g-mark .061 rc engine

I saw your other posts in the Gas forum. Why the .061?? If it's free, and you are short on cash, then that's the only reason I'd go with that one. Otherwise, get a .40 sized engine(.40 to .53) OS, Tower, GMS, Magnum, Thunder Tiger, Enya, . . . all good engines. There are more .40 sized ARF's and kits than any other size, so it can easily move from one plane to another. If you've never flown before, you have to get with a trainer and get a trainer type plane. Join a club, and get hooked up with a trainer there. This will save you a lot of money. Bigger planes of the same type usually handle better than the smaller version.

Get with a club, they'll steer you in the right direction.
--Rick

thanks for the information. I really appreciate it and will take your advice.

Spawn:

I'd say it was more of being too small.

Bill.

Bill, better hope more of the 1/2A guys dont see this post! Traitor!!

AJC

AJ:

Oops.

No disrespect, no disloyalty, and not a traitor. Key words are "For a beginner."

A 40-46 size gives much more probable success for a beginner than a 1/2A, unless the 1/2A plane is selected with more care than the beginner usually has.

Bill.

In my experience, generally the bigger they are, the easier they are to fly. More stability, less prone to wind gusting and slower to move making it easier to correct for pilot error. Plus they are easier to see when far away. For some of these half A planes, you have to have the reflexes of a coked up Nintendo jockey.

Max

Bill, just teasing you (I did put in a wink?)....

I agree, I tried many years to learn with 1/2A but never got really flying untill I bought an OS FSR 10, and a 15 sized trainer. Now I know I had my 1/2A planes WAY too sensitive (too much throw) but I do think it is possible to learn with a good 1/2A, but far easier with a good 40 size trainer.

You know I fly em' big and small too!

AJC

I have a Futaba Skysport 4 channel transmitter so would this be good to train with if I were to goto bigger planes?

Spawn:

The Futaba Skysport is a very good radio, limited in capabilities though.

If, when you get a fancier radio you get the new one on the same channel (and same brand) the Skysport will always be a good backup. Even if you get one of the nine channel rigs the Skysport will still operate the basic four channels.

AJC:

The wingspans of my toy planes run from 8 inches to 8 feet. I also go small and big. I really go bigger yet, but RCU isn't for the ones we control from the inside.


Bill.

PS: I did see your smiley. wr.

Well again thanks for the advice. You have been a big help

IMHO, the best trainer money can buy is the 60-size versions. I flew my Tower Hobbies 60 trainer for the 1st season. It was easy to fly especially because it was easier to see.

BTW, some of the most difficult airplanes to fly are the 1/2As because they are so small.

Probably the easiest to fly airplane I have in my inventory is my Airworks X300L Profile/Moki 180. It's 80" wing span is very difficult not to see.

I don't think there is such a thing as too big or too small. Its whatever you can afford or want to spend. You can build a spad with a 40 sized engine and be in for less than $150 and spend up from there.

The only thing with spending a lot on an engine is if you get discouraged or change your mind you will be out more bucks.

I just bought a O.S. 40 LA MAX. What is the best recommended trainer? Hey and again everyone I really appreciate your help. BTW what is a control line engine?


I have included some pics of the engine i bought

A control line engine has NO throttle. In RC, our engines have a throttle, and we use it on one of the RC channels to control engine speed for maneuvers, take off, landings. In control line, they go full blast the entire time and then land when they run out of fuel (typically...not always)

Can't tell for sure, but that engine kinda looks like it has no throttle...is that what you want? Are you starting out in RC? If so, thats the wrong engine....unless you want to land dead-stick all the time..

[Oh, I think I do see the throttle over there on the other side... OS LA is a great engine to start out with]

Spawn,

The engine you've pictured is an excellent first engine. Just be sure that you don't adjust the air bleed, which is the small black screw on the front side of the carb that has a spring on it. Notice that there is a small hole in the very front of the carb. This screw with the spring on it adjusts the opening of the hole. The screw comes pre-set from the factory and doesn't need to be touched. Get with someone who knows how to break in an engine. The break in process is the most critical part of running a new engine. If you can't find any help, just ask here on RCU and help will come to you.

A control line engine doesn't have a throttle adjustment on the carb. It's full throttle all the time.

Good luck,
John

Welcome to the hobby spawnxx2k !!!

Good move!!!

It is a good engine for the first plane. As for the model - there are number of choices in this size category: Alph Trainer, Tower, PT-40, SIG Kadet line... You might want to visit this link: http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0093p?&C=AAB. There are plenty to choose from.
You may decide to buy ARF (almost ready to fly) kit - then you will have to some "gluing and screwing" , or you can get an RTF (ready to fly) kit, where everything is pretty much ready - just attach some components and run to the field (to meet an instructor - I am strongly encourage you to get one).

The radio you have will work just fine with your first trainer.

“The control line engine� I guess you are referring to “control line airplane�. It is the one where you fly the plane with control line. It is not a free flight. The plane is just flying in circles and you can do some “tricks�.

Good luck!!!

Do you want to build the plane from a kit, or so you want something that is going to go together fairly quickly (2-15 hours). A kit is going to take at least between two to four weeks to build if you don't have any experience bulilding. You can get some ARF(Almost Ready To Fly) planes that go together in as little as 1-2 hours, like the Avistar trainer. Other brands of ARF's can go together in an evening or two. ARF's may seem to cost a bit more, but if you look at what all it takes to get a kit in the air, you're pretty much better off buying an ARF. Kits are for people who like to build and aren't in a hurry to get the plane in the air. Pretty much any .40 size trainer will do the trick.

John

C/L engine? R/C engine?

Some R/C classes run with no throttle, and some C/L classes have throttles. Not all of one and the other anymore, but generally, yes. The throttled engines are r/c, and the open intake engines are c/l.

Bill.

Thanks everyone! I am looking forward to getting into the hobby and i plan on making rcuniverse my number one source for information.

this isnt true i have a 049 trainer and 2 40 size planes the 049 flys as well and i can fly it in my back yard i love the little pane

Yeah it is!!

i dont get it why you guys cant fly a small air plane

I learned on an .049...its harder. The only good thing is I was able to rebuild the plane over and over again about 20 times which I could never have done with a big plane.... A lot less time to rebuild a small plane.

In general (and I have built many small planes for 049s as well as mid sized glow and giant scale gassers) the smaller planes are "harder" to fly for a beginner for a few reasons.

1- engines usually harder to get running consistantly
2- planes being smaller are harder to see and can get away from you quickly
3- with too much throw on the controls (a common beginner mistake) they can be very very touchy
4- underpowered (read that: overweight) they fly like crap


That being said, a well made and set up smaller plane can be a delight! They can be flown in a smaller area and are generally a lot cheaper (airframe) and can take crashes better (lighter weight). Easier to store, transport and set up.

If you do want to start with a smaller plane, something like a Lazy Bee makes a great trainer, with lightweight radio gear and an .09 or .10 sized engine, very easy to fly, slow and stable.

I still think a 40 or 60 sized trainer is the easier way to go if you are able to swing it, though....

AJC