CoytAW

alright so im new to the r/c world. i just ordered a rtf electric spitfueur from bananahobby and im not really sure what i might need to know. i know im a pretty good pilot because i have flown real planes before. i dont know however what battery types i should get. my plane is only 90 bucks so its not like im going to competitions but i do plan to get better and get better planes. for starters can anyone tell me just what they think of lipos? my buddies NIMH only lasts about 15 mins. kind of a buzzkill when the plane starts slowing down, eh? also what companies do you recommend? thanks.

jdetray

I don't want to introduce another "buzzkill," but if you have never flown an R/C plane before, a warbird is generally not a good choice. I don't know anything about the particular plane you've purchased; I'm simply saying that warbirds are usually difficult for beginners to fly. Experience in full size planes has some benefit but not as much as you think.

A flight time of 15 minutes is pretty typical for R/C planes. A lithium polymer battery will give you either more flight time or higher performance (maybe both). The excellent power density of lipos has been a tremendous boon to electric flight. For the same capacity, lipos are much lighter than NiMH batteries.

If you get a lipo battery, you will also need a lipo battery charger. The charger that comes with the plane is probably not suitable for lipos. Proper charging and care is critical for lipos, whereas NiMH are more forgiving of abuse.

- Jeff

Time Pilot

Same advice as above: start with a different plane or, fly the 'spitfueur' and don't feel bad when you crash and damage/destroy the plane.

Lipos are great, but I'd not recommend them to beginners. You have to respect these batteries and learn about how to treat them. Start thinking about lipos once you're at least past the "I've Lost Control Again, Crashing Stage." Better even to wait until your past the "I Know How to Fly Now, Crashing Stage."

jdetray

That's a great point about crashing and lipos. Lipos are much more fragile than NiMH packs and so are more easily damaged in crashes.

- Jeff

sthone

Now don't take this the wrong way but.... your going to eat those words just about as fast as your going to crash your first plane if you don't get some help before flying for the first time.

We've had a bunch of full scale flyers at our field that all said the same thing and after their first flight were amazed that they couldn't jump right into this hobby, with a little help the were soloing in no time but just don't get ahead of your self is all i'm saying.

As far a lipo's be sure to read some of the horror stories before you decide they can be dangerous if not respected.

-Steve

Leo L

CoytAW,

If you will be flying with a good instructor, then you can start with just about any plane. But if you will be teaching yourself how to fly, you should start with a plane that is suitable to teach you how to fly without crashing immediately upon take-off. Do yourself a big favor and set the Spitfire aside. Warbirds, like the Spitfire, are very difficult to fly, but look terrific, which causes many beginners to buy them. A Warbird is a good FOURTH or FIFTH plane to fly.

The two best beginner planes are the HobbyZone SuperCub and the Mulitplex EasyStar. Buy one of these, learn to fly and we'll help to guide you to the point where you will be ready to give that Spitfire a fighting chance.

Hatty

I would recommend a trainer, without a doubt. There were some mentioned above that are good. Real planes handle completely differently than RC planes. Just go to youtube and watch videos of full scale aerobatic pilots and then of RC pilots. You will be surprised.

But, if you get a trainer (they aren't that expensive) you will not regret it. It's a fun hobby.

As for lipos, I'd say no for now. I have three lipo packs now (destroyed one of them), but thats after using nicads for 8 years and nimh for about 5. So, I know a fair amount about batteries and respect them. That sounds corny, but if you aren't best buds with your lipo pack, it will show you how much it hates you. Just like with the trainer, get experience using nimh packs before jumping into lipo. They are completely worth it when you get the experience.

grubby120

If i were you i would buy a 3d foamy and copy it ... onto 3mm coreflute ..think you guys (over there) call it coromax .... this is the cheapest way to become a pilot ,.if you don't have the radiio gear ........a suggestion is ebey.....some of my planes are on youtuube
me =120 rubby........type coreflute
Dean....

saucerguy

First thing to know is to keep that plane in it's original packaging, you aren't ready for it.

This means it will be twice as hard for you to learn, forget everything you "think" you know, "real" pilots are alot harder to teach RC because they think their skills are going to help, which is not the case, and in fact, the opposite. These are a completely different animal, orientation for example is the biggest hurdle to overcome. What you experience flying the full scale plane performance wise with RC is similar to driving a Powerwheel compared to a Porche.

Don't bother upgrading a 90.00 plane, fly it for what it is, and when you are ready to move on, start thinking of your options for gearing up something more mainstream.

CoytAW

haha well i might surprise you all but ive had 2 successful flights and even pulled a sort-of inside loop. it went a little crazy. thanks about the info for lipos. ill wait and get a better plane before i upgrade. but because i have only taken flight school and dont fly regularly (i.e. not since '05) my habits are negligible. also own a nitro r/c car so i know some of the finicky-ness of r/c stuff. but you're all right: i will set aside my warbird for now. it was a bit difficult to keep it up. i have a pilot friend helping me out. he has some nice planes. oh and does anyone know any troubleshoots for a spatic radio? aside from getting a new one. sometimes it will clench up when i push the stick all the way down or left. down as in dive. going to try foil wrapping but i would appreciate other suggestions.

CoytAW

also to let you all know: its a cheap foam plane. mostly i was told that the radio was pretty good and the motor was decent. the thing is cheap so i wont worry about breaking it.