Attn: RC flyers!

[mrnolmts]

Ok, you guys have gotten me interested in trying out RC flying, so I'll ask this here:
What is a good, reasonable, ready-to-fly kit for a rookie? Meaning, everything included, minimal assembly, and of the sturdy kind? From what I can gather, I will need at least a 3-channel remote? Preferably a 4-channel?
Any suggestions are welcome
Cheers!

 

[mtrv]

Ok, you guys have gotten me interested in trying out RC flying, so I'll ask this here:
What is a good, reasonable, ready-to-fly kit for a rookie? Meaning, everything included, minimal assembly, and of the sturdy kind? From what I can gather, I will need at least a 3-channel remote? Preferably a 4-channel?
Any suggestions are welcome
Cheers!

Something such as the aircraft in the following link. Has the wing connected with rubber bands which is a bit more forgiving. And a 4-channel radio is preferred over a three. You could even get a six channel if you want to expand later.

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/tel40gas.htm

edit: actually, get an ARF version of this type, unless you really want to build. There are plenty out there.

 

[C601]

Forget about Hobby lobby...there stuff is over priced.
The Alpha 40 Trainer, RTF is the way to go, truly Ready to fly all you need is Glow gas.

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Shop/ByCategory/Category.aspx?OverallCatID=AR

 

[Photoflight]

definatly get the four channel...no ailerons is kinda crappy.

You might check out your local hobby store also. Many sell ready to fly aircraft that you can literally take straight to the field.

 

[GravityHater]

Electric is way better than it used to be, this will save a lot in messing with dripping fuel and oil in your car, tuning and tweaking engines.
Usually lighter too, so they 'hit' with less force!

 

[Gorilla]

Another vote for electric. A foamie park flyer will train your hands, and within a few weeks you will be ready for just about any reasonable gas trainer. The good part about electric is the reliability and ease of flight, along with cost. If I show up with my brushless Formosa and a bag full of charged batteries, I will fly probably 3X as much as a guy with a .40 gas trainer, and stick time is what you want, not messing around with a finicky engine.

You'll feel a lot less pain when you crash a $30 foamie than you will when you crash a more expensive balsa gas plane. And the chances are, you WILL crash! Good luck, it's fun.

Oh yes, I'd invest in at least a 5 or 6 channel computer radio with features like expo, separate model list, etc. It's false economy to buy a cheap radio, as you'll want something better very quickly.

 

[WARMBEER]

My vote is for gas. You can get cheap planes which you can put a gas motor in. Plus gas is more Fun. Sounds better to.

 

[mtrv]

My vote is for gas. You can get cheap planes which you can put a gas motor in. Plus gas is more Fun. Sounds better to.

Especially 4-cycle engines!

 

[Swass]

If you want to learn then log some time reading this site:

www.rcuniverse.com

It's everything R/C. Just go to the forums.

 

[WARMBEER]

Especially 4-cycle engines!

Heck Ya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh and the bigger the better!

 

[Tripower455]

If you are going to have someone teach you to fly, get a 4 channel glow or electric aileron trainer.

If you are going to teach yourself to fly, do yourself a favor, and buy a GWS Slow Stick. It is a 3 channel bird, but is actually a lot of fun to fly, and you won't get discouraged trying to fly it by yourself. An out of trim aileron trainer will re-kit itself pretty quickly.

The SS is easy to build, easy to fly, CHEAP and is very hard to destroy past the point where some clear packing tape can't fix it.

Invest in a good 5-6 channel computer radio, as it can be used in more advanced airplanes.

The only disadvantage electrics have compared to glow is that when you get to anything larger than a .40 sized model, the batteries needed to equal the power of a glow engine will kill you, cost wise.

In almost every other way, the electrics are superior, IMHO. No vibration, mess, big field box, mess and the performance is unbelievable. The models I fly are .10-.25 sized (speed 400 warbirds mostly), and will outperform a glow counterpart in every way. I go to the field with a couple of batteries, planes, a wrench for the wing bolts and transmitters. The charger is always in the car, but I rarely charge at the field.

The endurance is also unbelievable. I am getting 35-40 minutes out of a 2100 mah lipo in my Bearcat, and that is not just boring circles in the sky. It will accelerate straight up, so full throttle is barely used.

 

[Swass]

Tripower, do you have a link to your setup? What make and model?

 

[mrnolmts]

I appreciate the insight, guys
Keep in mind I'm a total rookie, here. I have never flown an RC in my life. From what I gather, it seems an Electric Trainer is my best option for starters. Looks like the engines are simpler, little or no tweaking, less of a mess, less cost, etc. It also seems that a 5 or 6 channel computer radio is the way to go right off the bat, since that's what I'll end up with anyways. Does that about sum it up?
Thanks again for all the replies!

Cheers!

 

[Tripower455]

I appreciate the insight, guys
Keep in mind I'm a total rookie, here. I have never flown an RC in my life. From what I gather, it seems an Electric Trainer is my best option for starters. Looks like the engines are simpler, little or no tweaking, less of a mess, less cost, etc. It also seems that a 5 or 6 channel computer radio is the way to go right off the bat, since that's what I'll end up with anyways. Does that about sum it up?
Thanks again for all the replies!

Cheers!

Sounds good to me! You won't be dissapointed with a slow stick, and will learn how to fly pretty quickly. Once you master that, get something like an Estarter with ailerons as your second bird.

You can use the stock brushed motor with nicads or nimh, but I bet that if you stick with it, you'll want to go Lipo/brushless all the way.

My advice would be to try to find someone that knows how to fly get you going to begin with, regardless of the airplane. The first few flights are a steep learning curve, that is much easier if you don't crash the plane!

Tripower, do you have a link to your setup? What make and model?

Which setup? My son and I have a bunch of planes.......



BTW, another great RC site is rcgroups.com.........

They can give much more detailed ideas about basic power etc. All of our airplanes are brushless/lipo setups now.


This would be an easy way to get started.....

Tower hobbies has:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXEUY5**&P=7

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXHCJ1&P=ML

After that, you'll need some batteries and a decent charger. I'd ask around on RC groups about specifics, unless you want to go Lipo right off the bat for more $$$. Not necessary for a SS IMHO.......

I have 2 of those radios, and they are ALL you're ever gonna need unless you start competing in pattern, and even then you could get by (I competed for years with a LOT less!). This particular one comes with a 5 channel rec, 2 micro servos and a brushed speed controller. We used all of it on my son's slow stick until we went brushless and we had to change the controller. No issues whatsoever. After you have the transmitter, you can buy flight packs for the rest of your airplanes as you go.

Usually, Tower has some kind of deal where you buy over a certain amount and get $20 off etc.

 

[psysicx]

I was told to get a foam rc since its easy to fix is that a good idea?

 

[Swass]

Tell me about your Bearcat with the brushless and LiPos. Sounds fun.

 

[Tripower455]

Tell me about your Bearcat with the brushless and LiPos. Sounds fun.

It's my favorite one..... It is a Ryan bearcat, with Mega 16/15/6 brushless, turning a 7-5E APC prop, Phoenix 25 esc and Thunder Power 2100 3s Lipo. I also made the rudder active, and it is a real barn burner, even at 21 oz all up!

The thing goes forever on a charge, and will accelerate straight up. I was running a 5 turn in it at first, and it was an absolute rocket, but it was pulling too many amps with the 7-5, and was a PIA to hand launch with a 6-4 and didn't really perform well with a skinny MA 7-4. The 6 turn is a little slower in top speed, but is still fast enough to fly around at half throttle and perform large loops and other acro stuff.

http://home.fuse.net/ryan/

These are not beginner planes, flying wise! They are fairly easy to build if you've built a few balsa jobs, but I wouldn't recommend one as a first plane for either. They do look good, are outstanding flyers, and quite rugged. I planted the bearcat on the prop nut from about 100 feet up when I fried my ESC using the 7-5E on the 5 turn (overdrawn at the amp bank! ), and the airframe was only slightly damaged, and was flying the next day. Not bad for a foamy, but unheard of with a built up balsa plane!

I've got the Hellcat in the box, waiting for some other projects to be done.....

 

[molson247]

You should try a wing! They are indestructable and great for anyone who's starting out in R/C. Here's a link for a beginner one which is ready to fly from the box... http://www.combatwings.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=38&product_name=Ready%20to%20Fly%20XE2%20w/Speed%20400

Also, check out the videos on that website on the wings! Pretty cool!

Good luck!

 

[Big Duke Six]

I started flying RC airplanes about 25 years ago. I haven't flown much in the last 10 years or so, so I bought a GreatPlanes Realflight RC Sim this fall for my computer. I haven't actually tried it yet, but I've played with them at hobby shops etc and they are very realistic, and seem like they would be a great way to learn without busting up some real airplanes. I'm going to set it up soon so I can freshen up my skills to get ready for spring.

Sure beats crashing the real thing, plus, just like in real life, you can try things "in the sim" that you can't try in the real airplane.