Anybody here have R/C Airplanes?

[adamred]

Ever since I was a kid I have wanted one, and now I'm grown up with my own money and I want to get one for my kids and I to learn with...Any advice on a good starter R/C plane for less then $100.00

There seem to be a bunch on e-bay that are "ready to fly" can anyone point me to one that they would recommend?

Also, do you need any sort of permit to fly one, where do most people use them? An isolated park, backyard, empty parking lot?

Zoooooom.....

Adam

[RickM]

Damn! There was a guy on Craigslist giving away his extensive collection. This was a month or two ago though.

[cstreit]

Adam,

There's a thread around here where we discussed this...

However the sub $100 jobs probably aren't always worth the effort. I had a "Park Flyer" and found it difficult to control even after 6 years of flying advanced aerobatic planes and 120MPH speeders. More than a decent gas powered true RC plane. I'm not saying they are all that way, but in general they will be a lot of trouble if you don't have experience. Typically the new owner gets it up and has trouble landing it.

As you know in this world: If LANDINGS <> TAKEOFF'S then + $

If you are interested in a starter setup I would set aside closer to $300-$500 for a gas or electric powered "over wing" style. Much more stable than other designs. I prefer gas/nitro powered because electric are always short on power. Something like this:


http://www.greatplanes.com/airplanes/gpma0118.html

Then join the AMA (national aero modelers) and find your local flying field. They will have willing instructors that will teach you how to fly. Figure on 1-3 months to solo. AMA also provides you insurance and any decent instructor won't take you on without it because of the liability issues.

A park flyer might work okay for you, but I tried them, failed, got into real gas ones and succeeded. Then later I bought another park flyer and realized why I failed the first time. Sub-standard flight controls and no experience...

My opinion , but I think your overall experience and reward will be better investing in a setup such as the one above. I've been out of it for a few years now but still have all my stuff, and there's a flying field 4 minutes from my house... hmm...

[adamred]

Thanks for the info Chris, like everything there's more to the hobby then meets the eye...

[RickM]

Perhaps these guys are still selling:

Gas Radio Control Airplanes - $1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to: anon-99824703@craigslist.org
Date: 2005-09-25, 9:52AM EDT

- $1 (New Jersey Staten Island NY)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to: anon-95187113@craigslist.org
Date: 2005-09-25, 9:48AM EDT

geting out of hobby -

If you are new to the hobby or looking for more planes
just e mail me




And


Radio control airplanes and kits

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to: anon-98896780@craigslist.org
Date: 2005-09-20, 9:30PM EDT

I have various RC airplanes for sale. Includes ready to fly, scale, and giant scale. Email me for details.
this is in or around Ocean county

[Nathans_Dad]

Was into R/C until about 5 months ago when it got hellishly hot and no fun to sit out in a field in 105 degree temps. To answer your question, the only thing you will get for $100 is a park/backyard flyer type plane with electric motor and 2 channel transmitter. Basically slightly better than a R/C car you might buy at Toys'R'Us. If you just want a throw around plane to try out R/C and see if you like it or not, this might work for you.

If you really want to get into the hobby you will need to buy a true trainer airplane with a glow engine. This setup will usually cost you between $400-500 once you buy the plane, engine, radio, servos, glow fuel, etc. You will need a large dedicated R/C field to fly in, preferably with a landing strip, either grass or concrete. I would also advise joining your local R/C club if you have one and getting an instructor. It's harder than it looks and you don't want to crash your plane on the first time out.

It really all depends on what your plans are. If you are not sure R/C is really something you want to do and just want to try it out then buy the cheap park flyer, you'll only be out $150 or so. If you really think it's something you would like long term then I would spend the extra cash to get a good basic setup with equipment you can use later on.

Oh yeah, to fly at a field you must have an AMA license. Basically it is an insurance policy just in case you put your pretty trainer through the windshield of someone's 930. For the park flyer type planes there is no license required. AMA membership is about $50 a year I think.

Too bad you live in Jersey, I could take you out to the field here in San Antonio and show you the ropes...

[Seahawk]

A very inexpensive way to get started is to look at electric powered r/c aircraft. There are a host of twin-engined versions with reasonable flight duration, good impact resistance (you will crash - a bunch!) and reasonable range.
This entry level style of airplane can help you get oriented on how to control the plane with minimal damage to you and your property! They can also be flown in much more retrictive areas than gas powered r/c, which are very fast.
Hope this helps.

Edit: Forgot to add that one downside to electric r/c' s is that they often have a different approach to controlling pitch, roll and yaw than gas powered aircraft....meaning that not all of the training on the electric vehicles transfer when you step-up to gas power.

[adamred]

Thanks all again....I have spent a bunch of precious billable work time now cruising the R/C sites including AMA and the great planes site, the videos of the individual models are great...

Too bad you live in Jersey,...

Somehow us Jersey dwellers hear this all too often

Since the cold/snowy weather is rapidly upon us I'll probably use the off season to really do some research before jumping in head first!

[masraum]

I think there are some really tiny, light cellophane models for flying indoors, but I don't know how expensive or easy they are. I've often thought that might be fun it they were cheap enough.

[vash]

i watched a bunch of guys in college building gliders. in my drunken stoner haze, i critiqued their craftsmanship. they bet me, $100 dollars that i couldnt do better. so i bought a $40 slope racer, a TALON, and some tools and built it. it came out better, i collected my money. when it came to hucking it into the wind, off a mountian (mt TAMAPLIAS) to see it fly, i just couldnt do it. now it sits all beat up in my garage.

i would build a glider, (if you have access to thermals or a windy slope). just as fun, and will teach you how to fly.

[MikeCT]

Hey adam, my grandfather has been flying r/c planes for almost 10 years now (he started after he stopped flying because of his age). I know he started off having someone take off and land the plane for him through a r/c controller connected to his controller. It also allowed for the guy with more experience to take over and correct any mistakes. So you will probably want to find someone with experience to help you learn to fly, it beats rebuilding crashed airplanes all the time. He also had an r/c controller riged to connect to his computer so he could practice with a sim program. I think he started out with a pt-60 http://www.greatplanes.com/airplanes/gpma0119.html. I am probably going to visit him this weekend and I'll ask him if he has any he wants to sell. I'll send you a pm.

[Nathans_Dad]

I might disagree with electrics being cheaper. A cheap electric setup (like what comes on these $150 park flyers) is certainly cheaper than a glow setup, but a real electric motor for a larger field size plane is much more expensive than a glow setup. Once you buy the engine, speed controller, batteries, charger, etc. it really adds up. Not that electrics are a bad way to go, just a bit more expensive. Cleaner though.

[masraum]

A buddy had/has this software where you use an RC controller connected to the computer to fly a plane on the PC. The physics are supposed to be very realistic, and you can download or create planes.

http://www.preflightsim.com/

hmm

or maybe it was this one

http://www.realflight.com/

[Nathans_Dad]

I have realflight and it works pretty well, excellent for learning without getting the jitters. Still not a substitute for real time with a plane in the air...believe it or you do get nervous with that toy in the air...

[Rob Channell]

I was into it for a while. A lot of the local guys here like this one as a basic, easy to learn type trainer.

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/tel40gas.htm
They are not the same as the large Hobby Lobby craft store chain.

I have one that is partially built I'd let go for subtsantially less. I also have an engine and a few other parts if you were interested. Probably not worth it as these things are usually easier to find locally.

Finding the local guys and getting involved is probably the best advice.

[2.7RACER]

Adam,
Stop by your local hobby store, the one with lots of planes hanging from the ceiling. Not the train or car place. Ask them where the clubs fly and go out to the field. Introduce yourself and ask questions.
These guys all love new people interested in their sport.
Most clubs have a training program for new pilots.
Don't believe you can fly without some help. Can't be done.
More folks have quit flying before they really got started after crashing day one.
It's a great hobby.

[VINMAN]

I have many "pieces" of R/C helicopters left.

There are a few good electric powered r/c planes out there that are ARF's( all ready to fly) that you can fly in a small field or large backyard. Hit a bookstore and pick up a copy of "Backyard Flyer
magazine.
Worst part of being in NJ, is finding a place to fly. running out of open fields and the a**holes complaining about the noise.

[Tim Hancock]

The all in one cheap kits are getting better, but if you really want to get into the hobby, you will need to buy a name brand 4 channel radio (which will usually come with 4 servos and 1 receiver to mount in your first plane). Futaba and probably other brands often come standard with a "trainer" cord connection that allows you to couple your transmitter to another like brand transmitter. This allows you have an experienced RC pilot take control of the plane any time he sees fit.
I have trained my daughters this way and it works pretty slick. About
3-10 outings with an experienced RC pilot should get you to the point of being able to fly by yourself.

I am mainly a gas pilot as I was heavily (I had 15 flying planes at 1 point) into this 10-15 yrs ago, but I have friends that are still very active and they all play with the electrics alot now. FWIW, Airmadillo's are good first airplanes as they can withstand more botched takeoffs and landings than the standard balsa trainers. (www.kombat40.com) They come with instructions to repair just about any damage you can do to them.

Soccer fields make good places to fly when learning, and after you get good, you can fly off of smaller fields depending on aircraft type.

[mikester]

I've been flying R/C airplanes for nearly 25 years now and I can say it's a great sport and hobby. It's really great for kids to get involved in, especially if they enjoy aircraft and like to build things.

Dad got me involved when I was about 8 with control line stuff. I have been unable to keep it off my mind since - very addicting.

There are a number of ways to go about things and the cheapest is not always the best.

The first thing I would suggest is to go to the ama website (www.modelaircraft.org) and look up a local club. Contact their training coordinator if they have one, if they don't contact someone at the club to inquire about training. Some clubs (like the one I am a member of) have programs in place for folks like you who have not purchased anything to get you started without spending a ton of cash to see if you even like it. We have club planes and insurance through AMA that allows certain instructors to fly with non-ama members on a buddy box. A buddy box is essential to successful training (unless you're lucky) as it allows the instructor to "hand" control over to the student and then take back control by flipping a switch on the Transmitter in his hand; both the student and the instructor hold a transmitter which are connected via a trainer cord. It's a good setup and saves a lot of planes.

I do training myself and buddy boxes are awesome.

So, that is where I would start. Our club has an extensive instructor program with club planes and radios and all. Instructors use those to train students and when they get to the landing phase of instruction that is when we expect they should have their own plane.

Try a few websites for information:

www.rcgroups.com
www.rcuniverse.com
www.hobbypeople.net
www.tower.com
www.horizonhobby.com

to name a few...

There are many ways to go in training setups. The best way in my humble opinion is to get with an instructor and become friends.

The simulators are fantastic tools to practice with at home, realflight is a very good one and I have it myself.

A good 40 sized trainer with radio doesn't have to be expensive but it's a few bucks over $100.

Electrics are certainly options as well but to do electrics correctly you either have to do them small or spend a lot of money. Good motors, good batteries and good speed controls for good sized models cost close to $100 EACH but there are setups that I have seen mild success with that were in the $200 range.

If you want to start a dialog with me feel free to PM me for some more suggestions on a good gas setup. There are a lot of nice trainers out there and they don't cost a "lot" of money but it certainly depends on your budget.

And here is what I've been flying for the past year...

[adamred]

Wow, see even at a Porsche website you can get the best info on anything! Thanks all for the continued advice, I think my kids would love to get invovled with the hobby with me....

I'm doing some research and once I have a bit of ammo will definitely ask for some advice on specific issues.
Adam