Ive always flown strykers but my first glow plane is on order from Horizon tonight! The Alpha 40 DSM RTF is what i have my eye on and she'll be here soon! Ive ordered it, signed up with the AMA, and am filling out the application for my local club.

going to the LHS for:
Field box
Elec starter
crank fuel pump
spare fuel lines, glow plugs and prop
glow igniter
can o' fuel
proper batteries
and anything else i can think of that i need!

the credit card bill this month is gonna be a doozie!

that is a good flying plane, a guy at my club has one. welcome to the world of longer flight times and the same power at the end of the flight as you had at the beginning. I started with electrics and once I went glow there was no looking back

One more thing that I would recommend is a cheep cooking time $5 at wal-mart.the last two times I went up me and the instructor flew the plane outa gas. normily this is not a big deal but the last one he had me practicing finals, the plane dead sticked halfway down the runway and 20ft. I got lucky that time, if it had deadsticked 5 seconds later it would be in the old cornfields!

haha great tip! i have a feeling ill lose track of time and dead stick the first few flights

Most computer radios have built in timers - my Spektrum's can be changed between a stopwatch and a countdown timer. Set up your glow plane on the ground, run a full tank through it at full throttle and see how long it takes to die, then program that figure into your radio's timer (or keep track of it in a notepad and use a kitchen timer as RegFlyer suggested). Since you're very unlikely to fly the entire flight at full throttle, that gives you a minute or two once the timer goes off to get into position to land.

Then you just have to remember to start the timer counting when you take off.

I'm not sure but I think the Spektrum radio has a built in timer so you won't need the egg timer.</p>

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Other things you will need.</p>

Glow Plug/Prop Wrench</p>

30 minute Epoxy</p>

Thin CA</p>

Sealing iron</p>

Roll of paper towels</p>

Spray bottle and automotive windshield washer fluid</p>

Rubber Bands (#64)</p>

Various screwdrivers, allen wrenches (metric) </p>

True about the DX6i and up, i have a DX5e. if you dont get a comp radio then cooking timer is the way to go

Cheaper yet - go to the Dollar Store and get a cooking timer there. Then break off the magnet/clip on the back and epoxy on a clothes pin, so you can clip the timer to your antenna.

The Alpha 40 RTF package comes with a DX5e, which does not have a timer, so you will need to get yourself a cooking timer to be sure you don't run out of fuel.

Congrats I think you will have alot of fun with your new  plane Nothing is like the feeling you get when you fly your first glow plane

jrcaster- ill add those to my grocery list tonight!</p>

and yes Murdoc, im stoked to finally fly glow!</p>

one question though.. i know im going to have an onboard battery for my servos and electronics so how long does that battery last? Will i get a full day with tons of flying out of one battery or do i need to get 2 and charge battery 2 while battery 1 is in the plane?</p>

I just ordered my 9th glow plane! Too bad its on backorder[&o]

Get you a good filter set for your fuel pump set up. http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXD708&P=SM

That really depends on the battery you choose and what's in the plane, how many servos etc. You can use either a 4.8 volt or 6 volt pack, and either nicad or nimh, and they come in different current ratings, measured in milliamp hours (mah). I always use 6 volts as the servos run faster and there's less chance of a low voltage drop out with 2.4ghz radio gear. Nimh is easier to charge and is lighter than nicad (a 6v nimh pack weighs about the same as a 4.8v nicad one). My planes all have 7 or more servos and i use 2200mah packs and i generally get 5 or so flights. In fact the radio usually gives out first.