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First Plane
Ive been into rc cars and building for a while and i thought it would be cool to try rc flight. for a first plane, how many channels would you recommend. the two channel ones are pretty lame and wouldnt involve real flying because all the action is controlled by 2 motors, not like an actual plane. i was thinking like a 3 channel electric to start with and was considering a multiplex RTF from tower hobbies. anyways, would you recommend for a first plane and or good brands. ive checked out hobbylobby's planes and the're pretty expensive, so i was looking for one at tower hobbies. thank you.
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RE: First Plane
Tower has a few RTF glow powered trainers, these would be 4 channel models--- If you wanna start smaller the park-flyers are usually 3 channel and are a bit cheaper (electric also-)
Do you have a budget for the set-up? Cheers, James |
RE: First Plane
If your budget isn't real big and you want to get into flying you might want to check out the spad section of RCU. If you need plans to build yourself a plane visit [link=http://www.spadtothebone.com]The SPAD Website[/link] and pick one to build from there.
Biggest expense flying spads is the motor and radio gear.....the airframe can be built for roughly 5-10 bux and they WILL survive a crash that would turn a balsa plane into toothpicks. How can you go wrong with cheap fun like that:D |
RE: First Plane
Below I list electric planes, parkflyers and e-gliders for beginners. Some
come ready to fly, some are almost ready to fly (add your own radio gear) and some are kits. All of them are electric. I don't recommend two channel R/T electrics, so you won't find any on the list. They can be very easy to fly and can be a lot of fun, but they can also be very easy to lose. A three channel R/E/T is a better choice as a first plane, in my opinion. If you are totally new to RC Flying, these articles may be helpful in understanding how these planes fly RC Planes Are not like RC Cars http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=17 Stall http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=31 Launch into the wind http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=43 Parts of the plane and how they work http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=54 The RC Pilots Cockpit http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=59 Flying the Plane http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=64 READY TO FLY STARTER PLANES - Parkflyers No building - they practically fly right out of the box Aerobird Challenger - RTF Electric I started on an Aerobird RTF. I love it and recommend it highly I have almost 250 flights on mine. It is a ready to fly package which includes the radio, charger, batteries, and all. $150 http://horizon.hobbyshopnow.com/prod...p?prod=HBZ3500 Review http://www.hobbyzonesports.com/Disco...ID=1289#Page01 Discussion Thread http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147621 Slow-V from Parkzone Best flown in still to under 5 mph breeze Can also be flown indoors in a gym or similar space. http://h1071118.hobbyshopnow.com/pro...p?prod=PKZ1300 Discussion Thread http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_20...tm.htm#2089493 T-Hawk - RTF http://www.toytx.com/thawk3chrtf.html T-Hawk - Without Radio - add your radio and receiver http://www.readytoflyfun.com/wittran.html T-Hawk Discussion Thread http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...ighlight=THawk Easy Star - RTF http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/240025.asp Easy Star - ARF - Add you own radio gear http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/240009.asp Discussion Thread on Easy Star http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258656 ALMOST READY TO FLY and EASY TO BUILD KITS - STARTER PLANES Some of the planes in the previous group are available ARF as indicated. Below are ARF and kit planes. You will need to buy a radio if you don't have one, so you might want to read these articles on radios. Radios. The articles are written for sailplane beginners, but all the info applies to electrics too. Entry Level Radios - If you have to go cheap http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=44 Computer Radios - The recommended path for almost everyone http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=65 ARF typically means you are not gluing balsa pieces together, then covering with Monocote or some other shrink film. Below are ARFs and some are very easy to build kits. In each case you must add your own radio, receiver, servos, speed control, batteries and battery charger. They all come with a motor. Slow stick Best flown in still to under 5 mph breeze Can also be flown indoors in a gym or similar space. http://horizon.hobbyshopnow.com/prod...p?prod=GWS1040 Discussion Thread http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...hreadid=122951 Tiger Moth Best flown in still to under 5 mph breeze Can also be flown indoors in a gym or similar space. http://horizon.hobbyshopnow.com/prod...p?prod=GWS1020 Review http://www.backyardflyer.com/BY/articles/tiger_moth.asp Tipsey http://www.hobby-lobby.com/tipsy.htm Review http://www.hobby-lobby.com/pdf/gr6232.pdf http://rcgroups.com/links/index.php?...at=198&id=3871 Balsa Wood Kits - If you like to build, these are highly recommended. Dandy http://www.mountainmodels.com/dandy.php Dust Stick http://www.mountainmodels.com/duskstik.php ELECTRIC GLIDERS Have you considered an electic glider? Usually larger than the typical parkflyer, they also tend to be quite stable and fly a bit slower, which makes them easy to fly. If you would like to try soaring with the birds, then an electric glider might be a good choice. These planes are launched with an electric motor. They can be flown around using the motor, like a parkflyer, or they can be flown to height, then the motor is turned off and you hunt for thermals, just like the birds. They can do loops and simple aerobatics, but are really optomized for thermal soaring. The Aerobird and the T-Hawk, which are often mentioned as first parkflyers, glide and thermal pretty well, but they come with fixed props. These planes include folding props which make the plane more streamlined and so it can glide better than a fixed propeller plane. Some are RTF which are fully built, include all the radio gear with everything installed. Battery and charger are included with the RTF planes. Some are ARFs where you assemble the simple package, then add your own radio equipment. Some are available either way. With these planes you get a good first plane, a good first electric and a good electric glider. It may not have been what you were thinking, but it may be exactly what you were looking for. Easy Star - RTF - also listed above This is a Park Glider - can be flown as parkflyer or glider http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/240025.asp Easy Star - ARF - Add you own radio gear http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/240009.asp Discussion Thread on Easy Star http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258656 Ascent - this is a park glider ARF It can be flown as a parkflyer or a glider http://www.horizonhobby.com/Shop/ByC...ProdID=EFL1075 Review http://rcgroups.com/links/index.php?...at=237&id=4233 Spectra - 2M - RTF 78" wing span - perhaps too large for a parkflyer, but a good first e-glider http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...=LXVJ51**&P=ML Spectra ARF - http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXADK2&P=7 Electra - 2M ARF 78" wing span - perhaps too large for a parkflyer, but a good first e-glider http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXDJB2&P=7 If you are not familiar with soaring, it is a lot of fun. Flights can be as short as parkflyer flights, or can last for hours, if you find lift. This article may be helpful in understanding lift and the fun that e-gliders offer to the electric flyer. Finding Lift http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=57 |
RE: First Plane
not all of Hobby Lobby stuff is expensive . look through the catalog some more.The Skimmer, 400 or 600 is very cheap and flies very well for a beginner plane. its kind of a cross between a true glider & sport plane with excellent rudder control.
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