gwilly

I hate to do this, but once again it's a newbie looking for advice. Me and 2 buddies from work are looking into getting some rc planes. We have been doing research, and have read so much that we are more confused than before on what we should get. We are all in our 30's, so we aren't really looking for something geared more toward a kid. We also have a good place to fly, that's about 2 football fields long by 1 football field wide. We plan on learning on our own as well. We are also looking in the $150 - $200 range to get started. We are also looking to upgrade later, so reusable parts are the way we want to go. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

By the way, does anyone know anything about this trainer? The WattAge Corsair:
[link=http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/128316.asp]http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/128316.asp[/link]

Would this be difficult to learn on?

ScYcS

I'd go with the Easystar or a slowstick. Maybe a SkyScooter.

Easystar would be my first pick. I think it's $180 for everything needed, including radio.

Hope you find something that suits your needs.

Have fun, because that's what it's about! [8D]

Dennis

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

I started flying in March of 2003. I had no interest in building models, so I
went the R-T-F route. I think this is such a great way to get started.

I am a first timer. However I am also one of these guys that goes into intense
research when I get interested in something. After several months of research,
talking to people, flyers I decided to start with an electric parkflyer. I
looked at lots of planes and packages and selected the Aerobird.

It is a super value and very easy to fly. It includes a peak charger that can
be used in a car, as well as the batteries for the radio. Wings and other
parts are cheap and available at most hobby stores.

The new version, the Aerobird Challenger looks to be an even better performer.
Also, it has two flight modes - Sport for the beginner or relaxed flyer and
expert for the more advanced or aggressive flyer.

HobbyZone AEROBIRD CHALLENGER
THREE CHANNEL ELECTRIC PARKFLYER

Very inexpensive and rugged for a three channel starter - $115-$150
The plane comes complete and fully assembled. Charge the flight battery with
the included 12 V peak charger, put
on the wing, put the included batteries in the transmitter and up you go!
With a little throttle management you can get flights of 12-15 minutes on a
battery.

The plane is very rugged, but there is a full line of parts available at
reasonable cost. You can replace the whole main fuselage for $49 including the
motor and all the flight electronics. A wing is $15 and the tail is $9. So, if
you crash badly you can get everything for under $75 and you are back in the
with a three channel plane.

In addition to being a fun parkflyer, the plane glides very nicely. We
thremal soar the Aerobirds at our glider club field. Because the plane only
has a 42" wingspan it can't go as high as the sailplanes because we would lose
site of it. I have also read reports of people slope soaring with the
Aerobird. This is a very versitle plane.

If you are interested I have written up a tips sheet on how to fix the
Aerobird.

Here is a review of the Aerobird ( before the new Aerobird Challenger)

http://www1.wildhobbies.com/news/def...&articleid=853
On these pages you will find Videos of the Aerobird in flight
http://www.parkflyers.com/html/aerobird_video.html
http://www.modelflight.com.au/model_flight_videos.htm

With 100+ flights on the Aerobird, I fly in 15 MPH winds and fly with great
confidence. Personally, after all the bad landings I am amazed that the plane
still flies, I love it and have recommended it to many friends who fly them
now as well. They all learned very quickly!

SKY SCOOTER PRO II

The Sky Scooter Pro II is another plane I like and recommend to new flyers.
You can get it as an ARF or as a RTF package with a 72 MHZ Hitec 3 channel
radio for about $160. The charger is 12 V, but is not a peak charger, so you
will eventually want to get a peak charger. On the recommended batteries you
get about a 5 minute flight, but there are other batteries you can get that
will extend that to about 10 minutes. I think the Aerobird is a little easier
to fly, but I really enjoyed flying my friend's Sky Scooter Pro II. It is
worth a look.
http://www.hitecrcd.com/Funtec/Pro2.htm
Videos
http://www.hitecrcd.com/Funtec/videos.htm


From Electric Park Flyer to Sailplane

THE GREAT PLANES SPRIT SELECT 2 METER

If you are more interested in sailplanes than parkflyers, the Spirit Select is
completely assembled with all the electronics installed. It includes a 72 MHZ
three channel radio. It is branded Hobbico, but it is really a Hitec radio.

Here is a link to the site where I purchased it for $139 complete!
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXVK55**&P=7

Here is a link to the ARF version where you can find links to two product
reviews. If you want to do some building, the ARF is the route, but for an
extra $40, I got the radio and the plane ready to fly. For me that was
perfect.
http://www.greatplanes.com/airplanes/gpma1045.html
Video
http://www.greatplanes.com/gallery/gpma16.mov

The plane has spoilers built in the wings that are not set-up when you get it.
If you want to use spoilers, you can set them up later, as I did. The third
channel on the radio operates the spoilers. The included instructions tell
you how to do it.

I started flying the Spirit in Mid July and have about 65 flights on it. I now
have that down pretty well. This plane has a reputation of being a great
thermalling plane but I have heard of people flying it on slopes as well. I
is so great when I get it so high it is just a dot in the sky. I recently
built an electric power pod for it so I can launch it with an electric motor
if I like, but can take it back off so that I have a pure sailplane. I
definitely recommend it as a first sailplane.


SPECTRA MOTOR GLIDER

I don't have one of these, but if you are more likely to buy a motor glider
than a pure sailplane, there is a version of the Spirit called the Spectra.
Essentially the same plane, but with a motor. Again, tower has it for $199
RTF - Add $10 for Eveready's and you are set.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXVJ51**&P=7


Both the Aerobird and the Spirit have been a pleasure. I would recommend them
to anyone starting out in electrics or gliders who would like to go the
ready-to-fly route rather then building.

If you are interested in sailplanes/gliders, visit this link and look for the
article on getting started with gliders.

http://www.rclibrary.com/index.php