Whole New World From 10 Years Ago
04-18-2010, 09:56 PM
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Whole New World From 10 Years Ago
Ok, so I was big into RC cars years ago, and still break my HPI Truck out now and again. My big hobby for many many years was motorcycles, but with kids, I got out of that for at least the next 10 years or so.
This brings me back to the RC world. Since I was a kid, I have always wanted to get into RC airplanes. What stopped me was the price of the gas (electric was never an option back then) kits etc... Plus the thought of getting involved in a club, getting my parents to drive me... I just got into other stuff.
Now, at 34, I recently learned that with brushless motors and lipo power, the price and options are much more manageable. I have been looking all over the web and visited local hobby stores and am about ready to purchase my first plane.
I understand that MANY people shoot down certain brands and promote others, but here is the deal. Right now, I have a total budget of around $200.00 and nitroplanes.com has that 55" RC 182 Sky Trainer for $149.00 complete. I have seen many positive reviews and videos on that plane. For some reason, one of my hangups is the smaller wingspan. I know that there are other models of planes with around a 36" wing span, but I am thinking of the larger planes being more stable in the air. I need help.
Plus, I also need some educating on the whole lipo battery thing. Gone are the days of my old 2400 NiCd batteries.
The kit says it comes with an 11.1V 1800mah Li-Polymer battery. Optional batteries included say 20c or 25c. What is that? I would think to go with 25c for longer flight times.
Either way, there is a lot to learn. I feel lost. There is not many people in my area that get into this and I do not want to buy the wrong stuff.
This brings me back to the RC world. Since I was a kid, I have always wanted to get into RC airplanes. What stopped me was the price of the gas (electric was never an option back then) kits etc... Plus the thought of getting involved in a club, getting my parents to drive me... I just got into other stuff.
Now, at 34, I recently learned that with brushless motors and lipo power, the price and options are much more manageable. I have been looking all over the web and visited local hobby stores and am about ready to purchase my first plane.
I understand that MANY people shoot down certain brands and promote others, but here is the deal. Right now, I have a total budget of around $200.00 and nitroplanes.com has that 55" RC 182 Sky Trainer for $149.00 complete. I have seen many positive reviews and videos on that plane. For some reason, one of my hangups is the smaller wingspan. I know that there are other models of planes with around a 36" wing span, but I am thinking of the larger planes being more stable in the air. I need help.
Plus, I also need some educating on the whole lipo battery thing. Gone are the days of my old 2400 NiCd batteries.
The kit says it comes with an 11.1V 1800mah Li-Polymer battery. Optional batteries included say 20c or 25c. What is that? I would think to go with 25c for longer flight times.
Either way, there is a lot to learn. I feel lost. There is not many people in my area that get into this and I do not want to buy the wrong stuff.
04-19-2010, 10:02 AM
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RE: Whole New World From 10 Years Ago
Hi Cougar,
Welcome to RC flying.
I don't have the 55" Cessna that you are interested in, but I had an earlier version from the same manufacturer. The two biggest issues with that particular manufacturer are the quality of the radio gear and the quality control of the manufacturing process. Very few people find the radio to be acceptable, so you better figure on the cost of a replacement radio. Also, the quality, and consequently the flyability, of the plane varies dramatically. For those who receive a "good" version, the plane is quite nice. For those who get the "poor" version, you can figure on spending more than the initial cost of the plane to get it to fly decently. Its your gamble.
A more conservative plan would be to start with a plane that has been proven to be a good plane for beginners. The two best are the HobbyZone SuperCub and the Multiplex EasyStar. Do a search for people's experiences with these two planes. Although this is a nice forum, its not particularly active. You might want to visit the beginner sections of Wattflyer.com and RCGroups.com.
The "C" rating of a battery gives you the maximum momentary draw. For example, a 1000mah battery is rated for 1.0amps per hour discharge. If it has a 20C rating, it will give a momentary "kick" of 20 amps. If its rated at 25C, the kick will be 25amps. If your normal flying will draw 4 or 5 amps, then either battery would be OK (the 20C will be considerably cheaper). However, if you will be drawing more than 10 amps, then it would be better to get the 25C. To put it another way, if you enjoy cruising, the 20C is fine, but if you want to burn up the sky, you need the 25C.
Welcome to RC flying.
I don't have the 55" Cessna that you are interested in, but I had an earlier version from the same manufacturer. The two biggest issues with that particular manufacturer are the quality of the radio gear and the quality control of the manufacturing process. Very few people find the radio to be acceptable, so you better figure on the cost of a replacement radio. Also, the quality, and consequently the flyability, of the plane varies dramatically. For those who receive a "good" version, the plane is quite nice. For those who get the "poor" version, you can figure on spending more than the initial cost of the plane to get it to fly decently. Its your gamble.
A more conservative plan would be to start with a plane that has been proven to be a good plane for beginners. The two best are the HobbyZone SuperCub and the Multiplex EasyStar. Do a search for people's experiences with these two planes. Although this is a nice forum, its not particularly active. You might want to visit the beginner sections of Wattflyer.com and RCGroups.com.
The "C" rating of a battery gives you the maximum momentary draw. For example, a 1000mah battery is rated for 1.0amps per hour discharge. If it has a 20C rating, it will give a momentary "kick" of 20 amps. If its rated at 25C, the kick will be 25amps. If your normal flying will draw 4 or 5 amps, then either battery would be OK (the 20C will be considerably cheaper). However, if you will be drawing more than 10 amps, then it would be better to get the 25C. To put it another way, if you enjoy cruising, the 20C is fine, but if you want to burn up the sky, you need the 25C.
04-19-2010, 10:47 PM
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RE: Whole New World From 10 Years Ago
Guys, thank you for the advice. I took it and went to my local hobby store and bought an RTF Super Cub. Put it together tonight (impressed) and will fly it for the very first time tomorrow. Thank you again for the advice. Hope to grow in this hobby!! Have always wanted to fly, so here goes!
04-20-2010, 06:46 AM
#5
RE: Whole New World From 10 Years Ago
Good choice. This hobby is amazing fun when you take the time and spend the extra few bucks to do things 'right'. Once you get some experience you can start to experiment and make things happen your own way. Nitroplanes has good 'projects' in that they are cheap, but often have horrible instructions and terrible hardware - maybe something to look at down the road. Personally I'm not interested anymore.
05-14-2010, 03:02 AM
#6
RE: Whole New World From 10 Years Ago
ORIGINAL: cougar166
Guys, thank you for the advice. I took it and went to my local hobby store and bought an RTF Super Cub. Put it together tonight (impressed) and will fly it for the very first time tomorrow. Thank you again for the advice. Hope to grow in this hobby!! Have always wanted to fly, so here goes!
Guys, thank you for the advice. I took it and went to my local hobby store and bought an RTF Super Cub. Put it together tonight (impressed) and will fly it for the very first time tomorrow. Thank you again for the advice. Hope to grow in this hobby!! Have always wanted to fly, so here goes!
