Ok I am sure everyone is going to say noooooo to this but is it ok for a nooby like myself to get a jet rc plane or is that just a silly idea?

Obiously I wouldnt attempt to fly it till I was in a club and some pro's were there to help me learn.

If you think I may be ok what is a good plane to look for in this range?

u're crazy......no jus mesing well u r kinda but i saw a jet one time that a guy built he said on the flight report that it flys like a lt-40.

Oh yea and remember if I do buy one and wreck it it will make a great post with before and after photos

I think a Jet would be way to fast for learning on. I have a Great Planes F-15 kit, which uses a prop up front, but otherwise looks like a jet. With the O.S. 46 FX and a 10x7 prop, I estimate I get around 80 mph with it. Otherwise, this is a fairly easy plane to fly, though still a little fast in my opinion for learning the basics of flight.

There are 3 kinds of "jet" models,

turbine powered models that use actual turbine engines.

ducted fan models that use a piston engine driving a fan inside the aircraft to simulate a turbine

prop power planes that look like jets, but have a conventional piston engine and prop in the nose or tail

Oh, and slope soarers, so that's 4.

IMHO none of them are suited for beginners.

A turbine powered model like the one pictured above could be flyable, but turbines aren't exactly easy to run. If you have a bunch of turbine guys near you that are willing to help, then I'd say maybe. If you are like most of us, and turbines are rare, I'd say avoid it. And then there is the cost, they are big $$$, and have a tendancy to catch fire when they crash.

Ducted fans require a lot of engine know-how to make run right. They are nortious for flying fast and frankly are less suited for a beginner than a modern turbine.

Prop jets are as easy to setup as any prop plane, but the designs are not going to fly trainer-like at all, as CRFlyer pointed out.

I don't fly slope, but the "power slope" guys seem to like going fast, so it looks rather un-trainer-like as well.

Swampy,

You said it, Nooooooo !!!!!!!

Visit a club, talk to the guys there and take their advice. They won't want you making big holes in their runway full of thousands of pounds worth of burning jet model.

Simon.

Yes, get a jet....right after you build and fly a trainer for 2-3 months.....bet your opinion will have changed by then!

Jerry

Sure, get a jet...

While you're at it, start using a loaded pistol to remove ear wax.

No 'pro' would ever condone contributing to such a striking example of the the 'instant gratifacation' fevor that is so common today, even with the relatively mild prop jets.

The ladder can only be ascended one rung at a time or you will end up on your butt. This truism wins out over impatience every single time!

One last thought: There are no Pro's only survivers, Are you?

John

I agree, get a jet. It will also help the economy...once you have to go back and get the right plane.

SWAMPY
I know how you feel.I was the same way,only I wonted to start out on a Biplane.Go to your local club and get on the club trainer.Then then see what you think about a Jet.
art43

Short answer...NO!
Long answer....NOOOOOO!

NO

You didn't learn how to ride a bike by buying a 1000CC motorcycle when you were a child, did you?

There is more at stake than hurting your ego and your wallet--you could hurt others with such a fast and relatively difficult to control model. That is why special rules/licenses are in place/required to operate turbines.

So I have brought a ....



Trainer plane (Arising Star) (I hear you all say phew)
Looks nasty but I will take the advice of you guys.

Also I saw that post from that guy who crashed his new prop plane by not setting up the trim. So I will be tracking down a club

As they say daaun undah, "Guud on yah, mite!"

Apart from the other responses, which are correct, you'd need a waver from the AMA (assuming that you have joined or will)which requires that you can show competence with high performance prop planes.

if you do get a jet to learn on, take a video of the flight so we can all see it explode on impact after 5 seconds!
seriously though, you will save yourself a lot of money by getting a trainer to learn on and progress onto more ambitious models as and when you are ready.

Without a doubt start with a trainer. If you really have your heart set on a jet go out and buy a prop jet. Start building it now, but take your time. But don't even attempt to fly it until you can fly the trainer nearly blindfolded. Then even a second transistion plane would help a lot.

BTW- Before I even flew for the first time I had a Gee Bee started. Definately not for the faint of heart. I let it go for about a year before I flew it, and I am glad I did. Not to mention I flew the pants off of my Stik and fun fly first.

The AMA has no jurisdiction in the UK, duh.

Rick - AE9D

True, for the UK. Thanks for the sympathetic response. I would check similar organizations world wide and get the feeling that similar restrictions are in effect.

special licence for high speed prop planes huh? i am an ama member, but i have not heard about this.

Go ahead and do it, just please have someone running video.....as for the AMA, I have never noticed the AMA having jurisdiction over my flying in any regard whatsoever....

Any powerplant can be tamed by the proper airframe. The R-985 makes the Gee Bee R-2 a rocket but when attached to a Beaver makes a sweet, lazy combo. If you build something like what's in that pic you might have a chance at success as far as flying goes. However, building and setting up such an aircraft will be very difficult even with experienced help.

if you did build a jet like that it would take 5 years to build hehe.....hint hint DONT get a jet.