I started this hobby roughly 3-4 months ago and we won't count the $$ lol.

IMO find someone that knows about the hobby to help you get started, I can not tell you how I wish that I would have done this very simple thing...........

Seriously consider joining the AMA they can help you find an instructor,a club and about 100 other things, not to mention it is a great insurance policy so if you run down someones car or worse and get sued .....well..

Simulators are great, use them A LOT but I have not found one yet that will simulate what your plane will do after a 15mph crosswind comes out of nowhere on a perfectly calm day, deadstick approach, with a twitchy servo from a low battery, the guy on the other end of the buddybox that's been flying planes for 20 yrs knows just what to do....your knees are weak and hands are shaking and this guy grins and lands your plane.. priceless


Never buy anything without research on the product, from personal goof ups I can tell you that some of these planes are junk from the very start.(megatech nitro airstrike RTF)
I loved how this plane flew but the covering was garbage, nothing fit quite correctly things needed shimmed and sanded a lot of extra work just to get it ready to go.

Do not start with anything but a trainer, there is a good list available here http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4537845/tm.htm for good quality, good flying planes. Ask questions about everything.

RTF ready to fly ...really means you have to put the wings together by sliding 2 halves over a joiner, some are glued some are screwed together with nylon/steel straps.
You will have to attach the stabilizers, the landing gear, and all the pushrods to the control horns, and you will have to learn to measure and set control surface throws, and learn all about a planes center of gravity where to find it and how to change it if need be.

You will have to learn about breaking in and tuning glow engines. A VERY important step.

I have put together 3 RTF airplanes to this point almost all of them follow these steps.

What they do not include in that RTF in 20-30 minutes statement is that if you want any of these planes to look good you will need a heatgun and covering iron and to watch Minnflyers instruction videos here.. http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=726 Both of my RTF planes and the one I fixed of my brothers were wrinkle and bubble laced covering jobs. Also you will need a degree of field equipment, http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXL419&P=ML is a good example of this equipment.

ARF Almost Ready to Fly, in my judgment is a statement that assumes you are already into the hobby.

My megatech after being caught by a tree, has been transplanted to my first ARF that I will not fly for a long time. http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXGGM2 I want to fly my kit first it is a much better second plane. I got the strega for $65 at a local hobby shop that was selling them out..

For these ARF kits you will need quite a few tools, some hobby specific. If you are choosing an ARF model for your first that cheaper investment will turn into almost the same cost as the $350-400 or so dollar RTF. This is the cheapest combo I could find at tower, http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...1p?&I=L7CAS2** and again that covers no tools, no equipment or fuel, and yes fuel is close to $25 a gallon for 15% nitro/18% oil at most hobby shops.

I have just received my first kit http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXDJC9&P=0 so I do not know how that is going to go. But when I start it you can bet I start a build thread with pics
I am currently adding tools, covering, epoxies,all kinds of supplies to build a kit to my tower wishlist............gonna cost me around ...O bejeeezuz ... LOL

Not exactly a beginner, started RC about 50 years ago. Just thought I would commend you on pointing out the real story regarding what's in their future. A definite worthwhile, rewarding,(disgusting??? oh they do break???) hobby. Good job.

I love this hobby, its more addicting then crack, more fun than should be legal, and more rewarding then any other I have found for myself. I also know that I could have started out better and saved money and heartbreak ( losing a plane even a junky one hurts) by getting help. I was under the impression RC was a big boys toys...LOL

Nice thread and good advice to any one starting in the hobby. By the way, you will not be disappointed with your choice of planes. The Tigers are great flyers and are up on the top of the heap for a second plane. I have been flying for over 30 years and I always have a Tiger in my hangar. As we speak I am building the Tiger 60 Deluxe and I have the Tiger 2 in my storaqe rack waiting on the weather to change for flying. Good Luck, Dave

I am very excited about the Tiger 2, I am very worried about the pile of sticks form it comes in...... One of the guys at my club has one he let me fly, once I got used to the rotation rates it was SWEEEET !!!! My second trainer the one I use now is the Hobbistar 60 mkIII we put a 13x6 prop on yesterday It came alive in its own right, It should help me get used to the faster response of the tiger..

That comment is also priceless....and VERY true!

hey phoenixangle, you'll love the tiger, I have a tiger60 and built it from a kit. My kit went pretty smooth. My tiger was my second plane and it was the perfect second. I have'nt been able to get out and fly much, the wind down here has'nt let up in a couple weeks. It snowed a little yesterday while it was 30 degrees and the wind was blowing about 30 mph. Hows the flying been up there?

With the exception of last Sunday its been fairly dismal here too.It snowed like crazy here for a few hours the wind was awful yesterday. I found that if I get out early enough the wind is usually fairly light until about 10:30 or so in the morning.

I have been out almost every Sunday morning for at least a couple hours.This morning is to windy but it is supposed to slow down later today around 2 so I will likely head over to the field.This morning I am finishing up the Strega model instead of flying. http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/...weekday=Sunday I may get a few in today later

I got out once last week. Made it out around 8:30am with a slight breeze. Was going to maiden my laser200 with a crrc 26cc. I took up my tower uproar 40 to get my thumbs warmed up and before I had ten minutes in the air the wind picked up to around 20mph with gust of 25-30 so I got my uproar down as best as possible and have to wait on the maiden. The wind was blowing across the runway witch made it a little harder[X(] hopefuly this week will be better.

Good thread! I`m not a beginner, but as many others has said, this hobby is the best one! For me I hope it wil become more than a hobby, I want to make a living out of it. I guess thats just one more thing about rc that I love so much, that you can do as much out of it as you want!

LOL.....wait till you move up to the Big Birds and you have countless hours in building them and $$$$ invested. I still can't get over the shakes for the first flight, I always have a much more experience flier do it for me. I've been flying for two years, 2 to 3 times a week so it's not that I'm a bad flier. I just get nervous on the first flight.[]

Your so right about asking questions, join a club and pick the brains of everyone there. I have yet to meet someone in this great hobby that didn't like sharing information.

EVERYONE gets nervous on maiden flight with a new airplane wether they admit it or not! Thats a part of the fun

I keep thinking we're having an earthquake measuring about 9.0, in kansas?, then I realize it's just my knees knocking

I agree this hobby is like crack. I build one plane and fly it and want a new one the next day. If my wife knew how much I spent on this hobby I would have divorce papers on the kitchen table. Godspeed everyone.

You got that right. and it does not matter if you've been doing this for years with big planes or any other plane, you will still shake. Dead give away is look at the tip of the antenna if they are flying 72Mhz (2.4 is a lot harder to see but you can still see it) Even if they say they are not, get them in front of a couple of judges in an IMAC competition and along with all the other pilots in their class watching as well to see where they make mistakes, and watch them shake then [&:] As a judge, I've seen this tons of times even with seasoned pilots.

I tend to shake a bit during the maiden but shake even more once I'm down

Not everyone. My 13 year old son didn't know enough to be nervous and did great with his first Maiden flight. It sure made me nervous though, just watching him.

Jack

I wouldn't know.[sm=wink_smile.gif]

I wouldnt either.[sm=thumbup.gif]

I've noticed that most kids that age have very little fear in this hobby. I don't know if it's just the "I'm invincible" attitude that most kids have, or the fact that it's "dad's money" paying for the plane!!!!

Ken

Ken,

I think it's a little of both. I've been flying against Alex Porter in IMAC for 3 years now (first met him at a contest in VA back then when he was flying Sportsman) and we just talked about this over the weekend at the judging seminar I was at (he just turned 12 and has won the Junior Masters twice before entering IMAC) and he said that early on he did not care because it was Dad's plane. Now he has his own 42% and was all sorts of nervous the first time he flew it, even though he knew his Dad bought it and built it and he has flown this size plane many times in the past.

But then again, this young man has flown against some of the top names in the business and beat them as well.

Hope Fl is warm

I just looked at the forecast down there, supposed to AWFUL weather. Sunny and high's in the 80's. Man, I don't know how I'm going to stand it!!!!!

When Mike and I covered XFC last year there were a couple of youger teenaged pilots (13-15) that were competing. Yes, competing and not just flying. But they were absolutely fearless as they flew. We were commenting on how kids that age just don't seem to worry about it. ahhhh, to be young again!!!

Ken

Yea highs in the 80's is just awful for Lakeland FL. Usually it's a bit warmer this time of the year At least the humidity will be half decent this time of the year.

EDIT: I believe Alex was in that one, I'd have to go look

Bubbagates, I have heard stories of judges from JR being more harsh on a Futaba sponsored pilot. It supposedly cost one of the local guys a first place at one of the big national competitions. I won't name names, but he does have several national wins. Do you notice any bias going on between judges and their associated manufacturers?

I've only heard of that happening. I have experienced first hand "friendship judging" where the judge is a good friend of the pilot flying and the score reflecting that. I scored a pilot pretty poorly on a sequence which for this pilot was unusual as I had judged him in the past, the other judge was his friend and ride to the contest and scored him well, telling me afterwards he cut him a few breaks because "he knew the pilot could easily do well but he was tired that day). Felt like choking him since we are trying our best in IMAC to eliminate that sort of stuff and he knows it and I tend to do a lot of judging up to and including Unlimted/Invitational unknowns

Typically there are two types of judging bias, knowingly giving someone a break for a given reason and not knowling giving someone a break for a given reason. The knowing version is pretty obvious, not knowing a judge is doing it typically falls under the fact that the pilot flying is well know and has always scored well so the judge tends to be more lenient

The rulebook even covers this

and I quote

1.1.1: Bias. Bias can either be conscious or unconscious. The conscious bias is fortunately rare, and would be for instance when a judge deliberately awards a score lower or higher than the competitor deserves. The word for that action is cheating and it shall not be tolerated. Conscious bias can also occur because a friendship or regional relationship with the competitor. Most problems with bias are of the unconscious or unintentional type since they are more prevalent. A good example would be the ‗halo‘ or recognition for a champion or well-known flier who might unintentionally be awarded extra points based on recognition alone. This can work against an unknown flier having a great day. This type of bias can also work against the champion flier, just because the judge unconsciously might want to see a new face in the winner circle. Another example might be bias towards a certain type of airplane like mono versus biplane, or bias towards a style of flying.
For instance, a pilot cuts crisp corners on square maneuvers versus a flier with a more graceful style. Sometimes we even see an equipment bias where a judge may unknowingly try to support a previous personal opinion regarding a certain brand of radio, certain type of engine, or size of aircraft. These unconscious biases are easily understood as we all have personal preferences. Nevertheless, the judge must try hard to base his or her score solely on the quality of the flight, and nothing more.

The problem is it's hard as heck to prove and as a CD my job is to do my best not to allow it to happen. IO am also on the International Rules Committee (IRC) and we are working towards changes like this, though it's not easy.

Ken,

So far it's been Dad's money and time, so that could be a factor.

My son does not particularly like the building side of the hobby, which is fine for now, but he has been told that he will participate in any repairs that occur under his watch. Given that our piloting skills are a tad rusty during the slow winter months, he now prefers flying our two SPAD's, because they have rarely suffered anthing that could not be repaired in under and hour. Smart kid + they are nice flying planes too (Debonair and SPA3DT - for those that know)

Jack