Getting back into Flying
 

So, it's been forever since i've flown. I am interested in finding either a good RTF kit or a build, but im going for cost effectiveness. What is a good plane or kit or something that i can see if i still got what it takes in the air again? i sold off all my planes a while back, as i didn't have much time and needed the money. I am used to flying either a glow balsa goldberg kit (old school) or the 1/4 scale balsa j-3 cub. i had an aerostar .40. now im thinking i want to go electric so i don't have to worry about the nitro gas and such...it gets messy. I'm not going for extreme speeds or aerobatics beyond loops and rolls and fun flying. I saw the banana hobby stuff but i refuse to beleive that any of it is any good. I'm looking for something that i can fly now and then build a second for later :) i like the edf jets but i dont know of a good edf kit or any of the likes. What do you all recommend for getting into electric and keeping it not so expensive to my pocket book. thanks in advance.

Since you have experience, I probably don't need to tell you how good Ugly Sticks are. Eflite makes the Mini Ultra Stick which runs well on the inexpensive 3 cell 2100-2200 mah lipo packs that have become ubiquitous in the hobby. I test flew one earlier this year for a guy and was amazed at how good it was. Very light, as maneuverable as you want it to be, great in the wind, just everything you could want to get the rust off and get yourself flying again. If you budget allows, any of the glow powered ARF's can be converted to electric power pretty easily. You have to build a battery mount with some sticks and a hatch to get to it, and sometimes build a box mount for the motor with some plywood, but it's no big deal. All of the big motor manufacturers make drop in substitutes for glow planes that will power them appropriately.
For jets, I really like my Parkzone Stryker. It's a pusher plane so not really a jet, but it looks like one and flies like one. They are indestructible and can handle wind better than any plane this size should. It would be a good trainer to get you used to the speed and the different aerodynamics of a plane that doesn't have a prop up front.
And you're right about Banana Hobby. There are lots of complaint threads on RCU about them. Nitroplanes carries much of the same stuff. For brands to check out, Parkzone and Eflite make good stuff in the park flyer sizes, while the ARF's from Tower Hobbies and anything Horizon hobbies carries is quality.

Good to have you back in the hobby. I've been flying for over 40 years and I'm still flying glow. I just can't see spending lots of money on batteries, motors and ESCs. I have figured out that it is cheaper with glow and gas. Sure I have to clean my plane up at the end of the day. But I'm not waiting on batteries to charge. and looking at lipo batteries puffing up.

Some people will say, I've never had a lipo puff up on me. well, they all puff sooner or later. Motor shafts get bent with a prop strike, and ESCs burn up for a lot of reasons.

So, do a lot of research before you invest in a lot of Lipo batteries, electric motor and speed controls.

Frank

Check with your local club, they may have a club trainer that you could "knock the rust off". We had a very similar situation in our club just a couple weeks ago. A guy that used to fly 16 years ago came out and had a foam Cessan 182 with him that he wanted a trim flight on. He was really worried about flying it as he was afraid his skills would have been all gone. Luckily I had one of the club trainers with me so I pulled it out and put him on the buddy box. By the second flight he was completely comfortable in the air and needed no help from me. The skills that you developed the last time around will come back pretty quickly. If you can get some time on the club trainer it will let you know right where you are, either you will need to get your own trainer and spend time getting back into it or you will come back right away and find you won't need the trainer.

Hope this helps

Ken

Thanks everybody very much. Glad to know the rc community is still a great help. I'm really afraid of another balsa wood right out of the gate in case of crash. I am in the process of attending my local ama club. I was always a fan of glow but i don't have anything anymore. i will need a radio and electronics. How much will a BNF and a radio cost?

You can get a Horizon Super Cub RTF for about $200. It comes with everything you need to get into the air. Or you can get the Eflite Apprentice S 15e RTF for $300.

http://www.horizonhobby.com/products...nology-EFL3100

Frank

Give some consideration to the E-Flite Apprentice 15e. The RTF version comes standard with the Spektrum DX5 transmitter but my LHS let me upgrade to the DX6i when I paid the difference between the prices of the transmitters. Expect to pay about $240 for everything you need to fly. Please note that I'm NOT recommending the newer Apprentice S model with the SAFE system. I haven't flown one but I've heard of some problems. Not sure if there is any validity to the claims or not. I can say from experience that my 15e is a great aileron trainer that has survived hard landings and everything else my novice thumbs have dished out. Since you have previous experience the plane should ease your way back into flying. It is fully capable of loops, rolls, spins, and even inverted flight to keep things interesting.

I'm going to have to confess that the Hobbyzone Champ has become one of my favorite planes to fly. It's a micro 3-channel that handles a surprising amount of wind. It came RTF meaning that it comes with a transmitter but I just bound it to my DX6i. Given that I can fly it at no more than half throttle most of the time, I get flight times of 10 minutes or more. I now have five batteries that cost about $4 each and two chargers. If I want to I can stay in the air almost continually. I get a kick out of turning the little yellow bird into the wind and playing the throttle and sticks until it hangs almost motionless in the air. Depending on wind speed I can often "elevator" it in for a landing. I turn it into the wind and play the throttle until it settles onto the grass almost vertically. Scale-like flight? Not really. Fun? You bet! Just something to consider.

Storm

Thanks frank, I think I will go with the apprentice it seems once I buy that I can use the radio for other planes as well.

If you go that route I'll definitely suggest upgrading to the Dx6i radio instead of getting the Dx5. The 5 is just an analog radio, while the 6 has the computer features like model memory and basic setup programming. It makes setting up your planes so much easier, and it makes it possible to fly multiple planes with just one radio.

+1 for Jester.... the standard DX5 is similar to the old style non computer radio (meaning ONE airplane only, no multi model memory)
+1 on the apprentice. great foamy trainer.

Thanks here's my problem I really want the elfite apprentice but its not sold anymore! Only the 300$ safe one is that the right one?

I did last year what you are doing now. I took 5 years off after selling my stuff as well. Not a money thing for me, I just hit a wall with RC and thought I was done. Well here I am again and loving it like I used to. Stormrider mentions the safe system and what he has heard is probably right. I bought a Glassair from Horizon that has a flight righting system called "Progressive Virtual Instructor" in it depending on how you set a couple of switches on the radio. I turned them off within a minute or two because I didn't like it. It seems like you are fighting the plane rather than it helping you. Maybe with a beginner it can help, but I found it to be bothersome. I also found that after a few flights, I am doing much better than I expected.

thanks hooked. that is kind of sad they don't offer the regular apprentice anymore....i might just buy a DX6I radio with receiver and get a PNP...isn't that the difference, between pnp and bnf is that with pnp you need radio and receiver? and with bnf all you need is a radio?

one minor (but important) thing to point out... you'll see the terms 'Bind N Fly' (BNF) and 'Plug N Play' (PNP) .. these actually are registered trademarks of Horizon/ Spektrum.. (in other words, Bind N fly can only be used with Spektrum / JR equipment and not any other brand.)

that being said, BNF models DO have a receiver and servos but NOT a transmitter (they may or may not have a flight battery) hence the reason, futaba radios for example can NOT be used with BNF (without replacing the receiver)
PNP does not typically include receiver OR transmitter (or a battery)

That clears it up. So now i'm lost lol. I just want a decent foam trainer to play with that i can use the radio to buy another glo after i knock the rust off. Maybe that's not possible. Or im misunderstanding. I love the recommendations though. I think i will buy the apprentice 15e though it looks pretty nice. After this one i will be getting another either edf jet or a glo. but before i go crashing a balsa i want to be confident again. thanks for the help all! now if i can just find a reputable houston texas area hobby shop to start making purchases.

Stay away from Banana Hobby....'nuff said.

yeah no worries there ssautter, i didnt thik pete was legit....he's prolly flying another manufacturers planes anyway...when making those vids he only flies it once but how many video takes, does it take lol!

I have an Apprentice S myself and am just using the DX5e that came with it. I'm just going to buy a new Tx when I get my next plane, keeping the DX5 on the Apprentice for teaching others, when my skill gets that far. I've heard several folks say they made a deal with their LHS where they took the DX5e out of the Apprentice box, knocked the price a little, and then bought a DX6 or better along with it. It would be worth talking to your LHS to see if they'd do something similar.

Another alternative.... You could get a receiver-ready Sensei: http://secure.hobbyzone.com/flyzone/FLZA3014.html

Then add a Tx/Rx combo (or buy them separate). Something like one of these:

http://secure.hobbyzone.com/radiosan...s/SPM7800.html

http://secure.hobbyzone.com/radiosan.../FUTK6900.html

http://secure.hobbyzone.com/radiosan.../TACJ2600.html

A suggestion I have on choosing a Tx/Rx (if you haven't already decided on a brand) ... if you're thinking about joining a club, see what brands they use. If they're all primarily using one brand, I'd go with that brand as they'll be able to help you get it setup a little easier.

How long gave you been out of the hobby?