hi,

i am looking for a good beginner electric plane. i, sadly, already went through two...(well almost 2). the first one i had was just complete garbage. the one i have now is the 2ch sdm dragonfly. on this one the wing cracked in MID AIR. currently, it is stuck in a tree, and i am waiting for the wind to bring it down as i have nothing long enough to snag it. also on the dragonfly, the engine is messed up. without even touching the throttle on the controller, they just spin by themselves... i tried adjusting the trimmer but nothing works.

the only previous flight experience i had was with a mini xpv. i am debating getting the regular xpv, as i had lots of fun with the mini for about a month until i crashed it nose first and the battery broke.

i also made the stupid mistake of buying my 2 planes off the internet...i shooda went to a hobby shop...

probably once i get the dragonfly down it will still fly, but i want a good reliable plane for hanukah =). like i said, i was considering the xpv.

would be beneficial to get a 3 ch? or stick with 2?

wat are some electric planes that are good stable flyers, and dont break very easily?

or should i just go to the hobby shop and ask for their advice? or should i just continue with the dragonfly once i get it down from the tree? =D


thanks in advance

I always recommend new people to the hobby to visit a local club. Sometimes they may have a club trainer plane for you to fly and learn. That way they can assess your skills and recommend a plane that will be a good match for you. A hobby shop may just sell you what has been on the shelf the longest.
Go here to find a local club:
http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx
You enter your zip code.

Good luck!

Don't really know much about electrics. The one I have, a Fighterbird, I would call neither good nor easy. It's harder to fly than most of my glow powered sport/aerobatic models; and that's just keeping it airborne with no hope of aerobatics. I would recommend at least three channels. Relying on throttle for vertical is no way to fly in my opinion.

don't i need to become a member at the club though?

You don't have to be a member of either the local club or the AMA to hang-out at the airfield or talk to the members. You'll probably find out, like I did, that they are a good bunch of guys and end up joining both the club and the AMA. You most likely will need a club membership as well as an AMA membership to fly at their field.

Most every club I have ever encountered have folks that volunteer their time as instructors. They can help you with the selection of your plane and equipment. I started out thinking I wanted to go electric, then switched to nitro once I began to learn more about the two.

Hobby shops fall into two general categories, the ones that want to help the hobbists and the ones that want to help themselves to your wallet. Most of the national chain type shops, I've found, fall into the latter category. It's typically the one-off shops that have folks that can really assist you in your endeavors (plane/equipment selection, club recomendations, etc.).

Good luck and happy flying.

GWS slowstick. It is an in-expensive plane that flys well. It is 3-channel and you can move your electronics to another model at a later time.
You can usually fly in a park or a large empty lot. Pretty durable and easy to repair. Replacement parts are not expensive.

http://epyaya.com/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=1961

Load the free simulator FMS and practice on your PC between flights.

Like my club....the guys are more than willing to share their knowledge and experience. There is a huge benefit to joinging a club if you have to. You'll learn things from the members you fly with as opposed to figuring it out yourself - after a crash or failure. Also learning through a club would be much cheaper than crashing and fixing your plane while trying to learn on your own. Its worth the time and few bucks it costs to join. Im glad I joined mine. Ive learned so much from the club & the great guys here at RCU. THis hobby can be frustrating at times when you have mishaps...but would be MUCH worse without having someone there that has already been through all of the issues to guide me. Makes it much easier. Good luck!

I am surprised it doesn't get mentioned often.
There is an introductory pilot program that is run by the AMA and quite alot of clubs participate.
What this program does is allow someone who is interested in RC to get free instruction on a club owned airplane without spending any money out of pocket. It used to be a 30 day temporary club and AMA membership with as much instruction as you and your instructor can get done (some people even solo during this trial period).
It seems to me that that time period was extended this past year but I am not sure.
Sure couldn't hurt to look into it.

so how would you be able to tell if hobby shops want to help you or they want your money?

also, the plane i have now(the one stuck in a tree), here's the link: http://www.nitroplanes.com/dragonflyrtf.html. is it any good? i cant tell cuz i spent more time gluing it then flying. lol

thanks for all the replies btw...