I'm a raw beginner... with a project
 

My name is Scott.
I live in Claremore, Oklahoma and I have absolutely no experience in rc airplanes.. whatsoever!
So that being said the first thing I probably need to do is learn how to fly and operate a rc plane. I see lots of other posts on beginner training planes, I'll be reading all of them and soak up as much info as I can from them..
I am really just posting this as a hello note and intro myself to you all.. shortly you figure out i'm a pain in the butt who who won't stop asking dumb questions and posting about my stuff.. Which gets me to this...
I have bought a kit and don't know what it will take to build it..yet! It's a Dave Platt kit from what I can tell. A stand off Spitfire kit is what it is. Now not knowing what a kit should have and it obviously has been opened, somewhat gone through and likely not have all the parts, I am sure this is somewhat of a pig in a poke as far as a kit. And I'm sure at the moment it is beyond my ability right now.
But I would appreciate anyone telling me what advice they might have for a guy like me, as a learning beginner that is.
Also comments about this kit I have.. value, difficulty and what things I will need to complete the project...
Thanks!

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2102607http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2102608http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2102609http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2102610

Ok remember you asked.
build the Spitfire it'll make a fine 3rd or 4th airplane.
inthe mean time go to the club near you, which you can find on the AMA web site, meet the instructor and learn to fly with a trainer type airplane. Once mastered go with a low wing tail dragger, master that and then and only then you maybe ready for the Spits
Good Luck

Well, this seems to be happening a lot lately, people jumping off the cliff then about half way down deciding maybe they should ask someone if it's going to hurt. First thing is there are these things called sticky threads everyone should check out before they take the leap. Mike and Ken have the getting airborn sticky plus one on trainers right here in beginners.
I didn't see the plans or instructions in the kit you have but most of them have a list showing all the parts so you can see if your missing anything.
None of us know what your building skills are so no one knows if the kit can or will ever be built.
Warbirds aren't a plane for brand new pilots, like Jet mentioned, maybe a 3rd or 4th plane?? Some pilots can jump right from a trainer to a high performance plane but I haven't seen one yet but I have heard rumors.
Read the sticky posts and see what you think. They are there to help people get into the hobby with as few bumps in the road as you can get.

Just a side note... I've been interested in the sport for some time.. used to work with a guy who was a experienced pilot and builder.. thought the stuff he had was pretty cool.
As for myself.. I'm a 35+ year vet of the hot rod and motorcycle worlds.. built and repaired many, many bikes and rods... well experienced on construction both mechanically and in wood. While I don't intend to believe I am qualified to build that spitfire yet I have enough behind me to get there.. as for the Spitfire it's purchase was spur of the moment at an auction.. I paid pennies for it! After getting it home and going through it I decided to get up to speed before going hog wild on the idea of building and flying the Spitfire.. much as I would love to...
I have a sport I love... I road race motorcycles.. that I build from scratch.. for me there is nothing like the thrill of spinning my built motor to 14K and dragging knees.. but this little box seems to be telling me to try my hand at your sport.. and trust me I'm kinda persistent when I want to do something! Again I'm not kidding myself.. I'll need assistance. so thanks for the advice and it's well taken.. already searching out a club as I speak.

And ya.. the kit has no plans to speak of.. which likely quadruples the difficulty level! lol

Kits take a long time to build from framing to setting up all the electrics. If I had to start all over I would buy an ARF for my first plane to fly while I built another trainer or low wing trainer. There is nothing like flying something you built but it sucks when you wreck something you spent so much time on. I would set that kit aside for awhile to make sure this hobby is for you. Keep asking questions because there are plenty of helpful people around here.

After reading a bunch of the posts else where in the beginners section I think that's a good line of approach! So I'm looking around to see which to buy.. I see eBay has a few ARF available.. I'll likely buy one of the cheaper ones to start and work out from there.. If I don't crash it up to much might try letting my grandson.. try too...kinda family thingy ya know!

Based solely on the pics you posted, it also looks like you may be missing the canopy and cowl. Along with the missing plans, those are kind of show stoppers for someone at your level of experience (and an awful lot of other RC folks). Dave Platt does still sell Spitfire plans and components but I'm not sure its the same Spitfire model that you have. You may want to check out www.daveplattmodels.com, select Short Kits and then Spitfire, and see if you can tell if your kit matches up to his description of the Spitfire still offered. If so, you can get the plans, cowl, canopy, and some other key components for $249. Bargains for "pennies" usually end up costing a lot more but Dave Platt kits are good planes so its probably worth it if the rest of your kit is intact.

Sooner. Go to the nearest club and meet the instructor talk with him ask his opinion on what you should get.
This is a great hobby but if not entered into carefully can be very frustrating

Don't bother with Ebay. The prices are practically full retail there and you get no service. I'll second Jetmech05's advice to first speak with an instructor at your local club. Most instructors have a pet airplane to teach with, so buying what is well proven among your new flying buddies is the smart thing to do. After that, depending on your budget, you can lurk Craigslist and RCU for trainer planes to buy, preferably with everything you need to get started, or you can head to the local hobby shop with money in hand. I'm a fan of option 2. It costs more no doubt, but you get good equipment that you can trust. If you stick with the club, you'll also have club dues and your AMA membership to pay for at some point. I think the club is a great value for what it gives you, but there are guys who have safe areas to fly in alone for free.

If you don't know where your local club is, go to www.modelaircraft.org and use the club locator on the front page.

welcome to the hobby! Fiberglass specialties may be a good place to look for at least the cowl. A post here (or the "other" fourm) in the right place may find you a person who has that kit that is wiling to copy the plans and ship them to you. I have had a good luck doing that.
Good luck with the build and flying. Most of the guys here are wiling to help if we can.

Welcome to the madness Sooner from another newb. I'm also into sport bikes but don't own one right now due to my living arangements, the RC airline hobby is definitely cheaper. Where are you located?

That makes it an interesting box of spare balsa bits. The plans are the first step. Without them you don't know how far apart to space the wing ribs and fuselage frames even if you have them all. Did the kit come with hardware?

Thanks for the responses.. and the words of advise.. I live in the Claremore area.. which is very rural...own a bit of property so having room to fly is a benefit I enjoy..
I see the reasoning behind not using eBay.. as a racer the paddock vendors not only sell me the tires, fuel and other items needed they are a resource for good info on product . I imagine the rc world is not much different.. I'll take the advice and get with a local trainer and flesh it out from there..I think there are a few clubs local..well as local as the area allows.. here miles away is considered local!
As for the spitfire kit.. i'll try to find some plans.. and it is missing the canopy/cowl.. maybe some other stuff.. It does have what I assume is the wheel retractor axles? and some other long metal rods..

Spitfire kit is for parts, it looks like someone started to build it and lost interest. Much of it was probably thrown away, not worth the hassle. My advice is to not waste your time with extra difficulty, make sure the kits you build are complete, you can thank me later.

Ditch the spitfire

Before you "ditch the Spitfire" get the plans for it and see if you are missing parts and if so, are they easy to relace. If you are a builder of anything mechanical building a model is fun and rewarding, even if you never fly it. (You can always sell a well made plane.) Oklahoma is often windy and as a new pilot that will not be your friend for flying but it is a good time to build. It took me 4 years off and on to build a Royal F4U kit but I loved it when it was finished. I would have loved in more if during that 4 years my eyesight had gone bad so I could not see it in flught :<(.

Like others said you can probably find plans at Dave Platt. The AMA also has a very large set of planes. Many years ago I bought a 25 year old Champion SV-4 kit still in the box. The plans were barely readable and Champion iwas out of buisenss so I went to AMA and got them there. Everything was in the box and even the wood was in great shape. You can see it in my gallery. Don't throw away a kit just because it's old. BTW, that Stampe is now 40 years old.

There are many clubs in the OKC area. I know there is a club in Stillwater but I could never find it nor did they seem like a friendly group. I've been out to the one on Lake Hefner and the guys there are very friendly and it seems like a great place. When I finally get my planes out here I will probably join that club.

Welcome to the hobby. Take your time and read those planes twice before even starting it - first to get to know every piece and second to figure out where the mistakes in the plans are ;<). And if you every have any questions you are more than welcome to PM me.

Speaking of wind, please do not get a foamiy trainer - you will wind up destroying it and be very unhappy. A good 40 to 60 size is the best. And I recommend fuel, although the 15 cc gas engines (90 size) are intriguing for a 60 size trainer. Electric has gotten much better but to learn to fly you need at least 3 flights a day on the weekend and tht means a lot of expensive batteries. And definitely go to a club BEFORE you buy any engines or radios to find out what their instructors use so you are compatible. My club, and my instructor, used Futbe and I had Airtronics. Learing to fly by passing the radio back and forth is scary. 8-o

I am a long-time builder and gas/glow burner but I will provide a polite contrary to the "avoid foam trainer" mention. I have seen the abuse a Multiplex Mentor (65" WS, 4-1/2 lbs) can take and shrug off and would recommend one of those highly as a first model. It's big enough to handle medium winds without getting squirrely. Avoid the tiny foam models for first attempts.

I now have more foam electrics than balsa and covering fuel-burning models and enjoy the electrics every bit as much as my gasoline models - and that's a large change from my opinions of just a few years back.

I took the liberty of doing a search for you for clubs local to your zip code on the AMA website. You have a lot of clubs to choose from, and the cost will more than pay for itself in saved repairs and bad buying decisions.

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[TD]SKYBLAZERS RC FLYING CLUB, INC
Flying Site Details
13.20 miles[/TD]
[TD]1013[/TD]
[TD]35[/TD]
[TD]JOE DURRETT
Email Contact[/TD]
[TD]Phone: 918.845.5011
Visit Website
[/TD]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
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[TD]PRYOR PROP BUSTERS
Flying Site Details
17.18 miles[/TD]
[TD]2445[/TD]
[TD]10[/TD]
[TD]FRANK MANGAN
Email Contact[/TD]
[TD]Phone: 918.343.9277
[/TD]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
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[TD]BROKEN ARROW ROTORS
Flying Site Details
19.06 miles[/TD]
[TD]5128[/TD]
[TD]15[/TD]
[TD]CHARLES MARTIN
Email Contact[/TD]
[TD]Phone: 918-665-5326
Visit Website
[/TD]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]AMERICAN TURF FLYERS & SPORT MANS CLUB
Flying Site Details
21.20 miles[/TD]
[TD]1599[/TD]
[TD]84[/TD]
[TD]WILLIAM GRASSO
Email Contact[/TD]
[TD]Phone: 918-250-5676
Visit Website
[/TD]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
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[TD]TULSA GLUEDOBBERS C/L CLUB
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24.36 miles[/TD]
[TD]3570[/TD]
[TD]15[/TD]
[TD]JOE GILBERT
Email Contact[/TD]
[TD]Phone: 918.227.2505
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Amen to that. Even just having the maiden assisted with an experienced RC pilot to pre-flight and trim the model initially would save MUCH heartache for first time pilots. On a buddy-box for the first few flights is best of all.

Technical prowess is great, but usually you don't control motorcycles while looking at them as they're headed at you. Even full-size "real" pilots have to get used to flying r/c. It's a whole nuther method of motor controls and visual keys.

GOOD LUCK!! Look out! I do mean that in a very good way. If you get hooked on this your wife will be asking you the same question my wife asks me, "Is that a new plane?" Your response will be the same as the rest of us......"What are you talking about....I have had this for a long time!"

And....back to your original question. Just like someone else on here said. Get the plans before wasting your time. You may be missing many parts to the build. The good thing about this hobby (and your experience with tools) is that you can probably fabricate a wood part if need be.

If he's lucky he'll have a wife like mine. Every time I crashed one she would tell me to get a new one and get back in the air quickly :D

Soonerbillz as said above; Welcome to the hobby it can be tons of fun. Put the Spitfire back on the shelf for your 3rd or 4th plane.

Start with a trainer. Although those above have said stay away from a foam airplane, they haven't flown a NEW foam airplane. I've been teaching folks to fly RC at TORKS in OKC since 1996 and I am extremely impressed by this airplane and the crash-proof technology that comes with it:
http://www.e-fliterc.com/Products/De...ProdID=EFL3100

It has been flown by my studtents at TORKS in winds up to 14 MPH with no problems. I've also seen one nose dive into the ground and be flying again two days later (It nosed dove because the instuctor did not let the safety autopilot initialize otherwise it would not have crashed)

If you want to build your trainer; one of the FINEST wood, stick built trainers out there is the SIG Kadet LT 40

http://www.sigmfg.com/IndexText/SIGRC67.html

It will teach you the basics of balsa wood building and it is a fantastic flyer. But I STRONGLY recoomend you go down to one of the clubs above and get some 'buddy-box' instruction before you attempt to fly the Kadet.

Sorry but I'm not familiar with any of the hobby shops in TULSA that might be able to give you a hand.

Tom Solinski, OKC