Beginner questions
 

Hello,

I Want to build my first model airplane and have some questions:

1) Should I build my first model from scratch or should I buy a construction Kit?

2) What material is easier for beginners to work with: foam board or Wood?

Thanks in advance

That really depends on your experience with working with wood and if you've built anything in the past. My thought is this:

• IF you can understand the plans and what they are telling you AND you have the tools and know how to use them, you could probably build from plans
• If you are unsure about reading plans or don't have the tools needed to make the parts, go with a kit

As far an foam or wood, I would go with wood. While foam is a viable option, it requires glues that are compatible with it. Building from wood allows you to use readily available wood glues, epoxies and CA(otherwise known as super glue). There are a few things you do need to be aware of when it comes to building a plane:
1) Plans generally don't have any instructions so you will need to be able to figure things out as you go while most kits do have instructions included. Sig kits have very detailed instructions included so that you don't have to figure things out, just follow the instructions and you will end up with a flyable plane
2) Since this is your first plane, you will want to build one that is fairly simple. A trainer would be a good option for this as they are generally easier to build
3) Do you have a flying site available and if so, how large is it? A smaller site would make a smaller plane a better choice as they need less room while, on the other hand, a very large open area will be more suited to a larger plane since you will tend to fly it further away and being able to see it can become an issue
4) Do you have any experience flying an R/C aircraft? If you do, you have more options available but, if not, I would recommend sticking to a high wing trainer.

I hope all of this helps

Hi,
thanks for all the infos. I think I will get a construction kit. Is there a sig kit you would recommend for me?

I would look at one of three kits:
1) The Kadet MKII This one is the smallest of the series and the easiest to build due to having a full box fuselage. The sides are balsa sheets with all the part locations laid out for you, The top and bottom are also sheeted, after the sides are completed and glued together
2) The Kadet Senior This one has a stick framework fuselage behind the cockpit area and clear plastic windows. It is the largest of the Kadet series and the hardest to build
3) The Kadet Seniorita This one has the Senior's construction with a smaller size, closer to the MKII.
All of these can be built as a tricycle geared or tail dragger so you can configure it as desired. For more information on these, the links are below:
https://sigmfg.com/collections/sig-k...et-mark-ii-kit
https://sigmfg.com/collections/sig-k...det-senior-kit
https://sigmfg.com/collections/sig-k...-seniorita-kit

No doubt that the Kadet is a very popular trainer, thousands of guys have learned to fly them and some long time R/C pilots like to keep them around for just a fun to fly airplane. Hydro is correct that Sig build instructions are quite good, the kit quality is OK. Some of them also have a plastic engine cowling that you would need to paint. The rub on that is spray cans that will withstand exposure to fuel are pretty much nonexistent these days. You really can't go wrong with a Kadet however let me throw some food for thought at you.

I personally like a trainer with a bit more capability. The Kadet series all have a flat bottomed wing that limits it's flight performance. Not really a big deal as nobody just getting started needs a trainer that is capable of some aerobatics. However what that flat bottomed wing does is give the airplane lots of positive stability. Sounds great right? What this means is that if you get into a shallow dive the airplane will pick up speed and self recover. That also sounds great right? However nothing is for free, this also means that everytime the airplane has a change of airspeed it will either climb or dive slightly. Some guys do prefer this type of setup as most full scale airplanes " trim " in the same manner. With a trainer with a symmetrical wing ( same curvature top and bottom ) you can initially set it up to have this same positive stability by placing the center of gravity slightly forward then as you progress you can move the center of gravity back a little to expand the airplanes capabilities and use the same airplane to learn some basic aerobatics.


https://hangaronekits.com/collection...12235272519768

Speed, he's looking for a "first build", not a second or third. If he want's more capability, just lower the wingtips and add ailerons and now it can do some basic aerobatics. IF he was looking for a plane that is aerobatic capable right out of the box, I would have suggested the Astro Hog or Kobra, not a Kadet. He hasn't even said if he's flown before or not so the Kadet was a given as a first plane either way. How about we leave it up to him and let him see if my suggestions are what he wants and not try to have him reinvent the wheel

How about we give him enough information to make an informed decision? Exploring options is not reinventing the wheel. I actually did my solo and a lot of follow on learning on my Bridi Trainer like the one I linked back in 1978. Because it was a trainer that was able to grow with me as I learned as opposed to one I grew out of I was able to move straight to Q500 racing after loosing it in a midair.

Number 1 beginner mistake: Focusing too much on the plane.
True, you can't do this hobby without a plane, but the point is the doing.
Do you plan to join a club or know a few people who are already into RC flying and will help you? The Sig kits listed above are all very well proven designs, but you'll need piloting skills to be able to fly them. I don't say that to discourage you, just to help you be successful.
So, if you want to fly the larger planes like those above (and have the budget for it), look into joining a club first. Most offer training, so you can work with an instructor even while building usually.

Jester, I did bring up the piloting experience issue under #4 back in post 2. It was also why I disagreed with Speed over looking at a more advance and aerobatic trainer. The questions are very simple at this point:
1) Does he want to build the plane to learn how to just build one?
2) Does he want to build the plane to learn how so he can also learn how to fly it?
He has said nothing about learning to fly, but does want to learn how to build. That has been the basis of my posts so far so, until he tells me otherwise, that's the path I'm taking

If you don't want to go postal in your neighborhood, or hurt yourself and your family, never build a Kadet Senior. It's for people with dementia, or medicated for dementia perhaps, that can tolerate such a convoluted build and not notice. It's for the insane, designed by the insane. If you have one ready to fly, that's a different story, they fly great, if you can transport it in a mini van or truck. Huge wingspan and long fuselage, not easy to store either. The Kadet Senior is the most started and most abandoned kit ever made.

Get a smaller plane, without all the wooden match sticks for a bird cage style of construction and you'll thank me later. Senorita is a similar bird cage design, but somewhat smaller in size. Beautiful flying characteristic (I have one) but to build, no. I bought mine ready to fly for $125, sold the engine off it for $90 and threw a used Magnum 52 4 stroke on it, still cutting the dowels off it and upgrading to nylon bolts for the wing, because I don't do rubber bands since my last crash was in 2009, I don't need them or want them in any case.

The Kadet MKII gets my vote and the LT-40 that wasn't mentioned. Easy to build, fast to build, you won't lose your mind building it, and they also fly well, are both durable trainers to some degree, but certainly not the most durable.

If you abandon SIG and want something else, the STICK 40 PLUS from BALSA USA is a fast easy build, and an excellent trainer for little money. I learned to fly on it, had a FP 40 for power that had a ton of castor stains on it. This plane was given to me free, after it trained 6 other people at the field and looked like grandma's quilt of monokote patches. I stripped it down to the wood and covered it in one color, and then after I was ready for a low wing trainer, I passed it on to the 8th beginner at the field. Another words, that plane survived more crashes than any other plane on the planet, and kept on going. Something to consider, when the bird cage designs SIG puts out, can't hardly lay any claims to that sort of durability when you auger one in hard.

P.S.
No offense to anyone suffering dementia, it's my twisted sense of humor. I presume no one here has such a disease.

And that is why I threw in the MKII. I've built a Jr, the MKII's smaller sibling and know it's a fairly easy build. That said, there have been probably thousands of Seniors and Senioritas built over the years and, if build properly, they are not only good flyers but also good to learn with. I'm seriously considering a Senior as a project plane though, as I normally do, I'll be doing some serious modifying to the wings and maybe the fuse as well

So you are assuming that the Op wants to build a trainer but may have no intention of flying? How is it you can scoff at my suggestion based on flying characteristics then? And didn't you state just earlier in the weekend that under current circumstances that building a model airplane is a waste of money?

I said I'm not going to finish mine right now, not that I'd discourage someone else.
I also said I am basing my posts on his wanting to learn to build, not whether he knows how to fly or not.

I didn't mean to rain on anyone's parade earlier. But we do see these kinds of threads enough on RCU to generally know what's going on. Most beginners see getting the plane as the only step in starting the hobby. Then they get frustrated and quit when the ratio of flying time to repair gets up around 3 seconds / 2 weeks. If the OP does just want to build a plane, he can build whatever he wants. But if he wants to get started in the hobby without much frustration, he needs to think beyond the airplane and get with some experienced pilots who will teach him.

Not raining on my parade, considering I agree with you. I'm almost thinking we have someone that's flown something and wants to step up to the next level.

i would look for a foam kit as your first plane, much more forgiving and easy repair. idk what is out there, but i'm going to build a couple easy flyers from scratch, with the help of an experienced gentleman.

i've been learning to fly on an rtf, and enjoying the experience. the building is secondary imo, unless you have a trophy room.

Foam is perfect for you since building is a secondary goal. If you ever want to build a balsa based model though, the above information these guys posted is very good information.

Sig, BalsaUSA, AlienAircraft, and a few others are great sources for kits. Even some older classics from GreatPlanes and maybe TopFlite make for some great builds, although the skill levels do go up with some older classics, and most older classics are harder to get a hold of. You can't go wrong with Sig though.

I've always said if a novice builder builds a good kit from each of say 5 manufacturers, and reads/studies/follows all directions, they will end up with a good start on a mental library of great techniques to take into their building future. Each kit/manufacturer has instructions that include techniques and tricks to accomplish and complete their models. Study those, and apply them as needed, and a person can become a very worthy builder... and have a pretty good stash of tricks up their sleeve, that all perpetuate into future building.

My vote would go to the Sig Kadet MkII for a first time balsa based build. When those planes are built well, per the plans and instructs, a builder is nearly guaranteed a nice flying plane.

Good luck with the project.

agree with your opinion on building. i have built and crashed two previous balsa models long ago. love everything about building balsa, and flying balsa. hate crashing balsa, and that's what beginners do.

just my opinion, but reading the o/p, it is hard to detect whether flying or building is a priority. since they only mention building, perhaps they have no intention of flying. it would then fall to what type of construction materials and why, certainly in that scenario, foam doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
since they checked out in july, we may never know.

Not all beginners crash. It's always recommended to have an instructor, and those beginners that have a good instructor stand a much better chance of success to gain basics and muscle-memory to fly.

I agree if you have to learn on your own, then foam or RTF is a good choice, just to save time and money. EFlite and other companies offer nice alternatives, and replacement parts.

The above mentioned Sig Kadet MKII is actually a durable plane, and is repairable in most mishap occurances. Another benefit from building is learning structure and techniques that make repairs easier and better.

There's many levels to the RC hobby... learning to build a nice plane leans greatly to the real "craft" of the hobby.... which leads to better flying models, which leads to better pilots.

The RTF EFlite type planes do fly nice... but they don't compare to a well built Sig Kadet(any Kadet)... a well built balsa based plane flies much better in all aspects.

I hope you didn't give up on building just because a few mishaps.... but if you feel better flying foam then definitely keep flying...that's the biggest factor.. just fly!

i haven't built since the 90's. things have changed tremendously since then. i aam amazed at the technology.

i'm going to build some foamies, and fly something like an aeroscout next spring, after spending the winter building and practicing on a simulator.
after i get comfortable flying without a net, i will certainly be interested in building a more serious balsa plane. probably winter of 2021-22.
for now, i am park flying rtf's due to covid. hopefully by late 2021 early 2022, i can find and join a club.

A lot of great advice here. I can only tell you my experiences which was I started with a large foamy high wing trainer, which had a few crashes along the way however was easy to repair being foam. Once I had the bug for flying I started experimenting with balsa and built a balsa plane.Since then I mainly fly planes I have built my self with the exception of a few 3d planes from Extreme flight. I think whichever route you choose, stick with a plane that is popular and plenty of people have experience with to help with any questions you have.

great advice, thank you jonny!

I'm curious what 12Harris12 did now. My very first build was a Kadet MKII. Easy to build and fly although maybe a little more intimidating (assuming it's glow powered) for a beginner than a foamie like the Turbo Timber or something.
He was asking scratch or kit....I would say go kit. If you enjoy building you can always do a scratch build later after you have gained a little experience building. Just a fellow beginner's 2 cents.