Hey, im 15 and just getting started in remote control airplanes. I know which plane I want to buy, the Hobbico SuperStar 40 ARF Monokote .35-.46, 60" . Im getting this one because Im on a tight budget.

But... I have a few questions:

1. Is this a good plane for a beginner like me?
2. Which combo on that link should I get?
3. How long will it take me to assemble?
4. Where can I learn to fly this thing?
5. How easy is it to wreck?

These are the questions i can think of now, and im sure ill think of more, so ill come back and post em.

Thanks,
Brian

Briguy18241,

I would suggest searching this site for things like First plane best trainer, etc. .. Then be prepared to read for a while.

The short answer to your question is yes...


More detailed answers are my opinions in this order

1. Yes it is a good plane for a begginer

2. The combo you pick should be determined by finding out what type of Radios the club you plan to fly at have buddy boxes for.

3. That depends on you but a general guess for an ARF like the one you mentioned would be 10-20 hours.

4. And the big one in a word YES. However to minimize this chance do the following find a club and get help from an experienced instructor.

Hope this helps

Hi, welcome to the greatest hobby imaginable!

The superstar is a great plane, that is what I learned on. It takes less than an hour to assemble if yolu get it with the radio and engine already installed. It is pretty durable, I crashed mine into a tree twice on the same day, and into a barbed wire fence, and while it doesn't look new, it still flies.

The ultimate combo would be perfect, but I don't know if I would trust the tower hobbies radio. I would go with a good futaba skysport 4 or a JR Quattro for the trainer.

You should look around for an R/C club around you, there you can get an instructor to help you learn to fly. If there are none around, you can fly off a BIG grass field (400ft+ at least), but then I would reccomend flying on a simulator first. My friend taught himself to fly, amid many crashes, but I would reccommend getting an instructor.

Good luck and have alot of fun in the hobby!

NJD

This is a great plane for a beginner. Get the Superstar Select as the radio and engine is already installed and the plane can be ready to fly in about half an hour or so provided you have charged the batteries. The plane comes with an OS 40 engine and Futaba radio. This is the plane I learned on and it is a very forgiving trainer. You'll be happy learning on it. When you outgrow it then just strip the radio gear and put it in your second plane, or get bit by the bug so bad ya buy a complete new radio, engine plane etc for your second (ask me how I know as i stare at 17 planes scattered about the basement).

Again welcome to the greatest hobby in the world. Just make sure you find a good club with good instructors

Terry

Briguy,

I also have this model trainer, and in responce to your questions.

1) yes, when a flying mistake is made, it's very forgiving for the beginner to recover from.

2) which combo to go with, I'm not sure, I didn't do a combo. I wanted to get things that would easily progress into other aircraft
without having to upgrade much. I purchased a Super 8U
computer radio (8 model memory) and a OS 46FX which can easily power a good second plane. Something you might want to consider. Most combos are really set-up for that one particular model and you will probably be spending more money in the long run down the road on new stuff for the next plane you want.

3) It took me about 3-4 hours to build, and thats with my 2 children interupting me every 5 mins. for something. It goes together very easy.

4) I suggest looking for a local flying club near by if one is around. I went to the club near my home 3 weeks before my plane had even been purchased, and was able to get the names of 3 instructors and met 2 of them the following week to make arrangements for instruction. Very nice bunch of guys, more than willing to help with ?'s and answers, like RCU, only face to face.

5) As far as how easy to wreck, couldn't tell you, haven't wrecked it yet, but keep this in mind, every plane has at least one wreck built into it, it's just a matter of when is it going to happen. Sorry couldn't resist that, but seriously this plane is fairly sturdy and can handle some abuse.

Jim S.

Great way to start out. Ask lost of questions. The only dumb question is the question not asked. People in this hobby really love it and are only more than glad to try and offer helpful suggestions. The responses above are all good ones so I won't attempt to answer them again.

I will only add that checking with your local club to find out what buddy box is being used is really important. Then make sure you have help to teach you to fly. Don't try it on your own.......If you have access to a simulator such as a G-2 by Great Planes, this is a tremendous help in the learning process. My son was about your age when he started with the same trainer. He soloed after two hours of instruction time after spending several hours on the simulator. The benefit of the simulator is that it allows to to get stick time any time of day and regardless of the weather, or availability of an instructor. The radio on this simulator is exactly like the radio on this trainer . Made by Futaba. So, if this all matches the buddy boxes used in your club, you are set.

I have attached this thread below which is an article I wrote for our club when several of us started at the same time. We all had the same questions. Hard to learn them all in one sitting or visit to the club. It's pretty long, but it's good reading. Keep in mind that some of the info is tailored to our club. Your club may teach a bit differently, but the topics will encourage you to ask. Also, I should mention that Rookie Tips are not inclusive of everything you will want or need to know about the hobby, but it's a good way to get you thinking. Double click on it. You can print it out so you can read it when you are dreaming about your airplane. Hope this helps and good luck.
http://www.rocketcityrc.com/rcrc_rookie_tips.html

Just need to clear my name. NJD posted that I taught myself with a lot of crashes, actually the crashes came after i learned to fly! hehe. But anyways, now that i look back i wouldnt recommend teaching your self at all. If you can I would recommend getting a simulator to help you with the orientation of flying, but seeing that you are on a tight budget it may be tough. You may also want to go to a club meeting where at some clubs you can check out a sim from the club library, just a thought.

i purchased the same plane, it flys great, it easy to assemble and it is an all around good plane

I will have to agree with superstartselect. I even did some mods and now i can hover it. hehhe, if it gets old, just move the cg to the aft position and hold on! Goodluck, and welcome to the hobby.

Starbux offers some good advice. I bought a Superstar 40 off eBay and it came with the standard combo equip. (Skysport4, OS 40 LA,etc.). But mine is an ARF rather than RTF. The difference is assembly time. The RTF comes almost ready to add fuel and head out.
Important!!! I believe the RTF comes with a metal rod that joins the wing halves together. Mine are permanently glued together. This version of the plane will take about 15-20 hrs. to complete if you hit no gliches. But, if you have limited room in a vehicle (to transport) the separatable wing halves are more convenient. The plane is plenty docile enough for a first trainer.
One place to look into saving a few $$$ is to be careful in buying field equipment. Look into some place like Tower and compare the total$$ of the individual equip. you'll need versus a combo. Necessities...glow starter, extra glow plug & wrench, chicken stick or electric starter (recommended that beginners don't start with fingers), bulb or hand crank fuel pump, a few feet of extra fuel line, and fuel (best bought at the local hobby store).
Good Luck and be careful. First...join the AMA. Then seek out local clubs in your area for possible instruction.

Go here

http://modelaircraft.org/templates/a...DE4064DF49E448

Find a club near you and go by it when people are likely there - IE a Saturday/Sunday morning or afternoon. They'll have a few people who are instructors who you can talk to.

Many clubs have trainers you can learn to fly on or at least get a first flight on before you plunk down $300-$500 (more like $500 with all the stuff) to get an idea.

Find out what radio brand they recommend to go with their buddy box which will make learning 100X times easier. They'll also probably recommend a few trainer brands they have experience with - tho the hobbico superstar is probably a good start - mine recommend stuff like a hobbico avistar or a tower hobbies 40 trainer...

Once you talk to them you can get in touch with a trainer there at the field and ask a lot of questions before you order and then once you got your plane ready he'll look at it to make sure it's good to go and help you learn.

Easy.