Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: SuperDud on April 28, 2005, 06:08:47 PM
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Anyone have any good sites? Looking for some reasonably cheap "beat up" ones to learn with, as well as a nice one for when I get the hang of it. Prefer a WWII model of coarse for the nice one. The trainer ones aren't as important. Also, any advice?
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First piece of advice, find a local RC club and use one of their instructors. It'll cost a heckuva lot less in the long run compared to crashing a couple of models before you figure it out.
If where you live has some decent spots for sailplane flying (thermal or slope, slope being the easier of the two) then you could always try out a foamie. Dave's Aircraft Works makes a Schweizer 1-26 model out of EPP foam. The thing is darn near indestructible. I've seen them nosedive from 100', bounce, and then fly off. You could probably teach yourself with one of them. Scroll down the page and look for the 1-26. http://www.davesaircraftworks.com/thermal.htm
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Get a trainer first. Learning to fly IS important.
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Yeah, r/c planes are pretty fragile, considering the forces put on them during a crash. The toughest plane I have is something called a "Sturdy Birdy II". Its made from pvc, aluminum, and foam for wings. I've cartwheeled it a time or two on take-off, but never crashed it.
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Find a club near you. Many club give free lessons. You can buy a nice used trainer on EBay or RC Universe for a good price. Usually come with a full combo kit which includes the plane, the motor and the radio equipment.
I have a Hobbico Superstar and it is a great plane. I got it all, shipped for $240. The guy never used it. It was like new. It now has 108 flights and still going strong!
Good Luck
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Buy a plane that you can crash. Preferably something foam.
I own a traditional wooden trainer, and never learned to fly it because I never flew it without a trainer around. Then I bought a ZAGI 400X, which flies like a combination of a rock and a rocket, and learned to fly on it -- not because it's an easy plane to fly, but because I can full-power auger it and laugh as I put the pieces back into it before the next flight.
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Just wanted to add that if you go the pre-built route you'll miss out on that wonderful feeling of seeing something you've created with your bare hands fly.
I still remember my first flight, took it down to the local club and spent 1/2 an hour watching the guys fly. Asked one of the chaps if he wouldn't mind test flying my model (an out of trim RC plane on takeoff is not something for the begginer). 2 minutes later he handed over the controls ... the smile on my face was stuck there all day.
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Dont forget, flying season is here now! If you build a kit, the building may keep you from the field for another month or more. A pre-built trainer will get you in the air alot sooner. You will have a chance to build and fly with other planes down the line.
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Originally posted by Darkish
Just wanted to add that if you go the pre-built route you'll miss out on that wonderful feeling of seeing something you've created with your bare hands fly.
Couldnt disagree more. An ARF trainer will be lighter, better built, better covered, safer, and better flying than 90% of first timers attempts at building.
The point of getting a trainer is to learn how to fly and get soloed quickly. So getting from box to runway in a few stress free ARF assembly days is much more productive than spaending weeks building a plane and struggling with all sorts of new tools and materlials. All up ARF cost is also much cheaper than any stick built kit.
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I learned on a Goldberg Eagle II. Great stable plane. I built it, and enjoyed the process, plus learned more about the plane that way.
Getting an Instructor is a MUST! You are guaranteed to crash if you dont, and you will crash on your first flight if you try it alone.
A bad crash will destroy your plane, and possible damage someones property. That can get real expensive.
dago
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This would do you right... (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXK965&P=0)
From scratch, you should be able to get a .40 size trainer in the air for around $280 including radio, engine, & spares. That's all new. I'm sure ebay would be cheaper.
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id start on electric power cheaper, less messy and no need to worry about busting up an engine also you will be able to fly electric alost every where..... electric=quiet
http://www.chiefaircraft.com/cgi-bin/rcm/hazel.cgi?action=serve&item=/Models/ElectricAirplanes/Kits/MiniEdge540.html
http://www.hobby-lobby.com/minipiper.htm
http://www.modelflight.com.au/electric_rc_planes.htm
http://www.greatplanes.com/
electric park flyers
http://www.electrifly.com/pflyerindex.html
this is what i started with build it than learned to fly one
http://www.greatplanes.com/airplanes/gpma0118.html
now i fly this baby
http://h1070257.hobbyshopnow.com/ProdInfo/PagesAUX/1358-ART.asp
good luck
also dont skimp on your radio futaba had great products i got this one so i wwont need to upgrade any time soon
http://www.towerhobbies.com/products/futaba/futk75.html
also JR had awsome radios
http://www.jrradios.com/
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just wanted to add that just do a search on ww2 planes rc they very form skill level to price so thats somethin youll need to be more specific on
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Wow, thx for all the info guys! I'll do a search for RC clubs around here and ask about it. Also there's a guy at a park around here every Sun. who flies one, maybe I'll just ask him about it. I'll probably go for a less expensive, pre-assebled one at first to see if I like it. I'd then consider upgrading to a nice one that I'd build myself. Thx again all
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Originally posted by maxxius
just wanted to add that just do a search on ww2 planes rc they very form skill level to price so thats somethin youll need to be more specific on
Not to worried on skill level. I've bult plenty of plastic and die cast models in my day. Also, not sure if this will apply to model building, but I'm and a/c mechanic.
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We have a bunch of these: http://combatwings.com/catalog/main.php owned by people at work. I saw one crashed nose first straight into the deck a week ago, it was flying again 20 minutes later. They seem relatively bullet-proof, I've seen a couple of mid airs where they've floated down and crashed and they've just been chucked back up into the sky.
Gaffer tape is your friend.
Gatso
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worked on electric glider from goldberg for 3 months
took me three minutes to get it back into a shape that would fit the box it came in :)
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Oh, I understend completely Grunhertz, but the thing is, that's not your plane flying - it's someone else's.
For me RC flying has been about moulding something with your own hands and will, pouring your soul into it if you will. Any respectable trainer kit is designed for ease of build and heavy handedness.
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Building my first 2 planes from scratch really helped. I knew exactly how it should work and what to expect. Having an instructor got me going, starting with a full 4-channel gas trainer. I always preferred a .25 sized trainer but .40 sized ones are easier to see and may be a better choice, depending on what your instructor prefers.
If I didn't have an instructor, I'd get a large wingspan electric motorglider, probably a foamy ARF sort of thing where I could buy new parts cheap.
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http://www.rcuniverse.com
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SuperDud, since yer an ACM and wouldn't be here if yah didn't understand trim, balance, stall and the other mundane mechnaics of flight... you can probably teach yourself how to fly in a park with a little electric foamy or park flyer.
Once you master the trick of standing on the ground flying a little 20oz electric plane that ain't attached to your bellybutton (control reversal, wind, unusual attitude recovery, etc) you could probably move into a 'club' enviornment for advanced training with larger conventional ARF Trainers and Sport aircraft very easily. For the most part, unless yer lucky enuff to live where all the land you see is open praire, flying larger sophisticted R/C aircraft is a 'club' endeavor anyway due to insurance and community saftey issues.
As others above have said.. "Join a club!" Believe it or not, learning to fly is only about 30% of the experience.. learning all about electrics and then glow and then gas engines, highly developed and refined radio systems as well as getting a taste of all the different modeling disciplines like pattern, 3D, scale, sailplanes, Heli's, pylon racing, combat, jets & Turbines generally makes up the the other 70% of your introduction to R/C... and the best place to get the exposure and learn from others is in a club and going to the flying events hosted by clubs for other modelers.
It's a great hobby.. some aspects have developed into a sport; hugely entertaining to watch as well as fly.
Best of luck, and 'keep the dirty side down'!
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OK, I'm starting to get an idea for what I want. I got a few newbie questions though.
1) Is the remote control the same thing as the transmitter. And then the receiver being the the box of the aircraft.
2) Let's say I have a 5ch radio. Can that also operate aircraft that use 2-4chs also? Also, what exactly do channels do, is it the number of control surfaces you can move? Also, is it the servo's that move the control surfaces?
I've found a guy who flies by where I play softball. He said he'd be glad to give me pointers but I didn't get a chance to ask him anything else and was kinda clueless to start with when I asked him. Anyways, I think I'm gonna start with a little electric motored one. Radio and everything included. If I like it I'll probably upgrade to a bigger, gas powered one:D Thanks for all the help guys.
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The transmitter is the same as the radio. It's what you're holding while the plane is in the air. The receiver is the box that receives the signals and distributes commands to the servos.
You'll need a channel for each control surface/function. Say you want ailerons, elevator, rudder, throttle and retracting landing gear. You'll need at least 5 channels. The best thing to do when buying a transmitter is to buy as much as you can afford, not necessarily what you need. You can use the same transmitter for different models, so you don't want to box yourself in by getting a basic 4 channel radio. Your next model may need 7 channels and then you're out for a whole other radio setup.
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forget about all the links above.
If you want an airplane you can learn on and not worry about ever breaking...go here (http://www.jkaerotech.com)
JK Aerotech makes the best damn airplanes around in terms of realibility, survivability, ruggedness, ease of build and cost.
They're foam core airplanes wrapped with strapping tape (or you can cover with fiberglass..my preferred method) and then covered in another layer of packing tape for a base color.
The kits are dirt cheap and you can get a combo cheaper than anywhere else.
The T-52 is a great trainer with a small small smal .061 engine.
I own a T-52, 2x P-51s, 2x F4U's and a Zero for RC Combat (2610 scale rules).
You will not be disappointed.