new guy looking for first plane
 

i have many cars, gas and electric but want to try flying. what would be a good plane to get nothing real fancy just a good beginner plane looking at a ready to fly kit. want to spend under 300 just in case i dont care for it a dont want to sink a ton of money into it at first any suggestions from u pros? thanks a lot J.R.

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

Hi JR,

Good to hear you want to try planes. I would suggest finding a local club and seeing if anyone has a trainer package they are willing to sell. For example, I just sold an old trainer set up to a friend for $200. This was plane, radio, field box, etc. Basically everything he would need to fly that day, if he wanted.

There was another ad on our for sale board for a similar set up for $300. There will also be guys at the club who would be willing to help you get started. I would definitely recommend getting help from an instructor. It'll save you money in the long and short run.

Good luck.

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

I agree with Mike, but if you wanted to go with something new the Nextar seems to be a good option. It has a built in recovery system tha uses a photo cell in the bottom, if you get into trouble let go of the sticks and it will right itself. It comes with engine, radio gear, and simulator for 399.00. There are two at our field and they seem to work very well. Just my $.02.

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

I have an avistar here for sale with a .46 LA and servos..........if not that then i would agree with the NEXstar.

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

I tried that nothing going so i need to purchase one. what would be a good model for around 300?

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

u have any pics of the avistar u are selling? how much? thanks

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/item.cfm?itemID=14667




I could sell it for $140.......all it needs is a RX TX and batt......i also have some field gear but if yer on a budget then i would get a basic set of stuff.

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

Where are you located? I can help you get going.

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

I was self-taught using a Balsa USA stick. In those days they were only $19.95. Now I know they are over $40. It is easy to fly and easy to repair. You can see the gas tank. :) I owned about 6 of these planes in the last 20 years with lots of different modifications. Look into it.

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

i am from hibbing

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

Well, I guess that is not going to work, I'm in Minneapolis.

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

are the electric plnes worth getting i am familar with gas so i would prfer them u have a trainer forsale mnrcaerobat?

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

IMO the e-planes arent worth getting since a good one would cost the same as a glo plane.

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

JR

The really cheap electrics ($79 complete) are two channel units that are limited. I had one first and sold it within a couple of months. That is the extent of my electric experience. There are a few guys in my local club that fly electric planes and they are nice. These are in the $300 and up class and are mostly custom built. For you starting out with a tight budget, I would recommend a nitro plane if you are already set up for nitro cars and boats because you may already have a glow driver, starter, etc. The fuels are different, so know what you are using.

I do not currently have a trainer for sale. I sold most of my extra R/C misc in November to fund my winter projects. I could build something for you if you were interested. To get into the hobby for $300, you would need to start out with used gear. I did it that way and now am slowly updating. I would build, or you could build a spad debonair if interested. It will fly with most any forty size engine out there and I could help you find a decent and current used radio.

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

You should either buy a Hobbico Superstar40 (select) or A TowerTrainer40. Both are RTF( Ready-To-Fly) and cost under $300. check www.towerhobbies.com and also MUST get proper instruction.

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

i was looking on tower hobbies at the hobbico superstar select comes with .40la engine and futaba 4vf radio 60'' wing span says it is a good trainer plane for 279.00 seems good. what do u guys think?

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

I only had $200.00 to spend on a getting started set up I went to an Rc swapmeet in salina Oh last sunday and I bought a Hanger 9 extra easy trainer with a 69 " wing span and an MDS 40 with a JR 4180 radio all ready to fly like new for $180.00 what a deal hu Iam proud of that one I have noy flown yet but I realized that I still needed about $75 dollars worth of gear for a field box it doesnt stop man Im telling you your best bet is to get with someone who's been there they will stear you in the right direction try to learn from there mistakes what they " would have done " you know it will save you some money ..I want to fly so bad right now I cant stand it Im ready but Im waiting on this stupid weather good luck and try to find a swap meat close bye I drove a 100 miles but it was worth it see ya check out my gallery to see it

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

Get the Hobbico Superstar40 RTF. You cant go wrong with this plane , it is very well built and flies superbly.

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

I picked up a gold stickered (AMA checked) Futaba AM tx, a Flight Star trainer in good condition with an OS 40FP that ran like a swiss watch. It had the rx and 148S servos and was perfectly ready for flight. All for $100 from a friend at work. I few this plane for about 200 flights last summer and really enjoyed it. It's smart to get in cheap like this since your first year expenses are usually pretty high. Try to get used stuff if you can.

Check with clubs, swap meets etc. Network with people and it will make all the difference in the world.



Joe

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

Do you have access to a club that has someone that can train and help you fly this plane? If so, you may want to check with that person to see what radio system they recommend (you may be able to use a buddy cord). Likewise, if you will ever need parts for your radio, find out what parts your local hobby shop offers the most of.

I think that the hobbico superstar would be a nice flying plane. The OS 40 LA is the smallest recommended engine for this plane which I think is ok. You want to fly slower to start out. Some pilots like to have the extra power available.

The plane is $279, and you will probably spend another 75-100 on accessories, tools, etc. You also will need to get AMA insurance and should join a local club with a flying field. My AMA is $58 per year and my local club fee is $55 per year. If you are in a rural area, you might fly on some farm land and not use a club field. I do not recommend trying to fly without instruction. The majority of the people that try this crash their planes beyond repair.

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

there is a club up here dont know of anyone in it, wouldnt know of how to get a hold of anybody either, there is just a small flight place north of town and we do not have a hobby shop so i cant try there u need insurance in order to fly one of these planes?????

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

You SHOULD have insurance to fly a glow plane. Look at it this way, a 40 size engine spins a 10" prop at about 10,000 to 12,000 rpm. That same engine will run for about 20 minutes on an 8 ounce tank of fuel, and fly at about 40 mph. 40 mph for 20 minutes will put the plane over 10 miles away if you lose radio contact.

That prop has been know to take off fingers, and an experienced RC pilot was killed in Texas recently when his plane hit him in the chest. (A 13 year old kid was killed in England recently too.) These things are NOT toys.

Here's a link to the AMA's website: http://www.modelaircraft.org/templates/ama/

The AMA site has a page where you can put in your Zip Code and find local clubs and contact names. An Instructor is definitely the best way to approach this if you're looking at glow power.

The other alternative is to go with an electric. The really good ones CAN cost as much or more than glow, and will be just as dangerous, but there are complete packages (including radio equipment) that fly pretty well for around $150. From all that I've read, the Aerobird Challenger is your best bet. They aren't "full house" control (4 channel), but are 3 channel and work okay.

Stay away from the Firebird series, or any Megatech electric, really bad reputations. Anything 2 channel is crap, anything costing under $125 is automatically crap. Almost anything that isn't on 72 mHZ (radio freqeuncy) is crap. (Many of the "toy" RC plane are on 27 mHZ.)

Obviously, these are MY opinions. Do as you choose.

Most of all, welcome, and have fun! :D
Dennis-

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

Have you considered building a plane? I like to build!

RE: new guy looking for first plane
 

How about a personal review of the Aerobird from a new RCer, me. I looked at
the Firebird II, XL, Fighterbird and the Aerobird. With three channels you can
do a lot more, so I went with the Aerobird.

I was not interested in building. If I spent a month building and then
wrecked it, I would be crushed. I wanted a RTF that could take some
punishment.

I am a first timer. After several months of research, talking to people,
flyers and non, I bought an Aerobird. It is a super value. Today you would
get the Aerobird Challenger, which is even
better than the original Aerobird.

Here are the plusses and minuses in my mind of the Aerobird Challenger.

Very inexpensive and rugged for a three channel starter - $110-$150
The plane comes complete and fully assembled. Charge the flight battery, put
on the wing, put the batteries in the transmitter and up you go! Even the
batteries for the transmitter are included.

New flyers may crash so you don't want something costly to
start with or had to fix. There is a full line of parts available at
reasonable cost. You
can replace the whole main fuselage for $49 including the motor and all the
flight electronics. A wing is $15 and the tail is $9.

Batteries and charger:

The battery will run for a full 6-7 minutes at full throttle and 12-15
minutes at half throttle. Many planes in this class run 4-5 minutes. And,
unlike many of the 2 channel starters, it comes with a peak charger that you
can use to charge your batteries in your car. If you pick up two or three
spare
batteries you can stay in the air all day. A full recharge charge takes about
30-40 minutes. I hafe 5 batteries and two chargers.


WIND

All new flyers should start in winds under 5 MPH so that you are learning to
fly the plane rather than fighting the wind. I didn't do that and crashed a
lot because of the wind. However, now I am very comfortable flying this plane
in 10-12 MPH winds. Handles it very well.

27 MHZ vs 72 MHZ Radio - For North American Flyers

The Aerobird uses a 27 MHZ radio which is assigned to general use for planes,
cars and boats; mostly low end stuff. There are only 6 available channels in
the US. So, if you have a kid with a RC car in the same area where you are
flying, and he is on the same channel you are on, and he is close enough, when
he switches on his transmitter, you will lose control of the plane and
probably crash. After 100+ flights I have never had a problem, but experienced
flyers will bring this up, so I mention this here.

Even with 72 MHZ radio systems, this can happen if you get two flyers on the
same channel.. We had a incident like this at our field recently. Plane was
destroyed. Both flyers were on channel 58. One guy had just arrived. He
turned on his radio to check the battery voltage without checking to see if
the frequency was clear. A plane in the air came straight down and was
destroyed. Frequency management is important no matter if you are on 27 or 72
MHZ .

The flight control for the Aerobird is a single stick radio with rudder and
elevator on the stick. Throttle is on a slide on the left top. It is similar
to the arrangement on the Hitec single stick radio I use to fly my Spirit
sailplane. I find it very comfortable to
use and other flyers who have tried it say they find it easy as well.

If you are going to join a club, check with them. Some clubs will not admit 27
MHZ based planes because they can't be flown with a buddy box, a training
system, like a dual controlled car. This is used for pilot training.

After long consideration I bought the Aerobird and am very happy I did. I have
since brought 4 new pilots into the hobby who now have Aerobirds and they have
all been very successful.

These are things I took into consideration. My club, www.lisf.org has many
Firebird and Aerobird pilots, so the Aerobird was welcome

Here is an internet site that has a link for a video of the plane flying:
http://www.parkflyers.com/html/aerobird.html

That's my evaluation of the Aerobird and why I purchased it. I fly as
often as I can. I have over 100 flights on my plane since the end of March.
The Aerobird helped me learn to fly. What I learned I have used to expand my
fleet to 8 planes, both electrics and sailplanes. My friend has a Wingo and a
Glider. He liked flying my Aerobird so much he bought one too.