Back in 02 I got into RC flying. Had a trainer that taught me how to fly. I started with a tower trainer 40 then got a tower trainer 60. I did solo. Loved both of those planes. But life kind of got in the way and had to give it up until now. Over the years i sold off all my equipment. Need to buy all new.

My plan is to once again go the route of the trainier with an instructor. Looking at many trainers and am leaning towards the tower products as I know them and liked them but leaving my options open.

As for radio I am leaning towards the Futaba systems as that is what I used the first time around. Definately going with 2.4ghz system. Again leaving my options open but looking hard at the 6ex but also looking at the Airtronics RDS8000. Also thinking about a ham system. As you can tell by my nic I am a licensed Amature radio operator. So looking at that route as well.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Welcome back,


I have a Futaba 6ex 2.4 radio and i'm very happy with it.

Since you have soloed and need a refresher course. I would
suggest a 40 size Stick. There just an all around fun Plane.

Here's mine flying with a Saito 82 and the futaba 2.4 system,

Bob

Thanks for the quick reply.

Yea I like the stick planes and plan on getting one or ??? hehe. Can you tell I am still addicted. Right now am just looking at reaquiring my flying skills then moving on to more advanced planes.

My old radio was the 6EXP 72Mhz system so I have some experience with the system.

You'll do great with one of the Tower trainers and the Futaba radio.

If you are concerned that your previous experience may lead to quickly getting bored with the trainer then maybe something like a Hobbico Avistar or the Stick that was mentioned would work well.

A 60 size high wing trainer may bring your skills back real quick, and leave you with a lot of enjoyment. In time it could prove to be a great learning tool if you advance into float flying. That is when a larger, friendly highwing, semi-symetrical platform will shine.
Hope this helps. -Snuts-

You're on the right track! The Tower trainers are good planes. Also, Futaba is all I use. You can save some money on the radio and buy a Spektrum or something cheaper. I know several guys who have cheaper radios and they have some issues. I have the Futaba 7C with the 2.4Ghz. I have never had one issue with it. I stick with Futaba radio gear and OS engines. I have never lost an airplane in over 10 years to a radio or engine problem. Definitely go with Futaba. If you think you'll stick with the hobby this time, go with the 7C. It will do everything you could ever need and has memory for 10 models. It runs about $350 from Tower. I think it's worth it to spend the money on a good radio. I know guys that have three or four different radios. I have one. It does it all.

Any of the "Big Three" radio systems will do just fine. I've flown with Futaba, Airtronics, and Spektrum/JR and they all are fine radio systems. You will get good service out of any of these systems. Find what is useful to you, what feels good in your hands, and go with it. You can also add Hitec to that list. They all do just fine.

People recommending a specific brand do so because they are most familiar with those particular radio systems. Basically, they all do the same things. Different manufacturers have different "bells and whistles" that you may or may not ever need.

My advice would be for you to pick what fits your needs and your wallet.

CGr.

Thanks everyone for all the great responses.

I have been doing a good bit of research on radio systems. Like I said I am more familiar with Futaba as that was the radio I used before. But am now leaning more toward the Airtronics RDS8000 due to the fact it is an 8 channel and still priced lower than the Futaba 6 channel version. So in my book it has more bang for the buck. Yes I could work with 6 channels but as I progress further the extra channels will save me from upgrading for a longer period of time thus saving money. Any real world experience advice on the RDS  8000 would be greatly appreciated.

I do not see much in the way of ham band radios being offered. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I know my learning curve will not be as steep as it was when I first got into the hobby but like everything I do I will will go into it again with an open mind and  not be a know it all.

All the advice so far has been great keep it coming, Thank you

Welcomce back! Igot the RDS 8000 a couple months ago. It's a great radio. The binding process is easy, and it's rock solid once done. The only thing Iwish it had was dual rates for the rudder. Isaw a post here about creating a mix of rudder to rudder to get dual rates, and it worked well. You can get one now from Hobby People for $149. I imagine the sale may end today though, I'm not sure.
http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/751700.asp

There's a great review and "how-to" available:

http://masportaviator.com/ah.asp?CatID=3&ID=225

Since you have already flown, I'd recommend a Goldberg Tiger, either the 40 or 60 size. They can be docile as a trainer, but also have an aerobatic capability. A good review is also available:

http://masportaviator.com/ah.asp?CatID=1&ID=174

The stick is also a very good choice. You can set them up wild or mild, whatever your preference. Good luck in your flying.

I must admit, though, I have two Airtronics and two Spektrums. I think they are the greatest.. of course I do.. But, you can't go wrong with the RDS8000.

There was a deal a short time back that Tower sold the RDS8000 with two receivers. Not a bad deal if you can still find it. The radio is STILL a great deal regardless.

One thing may interest you to know. The radio systems will work with pretty much any of the name brand servos. That means if you have Futaba servos, Airtronics servos, and, say Hitec servos, you can use any of them on the receivers of pretty much any of the "big three" systems. In fact, I have one plane with a low torque Airtronics for the throttle, two digital Spektrum servos for the ailerons, and high torque Aitronics for the elevator and rudder.

My "second" plane was a Tiger 60. Great plane to make the move from high wing to low wing. I also have a Goldberg Wildstick. Hmmm.. fun to fly. A tad light, though.

CGr.

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...=Product-Feeds

RDS8000 for $159.99 with one receiver.

CGr.

If I were you I'd just pick up a "2nd plane" rather than a trainer. You'll have your thumbs back in a couple passes once you get it up there since it's only been a few years.

As said before any of the three major radio brands will work just fine (and some not so major brands). The one thing I have noticed as being a member of four rc clubs. I found that each club has it's priority of radio brands. What I noticed is club A may be a big JR/Spektrum club and just about everyone there knows how to program a 9303, a dx7, etc., club B is a big Futaba club and most everyone can program all the Futaba radios.

With this said; you may consider what brand *most* people are flying at the club you are *most likely* to fly at. It can surely help when you get past the basics and need a little help with mixes, flight modes, etc.

I see guys at my main field zip through JR, somebody has a Futaba question and things slow way down. They get through it but it may take an hour when if more familar with the product it would have been 10 minutes or less. Just the opposite at one of my other fields.

Just me thinking out loud.... most importantly you must like your radio!

Plane; beng honest with yourself, if you caught on quickly and learned basic flight with not many problems and in a fairly short amount of time I would suggest going to a second plane. A four star, a Pulse, and any stick (stik) would be good and would certainly keep you entertained for several years. Again being honest; if you had some trouble catching on and never really got the hang of it, go to a high wing trainer as suggested above.

Welcome back! We all have an opinion

Steve

I find this statement by stevl very worthwhile. As has been said all the major brand radios will do fine so the fact of what is being used in your club can be useful. I do suggest though that whatever you buy get no less then 7 ch's. theextra cost is negligable.

One last thing I would consider is buying a heli radio. The software is the same and a airplane will not know the difference. Why a heli radio?

A. If you ever get a heli you will be glad you have a heli radio
B. You can resale a heli radio to a heli or airplane pilot, a heli pilot will not consider a airplane radio
C. In many radios you get one additional 3 position switch which that can be handy to have with an airplane too

Last of my thoughts on this...

Steve

If you were any good at flying a trainer then you should get rid of the rust very quickly. A sig 4 star is a very forgiving aircraft that is almost like a trainer but is also very acrobatice. if you are going to be using an instructor then you might be able to go right into a low wing 4 star.

I had been planning on buying the Airtronics RDS8000 since last August.  I knew I was going to get a new plan to build over the winter so I researched all summer long and decided on the Tiger 60 and the Airtronics with a Magnum 91 4 stroke.  At the time the Airtronics came with 2 recievers for 199 at Tower.  Well, I waited too long and now noone offers it with 2 recievers anymore.  Hobby People offers the radio for 159.  After reading a posting in your thread about the sale ending soon I got off my butt and just ordered it  5 minutes ago.  Im kinda tired on missing out on good deals.  BTW, I also got my Magnum 91 from Hobby People (santa gave it to me) for only 140 bucks.  A huge savings over anybody else's price.  The moral of the story is patience sux.  Sometimes you lose with if you wait. 
Oh ya.  I also got into and out of this hobby 3 times sine the late 80's.  This being my 3rd time into it I still built a Great Planes trainer 60 and started all over again.  I am glad I went with the trainer.  I still had that knee knocking during my first several flights.  But I  feel alot more confident after 2-3 weeks of steady flying.