Really need help here!!!
 

Hi all,

I just bought a new plane ARF kit. I still need to buy a controller, but that's not the part that worries me.

I bought a CS Glow engine. It's just the engine, I don't really know how I should set it up, there are no instructions. I heard something about a glow starter and some kind of fuel, but I have no idea what fuel I should use for a .25 glow engine. The hole in the top is really small, will I be able to put any glow starter in there?

And also do I need a glow plug or are those usually included inside the motor?

Sorry, I'm a REAL NEWBIE!

RE: Really need help here!!!
 

Joey Jo
I'm a Newbie also,You will find a lot of help here.
Besides here ,go to your club field and ask someone
to help you out. I go everyday even if I'm not flying
to get information. And I enjoy just being around the
fliers. Your on the right track coming here.
I can't help you much here. Try to get an Flying Instructor
at the field.

RE: Really need help here!!!
 

joey, first off you need to screw a glow plug into the head of the engine, possibly an os#3 will work in your engine. Next comes the fuel, which is a mixture of methonal and oil in the ratio of 4parts methonal and one part oil. The oil you use is NOT just any oil, it has to be made for model aircraft engines. Most hobby shops will sell you premixed fuel and some may contain a percentage of nitro as well. 5% nitro will be sufficient for your motor. The glow starter is what plugs onto the glow plug for starting the engine, It should be only 1.5 volts. Once again your hobby shop will help you choose what one to get, as what is available in your country may be different to what we use in Australia. Then go to your local flying field , find out who is the instructor and he will be only too willing to help you in setting up your motor , teach you how to fuel it , start it safely, and he will test fly your model , trimming it for flight, and teach you how to fly safely without crashing on you first flight. So with all that , welcome to the hobby and RCUniverse, i hope you have many happy hours of flying
Bill

RE: Really need help here!!!
 

Thanks! That information is just what I needed!

Can you also suggest a good quality controller that's 5 channel, 5 servos I could use? Some seem really expensive, is it necessary to pay that much? ($200!+)

RE: Really need help here!!!
 

Harry Higley offers a series of RC instruction booklets -- basics of getting in the air, RC engines, covering a plane and etc.
These are offered from Tower Hobbies web site, although it is easier to ask questions here. It is better to have text along with photos to help explain step by step.

RE: Really need help here!!!
 

With the limited information you have provided I am going to guess that you purchaced an ARF Trainer style airplane. In general those planes only require 4 Channel transmitters and some will require 5 servos while most require 4. The 5th channel is for retractable landing gear; so if your model does not have retracts than a 5 Channel will do you no good. A 4 ch model with 5 servos is set up like this:
Channel 1 - Alerons 2 servos linked with a "Y" harness
Channel 2 - Elevator 1 servo
Channel 3 - Throtle 1 servo
Channel 4 - Rudder 1 servo

Thus any 4 Channel with an extra servo and "Y" harness will work for you. This is short term cheap only as this hobby dictates you will have no choice but to get more planes in the future and spend all of you extra money doing so; even going hungry and hitch hiking now and then to save a few bucks to spend on more R/C stuff later. So here are a few options:

Cheap: Radio http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXEFJ4**&P=0
extra servo http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXVW07&P=M
"Y" harness http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXL307&P=M

Cheaper in the long run: Radio http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXGAF1**&P=0
Then you can use the same extra servo and "Y" harness above with this and use the ODD servo for your throttle.

Good luck and I hope this helps.


He who dies with the most toys wins!

RE: Really need help here!!!
 

Hello joey,as explained above by MrStrang, i would opt for the radio he mentioned in his post as "cheaper in the long run". I looked it up, and if you can stretch your budget to get that Futaba radio, then it will serve you for many many years to come. There may seem to be many things about it that at this stage you don't have a clue about, but hey, you will be growing with the use of this radio, so as time goes by , and asking lots of questions about the extra features , you will find as your fleet of aircraft grows and your knowledge of all things pertaining to the wonderful hobby of our's grows then you will start to get the benefit of having a good radio from the beginning.
Your trainer aircraft will only require the 4 basic channels now, but later you may well be looking at a model with flaps , retractable undercarriage, so there alone is the use of 2 of the extra channels you will already have available to you, without the added expense of buying another radio 18months down the track. Also is the feature of having to be able to programme in more aircraft to this radio, so as you choose what model you are going to fly from your fleet, then all the trims for that model are already set in the transmitter . Saves a lot of trim flights later on. So hope this will help you in you decision, and if you have further questions , there will always be someone here to help you . All the best in your venture into this wonderful hobby of ours.
Bill

RE: Really need help here!!!
 

joey, can you put up a link to the ARF plane you bought & possibly a pic of your engine? I'm a little concerned as to rather or not you matched your plane to the engine as these days there aren't too many .25 size ARFs left on the market & only few of them are Trainers. Let's start by making sure this stuff is going to be a good match. If you can give us some more specific info on what you have, we can better know how to help you.

RE: Really need help here!!!
 

Joey,
About that radio.......
It's a lot more convenient to buy a radio that doesn't "talk in code". There are a few types around that call a "throttle" a "throttle". It's worthwhile to buy your first radio and it be one that removes as many possibilities for confusion as possible.

Look for a radio that identifies each of your airplanes by name. I just watched a 30% Edge blow up. The guy was flying it with a radio that told him he was flying airplane #3. Turns out the Edge was airplane #4. My radio at the time told me it was setup for my Tiger40 when I turned it on. I was about to start my Ultimate at the time. So I switched the radio to the Ultimate and flew the little sucker.

When I setup my new model the other night (at about 1am in the MORNING), I needed to reverse the throttle and rudder. I went to the screen for that and selected "throttle" and switched it, then selected "rudder" and switched it. No translation needed. Didn't need to remember is "throttle" was "1" or "5".

Some things are worth more than convenience.

RE: Really need help here!!!
 

Ditto what Darock just said. A radio that just referred to everything in numbers, both models & channels would definitely lead to unscheduled landings on my part.[:@] I have a fairly inexpensive simple computer radio with 10 model memory that as he states calls a throttle a throttle & so on. It also let's me actually name my planes correctly instead of assigning them a number & hoping I can remember what number I've assigned to which planes. The radio I bought is a 6 Ch JR radio. The model is JR6102, for around $250 you get this Transmitter with a nice flight pack consisting of a 1200mah battery, 4 good servos, & a R700 receiver which is a 7 ch receiver. Really not a bad price for the unit. However you were asking if you really had to spend $200 for a radio. Well obviously the answer is no you don't have to but eventually you will want to. There is a new alternative though in the JR Sport series. These are relatively new & they are a budget priced computer radio that are still full of good features & model memory just at a lower price. The idea is that with the new Sport series, everyone can enjoy the quality of a JR radio without breaking the bank. I'll put up a link for you so you can see them.

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...dID=JSP16000**


This is a great value for $159. It comes with 4 standard servos, a 6 ch receiver & battery. It looks to have all the features my JR6102 has at a great price!!


IMO, This is the best value on the market right now for a 6 ch computer radio/W/flight pack. It looks to be a little closer to the kind of budget you had in mind. ( I think);) I hope this helps give you an idea of the kind of values you can find by shopping around a little bit.

This same Tansmitter is also available in park-flyer versions too. They would come with the same radio, & a sub-micro flight pack. The link I put up is the standard size version & the one you would want to use for a Glow Trainer. Good luck & happy shopping!!:D

RE: Really need help here!!!
 

Wow , you guys are REALLY helpful. I've never been to a more welcoming forum.. Like 10 replies in 2 hours! You guys are great!

Ok you guys I didn't buy a starter kit, see, I'm a newbie and newbies do silly things.

[link=http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i81/i_am_joey_jo/pro44444.jpg]Mustang[/link] This is the Mustang, 5 channel 5 servos

and here is my other one, a FW-190-25 [link=http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i81/i_am_joey_jo/pro3.jpg]FW[/link], 4 Channel 4 servos.

Ok, now I know that I should get a large wing attached to the top of the plane, but actually I'm starting a wholesale\retail and these are my first 2 planes. I get them really cheap so I thought I would at least try to see what I'm doing before I talk to other people about it.

I'm actually a Canadian but I'm living in China. That's where most of this stuff is made. From what I gather from what you guys said, the 5th servo is just for the wheels and I can buy that extra and use it with the controller too.

I don't have a pic of the engine, but I can tell you it looks just like the photos online. .25 glow engine. It is really small. It's for the FW-190 and the Mustang is a 46 but the guy told me I could put in a .53 and it'll be ok. he didn't have any .46s.

RE: Really need help here!!!
 

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXVW08**&P=0

would this controller + 1 servo + a y strap be ok for me?

RE: Really need help here!!!
 

I hope your not planning on learning on those models, you'll be heading for a really exciting 15 seconds. the mustange would make a great third model


I strongly suggest something like this to learn to fly on
[link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXMU53**&P=0]a trainer[/link]

and seek instruction from a local club and instructor
you can find a club here [link=http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx]ama club[/link]

if your stuck on warbirds hangar nine has one but I don't like training guys on it [link=http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=HAN2825]pts mustang[/link]

RE: Really need help here!!!
 

Yeah I guess you're right. Have you ever seen the LUCKY STAR 20 and 40 series?

They are the Cessna models. Which is better, lighter and smaller motor, or heavy and larger motor? What's the best to learn with?

RE: Really need help here!!!
 

Either plane will be fine, but everyone will tell you that bigger flies better. But, since you already have the .25 size engine, I'd go with the Lucky Star 20. That's one less thing to buy to get you started.

If you post more spec's on the engine, maybe even some photos, I'm sure you'll get lots of help.

Kerry