im just starting out and wanted to put together a system completely off of e bay
so far i have spektrum dx7 which i picked up new for 130 with all servos and reciever
and the plane i got i never heard of but you can view it here http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...0%3D%26fvi%3D1
and i got a magnum xl .40 engine for 30
so my question is what all else should i get or do i need to start flying

An instructor.

A good instructor

where do i look for an instructor?

Most likely your local club or check for instructors near you here on RCU
NEDYOB

Flying40 , welcome to RCU, and the wonderful world of flying models. There are still lots of accessories you will need , but i do suggest you enquire at your local hobby shop , as to where the nearest flying field is , and introduce yourself to their instructor . Also Merry Christmas .
Bill down under in Australia

Flyin40,

Welcome to RCU. You'll find a lot of help here, so ask plenty of questions.
I should note that the plane you got on eBay is no where near what a new flyer should attempt to fly. You need to start with a trainer. If you search here you will see a lot of people who thought they could jump right into a more advanced plane only to have to spend more money for a new plane or repairs. Many just gave up the hobby because they thought they could not do it when if they had had proper training they would probably still be flying.
Please, find a club and instructor before you buy anything else. They may even have a club trainer for you to fly with an instructor to earn your wings.
To find a club, go here:
[link=http://AMA Club Search]http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx[/link]

You may not want to learn to fly with that particular plane. Thats a full aerobatic plane,
it will be quite a hand full if you havn'tflown before.

An instructor will surely advice you the same. You should learn with a trainer type plane.
Once you have had several successful flights with a trainer you can move on to a second plane.
Tricycle landing gear is also easier than a taildragger for a new pilot, for taxing, take offs and landing the plane.

Dont get me wrong, thats a great plane, a friend of mine has one and its fun plane,but its no trainer.
These guys here are giving good advise, get an eperienced instructor to help you learn, and use a trainer type plane.

thanks for all the info guys i found my local club on here and e mailed them for info on the club and to see about joining...you guys really helped point me in the right direction...thanks a lot and merry christmas

A couple of things.....

1st. Find a local club. They will have a flying field AND instructors (at no charge ).

2. The plane you purchased is not a trainer and a new person to flying should not attempt to fly it. Without flying experience you new plane will have a lifespan of about 30 seconds (or less).

3. While people have taught themselves to fly, it is a VERY STEEP learning curve (not to mention expensive ). An instructor is HIGHLY recommended so that you not only learn to fly, but learn properly (no bad habits ).

4. A simulator will help you, BUT IT WILL NOT TEACH YOU HOW TO FLY. I STRONGLY suggest getting a simulator. FMS is a free download. All you will need is a cord from your buddy box port to the serial port of your computer. You can make your own or check EBay for cords (typically around $15.00 )

Among the multitude of other things you will need are:

extra glow plugs (I suggest OS#8 ) AND a glow plug wrench

extra props. For a 40 engine I suggest a 10x5 or 10x6 prop. Since you are new to this I will also suggest the Master Airscrew brand (MAS) These are a black prop with a square tip. The MAS props are a lot more tollerant of prop strikes, and because they are not as efficient as an APC, the plane tends to fly slower (while you are learning slower is better).

6" adjustable wrench

needle nose pliers

Phillips screw drivers (ideally a #1 and #2 tip, but you can bet by with just a #2 tip)

medium blade flat screwdriver

set of "Jewler's" screwdrivers for adjusting the engine and other fine work

A "chicken stick" or electric starter (plus a 12 volt battery if you go with the electric starter )

glow ignitor

Glow fuel and a fuel pump

medium fuel line tubing

30 minute epoxy

medium ca

There are a lot more items, but these will be needed to assemble the plane and fly it.

Beyond the fact that the engine you purchased would be a disappointment in that airplane It does not matter since a 'good' instructor/mentor is not going to want to waste time trying to help you with that airplane.


On the up side though that engine would be just dandy for an appropriate trainer. Don,t buy anything else until you talk to the good folks who are your potential mentors at the local club.

John

As the others have said, you will need a trainer plane and field equipment but by far the first step is to get with a club.
You may be able to get a good deal from the club on the stuff you will need.
I personally have given 2 trainers away to new club members and was given a couple of other planes from other members.

since so much has been said about your choice of purchases I won't,what I will coment on is EBAY which is also part of the conversation ebay is a good place to get some deals,but things are not as they always seem on the buying site,some major mistakes made when buying there.

getting over focused on a item and paying too much, as in way over retail, because you feel you need to have that particular item,they come up all the time, if you don't get that one I gaurentee there will be another soon enough.
I see with regularity people buying kits,such as Top Flight going for more than the retail price from www.towerhobbies.com do the research to find the real cost instead of throwing away your hard earned cash

buying engines can be hit or miss, I have purchased some great ebay engines for good prices, I have also gotten some absolute dogs, that deserve the trash can, that looked like new untill I fired them up,buyer beware,if its not new in the box,question why its being sold if it was such a great engine for the seller.

electronic equipment can also be hazardous if your getting used stuff you better get it for a smashing deal because if its not brand new and it breaks then your out of luck for any gaurentee the mfg. is offering,and good luck getting anything back from a seller.

check the feedback of the seller before buying if its low then you get what you deserve if you get burned, again buyer beware.
as well as the amount of items the person has sold, and for how long the seller has been active on the site its easy to check and the graph will tell you what the neg. feedback was, for what item, and who the buyer was, if your concerned with what the sellers reputation is then feedback will tell you.

that would be a start ebay is a fun place to buy stuff and there is some great deals to be had,my latest purchase was 4 new fuel tanks for .99+ the 5$ shipping a good deal for sure,just remember to buy smart and dont get carried away there is always another item around the corner.

Likely its not a bad deal on the plane. Would need some hands on to take a guess on the motor. Stash the plane somewhere you can enjoy looking at it for now and get in touch with a local club. Most clubs can come up with planes that are suitable for training IF they perceive you are serious. They will begin to take you seriously when you have an AMA card and pay your dues. MOST (and I think RCU is the greatest example of this) RCers are helpful to beginners. But if we sold a nice used trainer to every guy that " was thinking about " getting into RC we would be the world's largest group of bankrupted fools. Most of us have "helped someone new" and never seen them again at least once. So listen when you get advice and you will have a lot of fun for less money and MUCH LESS AGRAVATION[8D]

Hey Flyin 40!

Looks like you spent a total of $288 on everything (Not inclusing servos)! That seems like a pretty good deal. Especially since you got a nice radio. You could have spent $100 more for the Nexstar RTF with the engine & radio and servos, basically everything but gas and you probably could have gone out and flown it yourself. Still it looks like you got a great deal on this stuff.


It sounds like your probably a young guy and one thing I realized in this hobby is that the old timers tend to make it out (flying) to be a little more difficult than it actually has to be. If your a product of the video game generation like me you will have the hang of it on day one. The true hard part and where the old timers experience is invaluable is in keeping things working correctly after day one. Things go wrong with almost every flight and you'll need that experience from people to walk you through maintaining your stuff and fixing your problems. But flying you'll probably find to be a snap if you have any knowledge of flight at all.

Also.. You'll definately need some experience in getting your engine running correctly (Mixture)!!!

Have Fun! I have to tell you though it is best if you can afford to crash your stuff and walk away with a smile knowing that you had fun and its only money. You can just build or buy another one. If your spending your last dime on this then it kind of changes the whole experience.

You can find just about anything on Ebay why not an instructor rofl. The DX7 and servos were worth what you spent. Good deal for you.