ryts100

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could recommend any good RC appliances, preferably one that flies. I've had a little bit of experience from flying the WowWee Dragonfly. I would like a RC appliance that is relatively easy to fly, costs less than $70, and can be bought at stores, not online. I was thinking of buying the Air Hogs Storm Launcher, any thoughts?

carrellh

What is an RC Appliance?

ryts100

I don't know what else to call it. I use it as a description of RC cars, boats, airplanes, etc. Basically anything remote controlled.

opjose

Most of our planes do fly.

That is until we turn them into a pile of balsa or foam.

opjose

A flying toaster?

ryts100:

Pleae look here:

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4537845/tm.htm]Click me![/link]

ryts100

Oh, ok. Thanks.

EDIT: Oh wait, those are real RC's. x.x. I'm just looking for small ones, that run off charging, not fuel.

smokeyser

The stuff we discuss here is generally nowhere near $70 once everything needed has been purchased. You definately get what you pay for. I've played around with the air hogs havoc helicopters, but they're toys. They only work indoors, they're made of cheap styrofoam and plastic, and they don't last very long. The only thing I know of that's anywhere near that price and flies like a real plane is the hobbyzone super cub. It's around $159 online, but the hobby shops around here all carry it for about $130. I guess the best way to describe the difference is this: Air hogs makes toys for children that can be used safely without supervision for the most part. Hobbyzone and the other rc airplane manufacturers make toys for adults that could seriously injure an unsupervised child. Basically, our toys are a bit bigger and more dangerous. But still reasonably priced when you consider the fun you can have.

ryts100

I just want something fun that can occupy my time, and that will improve my RC skills.

jester_s1

If you're trying to build skill, then don't bother with the toys. To actually fly an RC airplane than can do anything more than be hand launched, go in a rough circle and then crash land in the grass, you're looking at a $200 investment minimum but that's still toy level. $400 will get you setup in a basic glow powered plane that actually flies like a real plane. Around $500 for electric power that is worth having. If you take care of them and have some luck with a cracker jack instructor that setup can last you several years with occasional repairs (but don't count on it).

smokeyser

I just had a look around, and there's a Hobbytown USA in your city. If it's anything like the hobbytowns around here, pretty much all they carry is arf and ready to fly packages (arf doesn't include controller or onboard electronics, while rtf is a complete package). You might have better luck just heading down to the hobby shop and having a look at what's available.

ryts100

Yeah but I don't want a big plane with turbines and runs on fuel and stuff, just a small electronical one to play with.

plugin

But you also mentioned you wanted something that would enhance you're r/c skills. The two requisites are almost mutually exclusive because a small electronical plane for the price you want wont get you very far.

smokeyser

There are larger sized foam planes that run off of small battery packs and are very lightweight and very inexpensive. Not eveything in the hobby shop is balsa and nitro powered. And if they don't have what you're looking for, there's a good chance that your local hobby shop can order something that fits your needs. They're definately the best resource for finding out what's available. Another thing you might want to consider if you don't mind building your own plane is a spad. You can get a cheap electric motor, batteries, and controller from the hobby shop and just build a plane from plastic sheets. Check out www.spadtothebone.com. They've got great info on planes that you can build yourself with very few tools (knife and glue is mostly what you need) and for extremely cheap prices. Under $30 in some cases even. So there's definately options. Since you want to avoid nitro and larger expensive planes, definately check out foamies and spads.

ryts100

Sounds interesting. I'll check it out, thanks!

jester_s1

I'd actually advise against SPADs for beginners. They are fine if you have someone to build and set them up for you, but as a new flyer and first time builder, you'll wind up frustrated.

Cheap and good don't go together. A toy grade airplane will get you in the air and could be fun for you, but it won't teach you to fly the full featured planes. Even though they are small, flying models are still airplanes and as such are going to be expensive because of the precision they need to fly properly.

You might consider downloading FMS and getting one of the controllers off of Ebay and just working with the simulator for a year or so while saving your money.

mclina

Like folks have said, you really do get what you pay for. There is a huge difference between the Air Hog toy planes and what folks would consider a hobby grade RC plane.

There are a LOT of planes on the market that fall in between the two, but a very large percentage of these are junk. They either fly very badly, are very hard to fly, or are so easy to break that you can't learn on them.

One option, which may not be a great one, is to go with one of the Park Zone "pusher" type planes. They are fairly inexpensive and they do fly, and they do sell spare parts for them. If you break a wing, you can buy a new wing. The cost of parts does add up quickly to the cost of the original plane.

I am not recommending this plane, but just to give you an idea of what I am talking about:

http://www.hobbyzone.com/rc_planes_h...rd_phantom.htm

I have had a similar plane to this. It flew, and I had some fun with it, but it can be very frustrating if you keep breaking it and spending money fixing it.

It can be an expensive hobby, but it can be even more expensive if you spend a lot of money on cheap, crappy planes that don't really teach you how to fly.

Your best bet is to visit a flying field and talk to some pilots.

Good luck

opjose

Sage words, which unfortunately most newbies ( including myself at one point ) don't listen to.

I've got a nice pile of "junk" TX's that I purchased "on the cheap" before spending the dollars on worthwhile ones.

With what they cost me in total, I could have purchased ONE extreme high end TX and have been done with it... as it would have severed all of my needs.