I have a couple questions and a couple statements....first i've never flown a rc plane before although i have flown plent simulaters for flight and rc. I've read alot of the links here and just about researched the subject to death. ONly problem is i get conflicting stories all over i've narrowed it down to the AIRSTRIKE THE SKY SCOOTER PRO 2 & THE AEROBIRD. I would really appreciate comments on these planes and how they handle cuz i've been told the scooter is too hard and then i hear the other 2 are to hard and then they throw in the firbird xl.....or not!!!! talk about getting the run around.
I don't want to buy a plane that is to hard to fly and crash it and have it in pieces however i don't want one that i will be bored of at the end of the month either. and i dont' care for the slow stick or tiger moth...i don't like the looks of them at all.....thanks for your time

Why not consider a .40 sized Trainer? Find a local club and have some flight instruction. I tried to go the route you're talking and was much happier with the Tower Trainer 40 I bought and put together. The Avistar is another excellent trainer aircraft.

I agree with the above. If you are serious about getting into the hobby, I start with a decent trainer and find a club to fly with.

Mike

i"m only wanting to fly electric for fun ....easy learner and aerobatics loops and rolls i hope

Warlock,

For your first plane your primary criteria should be easy flight characterics. How it looks should be dead last.

P.S. How it looks in the picture and how it will look when you are actually flying it are two completely different things.
Expect your first plane to look battle scarred...

Unfortunately, I don't think you can have it both ways, at least not cheaply. If the plane is easy to fly then you'll be bored in a month. If it's hard to fly, and you don't have an instructor, it will be in pieces at the end of the month. I don't think this is unique to R/C, it's just that activities that are easy get boring fast.

So, if you're interested in playing with a new toy for a month (and I'm not saying this is a bad thing), go with something like the Firebird XL. At the end of the month, it will be in pieces, but you'll be bored with it anyway. If you're interested in a life-time hobby, then find the local field, figure out if there is somebody to teach you, and if so (and only if so) invest in a .40-sized glow-powered trainer.

Warlock,

If you want to know more about your particular planes, I suggest you go to ezonemag.com or rcgroups.com They are much more tolerant of electric planes there

Besides, they know much more about foamies over there and this is really where you want to start if you don' t want to go the conventional glow powered route. There are many EPP planes that fly great and best of all, they bounce when you crash them. I know, I taught myself to fly on an EPP Zagi.

Warlock,
I can help you narrow it down a bit.......don't get an electric Airstrike!! I got one of these about 3 months after I started flying glow-powered planes....and I never could get it to fly.....I thought it was me, so I had a more experienced person try it...no luck!
I tend to agree with the guys that suggested .40 sized glow trainers......with an instructor to show you the ropes, they're actually easier to fly than a lot of electric models.
After I learned to fly, I bought 2 electrics (not counting the Airstrike) to fly at my in-law's......they're fun, but I'll take my glow-powered planes over the electrics any day! Just my opinion.

Mike


Mike

After you get in instructor, and you learn how to fly glow, you will find that the glow planes are easier to fly. I had a firebird. Never could get it to fly. Then I got a LT40 and got an instructor. Still can't get the firebird to fly.

I went the route you are proposing. I researched online for a long time and ended up ordering a Hobbico aerocruiser (three channel electric foamie). Huge mistake. To make a long story short, the aerocruiser went back to tower, and I got an Avistar, an instructor, and a very rewarding lifelong hobby. Take everyone's advice, get a .40 sized glow powered trainer and get in touch with your local club. You wont be sorry.

Get a big easy flyer and put a Co-Pilot from FMA Direct on it. This thing is hard to belive until you try it. NO MO crashes NO MO.

Warlock, I would go for a 40 or 60 size trainer. Most electric stuff that is easy to fly, like the Firebirds, will not do loops and rolls easily. I think you mentioned something about doing things like that, but I could be wrong. If you have some flight experience under your belt and really want a great electric plane try the Radical R/C Edge 540. I have one and it is the only electric plane that I have ever been able to torque roll.

I too am a first timer. However I am also
one of these guys that goes into intense research when I get interested in
something. After several months of research, talking to people, flyers and
non, I bought an Aerobird. It is a super value but there are other good
starters. Here are the plusses and minuses in my mind of the Aerobird.

Very inexpensive and rugged for a three channel starter - $160-$180
The plane comes complete and fully assembled. Charge the flight battery, put
on the wing, put the batteries in the transmitter and up you go! Even the
batteries for the transmitter are included. You will want to buy at least one
extra flight battery for about $25 so you can fly while you charge.

New flyers are going to crash, so you don't want something costly to start
with. The HobbyZone Firebird series are all great starters. The Aerobird is
the top of the line. All are pusher designs so they can take a nose crash
without damaging the motor. There is a full line of parts available at
reasonable cost. You can replace the whole main fuselage for $49 including
the motor and all the flight electronics. A wing is $15 and the tail is $7.
So, if you crash badly you can get everything for under $75 and you are back
in the with a three channel plane.

Batteries and charger:
The battery will run for a full 6-7 minutes at full throttle and 15 minutes+
at half throttle which is very long. Many planes in this class run 4-6
minutes. Also it comes with a peak charger that you can use in your car. A
peak charger won't over charge and you can charge at the field. Timer type
wall chargers mean you must charge at home and you can over charge and damage
the batteries. If you pick up two spare batteries you can stay in the air all
day. One in the plane, one cooling down and one on the charger. A full
charge takes about 40 minutes.

Easy to fly;
I only have a couple of flights, but this plane is pretty easy as long as you
stay away from the elevator for your first few flights. It is the top of the
line in the HobbyZone firebird series which includes the Firebird II ($90)
FirebirdXL ($120) and the Fighterbird ($140). I have friends with these
planes and they love them. They are super, inexpensive two channel starter
planes. www.hobbyzonesports.com

Good growth path - Two vs. three channels
Many intro planes have two channels - throttle and rudder. You control climb
with the throttle; more and you climb, less and you level or you descend....in
still air. This makes it very easy to learn. You basically drive around the
sky. However you have no elevator. Elevator is needed for any kind of loops
or other mild aerobatics. The Aerobird has 3 channels so it can do loops and
other things the rest of the line can't do. There is one two channel plane I
looked at, the Sky Scooter. It has elevator and ailerons, which makes it very
maneuverable, but once you turn the motor on, you are committed to a 3-5
minute flight. You can't turn the motor off while it is in the air which
means you can't extend flight time by going half throttle either. However
there is a three channel Sky Scooter Pro that was my alternate choice. I like
it a lot!

The Aerobird also has an X-Pak hop up kit available for $30. It includes a 7
cell battery (the basic is 6) and a larger tail. This makes the plane faster
and more maneuverable. So, once you get good you can soup it up! I bought
the X-Pak when I bought mine. I will use the 7 cell as my second battery and
save the tail for later.

NEGATIVES

WIND
The Aerobird, like most starter electrics is light, only 16 ounces so a beginner should start your flying in calm air, with under 5 MPH gusts or the wind
will take it away. Once you become accomplished you can probably handle a 10-12 MPH wind. The plane is light which
is why if flies so well and so long on a battery, but a very strong wind can
steal it away from an inexperienced pilot. However this is true of most
starter electrics.

27 MHZ vs 72 MHZ Radio

The FCC has set a range of the 72 MHZ band aside for RC airplanes only. The
Aerobird uses a 27 MHZ radio which is assigned to general use for planes, cars
and boats; mostly low end stuff. There are only 6 available channels. So,
if you have a kid with a RC car in the same area where you are flying, and he
is on the same channel you are on, and he is close enough, when he switches on
his transmitter, you will lose control of the plane and probably crash. Even
with 72 MHZ radio systems, this will happen if you get two flyers on the same
channel, but 72 MHZ is dedicated to airplanes. High end RC cars are on 75 MHZ
so they won't interfere. If you live in a very populated area, this is
something to be aware of. Also if you buy two planes, 72 or 27 MHZ, make sure
they are on different channels or you can't fly them together.

If you are going to join a club, check with them. Some clubs will not admit
27 MHZ based planes because they can't be flown with a buddy box. This is a
training system, like a dual controlled car, that is used for pilot training.
After long consideration I bought the Aerobird, but this is something I have
to watch for. The Sky Scooter Pro, mentioned above, is on the 72 MHZ band.


Downed Plane Locator:

If you fly near woods or a corn field or something you want to add some kind
of locator for your plane. You can see my post on locators here:
lo
cators for small electrics

Resources Aerobird, Sky Scooter Pro, Others

Here is an internet site that sells the Aerobird for $159. They also have a
link for a video of the plane flying:
http://www.parkflyers.com/html/aerobird.html
Here is a link to a review of the Aerobird:
http://www1.wildhobbies.com/news/def...&articleid=853

As I said, my alternative plane was the Sky Scooter Pro. It had been about
$260 RTF, but the price for a fully ready to fly version has come down
recently to about $170 so you might want to give it serious consideration.
http://www.servocity.com/ServoCity/P...lane/sky_scoot
er_r_c_airplane.html
Videos
http://www.hitecrcd.com/Funtec/videos.htm

Fighterbird - review and video - these are a blast in pairs!
http://www.rcuniverse.com/reviews.ph...ew&reviewid=33

And, for a real entry level plane that gets lots of great reviews, the
Firebird II ($90 RTF). The best thing to do might be to get a Firebird II and
save the extra $100 toward extra batteries and stuff, or toward your next
plane.
http://www.hobbymerchandiser.com/pdfs/nov01_Flight.pdf

I hope this has been helpful..

very imformative ty.

Get a Graupner Tipsy. This was my first airplane and has a kind of futuristic look to it. Its a 3ch plane, but swap out the radio for a 4ch instead, that way when your ready to move up to a full house plane, your not buying a radio again. If you get the combo from Hobby-Lobby, tell them to swap out the radios if they leave out the charger. Then buy MEC's The Brain for 50 bucks, it's AC/DC, for up to 8cells, programmable, with digital display.

Here's the selling points of the airplane:

1. It's setup in a pusher configuration.(ie motor sits behind the wing pointed backwards) Being new the most often crashes are on the nose, which sucks when your motor and prop are there.

2. It's all EPP foam, so when it breaks, and I busted mine up 30 or forty times, its easily fixed with 5min epoxy. Its also never broke in the same place twice, and never lost its flight integrity. I did have to rebalance the wings a couple of times.

3. Cost: The plane is 40 bucks from Hobby Lobby. Everything else is maybe $260. I have my new one in the garage ready to put together.

4. Flight time: True to the ads, she will fly for 30minutes to an hour on a charge.

5. Flying area: Throttled down, baseball field. Full speed, small park.

6. No worries about losing interest in the plane; even when you're proficient flying it, you can practice catching it out of the air, or fly it in 10-20 mph winds.(very challenging)

7. Safety: The most you might do in bruise some one if you hit them with the Tipsy.

Now if someone will name off a couple of Gas trainers that will cover all those selling points, I'll run out and buy one of each.

Since I made my last post, I have mastered the Aerobird and fly very reliably. I did not take my time! I did not wait for an instructor! I went out in too much wind. So I did it the hard way.

The bumpy road to flight

I lost my first plane to a 15 MPH wind on my first time trying to fly. That was dumb. Totally my fault!

The second was smashed pretty good when a tail gust sent it into the ground from 20 feet up as I tried to land with a 12 mPH wind at my back. That was dumb. Totally my fault!

But all of that was my own lack of skills. I needed a fairly calm day to get my bearings and my confidence up so I could fly my Aerobird. That day finally came.

We go to the field at 9:45, and the wind was about 6-8 MPH. My friend Rudy had an anemometer with him. We had gusts to maybe 10. We flew.

My first Aerobird flight was brief. Just a half a circle to test out the trim after the extensive repairs I had to do after my last flight a few weeks before. If you want to know more about that crash and the fix that followed, let me know.

I made a few minor adjustments.

The second flight was great, circled the field at about 50 feet, then down for an ..OK...landing. I am still self teaching.

Third flight was also good with a little more altitude, but ended up in a tree and folded the wing with some minor damage to the tail. I was still learning how to work with the wind and not against it.

Switched wings, and fixed the tail.

From there on it was one great flight after another. Wind was rising steadily, now holding between 7 and 9 MPH, but the Aerobird flew great. It also glides extremely well, based on Rudy's assessments, and he normally flys gliders.
Most of the time I was at half throttle, but I often shut the motor off for 10-20 seconds just to ride the breeze. What a beautiful feeling.

By late morning the wind was over 10 MPH, but we kept flying. No matter, I had the hang of it now. No fear of height and a soft hand on the controls. Our field is about 1000' X 1600' open grass field surrounded by 50-80 foot trees. We often fly over the woods, maybe 100-150 feet in.

There is no runway, so I take
the landing gear off and just shoot for smooth, soft grass landings, sliding in like a sled on ice.

Many times I had the bird up about 150-200 feet, I guess, going all over the field. I had the motor die from a drained battery, over the woods, but I just rode the wind back, then turned into the wind and landed soft as could be. It happened again
two flights later when another battery gave out .... no matter, I just dead sticked it in from over the opposite woods. from about 100 feet up, there was not enough height to get all the way back to the field, gliding against the wind this time, but I managed to force a stall from 5 feet up and dropped into some soft grass. Not a scratch!

I am amazing! I am the bird man!

In fact, dead stick is now my standard landing. I kill the motor about 20-30 feet up and glide it down. I like taking it in like that, with a little flare at the end just to soften the touch. Besides being fun, it is good practice for when I keep it out a little too long and the motor cuts out.

Gosh I had such a great day. Now that the pilot is up to the task, this is a great plane for winds up to 10 MPH for sure and maybe to 15 MPH.

I am satisfied!

I am happy!

I am flying and the wind is no longer a problem!

I love this plane! :thumbup:

"of yet I have not achieved a loop with this aircraft"Graupner Tipsy
E zone review. everybody els is recommendind the scooter pro,,
for the fun factor i gess,, any thoughts? ty

did four or five loops today on the same charge.

Was this your Tipsy that you looped?

Yeah, I put it together Thursday, but the winds were up around 15-20 mph. So I waited till they dropped to 5 to 10 mph and took her out. Flew the Tipsy for hour on two battery packs. Last night the winds were calm, and she was zooming around, got her up about 200ft and put her in a shallow dive and pulled through two loops, then climbed back up and did three more. But I spent most of the time flying her in a catching her out of the air. I love my Tipsy.

barrl rolls?

Really slow. Maybe from 400 feet up.