you probably get this question so many times, you would kick my ass when you would see me.

But never the less, here it is again:
What would be a good beginners setup ?
I haven't desided between electric and glow yet, so I would like to hear your opinions about this.

The GWS E-Starter seem to be a popular aileron trainer. I myself used a GWS Tiger Moth 400 and I really like the bi-plane look.

Ultrafly cessna is good to learn on, its all foam so its pretty easy to reapair and is pretty sturdy. On the stock setup it flys nice and slow, which is essential for begginers.

I started with the pico tigermoth, it flies ok, but its very fragile espacially the wing and the motor is not powerful so it climbs really slow.the positive thing about the motor is that it doesnt suck lots of amps which maker the battery last longer.also, no aelerions.which means later u might have to buy another to get the aelerions training. if i have done my research i would go with the E-starter it got aelirons. or the new tigermoth 400. the slow stick has more powerful motor than the pico tiger moth but no aelerions either.i recommend the tigermoth 400: more power, aelerions and nice looking,nice with floats

I purchased an Aerobird challenger and had my first ever flight today. i've got no previous RC experiences except for a few goes at rc cars.

Anyway I had 6 successful flights today. Only mishap was hand launching the plane. Once i didn't throw hard enough and the thing banked left and nosed in with no damage. Although i did find a loose screw in the fuse which is a bit disconcerting. Anyway on my first ever flight i just gave it a bit of up elevator and a bit of left rudder and cored up to over 200' and just did a couple of laps. Then started to do loops, aggressive turns, dives, touch and goes all on the first pack. Even landed on the wheels in a baseball diamond many times.

It's a relatively cheap kit and almost flies itself!

We recently released a new plane that was designed ground up as a first trainer. It is called the Magpie. It assembles quickly, is very stable in the air, and is quite crashworthy. We will be offering a complete package containing transmitter, charger, etc as soon as all the parts come in. This package will be more expensive than many of the starter sets but will contain quality components that will grow with you.

The Magpie also has a second wing available that turns it into an aileron trainer for when you are ready to take the next step.

Photos and videos can be found at www.mountainmodels.com

Doug Binder

I would say the slow stick for sure. because if you crash..... and you will.... the whole plane (minus the electronics) only costs $35 I still fly mine just did today!

Go to your local hobby store and see what they sell. because if you crash you dont want to wait 2 weeks while the parts come in the mail.

If you go glo you will have to join a club and fly in a special field. I would say electric is the way to go... you can fly it anywhere. I fly mine at a park right down the street.

also... Make sure you get something that has seprate parts.... (servos, speed control, reciever) rather than a "all in on" board!

this way if you buy another plane you can swap and mix parts... saves a lot of money.

Hmmm ...

You're in Belgium.

Keep in mind that many of the replies you'll receive here will be from the USA. Some of the planes mentioned won't be as easily available there, perhaps.

I would suggest that you look in at the hobby shops you have locally. Also look around for flying clubs or for individuals you might see flying at areas you're considering using and see what's available in your market.

I started with electric before moving also into glow and found that was a good way to go. Foam airplanes are easy to fix, sometimes right at the flying site, so that some of the frustrations of crashing are minimized ... and you will crash.

I would suggest that you get something that uses equipment that will allow you to grow with it. Get a radio setup that is open - a transmitter, receiver, electronic speed control and servos that will work with more than one airplane are a must if you're looking to start and then move up to a number of other planes.

Perhaps your first decision is whether you want to do some building or have something ready to fly right out of the box. There are many choices. Gathering the information you'll need to start choosing is a great start to the hobby!

Enjoy!

BobbyG

GWS Slowstick

I was planning on getting a small gas trainer, but after reading this forum, I'm going slow stick, with a Airtronics VG400 4ch FM w/3-102Z 72mHz.

All for 244.98 CAD. Batts included.

Now, does the plane come with the batts for the prop? and what of a charger? Any good recommendations?

Hey Fly by PDX!!!
I live in portland too!!!
what park do you fly in? Im looking for a good place to fly, but i cant find any. I just fly in my old elementary school's soccer field (a little small for my Hitec Skyscooter)
I think im going to buy a GWS Slow Stick too...

Ok, here are my recommendations.

Glow - Prairie Bird with a .15-.20 engine. One of the best trainers I've ever seen. Its just rudder and elevator, and throttle. It's really easy to fly. You might have to do some searching for a kit though, as this is an older kit. This is what I learned to fly on, and I still have the plane.

Electric - Aerobird. Cheap so if you break it, it doesnt break you. Easy to fly....REALLY easy. Most people can have a successful flight first time with this plane with no previous experience. Parts for these things can be found just about everywhere. Dont be surprised if you see these in Toys-R-Us soon. Although they are definatly NOT toys, as that prop will still eat a finger.

is the plane with two motors/propelers (no servos, just different speed of left/right motors when you make turn) is good for beginner to learn how to fly? what about the one with two propelers but with 3 different speed control?

They are the worst. I had one it was so difficult to fly end up in a bad crash. as if u have no control with only thurst control. right and left turn were ok. but when the airplane decides to go for a small dive u can never get it up. whatever you get for a beginner airplane always get one with control surfaces, rudder and elevator, best to get rudder,elevator and aelerons control. Tigermoth 400 or E-starter are great trainners with aelerons.

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They are the worst. I had one it was so difficult to fly end up in a bad crash. as if u have no control with only thurst control. right and left turn were ok. but when the airplane decides to go for a small dive u can never get it up. whatever you get for a beginner airplane always get one with control surfaces, rudder and elevator, best to get rudder,elevator and aelerons control. Tigermoth 400 or E-starter are great trainners with aelerons.
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actually they are not hard to take off, mine can take off easily from the ground, but, you are exactly right, when the airplane decides to go for a small dive u can never get it up, and mine ended up crash and broken wing.
is it possible to train my self with the one with control surfaces, such as rudder and elevator? (without any instructor?)
i think i'll go without the ailerons first until i master the 3 channel.