Hey guys, noob here. I need some help and advice for getting into RC airplanes.

A bit of history...I've built many rubber-powered free-flight kits, mainly by Guillow over the years. Other than that, I've seen a few Cox .049's but have never even heard one run...

Here's what I'm interested in doing; tell me if I'm going in the wrong direction.

Because I've built airplanes from sheet stock before, I would like to do it again, if it's feasible. I wouldn't mind building from a set of plans, or a kit, but may enjoy the plans more. If I go the route of plans only, I'll need some sources for good TRAINER planes and the needed equipment.

I'm not worried about building a scale or replica plane. Hell, as far as I'm concerned, it can have a perfectly straight, rectangular fuselage and straight, unswept wings. I just want something that will be easy to build and flies slightly better than a brick.

I don't want to build one of the trainers that have an overly square shaped wing.

So, with that in mind, can any of you more experienced folk help me out? I plan on buying my initial engines off fleabay, as I 1) love buying things from it and 2) it won't hurt so bad when I nose dive that used, cheap engine into the ground on my first flight.

I've done several searches on this site and have found lots of information, but unfortunately, to this RC virgin, it's just too overwhelming to piece together.

Which design/model to go with?
Which engine to start out with?
Transmitter?
Servos?
And more if you don't mind...

Thanks!

I buy engines off ebaY and have generally been well satisfied. However I'm fairly familiar with engines. I would suggest that you buy your engine and RC set-up either from a friend who can help you get set up, or a local hobby shop which may or many not help you. Last resort an online purchase of new equipment. If you are going to get into a new area, start with stuff that will work, rather than something which may work.

I guess my first question is "How soon do you want to be flying?"

Building from plans will take longer than building from a kit which takes longer than assembling an ARF which takes longer than prepping an RTF. Got the idea?

And a general budget would help too. I know, cheap. But what is YOUR idea of cheap?(inexpensive) And how serious do YOU think you will be in this hobby?

examples
kit - http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXJA29&P=7
same in ARF - http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXCAS2&P=7 $5 bucks more and it's all assembled
same in RTF - http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...=LXCXF4**&P=ML with basic intro radio and engine already installed. Engine and radio and installed for @ $130 more.

Don't care about how soon I get into the air. That's one of the reasons I'm looking at building from plans. I enjoy building, and don't mind "waiting for the glue to dry".

I have no clue on the budget, as I really have no idea of what things cost. Just wandering around fleabay I've found several 72Mhz transmitters for fairly low prices. I won't be flying at any gatherings for the time being, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Of course, there are thousands of engines on there, too.

How serious? I don't know. I've wanted to do this for twenty years, but never got the gumption to jump in. My main hobby, motorcycles, is expensive enough, so I probably won't dump a ton of money in. That's another reason I'm interested in building from plans--I can purchase bulk balsa fairly inexpensively, and don't mind saving money by cutting my own pieces instead of paying for a pre-cut kit.

Does this help at all?

I'd hate to see you buy a bad radio from EBAY. There is some real crap there as well as some good stuff admittedly. It takes a bit of experience to sort it out well.

As for plans:
http://www.rcmmagazine.com/store/sto...vGxQCMpmI0i4c2
http://www.modelaircraft.org/plansmain.asp may need to join AMA to obtain these.

Why not go to a local flying club? You may find someone with a plan you like that you can beg, borrow or buy from a member. There are lots of plans for kits out there that some one has built.

I will see if I can scan in a set of plans for you tonight. Nice high wing trainer type. What size engine are you thinking about?

Honestly, I don't know. I have absolutely no experience with engines. Can you recommend any size/brand?

Something in the .40 - .46 size usually works well. Not too big to transport and doesn't burn immense amounts of fuel and yet is easy to see, track and is fairly stable in flight.

As Bruce said a .40-.46 engine is a good starting point for an RC trainer. As far as brand of engine I use OS, Thunder Tiger, Saitos are real nice, as are YS's, and there are still a lot more brands than that. As long as you brake them in right they all run pretty good, it comes down to what you ant to spend and personal preference.
Sorry, I could not get to scan anything tonight, we had our club meeting and the bull session at the end turned into a marathon event. I just got in the door and it pretty late, have to work in the AM.
I would like to give you one bit of advice as far as a radio goes. That is do not buy a 3 or four channel one get a 6-9 channel radio. Why, you may ask, a multi channel radio can be used for anything from the most basic 3 ch set up to an airplane with flaps, bomb drop, or even a helicopter. The radio is where you spend a lot of money and rather than getting the most basic, then buying another start with a good one. As far as brands here again there are a lot of good ones I use both Hitec, and futaba. Now JR and airtronics make some nice ones, and the new spectrum types are supposed to be the best thing since sliced bread...
So many choices, comes down to money again.
Now with a .40-.60 size engine ball park you can have a Wingspan of 5-6 feet, Fuselage of 4-5 feet and a weight of 3.5 to 7 lbs.
The lighter the plane the better (wing loading) for a trainer, most kits for these size engines run between 4-6 lbs total (that is flying weight) and have wing loading of 14 -20 oz/ft2, that is 14- 20 ounces per square foot of wing area. The lighter planes fly slower but sometimes can have problems with wind.
Often you can pick up Sig lt40, Great planes PT 40, Goldberg falcon on ebay for short money and they are all good trainers. The sig Kadet Senior is another, along with a Telemaster, I could list for hours...
I picked up an lt 40 kit for my wife for $50 on ebay, it is rugged has a big wing and a nice stable trainer. Any of the plans I would send you would have to scaled up and printed by someone who can print 3 foot by 6 foot sheets so it is not like you can print them out on a printer at home, you would have to go to kinkos or a local printer to have the plans output and that can cost you 5 10 buck a sheet and there is usually to sheets per set.

Thanks for the advice. I just found a local club that's only a couple of miles from my house. I'm gonna drop them a line and see if I can visit their field on their next meet.

You could also consider a simulator. Some are free downloads, others cost real money.