Alright, I've gotten into several great hobbies in the last couple of years (brewing beer, treasure hunting and more) and have done the whole, "beginner" thing. I've bought expensive pieces of equipment that were for "beginners" that turned into doorstops the second I knew what Iwas doing. I've experimented and spent money that I would have much rather spent on better things that I didn't realize were better until after I learned what the heck was going on. Now I've done a little (very little, I intend to do more) research into the RC thing because it looks fun as all get-out. I want to do this without investing hundreds of dollars into kits, equipment and tools unless Iknow that I am going to continue using them once I've gotten my feet wet. In the beginners forum there is a thread on "trainers". I understand this to be cheap and easy to fly planes to learn with? The thread isn't a proponent of any one kit over another, which it shouldn't but where can I go for objective reviews of these its? Where can I go to get definitions of terms that Idon't know or quite understand? Are there local places I can go to learn more? Clubs, courses etc? Thanks for any help.

Dan

I recommend going to the AMA's website [link=http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx]HERE[/link].

Search for a club near you and pay them a visit! I wish I had started out that way, the club can provide all the information your looking for. I think most clubs might let you fly the club trainer (buddy box) to see if you want to take the hobby any further!

I wish you the best of luck!

Greetings Skrimpy,

Welcome to the addiction known as RC! As far as what trainer to get , it all comes down to personal preferance. Do you want a ready to fly? an almost ready to fly ( where you have to get the motor and all the electronics seperate)?

I started out with the hangar 9 alpha 40 www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx It is a very good flying plane and comes with a spektrum radio. The radio will only really do you good for the trainer and as you progress on you would need to get one with more channels and more model memory. Not to mention the computer mixing. No need to worry about that yet though.

I also have a Sig Kadet senior. The smaller LT40 is also a really good trainer www.sigmfg.com/cgi-bin/dpsmart.exe/MainMenuFV4.html It is an ARF though and as stated you will have to purchase everything else you need seperate.

The best thing to do is find a local flying club. Get in contact with them and schedule a time to go out and watch them fly and pick thier brains. I know my club loves when spectators come to the flying field. You can find a club close to you on the AMA website.
www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx It is also highly recomended to join the AMA and if you plan on flying with a club it is a mandatory requirement anyways.

I hope this helps and you get to fly soon!

Jeff

Some clubs have a club trainer that one can use to see if it is something you might care to get involved in. If your local club does not, perhaps an instructor has a trainer that he/she is willing to buddy-box up with you and give you a demo flight. We do that at our club and it most often help the person make up his/her mind about flying RC.

Once you do that, you can decide if you want to invest in what it will take to learn properly, that is, the suggested way, with a trainer and an instructor with a buddy-box connection.

CGr.

Hopefully you can find help,

Its almost impossible to beat the electric hobbyzone supercub...I have friends with over 20 years of flying , And they love that little plane..on and off floats..

Two of the Beginner Forum moderators have put together a site with a lot of info for getting started http://www.gettingairborne.com

The AMA is an organization that promotes flying and provides liability insurance coverage. There is a club finder at http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx
I typed zip code 12144 in the search box and it found 8 clubs within 25 miles. Some have an email contact and all have a phone number listed. I recommend calling the contact number. Try to arrange to meet the club instructors. You might even get a "steal deal" on a complete used trainer setup.


It really does not matter which trainer plane is "best" because any of the ones in RCKen's list can accomplish its intended goal which is getting you in the air and allowing you to learn to fly.

Another good site for learning:

http://masportaviator.com/index.asp

Links are on the pull-down menu on the right.

Thanks for the help! I'll check out the sites you guys posted for me!

One big decision is do you want to fly only?  Or is building as much a part of the hobby for you as flying?  Building is time consuming.  ARF's and RTF's eliminate that time.  I personally get alot of gratification from building my own from kits.  If you bought everything you needed to build a trainer a/c kit it might take you a month of dedicated time in the evenings to be ready to fly.  I am building a kit that I started back in early Dec that I will not finish until March.  Of course I have not worked on the kit daily.  Many days have gone by with me doing nothing at all.  But I paint my models and I need good weather to do that.  So how much time do you have?  </p>

Another good source is the link in my signature. On the Getting Airborne site, we do advocate starting small, but if you're sure that you will stick with it and want room for advancement, look at the Futaba 7C or 8C radio

Pick a club first. The advice there is worth many times the cost of membership. You may even get to train using a club owned trainer so that your first actual purchase can be a sport model which will do more advance maneuvers easier.