the field for a day of flying and make your decisions on what to get from there.

Has anyone told you yet that this gets to be a "little" expensive?..............

Don

there are many ways to save money in this hobby. advise you hook up with aclub or at least a intrested buddy.field box items can be very basic & still work fine. dont know what the temperature gauge comment on one post was about .these engine CAN over heat, but such item is not really needed. what you should have & many beginers dont seem to want to purchase( after spending hundreds) is a Expanded scale volt meter or ESV. used, they can be had for $5. this device used properly will save you an airplane sooner or later.its essentially a "gas gauge " for your battery pack.otherwise you have NO way to tell if your charge is actually good or not, if you have a bad cell or the pack is weak.

I believe what Cyclic was referring to were those people who think they should tune their engines based upon a temp gage. Too unreliable IMO. Cyclic will let you know if I mis-interpreted his point.