Ok.. i finally did it. Got my plane in the mail yesterday. Purchased a Hobbico Superstar Select .40 glow engine. Got the plane together, measured the throws and checked for proper direction of throw controls and proceeded to taxi a full tank of fuel in order to get comfy or so i thought with the plane.
First flight 15 seconds, one banked turn followed by nose hittin the dirt. Applied a bit of duct tape and re checked all controls and now its time for the second flight. Of course the second flight ended a bit early as i had somehow had throttle trim all the way back. So then I throttle back accidentally shuttin the engine down and actually landed the plane somehow.
Flight three. 10 mph crosswind takeoff due to limited runway. I took off and it seemed as though the wind had caught the plane in a very bad way. Plane goes to the right and ends up hitting pavement engine first!
Anyways, now the body of the plane is nearly destroyed and i am ordering another from hobbico. My question is this. Obviously the wind had a lot to do with my final flight. Is there a rule of thumb for how much wind is too much for a beginner? Also i had opted not to join an ama club as theres not one really close. 35 miles or so to the closest and i was a bit concerned about the cost as well. How much would it cost to join a club typically for an adult including insurance?

All i can say is JOIN THE CLUB!!! The money you spend buying new planes will be way over the club fee. So join the club and get a intructor.

I would definatly join a club or find somone to train you. The closest club may be a drive and cost some money but in the long run it will be cheaper than destroying planes.

I live in a small town and the closest club from me is a half hour away in all directions. One club I may join because I have friends I went to school with there and the people are great. Their membership is $55 a year. The only reason I have not joined is due to tight money. I am lucky though, because we do have a small airport in my town and I just found out people have been flying there for years. Since it is in my town and they aren't a "club" there are no fees to pay. The only yearly fees are what I will be paying for is for the AMA.

Everything that has happened so far will be resolved with proper training.

Please join a club and/or get an instructor before you hurt yourself (or someone else).

thanks for the reply guys and after that little bit of flight and a lot of crashing im going to do just that! Join a club and find an instructor! Back to building lol

best move ya can do Suthrn....and welcome to RCU...maybe we can use yur first post as a link to answer all newcomers question of wether they need any training or not. save ya lots of time and money too...very good post for this forum...ty!

man... at least im good for somethin if nothin more than a what not to do! lol Learn from my mistakes guys and good luck.
btw.. ive downloaded the manual for instructions on how to assemble my new arf plane and was just wonderin about how long it would take to complete and if you guys had suggestions. Looks to me like its fairly simple and actually should be a much sturdyer plane than an RTF model. is that true?

If nothing else get your self a G2 sim and practice on it, saves plane and money in the long run!

Welcome Suthrn.

Where are you located in the Bluegrass. I am in the western section.

Hey Tinman how are things in Columbia. Plan on being in Robards at the fly in the third weekend in September. See you then.

Have you wondering don't I.

hmmmm hi crossed thumbs.....all i gotta do is rem. who ya are now.....lemme see

Teaching yourself to fly RC is possible but it is NOT the best way to learn. If there is a club or school convienently close than by all means use it! However, if you are left with no other option then you can try it the way I learned. Use very small 1/2A or electric high wing powered glider type models. YOU MUST HAVE A PLAN!