first r/c plane
 

hey all,

very excited here! after many months of research and the guidance of my LHS (bill's hobby barn, salem NH) i finally purchased my first r/c plane. i have flown helo's for quite some time, but planes have always been my real passion so i thought it was about time to learn the ways of the fixed wing!

i am interested in "constructive" feedback on what i purchased and opinions on how this will serve me to learn and also as i grow with the planes in the future years. i bought:

thunder tiger trainer mk3 plane ARF
futaba 6ex 2.4mhz-ss transmitter with receiver
o.s. max 46ax engine
2x futaba s3004 servos
2x futaba 23003 servos
hydrimax ultra 4.8v 1450mah battery pack (for onboard)

yes i know there is more needed to get "into the air" but this will keep me busy for a little while. any suggestions on field kit etc also appreciated.......... i also intend to get the realflight 4 sim for practice while the weather is clearing here in new england.

so...........any feedback from anyone?

thanks!

RE: first r/c plane
 

Looks like a great setup that you have listed there. It should serve you well in learning to fly! :D

Ken

RE: first r/c plane
 

Nice choices, on pretty much everything;) I would be very, very happy training on all that equipment. It will serve you very well, and everything you got can be used again in your next plane(s) if you so desire. The AX engines are addicting...I got a few of them; they are so easy and reliable.

As for field stuff, there are so many ways to do things. Best thing to do is check out what the local guys are using, and see what works for them and what would work for you.

Personally I like to go 'wireless'. I have a rechargeable glow ignitor w/meter, electric starter w/ powerpak battery (I never really use it though, AX engines start with stick-flipping very easily), and a small field box w/ fuel jug and hand crank fueler (so I can count revs and see how much fuel I'm using). Basic screwdrivers, hex drivers, thin CA, 5min epoxy, hobby knife.

I'd stay to stick with the basics/minimum and again, see what others bring to the field and what you end up needing. Chances are if you don't have what you need, someone else at the field will. People are very eager to help out;)

RE: first r/c plane
 

Congrats, and welcome to the hobby. Personally, I went cheap with my field gear and it has served me well for years. I went to walmart and got a small lawnmower 12 volt. It allows me to use a starter, field charge batteries, and whatever else I need 12 volts for. I went wireless with the glow driver as well. And for field box, just get a decent sized toolbox from home depot. One thing I would recommend adding to your list would be an Accu-cycle elite or something similar. A good battery charger will be a plane saver and make life so much easier. Not having to guess if the battery really is charged is very nice. This setup has served me well from glow trainer to 50cc gassers. Hope this helps. Take care.

RE: first r/c plane
 

thanks rcken and garcfield,

i appreciate your comments. bill comes highly recommended and has over 30 years flying behind him. i am joining a local rc club which he sponsers, and he was very welcoming to a total noob in the fixed wing arena..........he even offered to train me right off the bat! can't say enough for the LHS and the owner to be honest! he even does your AMA registration straight from the store!!

can either of you give me some kind of comprehensive list of field kit that i should look at as i go forward? garcfield i know you mentioned a "wireless setup", this is what i would like to aim for. a tote on wheels as such!

thanks to both of you, and i look forward to more feedback from others.

RE: first r/c plane
 

zope pope,

thanks for the info on the field equipment.........could you explain a little more about the Accu-cycle elite and what it is exactly? still learning and i want to be able to have a handle and absorb each and every nugget of info. you experienced guys have!

thanks!

RE: first r/c plane
 

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXEYD4&P=ML

Read about it here

RE: first r/c plane
 

Its just a great battery charger that does everything but balance a LIPO. You'll need one of those blinky balancers, but thats a different topic all together. It will cycle your batteries for capacity checks, quick charge your batts if the weather man is wrong, discharge to the optimal level for storage, and it works on NIMH, NICD, LIPO, and LI-ION. I seriously dont know how i got by without one. Let me know if you have more questions about it.

RE: first r/c plane
 

thanks w8ye,

you guys are great! it is comforting for such as noob (as myself) to have a lot of experienced people around to give such great advice and hints! you guys rock!

keep em coming, thanks!

RE: first r/c plane
 

rcken,

i have been reading through your site, what a fantastic resource.........i will be referring to this during my build. it has all the info i read, but perhaps didn't quite understand or grasp. awesome!

RE: first r/c plane
 

Being on RCU you is like standing around and talking to the guys at the flying field or club meeting

RE: first r/c plane
 

Thunder Tiger makes wonderful trainer ARFs, and I'm glad to hear that there is at least one local hobby store that is willing to stock them and promote them!

Thunder Tiger sells a very nice little field accessory package called the Side Kick, part number TTR3002, that contains everything you'll need to get in the air except for a gallon of fuel:

http://www.thundertiger4u.com/thunde...ck-p-7708.html

It includes a glow ignitor with charger, a 4-way prop/glow plug wrench, a manual fuel pump, a fuel cap kit and extra fuel line, a starting stick, and even a carrying caddy for your flight line accessories. You may want to upgrade to a full field box and an electric starter later, but this will work well while you're training.

http://www.thundertiger4u.com/images/ttr3002.jpg

RE: first r/c plane
 

Many years ago Sig used to have a deal like that. I used it for many years

RE: first r/c plane
 

Thats a pretty good price!!,,Add about another $50 for battery/charger, starter panel, and a small tool kit...and thats about all you need oh and another $20 for electric starter....welcome to the hobby icarus....Rog
Go ahead and start up a wish list at Tower Hobbies...

RE: first r/c plane
 

If you want to get everything for the field in one shot.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXL419&P=0

Then all you need is a 4 way wrench some hand tools and I would recomend a seperate glow starter. Something about having wires going in front of and behind a spinning prop sends up red flags. The panel has a glow starter charge port so you should never have to use the cable supplied to start an engine.

RE: first r/c plane
 

I like your engine choice. I have two AX .46's, both are serving me well. They swing
a wide selection of props, make gobs of power, and are gems to operate.[sm=shades_smile.gif]

RE: first r/c plane
 

thanks for everyones feedback, and for taling the time to post the info on products you have used. please feel free to post anything that you feel may be of help to someone like myself starting out.

thanks!