Hello experts and I mean that with all sincerity since I'm a total beginner here.

I really just want to share in the experience with my 12 year old son and after doing some reading and reviewing it appears we want an electric to start. We need an easy-to-assemble and preferably no gluing etc (I think). I am not completely un-handy but close. We'd like the plane to take off from the ground (not throwing it) and have power to tackle a light breeze at a minimum.

My son and I spent about an hour today just looking at hobby lobby and a few other sites. Some are snap together. Some say "ready to fly in about 2 hours." Some appear to take AA batteries (that kinda scares me for longevity in flight).

So, what do I want?

Assemble in 1-2 hours max (shorter is better unless the snap togethers are crap)
Power to take off from ground and handle average newbie issues
Battery power lasting at least 20 minutes (a real 20 - not advertised 20).
Wingspan at least 30 inches (my son did voice a dislike for planes that really look like tiny toys vs. the planes that have a larger wingspan).
Probably a 3-channel?

Any advice is appreciated. Specific recommendations and URLs for easy visiting are REALLY appreciated.

Thanks,

David

I haven't seen one... But the best I've heard of is the Hobbico SuperStar EP. It is very similar to their Glow powered (.40 ci size) trainer. Wingspan is just a little smaller. http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXAWF5**&P=7

The glow powered version is a very nice aircraft. I would expect this to do what you want.

20 minutes is a looooong time. You'll be tired before you've flown half that long, especially just getting started. You can buy a charger and more than one battery pack so X minutes of flight time doesn't mean "fly X minutes and go home".
AA batteries in the transmitter is OK. In the plane alkalines will get expensive. However they may be used to power the receiver. There are also AA size NiCds for small planes.

Thank you for the help.

I believe the glow-powered one is this one right?

Hobbico SuperStar 40 Select RTF 60"

It appears this RTF is okay for me as well with respect to putting it together. With that said, would you choose the glow powered over the electric? Why or why not?

Thanks again,

David

Thanks for the heads up on the flight time. We figured if we do end up going electric we'd probably get an extra battery pack or what have you anyway.

If #1 son doesn't want an airplane that looks like a toy you can get a Sig Rascal. Choice of two colors is up to you. This is a very nice looking aircraft and only requires installation of the radio and batteries. The motor and speed control come installed. Buy two batteries and charge them both before you go to the field. If you have a field charger you can charge the first one while you fly with the second. It will fly until you are ready to come down but 20 minutes is quite a bit to ask of a park flyer that is not a sailplane. Be sure you have an instructor so you will not destroy what you have assembled. Your local hobby dealer should know where there is a club with instructors. They will most likely be AMA members and you might be required to join AMA before you can join the club. AMA does, however, have an introductory program for beginners that does not require membership. Most flying clubs are happy to get new members and will most likely welcome you. Model airplane people are some of the nicest people you can meet.

WELCOME to the most fun you can have while standing on the ground.

In my vocabulary ARF means a few hours of assembly (2-3 hours in an evening)[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]
RTF means you get everything you need, except transmitter batteries, BUT[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/img]you get a transmitter that only has 3 channels and when you want to go to 4 or more channels, you have to buy another transmitter, or tear that one apart, and insert parts to expand it. You do not write like a "tear-it-apart-guy".
Your son does not want a "toy" looking plane, so that eliminates the Hobby Zone "Birds" and some fun learning.
SO: the Sig Rascal for about $159 is a beautiful plane, but you will have to get about $200 more in radio equipment, and batteries[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img] I already had that when I bought My Rascal (Purple)[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]
Bottom Line: a "toy" plane (2 channel, or 3 channel Firebird but not the II) let you learn how an airplane flies, in ways you cannot get from a book. Then you are ready for that Rascal, or Super Star, or some other larger 3 channel plane. Good luck, and happy flying![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Try the Firebird XL. 30 minute build time, comes with training video. Two channel for v-tail and throttle control. I was my first plane....so easy to fly and the best is that the field repairs just require a bit of packaging tape!!

You can find it at most hobby shops. Great beginner for those that have no idea what they are getting into.

What ever you do don't get a firebird or anything of the sort! You want to learn on a high wing plane like the GWS EZ Starter or the GWS Beaver. These are both foam planes and are very easy to fly with. If you have a little extra money and a good computer check out the Real Flight G2 flight simulator and then you won't have to worry about crashing your new plane. If you want to really get into this hobby check out some magazines like Backyard Flyer is one of my favorites because it's all park flyer (electric) planes and accesories. If you are good at drving your car then that means you probably will do good on your flying because of how the brain works but that isn't 100% true. But the #1 thing is don't out do yourself with your first plane and have fun!

I have to concur with scott, the beaver will make an absolutely wonderful trainer! It has the larger GWS motor gear drive unit and has great flight tendencies. I recently got back into airplanes after a 6 year stretch of not flying. The Beaver was my choice and am I ever glad!! I have numerous flights on it and am more than pleased with it! It has good climbing ability, the in flight stability is awesome, it has really good looks, its not a TOY plane, it is slow enough for the first timer to be able to fly and recover from mistakes, yet if you want to go fast it has enough power to do it! It has a vast replacement parts array and these parts are readily available at your local hoby shop for very cheap prices! I dont know where else you can get replacement wings for a plane for 10 to 15 bucks! I am so impressed with the quality of hte GWS kits I have bought 4 of them in the last 2 monthes! Did I mention they are very cost effective as in Lots of bang for your buck!!!!!!!!! Good luck with whatever you chose! Da Phreak! =)

You want to get into fuel planes if:
Money is no object
You don’t mind joining the AMA
You don’t mind joining a flying club and paying their dues
You don’t mind flying only at the club site
They don’t have a problem instructing your 12 yr old
You don’t mind cleaning fuel residue off your planes
You don’t mind the noise
You like large, powerful planes
You intend to stay with the hobby

You want to get into electric planes if:
Money is no object
You want to fly other places that are at least 3 or more miles away from a club field
You like clean, quite planes
You want to learn to fly on your own

I'm not sure what you mean by "toy planes" but most every outdoor plane I know of has over 29" wingspan.

Finally, read THIS.

Thank you all for your support. We ordered a Hobbico Superstar 40 RTF electric.

http://www.hobbico.com/airplanes/hcaa15.html

I hope we made a good choice. In any event - it's what we have coming. Thank you all for the extra tips about the flight simulator. I would have never thought about it.

It should be here tomorrow and we'll take it slow, checking out the simulator, asking the local hobby shop about the clubs etc. We'll put it together too. The one thing we won't do, under any circumstances, is fly the plane. LOL

Goodbye for now,

David

Well, I just thought I'd give you all a final follow up to the beginner dad and the flying of the plane.

We got the Hobbico Superstar 40 RTF electric and put it together in about an hour. Box said 20 minutes so that's about right for me since I've never done this before.

After fully charging the battery neither my son nor I could wait any longer to see it run. So, we taxied it around on our blacktop driveway just getting the feel of it. We knew better than to fly it so we just went through a battery moving it around on the ground.

My Father in law contacted a buddy who had been flying planes for fifteen years for our instructor flight. As it would turn out Mike (father in law's buddy) flies mostly electric so that was even better.

We went to a farm field and flew two of Mike's many electric planes (one was a foam Unicorn and the other something that looked like a bat and had the wings as flimsy). I was surprised to see Mike launch both of his planes by hand and after a full two seconds or so THEN he kicked on the engine. Long story short, Mike was a very good pilot. Very safe, lots of tips we couldn't have gotten in ten books, and really loves this hobby.

My boy is Chris. Mike let Chris work the controls of Mike's two electric planes but always stayed right there in case it got ugly. And it did a few times. I tried it too and it was the same for me. Even though we had the plane a thousand feet up it was easy to see how quickly it could come spiralling down without someone who has a clue on the stick. Chris really got the hang of it pretty quickly though, however, he still isn't ready to do any solos yet. And I wouldn't expect him to either.

Finally, it was time to fly Chris's Superstar plane. Mike was nervous since he admittedly would feel bad if he crashed it. Crash his own planes he's done many times. Crash someone else's? Probably not. I thought for sure, since the Superstar has landing gear, that we'd take it off from the ground and land it on the ground. Mike had a better idea.

We walked into a hey field that was very tall. The hey was probably 3-4 feet tall. We walked 50 yards to an area where the deer had bedded down it appeared and Mike gave me the plan. Hold Chris's plane up and after he put the throttle to full I'd throw the plane. Not up, not down, straight out. Well, now I'm nervous. Can you even launch a plane like this by throwing it? Sure, Mike threw his own planes to get them started but they were different and were made to launch that way.

After getting instruction on what we were going to do Mike fired it up wide open and I was surprised that the dang plane literally wanted to jump out of my hand. I took two steps and tossed it forward as straight as I could. Mike quickly got control of the plane and started climbing. Immediately Mike started saying "Oh, this is nice. This really controls nice." He climbed it to 1000 or so feet (my guess based on what I had seen earlier) and got the feel for it. Then he turned it over to Chris (with Mike's hands still touching the transmitter but off the controls). From time to time he'd have to take it back from Chris because it got ugly. As we had seen with Mike's planes Mike was able to fly Chris's plane with no power and just gliding.

At some point the power was dead to the motor and Mike brought it back down gliding. In the tall hey field the landing was less than perfect but it didn't matter. That's why we were in the tall hey field.

Everyone, especially Mike, let out a collective relief "Whew!" and after charging the battery again and doing some more flying with Mike's planes we did a repeat for Chris's plane. Things went just as smoothly and Chris had a ball. I did too watching Chris and learning.

Anyway, this is way long but just wanted to say thank you for the help. We got a good plane. The plane is still in one piece. And we learned a lot just in this one instructor meeting.

Now I have a hankering for a foam plane. Oh, and a better charger too - one that tells you when it's done charging and also takes the battery to zero before starting the charge. Yah, I know. I don't know all the terms yet. I don't speak your language just yet. But I can see how this is something you could really get in to and something you could do with your child even when your child is the age I am today and I'm old and gray.

Thanks again guys. Oh, it's time for a flight simulator too so we can practice more this Winter. :-)

David

Not just great but SUPER !! I'm sure everyone who answered your post is just as happy as I am. Tell your friend Mike that he is the kind of RC modeler that we are all proud to hear about. The thing now is the same as the way to get to Carnegie Hall. Practice, practice, practice. I know you'll have more fun in the future than you thought possible. Don't forget the most important part - Father & Son.

Congratulations and welcome to the world of RC Flying. This is only the beginning!

Let us know how we can help![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!! I am glad to hear all went well and that the plane flies so well! I can still remember the first time I got to fly my own plane after waiting for it for several monthes, (Im not a builder, I suffer from Wingus Warpus Syndrome) I was shaking so bad I couldnt stand it and had to turn the controls back over to the instructer about half way through the flight! After he brought the plane back down and refueled it he told me that I had done so well that he wanted me to solo. After 4 assisted flights I solo'd my trainer and still addicted 18 years later! I still get the jutters each and every time I take up a new plane. Stick with it and most of all enjoy yourselves and the time spent together with your son! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

nothandyjustdad

First let me complement you on working with your son on this. Too many Dads today just give the kid something and tell them to go away. Regardless of how your future flights go, you are creating a bond between you and you son that is worth more than the cost of 100 planes. Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a Dad. Good work Dad!

Now, back to planes:

You have now entered into the black hole of RC flying. You toss in money and out pops stuff! What a great hobby!

As to the charger. If you want a better charger, get a peak charger that can run off the car battery. There are many good ones and others can offer examples. Prices range from abot $15 ( I have two of these that work with my Aerobird) to $100+ I have a Hitec 340. This goes for about $40 and can charge NiCad or NiMH batteries.

Now that your son has a plane, you need one. This way you can fly together and you can trade off. You both get to try different planes so that you learn different things. Also, as you have seen, with electrics, the hand launch is very common. In fact many electrics don't even have gear. They are so light that you just toss 'em up. The real beneffit is you don't need a runway so you can fly anywhere. Try that with your average 5 pound .40 glo plane. NOT

So, what does Daddy need.

Here are some ideas:

Hitec Sky Scooter Pro II - Ready to fly

This is a ready to fly package for about $160 which includes a three channel radio. It is foam. It also has Ailerons so it can do rolls and stuff. Lots of fun, no building.
This link will take you to a description, review and video of the plane
Sky Scooter Pro II


Slow Flyer - GWS Tiger Moth - ARF - Some building

Slow Flyers are fun because they fly slow. They can be flown in smaller areas than faster planes. The Tiger Moth is a great little Bi-plane. This plane can fly so slow you can fly it indoors. Review of the Tiger Moth
Tiger Moth Review


Flying Wings - Zagi and others - ARF

Zagis are flying wings. They litterally bounce off of things. They are highly aerobatic and are just so much fun. There are big Zagis, faster zagis and slower zagi fixx planes. Other companies make flying wings as well.
Her is a link to some info and Videos

Zagi 400 flying wing
Zagi Video




So these are just some ideas.
Here is a link to a bunch of other choices, many of which have videos of the planes.
Lots more planes and videos


The sky scooter Pro II - I almost bought this for myself. I bought an Aerobird instead and love it, but I think this could be a great plane for you. I think the Scooter would be great for you.

The Tiger Moth is also a great plane, but won't do well in wind. However you might be able to fly it in front of your house, once you get good with it.


The Zagis are just tons of fun and almost indestructable.

Have fun together and fly safely!