RC Trainer...Advice Please

[Supaf1y]

Originally posted by RATTFINK
Find a local AMA Club & join it or at least join AMA.

Ever get the funny feeling that not everyone is reading the thread before posting? Just yankin' your chain man.

[indy007]

Originally posted by Sol75
The DX6i is great, I got one with my Blade 400.  Everything the DX7 has minus 1 channel..  I use it for my Blade, TRex, and a couple of foamies.  Been VERY happy.  I use my DX7 for most of my planes, including giant scale.  And the JR 10x I use for my scale birds, and my jet, which require more than 7 channels.

Nice. How does the receiver handle high speed impacts? I'm the king of the shovel recovery. I'll never build anything out of balsa

[RATTFINK]

Originally posted by Supaf1y
Ever get the funny feeling that not everyone is reading the thread before posting? Just yankin' your chain man.

I don't remember seeing anything about AMA.  I did see the mention of other clubs.  But AMA offers alot more then your everyday R/C plane club.


AMA is the one you want.

[Supaf1y]

Originally posted by RATTFINK
I don't remember seeing anything about AMA.  I did see the mention of other clubs.  But AMA offers alot more then your everyday R/C plane club.


AMA is the one you want.

I was just kidding around. The local club that I mentioned suggests/requires to be an AMA member to be part of their club. From their website:

How do I get started?                                                                                        

   1. Find a club that is local to your home; attend one of their meetings and see if their culture is a good match for you.
   2. You want to look for a club that has an active instruction program.
   3. If you have never flown RC airplanes before see if you can arrange for an instructor to give you a test hop using the instructors plane.
   4. Obtain feedback from the club members on the type of plane, equipment and supplies that are the most reliable.
   5. Join the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA).
   6. Join the local club.
   7. Purchase the recommended plane, equipment and supplies.
   8. Start formal instruction.

Seems like a good club but we will see. They have a general meeting coming up soon I think and I'll attend that, introduce myself and go from there.

[RATTFINK]

I’m sure you’ll be satisfied w/ the =AMA=.  They usually meet once a month & usually at the beginning of that month.

Here’s a plus; if you join the AMA, they’ll insure your plane & you when you fly.

[Sol75]

Indy, I havenot yet had the opportunity to auger a craft with the spread spectrum installed, so THAT i do not know...yet... lol

[Supaf1y]

Here is a spreadsheet that I put together showing the specs of some popular trainer planes. It's a very, very simple spreadsheet as I am not very knowledgeable with Excel. It's still a work in progress.

  Download Link

[eagl]

Originally posted by indy007
Any comments on Spektrum DX6 setups guys? Moving in 2 months and getting a massive reservoir for a backyard. Really enjoy playing with EDF foamies, and not afraid to crash since I can cut out a new fan trainer in under an hour.

I read at rcuniverse that there was some concern with the range of some of the earlier spektrum systems.  Spektrum and JR 2.4 systems also do not frequency hop to avoid interference.  They pick 2 frequencies at power-on and stick with those two throughout the flight.  Futaba and the new Airtronics radios frequency hop.  According to the Airtronics rep who frequents rcuniverse forums, interference on any one channel should last for only 1/20th of a second and they've demonstrated in excess of 2 miles range.

I've been looking into 2.4 ghz systems for about a year now, and I think that for price/features ratio, I think the new airtronics 8 ch 2.4 system probably can't be beat.  Before last week, I'd have put in a plug for JR but I spend a whole sick day at home reading up on everything I could find, and that's what I came up with.

That said, I don't have anything solid *against* the spektrum systems.  I have read random reports about range problems and some people think the spektrum transmitters feel "cheap" somehow.  A very experienced RC pilot I respect said that I should pay the extra bucks and go with JR since the quality was unmatched.  But I haven't gotten his opinion on the new airtronics system.