I'm a 100% Newbi who would like to get into RC plane flying. I bought a cheap foam Power Air Surfer Sky Woolf plane at walmart to learn the basics but that plane just sucks. It has trouble flying even in a low breeze. It is able to climb up to the tree tops in a strait line but because it only has elevators for control the plane drops as a stone when i attempt any turns. It will loose all of its altitude after turning just 90 degrees. In fact, the joystick only has one thumb stick that lets you controll eirther pitch or roll, but not both at the same time. I would now like to learn what plane would you recommend getting to learn how to fly. Preferably it should be easy to maintain and fly while not costing more than $100. The plane should also be durable. I also saw a couple of google videos of planes that have web cameras in them giving you a feeling that you are flying a real plane. I would love to have one of those. I also dont really know anyone who flies these so i will have to learn everything by myself. Any suggestions?

You do not have to go at this with no help. I plugged zip code 06107 into the AMA club locator and it found 17 clubs within 25 miles.
http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx
Most clubs have instructors who will teach you a lot more than just flying. And, you'll be hanging out with people who like planes.


RCKen (one of the RCU moderators) put together a list of proven beginner planes. When you open the "Beginners" forum it is the third item:
Sticky: Looking for a trainer, what's available. (Updated 5-6-07)

I don't think you'll really enjoy anything for less than a hundred bucks. Save up your money and do it right with a forty size glow at a club. It will be more fun than you think and worth the money. While saving up read everything you can and you'll start to really understand how things work in the wonerful world of RC. just my 5 cents.

I agree with skeeter 100%.

For about $250-300 you can get a new .40 size plane w/ radio. It's the best way to start IMO. You will have a nice plane to get started with and radio equipment that will last far longer than your first plane.

Good luck, it's a lot of fun.

what they said,
visit those local fields BEFORE you spend any money. most clubs desire new members and will be helpful. you will likely get recomendations to what to buy and there is usually some low budget guys around ( i enjoy keepin the cost down) yes you can call me cheap check out out SPAD forum in this site and you'll get the SPAD link as well. that is a low budget option. so is used stuff but only go used with guidance from the guys that actually are going to teach you... most instructors hate teaching on junk. and every club has a guy that will sell you some junkso don't get into a hurry. i would recomend getting the best motor you can afford. an OS LA 45( not a 40) on a conventional trainer is in the 60 buck range would be about the minimum cost but works welland is new guy friendly.
often clubs have used equip such as flight boxes and elec starters etc these things are fine used if they look ok they probably are. save yourself a head ache and get a new 4 channel radio that is buddy box capable it will come with all the stuff for in the plane ..charger , servos, plugs, switch and nicad battery. check with the club on what brand and frequency FIRST.
you won't believe how much fun you're in for

One additional reason for checking out the local clubs is that they might have club trainers that they are willing to give you a few flights on while you save for your first plane. Going this route you get the chance to see if you truly enjoy flying and all things that accompany this obsession. This will also buy you some time to read, and learn from the experienced pilots about what you may or may not want out of your next plane. For example, I ran out and bought everything up front when I started. I did talk to a few people from local clubs so I at least made a good choice on what plane to buy. However had I waited a little longer I might have discovered that the whole "flight box" concept doesn't work for me. I bought a package deal at my LHS (local hobby shop) that included several items I don't like, and some that I have never used. I would have probably spent a bit more up front, but I would have had exactly what I wanted. If had it to do again I would have skipped the flight box and power panel. I would have bought a cordless starter, and glow igniter (actually I did buy one of these). I would have put all of this in a toolbox and saved the money from the flight box, power panel, corded glow igniter, and electric fuel pump, 12 volt battery. These items alone would have been as much if not more than the cost of just the glow igniter and the starter.

Anyway, there is a lot to learn, and like everyone here has said the best place is this forum and your local club. Good luck in your adventures.

thanks guys but i'm about to start college again and i dont have a car yet. I also have to pay a portion of my tuition ( my scholarships and parents pay the other portion) so i'm kind off short on cash too. I was wondering if there was a cheapo model that did not have to cost more and i could either fly in the mornings in some empty field on campus or just at a park in my home town on week ends. I want to eventually get my privet pilot licence and i would have wanted to keep myself busy with RC planes while i save up money for the real thing. I also looked at that beginer plane tutorial but the prices just hurt so much. The planes were at about $100 then the engine at another $100 and the remote for yet $200 more. Are there any decent - not too pathetic models on amazon.com i can glance at?

Kul,

Look on e-bay for an airplane. Sometimes you can find one very cheap. Just ask a bunch of questions from the Seller before sending any $$$$$$$. If not there then save up like the other Guy's have said and use your lunch money and Thursday night beer money in a piggy bank and pretty soon you will have enough to buy a $300.00 plane, engine, radio and some gear. You will also get skinny and save brain cells!!!

Good luck and welcome aboard the addictive wagon,

Gibbs

I'm not a drinker and i already weight 125lb. My breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and all other snacks in between are already prepaid for a year so i cant sip any money out of that either. I will be happy with a foam plane as long as it flies and doesnt just fall out of the sky on its 1st turn. I have been flying planes in MS flight sims for a while so i can get a general idea of what a plane is capable off but when i put mine in a 15 degree bank it just drops like a stone. And a 2 minute charge is pathetic too.

On the side note did you guys see this plane on google videos? the camera this guy installed is very cool
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...47353453839215

I would also like to know if you need any permits or licences to fly these? You surely need a permit to fly the RCs with real jet engines right? I saw those on google videos too and they look awsome.

As I was reading your post I noticed a review at the top of the page that just might fit your needs.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/announcement.asp?id=294

Kul,
First off don't wast your money on your pilots license. 1 it cost way to much to get your private and if you're going into flying for a career you will never get your money out of it. Now you ask how do I know this? I have been flying for 27 years. Professionally for 22. Yes I love to fly but it's a tough way to make a living. I use to fly for the airlines and that good career is gone and now I fly corporate and there just isn't any money in it. Your money is better spent on R/C. I agree with everyone else. Save your money and start the hobby off right and you'll be glad you did. Just my 7 cents
chopper man

No, flying would just be a hobby or something to relax and have fun. I signed up for a ground school course at my college and after then i'll just need to save money to pay for those $100/h lessons. ouch. I'm actually studying mechanical and aerospace engineering right now.

Kul: I recently bought a Hobbico Super Star RTF (Ready To Fly) from the local hobby shop. I bought it as a club trainer. It came with a basic four channel Futaba radio system and an OS 40 LA engine installed. It was just a matter of bolting on the tail feathers, landing gear, and charging the batteries and it was ready to fly. I did change the engine, though, for an OS 46 FXi I believe is what I put on there.. but that is not necessary. I just didn't like the OS 40 LA engine, but that was personal preference and not necessary.

Anyway, I paid around $275 for this RTF and it flys just great. I've had several students up with it and they had a good time learning some basics. They liked it enough to get a plane of their own. The purpose was to get them to fly RC without having to spend a lot of money just to see if they would enjoy RC (purpose of a 'club trainer' that is).

Good luck with whatever you choose, as you can see, most of us recommend a 40 size (or so.. larger is better, but the 40 is as good a model to start off with) AND do it with an instructor. You will learn faster with a much better chance of successful flights without crashes.

I got a private ticket about 25 years ago. I love it. I don't regret it, as a matter of fact i regret not flying enough, even if it is just for recreation. I hadn't flown for over 20 yrs and just getting back into last year. Don't let anyone tell you not to get a license, it's well worth it if you love planes. What else are you going to spend that money on? Probable something wasteful like food. Pick your priorities and don't look back.

The only way you can get me not to take flying lessons in the future is by crippling me so i legally could not fly. Its something i wanted to do since i was a child. the Aerobird 3 EP review you gave me makes it sound as a good plane. I would just like the battery to last longer than 10 min but if that's the only plane that will fit my criteria then i guess I'll have to buy a few more spare batteries. The combat kits it comes with sounds cool too.

Kul,

Come on down to the electric forums:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/default.asp?forumid=227

For your price point, you'll probably want a foamie electric. Look at the parkflier threads:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/forumid_148/tt.htm

Electric Trainer:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/forumid_102/tt.htm

A lot of people are recommending the SuperCub for a first plane. It is what I went with. You get everything you need to fly for about $140 if you shop around. It comes with plane, radio, batteries, electronics, spare prop, etc. It is an all-in-one that takes about a half hour to put together out of the box. The super cub thread can explain where to slap on some packing tape before you fly it to make it almost indestructible (leading edges of wings in case you fly into a tree, fence, etc).
You can see tons of people flying and posting about their experiences here. For sub $100 I think there is the accipiter badius? Check out the Badius Owners Club thread in th eparkflyers section. They're funny guys.

There are sims available as well. I started on one. FMS is a free simulator you can download. If you buy a "real" radio then you can use it with your computer. However, if you buy one of these lower cost planes that "come with everything" you cannot use those slimmed down radios. No sweat. You can by the Esky package on Ebay for $20. It comes with FMS on a disk (I know you can d/l it for free), but the real gem is the little controller that looks and feels like a real radio except it has a USB plug and goes right into your computer. It was definitely worth the $20 and I practised and played on that sim before giving my supercub its first flight. Go to ozrcboy's site:
http://www.oz********.com/2007/03/le...ers-guide.html
He's got great guides and he has the supercub model you can download that works with FMS.

I think the parkflyer foamy crowd is where you'll find a beginner plane in your price range. You could always move up to the glow/gas/AMA type crowds later.

EDIT: Found the super cub for $115:
http://myrcsupply.net/index.php?main...ducts_id=14081

Believe me, 10 minutes is a long flight. You won't find anything with much more.(even glow engines won't run much longer on the average) The big secret is to have several battery packs and a good field charger.

Missleman is right, 10 minutes is really a long flight. Especially for a beginner. Flights longer than that and new pilots start making mistakes. Because of this I usually limit flights for my students to 10-11 minutes. Then give them time to rest up before flying again.

Ken

If you want electric go with the Hobbyzone Super Cub, I've never seen a thread from anyone saying they made a bad choice in choosing it and there are hundreds / thousands who'll tell you they learnt on one and what a great experience it was !!!!!!!

Maybe it's just me, but all I have ever done with the Super Cub is crash it or put into trees. I'm training on a glow trainer and I'm doing MUCH better with it. I think it's the weight. I have a hard time flying light planes...but that's just my two cents.

O and another criteria i forgot to mention is that it should be able to fly in 10mi/h wind. I dont want it to drop the second i get some head wind.

With the criteria of your first post and this new one I am inclined to say the only airplane you can get in your price range is a simulator.
Seriously, an electric trainer that can handle 10mph wind for under $100? I can't think of one.
Glow trainers in the lower price range can handle wind much better but starting price is $250 minimum plus fuel.

d@mn