RE: Learning to fly...alone?
 

I tell you what ... why not get the stuff from ModelFlight, makes life more convenient for you:

Motor - DualSky 2826-18, you want the weight to balance her, she was designed for a heavier brushed Speed 370 motor.
Batt - DualSky or Hobby City 3S 1500, you may need the weight to balance her and you will get a long flight.
ESC - DualSky 30A
Servos - GWS Naros will be enough or any 9g servo

Radio depends on how serious you wanna get in this hobby. You know what I mean ... you are a car nut and you love the bling bling! I was one too, loved my Mugen MTX3.

RE: Learning to fly...alone?
 

Modelflight seems very expensive, but I will have more of a look.

The slowstick looks nice, but I was hoping for something that looked more like a plane...or should I put that off till my second plane?

RE: Learning to fly...alone?
 

thats is a really good idea...just go to a club, trying to get familiar of what rc hobby is, check how people do pre checks, fly, etc......... its really important to have a little more contact than a screen/forums.

RE: Learning to fly...alone?
 

How much can you spend on radios?
This would be a bit overkill for a trainer but would have enough capabilities to take you a few steps further:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXTTM1&P=0
Then youd need a few small servos. I think these would do:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXHHA7&P=0

If you get an FM radio, are you on 35MHz frequency (like most of the world) or the American 72MHz? Tower seems to sell 72MHz.

For batteries, LiPo has all the performance advantages: high capacity at low weight (well, longish charging times are a down side). They do not tolerate abuse very well, either electric or mechanical. Abuse may result in a fire. You have to have a LiPo charger.

RE: Learning to fly...alone?
 

Thanks for the links, the transmitter is a bit expensive, any other suggestions for something a bit more noob? I may buy a nice one once I have some flight experience but would like to keep it cheap for now.

I believe we are 35mhz for FM.

As for batteries, I think I will have to hold off on the lipos for now too - once again it is something I will invest in later down the track.

Hopw about motor/esc from tower?

RE: Learning to fly...alone?
 

GWS has a brushless setup specifically designed for the slow stick. In fact, I think you can by the ARF kit with the brushless motor and esc. They also make there own lipos although I don't know how good they are. If at all possible, go Li-po, sure its a little expensive at first for the charger and battery but futher down the line it will be worth it. The pros far out weigh the cons for lipo.

RE your question about a better looking trainer, for a first plane youll be hard pressed to find a better plane than the slow stick to teach yourself on. Its very forgiving and will handle the added weight of repairs well. Its very stable so further down the line you could fit a camera to it and do a little bit of airborne photography. The learning curve is steep when learning to fly on your own and the other trainers available were all designed for use with an instructor. I know it doesnt do much in the looks department but after youve solo'd it will be well with the effort. Get yourself a nice second plane that looks more real, and youll have enough experience to fly it with confidence and enjoy it more.

RE: Learning to fly...alone?
 

Radios...
Buying a radio within your own country is sometimes a great idea: you'll get a transmitter that conforms to any regulations that there might be. The 35MHz vs. 72MHz thing is something that could get you in trouble as the use of frequencies is something that governments want to regulate. Even with 2.4GHz, there are differences: for example, USA approves higher output powers than Europen countries.

RE: Learning to fly...alone?
 

Thanks guys, I found this
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXTRH4&P=7

Any suggestions for ESC, radio and batteries, with a strict budget in mind?

RE: Learning to fly...alone?
 

I used Realflight G3 bought a Hobbyzone super cub and moved to a Parkzone T-28 two weeks after buzzing around with the super cub. I had a couple ruff landings with the cub but a little tape and glue and I was right back at it. They take a beating and are dead siple to fly.