Hello Everyone. I just have a question, and I would greatly appreciate it if anyone could help me. I have no clue about any rc's at all. But, my father mentioned that he has always wanted a gas powered airplane. So I thought for christmas I would buy him one. I have been searching and all the search engines keep saying "nitro gas" I know he doesnt want that, and he wants just gas. MY QUESTION FOR ANYONE THAT CAN HELP IS, WHERE DO I FIND AN RC AIRPLANE (THAT IS NICE), IS GAS, AND IS NOT TOO EXPENSIVE. I WAS HOPING TO GET ONE FOR A COUPLE HUNDRED DOLLARS. IF ANYONE COULD HELP ME ASAP I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT!!! Help a girl to something nice for her Dad!!! Thanks!!!

I've put together a list of planes that make good trainers and second planes. All of them on the list are proven planes that are well suited for successfully letting students learn to fly, or advance to a second plane. Check out the list here
[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4537845/tm.htm] Looking for a trainer- what's available. (Updated 8-16-07) [/link]

Hope this helps

Ken

These are "Glow engined" planes

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXMU53**&P=7
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXEXK2**&P=7

There are not any ready to fly gasoline planes on the market. The gasoline planes are huge with a wing span greater than 80 inches

well gas engines run from $200- $2000 so i don't think cheap is a possibility. he might be flying electric planes and wants a glow or nitro but we dont know and need more info

Has he ever flown rc planes before? If he wants only gas you are looking to spend around $500.00 to $1,000.00 dollars for everything, I would say $500.00 minimum and that is if you can come across some good deals. Even Nitro is going to cost you around $500.00 for all of the essentials. If you are looking to spend around $200.00 then your only hope would be a cheap electric. A little over a week ago I bought my son an nitro trainer and all of his own equipement and that was all around $490.00 for about everything he would need. I know along the way there will be other things that he will need or want but the bare essentials I have provided him with.

I'm going to make a guess here and say he probably doesn't want an electric trainer but a "glow powered" airplane.
These use nitro methane for fuel and not "gasoline".
I any case if he has never flown before you would do well to get him a trainer. Ken in the above post has pointed to his very extensive list that one would do well to study.

Also, he should not try on his own to fly it but find a club and a qualified instructor to help him get started.

Your price level is a little low as the cost of a good radio alone approaches 200.00.
Add the plane and engine plus field equipment and cost can easily approach 400-500 dollars. Now you can see the benefit of an instructor as you'd hate to see him crash that pretty plane the first day.

If you really want to get him started, then get him a AMA membership and maybe a club membership nearby and let him check it out on his own. Most clubs have trainers he can try out and the instruction is generally free.

Good luck and God bless you for wanting to do this for your dad.

Here's a list of clubs in the taunton area. If he lives in another area, give us the zip code and we can list the clubs there also.

The clubs with the "Yes" have a training program.

BORDEN COLONY RADIO CONTROL CLUB
Flying Site Details
2.98 miles 3230 29 TOM TRIPP
Email Contact PO BOX 484
RAYNHAM CENTER MA 02768
Phone: 508-677-4084
1 No
MIDDLEBORO RADIO CONTROL CLUB
Flying Site Details
4.51 miles 3166 53 MICHAEL PANARELLI
Email Contact 93 SUMMER ST
NORTH DIGHTON MA 02764
Phone: 508-823-9908
1 No
THE NEW ENGLAND HELI CREW
Flying Site Details
5.64 miles 4780 5 SHAWN LECLAIR
Email Contact 8 CROWE FARM LN
NORTON MA 02766
Phone: 508-226-8686
1 No
WINGBUSTERS MAC
Flying Site Details
12.79 miles 1565 75 MARK MARGOLIS
Email Contact 1087 WARREN AVE
BROCKTON MA 02301
Phone: 774-259-5164
Visit Website
1 Yes
RHODE ISLAND R/C HELICOPTER ASSOCIATION
15.03 miles 4751 5 MIGUEL DEMEDEIROS
Email Contact 46 WILMARTH AVE
EAST PROVIDENCE RI 02914
Phone: 401-439-7435
1 No
PROVIDENCE RC CLUB
Flying Site Details
15.68 miles 4804 5 RICHARD FOURNIER
Email Contact 19 CLARENDON AVE
PROVIDENCE RI 02906
Phone: 401-521-0355
1 Yes
ATLANTIC RADIO CONTROL FLYERS
19.17 miles 4753 6 THOMAS LAUREANNO
Email Contact 176 LEPES RD
TIVERTON RI 02878
Phone: 401-625-5653
Visit Website
1 Yes
BRISTOL COUNTY RADIO CONTROL
Flying Site Details
19.54 miles 1349 30 GARY BARBOZA
Email Contact 450 HIGHLAND AVE
WESTPORT MA 02790
Phone: 508-676-3309
1 Yes
CLOUD DANCERS
Flying Site Details
19.54 miles 1372 59 GARY BRENNAN
Email Contact PO BOX 468
LITTLE COMPTON RI 02790
Phone: 401-635-8535
Visit Website
1 Yes
BOSTON MICRONAUTS
Flying Site Details
21.60 miles 4442 7 GORDON JOHNSON
Email Contact 7 WALDEN CT
MEDFIELD MA 02052
Phone: 508-359-6532
Visit Website
1 No
OCEAN STATE R/C CLUB
Flying Site Details
22.70 miles 4803 4 BENJAMIN BRIGGS
Email Contact 2211 E MAIN RD
PORTSMOUTH RI 02871
Phone: 401.683.1028
1 No

taught my grand son-in-law with one of these. It comes with everything you need for that price. Nothing else to buy. It all fits in one box that will stand up in the corner of the closet. The plane is 4 years old now. It still flies. But you need calm days. He now flies my gas jobs when the wind gets started.

It is electric.

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdID=HBZ3600

Of all the planes on the list, I would recommend the Tower Hobbies Trainer 40 RTF package for your dad. It's a good flying plane (trust me, I've trained plenty of pilots on it) and for your needs it's a great value. You can get the plane, engine, and radio for $254. You can find it here: [line]http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCXF4**&P=ML[/link]

P.S. I'm a bit partial to this plane as it's the plane that I learned to fly on. And after 11 years I still have it too. Good flying little trainer.

Ken

Rachel, To help clear up some of the confusion, we need to know something...

Does your dad fly airplanes now?

The reason I ask is, as you've seen above, what people outside of this hobby call "Gas" engines, are what we call "Glow" engines.

"Gas" engines are much larger and are meant for much larger airplanes - usually these airplanes are very advanced and NOT for beginners.

So if your dad has been flying for many years, he may really want a "Gasoline" engine airplane. But if he is just looking to get started, He'll need a "Glow' engine airplane.

If it is indeed a glow engine plane he wants, look at RCKen's suggestions

Now if your father is an experienced flyer you are delving into some pretty personal area. Since everyone has different tastes. You could easily select a plane your father hates. Not that he would ever tell you that. The best thing you could do for him is to go to you local hobby shop, www.towerhobbies.com or www.horizonhobby.com and pick up a gift certificate for him. In some cases picking a plane for him would be like him picking your night clothes for your honeymoon.

If he has never flown or only dabbled with electric flight then RCKens sudjestion of the Tower Trainer (available at www.towerhobbies.com ) can not be beat for perfomance and cost.

I have a friend that his kids all get together and give him a gift certificate at the local Hobby Town for Christmas every year. He usually buys an engine with the money. He's been building model airplanes all his life and is 70 years old.

Rachel - as the guys have already said, your Dad's experience level is critical in this decision process. If he has never flown r/c but is definitely interested, then the advice to buy a 40 size "ready to fly" trainer is the way to go. Last Christmas, my wife and kids got me the Hangar 9 Alpha 40 RTF trainer, and it was the best present I ever got. There are several trainers by different manufacturers which are similar in price and value, and you can't go wrong with any of them.

Ken's suggestion of the Tower trainer RTF package is probably the most economical, and is a great package.

If he already has r/c airplane experience, you probably do not want to buy him a plane. There are a million different r/c planes that are very specialized to certain types of flying or modeling, and not everybody is into each aspect of the hobby. Unless your Dad tells you he wants a specific plane, you're better off getting him a gift certificate.

I don't know my Massachusetts geography as well as I should, but if Nashua is not too far of a drive, I highly recommend RC Buyers Warehouse. They sold my wife my trainer, and I have probably spent $1500 in the year since. They give great advice and are really good guys.

www.rcbuyers.com

Good luck.

Rachel,

My advice would be to go to Hanson Hobby (Rt. 27 in Hanson) and speak to George. He's very knowledgable about RC flying and is a member at the club where I fly (Wingbusters in Halifax/Middleboro). He has many planes in stock and can recommend something that I'm sure will make your father happy. Their number is 781.293.2804. I bought my first plane from him and have been very satisfied!

If you can... Compile a list of planes and engines your father already has...

If you can't do that.. pull out your digital camera, and take pictures.

If you go to a good hobby place, and you take your list/pictures, they'll be able to identify everything, and make good recommendations on where to go from there....

A lot of people think of any model that has an engine as "Gas Powered" which pay not be what it really is. If you are reading the words "nitro gas" on a web site, it is probably a site like raidentech or nitromodels. The people who run those particular sites are translating product descriptions from Chinese to English and the wording sometimes gets messed up.

The glow fuel (often called "Nitro") that many model engines use is mostly alcohol, with oil and nitromethane added.

As others have mentioned, there are no pre-built gasoline powered models on the market that are for beginner pilots.

Finding a local hobby shop might be helpful so you can actually see the stuff and talk to someone in person. If you decide on mail order, the following are three of the major US distributors and are well known for good customer service:
www.towerhobbies.com
www.horizonhobby.com
www.hobbypeople.net

A lot of us old guys call r/c airplanes with motors "Gas" even though they run on glow fuel or even gas. What we refer to is airplanes with IC engines rather than electric motors, which up until the past few years could not perform in anyway even close to a fuel powered airplane. I would guess that where your dad has always wanted one he has not flow one before.

RCKen suggestion regarding the Tower Hobbies Trainer 40 RTF package is perfect for a new pilot. I would also tell you to go to Hanson Hobby on Rt27 in Hanson, speak to the owner he has a great deal of knowledge and expertise regarding R/C airplanes, and could answer any questions you have.

I would also suggest that you tell your dad that the advice that others have given about local clubs. They have instructors that will help him set up the plane and teach him to fly.
One club I would suggest is one which I am a member of you can find it on the web at:
http://www.wingbusters.org

Edit to add:
Some of our members fly year round as long as we can get to the field and it is not to windy. So Just about any weekend and some times during the week your dad could find someone to talk to for advice after he gets a plane for Christmas....

I just started flying there this year (newbie) and I got a lot of help from the guys there. It's a great spot to fly. I recommended that Rachel visit Hanson Hobby and to maybe contact someone at Wingbusters!