Picking A Plane
 

What is a good way to pick a plane for someone who has never built one before?

Picking A Plane
 

Have they ever flown one before?

I assume you are looking at trainers. If so you have the ARF option that normally invilves very little construction, just some installation and set up of engine, radios etc. There are several to choose from.

If you are thinking kit aircraft, again there are several available. All kits are not equal though. The bette kits have all the parts pre-cut and pre sanded and are essentially ready to assemble. Other kits feature die cut parts that need to be carefully finish sanded and removed from the balso sheet. These take a little more time and care to construct, but also produce good aircraft.

Sig Kits are good in my experience with laser cut wood and interlocking parts that make alignment easier. The Sig LT40 is also a very good trainer.

Great planes also has good kits and there PT-40 is also a good trainer choice.

You can check the products section of this site and find reviews, ratings and construction tips on a number of kits.

Picking A Plane
 

I have never flown a plane. I am interested in beginning. I would like to find something not too expensive to start off with that would not require extensive building because I have never built one before either.

Picking A Plane
 

The easiest way to get a plane in the air is to buy an ARF trainer. The RCM .40 size trainer is one of the better choices. Strong, light, larger than average. There's also the Duraplanes... a bit heavy but able to take quite a beating and then fly again with no repairs needed. (most times...)

The cheapest, easiest to build plane would be found at www.spad.org its a free donload of the plans print them direct fromn the website) and then assemble the plane from corrogated plastic sign material and PVC gutter downspout plus a couple of 50 cent yardsticks from Lowes. Takes one afternoon if you've built anything before... 2 if you haven't. (lightly sand the coroplast with 200 - 400 grit, don't use the propane torch to "flash" it It sticks better and its less likely to melt the plastic.) These planes can be virtually indestructable, they are CHEAP to build. ($some people sell built ones for $25 each... ready for radio and engine.)

The best beginning builder's Kit trainers are the Great Planes PT-40, the Tower Trainer, and the Sig LT-40. Each is fairly easy to build, and hard to make a mistake which will cause it to not fly. Sturdy aircraft too. They fly well, ad wil usually last long enough to be resold to another beginner. (and another... might last through 5 or 6 trainees if not crunched straight in.)

Picking A Plane
 

What about radios and engines. It seems like you can really sink some $$ into this hobby. I am really interested but I am not sure how to get involved without spending a ton of money. Are RTF electric motor kits a good option? Has anyone heard about the Cox Electric J3 Cub?

Picking A Plane
 

The cost of low end R/C has gone down quite a bit recently... and the quality of the low end aircraft has improved significantly.

Avoid 2 channel 2-stick setups. They will at best teach you bad habits if you desire to advance later. Try to get a setup that includes at least a 3 channel FM system. (not what you wanted to hear... as the 3 ch FM costs almost th same as a 4 ch FM system.)

The 27 mhz radios ALL have very limited range... The Firebird XL's worst point is you can have it out of radio range in under 1 minute. (otherwise its not a bad setup... Just needs a better radio system.)

The Cox setups also tend to have limited range and the (bad) 2-stick 2-channel transmitter.

You CAN get some enjoyment out of the cheap low range package deals... just remember they are a LONG way from giving you any ability to advance without buying all new R/C equipment.

There are some good Electric aircraft out there. The Great Planes Spirit with electric drive and 3 ch radio isn't bad. Relatively easy to learn to fly, ad can give a lot of enjoyment with some advancement potential. There's also the 3 channel "Sky Scooter Pro." (which I haven't seen... but the specs are all good.)

Picking A Plane
 

If you don't want to do a lot of building, get an ARF or a RTF. My first plane was the Hobbico Avistar .40 Select. It was an RTF. It took 20 minutes to build. It came with the radio and engine. All you needed was starting equipment and fuel. If you want more information on the Avistar, look it up in the Product Guide section of this site. Private message me also if you want to know more about what the plane comes with and how well it flies.

Picking A Plane
 

Everyone that has gone through the beginner process has, as their favorite plane, the trainer they learned to fly on. ARF people think that a pre-built is the way to go, non-ARF people think building is the only way to learn. That's what is so great about this hobby .. so many options, so many choices.

Way back when, my first trainer was a Telemaster 40. While I didn't for a second believe that garbage from Hobby Lobby that the plane was the one that could literally fly itself and you would never need an instructor if you built this plane, I did recognize that it would teach me a lot about building - which it did. A very building intensive trainer plane, indeed.

My son learned on a Sig Kadet LT-40, and we also have a Avistar ARF - nice flying plane, but the airfoil is not flat, so it's not recommended as a 1st time plane.

One very overlooked plane that might fit your bill is the Balsa USA Stick 40 Plus. It's a version of the old Swizzle Stick. Very simple construction, very rugged, easy to fly. You'll learn basic balsa-building craft, which will stay with you thru your R/C career, plus it's so easy to put together that you'll almost think it was an ARF.

Basically, though, whatever you end up with will work .. they all fly pretty much the same. Just make sure you have someone with R/C experience to look it over before you fly and have an instructor (and an AMA membership).

Picking A Plane
 

Before you pick that first plane, you should understand what wing loading is and know the
loading of your new plane and how it compares to other planes. You want to have a plane that
is lightweight in relation to its wing area. (lifting capability)
High wing loading (say, above 20oz./sq.ft.) equals faster flying which equals less time to
react. Low wing loading means slower flight and a lot more time to think and react.
After being out of the hobby for 10 years, I got back in so that my son could learn
to fly. (and so I could have some fun, too!)
We chose a Duraplane thinking that it would be "rugged and crashproof". This was a mistake.
Even with my experience of over 150 flights, the Duraplane was no fun for me to fly.
With a wing loading of about 24oz., it has to fly very fast just to stay in the air. This
thing does not glide or "fly on the wing".
The reason the wing loading is so high is becuase of it's small wing area
(500 square inches) for the weight. (over 5 pounds)
That small wing is also hard to SEE. Believe me, if you can't see what attitude you plane
is in, it's SCARY. I couldn't even imagine handing the controls over to a beginner.
We tried to work with the Duraplane but finally realized that it was never going to be
fun to fly, at least not until we had a lot more experience.
Next we went for a 4 channel trainer with low wing loading, the SIG Kadet LT-40.
What a difference! With a huge 70 inch, 900 square inch wing, and only a little more
weight than the Duraplane, this trainer is built to fly! The wing loading is a very low
16 oz per square foot. It's easy to see in the air, and feels like it can fly at half
the speed of the Duraplane. Once we get in the air, we back the throttle off to about
1/4 or less and just cruise around nice and slow as we learn. It's not a glider, but
it's about as close as you're gonna get with a 4 channel glow plane of that size.
Just my $0.02. Hope it helps someone out there.

Picking A Plane
 

Your message indicated this plane is for somebody else. If so, pick a plane you have built, you have flown, and be ready to help that person as much as they ask.
If this plane is for you, ELECTRIC is a great way to learn. The only drawback is the 2-stick 2 channel systems do cause you to over-react once you go to 3 or 4 channels. Electric is slow enough to allow for that adjustment.
I had over 200 flights on the original FIREBIRD when I Bought the Firebird XL. At the same time I put the Mini Max
(3 channells) into the air. I flew them both fine for the first flights. two channel, then 3 channel. The only other thing I had done to aid my learning was Dynamix Pro Pilot '99 with which I use a Joy Stick.
Starting with a $119 Firebird XL, built, balanced, trimed, tested according to instructions is a low price beginning.
To me anything smaller is a feather in the wind. Anything gas is aiming a propeller. If you like what you are doing, there is plenty of room to go on to more power, more channels, more aerobatics, and more fun!