My 16 yo son wants to start flying R C aircraft. Budget is around $200.
There is lots of room for him to fly at the sports fields at his school.
There are several R C fliers on the forum so the question is what would be a good starting point for him??
Thanks in advance.
12 years ago, I had a bunch of R/C aircraft both powered and gliders.
The most learner and wallet friendly ones were the Erazor and JAZZ gliders from Canturbury Sailplanes, they could not be killed as they are made of a type of foam[not polystyrene] and covered with fibreglass reinforced tape.
We launched ours from ovals using about 4m of bungee cord pegged to the ground- with about 10 metres of brickies string leading from the bungee to the glider.
Ours had hundreds of flights, and crashes- only damage being an aileron being torn off in a crash- taking a moment to fix as the hinge is made from tape.
The price of R/C gear has dropped a lot since then- but quality varies a lot too.
My canturbury gliders both used 2 channel controllers @around $100 each, and the kits were about the same, but I had to get a mixer unit for the elevons on the JAZZ combat [flying wing]
If you search the interweb, there are plans for a combat glider built from the thin insulation sheeting that is used under timber flooring.[available from bunnings]
I will try and find the plans for you.
stephen.
Here is one type we messed about with,
www.rc-soar.com/pibros/index.htm
built out of DEPRON [rigid foam sheets]
Can take a fair bit of punishment but are best regarded as disposable if you hit something hard.
can be uprated to powered flight but more radio channels needed [cost lots more]
This isnt the one I mentioned earlier, that one used flexable sheet foam EPP?[expanded polypropylene?] bought by the metre from bunnings- it is normally sold in rolls as under floor insulation
Construction was similar to the PIBROS, being layers of foam glued together.
IIRC the wings were swept back a bit more for stability- but cant be too sure as we made heaps of these with lots of minor tweaks and variations from the original plans.
The bunnings thin flexi foam type could handle damage and crashes much better as it bounced and absorbed impact very well.
still looking for the plans for this one...
stephen
Me and my boy muck around in the back yard with a HOBBYZONE CHAMP, seems pretty tough and spares are cheap, heaps of fun, about $120, get 2 so you can have dog fights
, get some extra battries so you can play longer.
good fun
nev
^^ That looks like fun SN. I bought a combat wing for my dad once, we built it but never tuned it/got it flying. Pity, they look like great slope soarers if you find somewhere with an updraft.
I'm not really into it but I hear a lot of guys raving about hobbyking. They are cheap - I'd be aiming at an electric ready to fly RTF model or ARF almost ready.http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__433__191__Planes_Parts-Beginner_Trainer.html
www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__19691__Hobbyking_Radjet_800_EPO_800mm_w_Motor_ARF_.html
SN this looks like the modern version...
www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__25305__Sonic_64_EDF_Wing_EPO_1230mm_PNF_.html
where to start there are lots of rc stuff out there and alot of it is crap, the simulators are a great tool in learning process and in the end will save u ****loads of dollars in crashes and repairs, the big thing in rc for the lasr few years has been choppers and the guys that fly them are certainly very talented , my suggestion would be to go the simulator tack and also maybe go to a local club and have a chat to , like kitting they have instructors and in the right enviroment can be alot of fun and also , it is also good to learn the safe way to play with this stuff it can bite u if not used the correct way
more plans and stuff
www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1075208
www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=851608
lots of depron aircraft plans, and a "fat floppy foamy", cartoonish type powered planes thread
stephen
just had a flashback
we even made R/C aircraft out of corrugated cardboard- stuck together with thick superglue and painted with thinned varnish IIRC.
later we used the same basic plans but with coreflute plastic and fibreglass tape instead of glue.
I might have the original plans in the shed!
As soon as I can sneak out side I will have a look.
[still grounded by the sandwichmaker]
Stephen
found them
www.feltondesignanddata.com/index.html
the one we built was the "cardsharp".
All the aircraft in this website are of corrugated cardboard- but you could easily build them from depron sheet foam.
I wouldnt bother messing with fuel engines- just go straight for electrics these days, so much easier and no toxic fuel leaking all over the place and melting the foam.
Stephen
Get an RC simulator before a real one....
I think my crash total is up to about 1500 now.... But I can fly a plane 2cm off the grass upside down or trim the hedges with a sideways helicopter....
The next best things are indoor flyers.... Find a basketball gym or just a big room and use it in there.....
A high wing with some decent dihedral will be a bit more forgiving for a beginner- its naturally more stable as the weight of the aircraft is hanging under the wing- instead of balancing on top of the wing.
low wing monoplane's were a bit more twitchy- which is good for combat type aircraft.
A high wing could be flown without conventional lading gear too- having a simple skid underneath, and a folding propellor so you dont bust it when
landing.
The high wing copped less damage with rough landings too.
at least- that was my experience.
hobbyzone champ looks good- and a little cheaper too!
but buy a second battery and some spare props with the kit, nothing worse than not having parts you need, when you need them.
stephen
Yeah Cisco
we got one of those trojan's and its heaps of fun. I think it would have been to hard for me to learn on though, they go pretty fast for my reactions, your young bloke may be OK as kids have good reactions from years of playing computer games.
another way you could go is get the hobbyzone champ to learn with, then buy the Trojan plane only ( they call it the BNF option) for about $100 and use the radio that came with the Champ, as its the same. wouldn't be much over this 200 bucks for both
Hobby King has some great looking planes but they are in the U.S. aren't they??
His mate who has introduced him to it only trusts and shops at Model Flight in Melbourne.
Is there a good shop in Brisbane for RC Planes?
Try and steer clear of "micro" type planes, as the smaller they are the faster they need to fly and subsequently they are harder to fly.
Parkzone is a good brand that I personally have had a few of and would recommend. Check out the stuff from hobbyzonerc.com they are owned by the same parent company as parkzone, e-flite and other reputable brands, and are aimed squarely at people who havnt flown before, usually include everything you need in one purchase, and most have inbuilt stabilization systems to aid newbies in safe and successful flights.
8 years of rc aircraft flying and I highly recommend you get the hobbyzone supercub dsm as it includes a half decent transmitter, getting started DVD charger and batteries, and you should be able to buy all thd main components when you crash it. And I do mean when haha, everyone crashes.
This is a great hobby which I'm sure your son will enjoy, but much alike windsurfing or kiting, starting with the wrong kit will leave you frustrated and with less money to spend on the right kit.
Supercub - www.horizonhobby.com/content/hobbyzone
the trainstar looks good, but the hobbyzone planes have inbuilt stabilization systems, to help while you learn, see most people learn with whats called a buddy box or trainer link where you connect 2 transmitters and the master TX has a button where he gives control to the trainer Tx so the master can take over control instantly if the learner makes a mistake, but if you arent going to learn at a Club that has instructors then your best bet is to use a plane that has some sort of assistance ( you can turn the assist off at a later date ) because it may look easy to fly an RC plane, but believe me it isnt!
and fly high because it will allow him more time to correct mistakes!
Nebbian - Does the hobbyking shop have any DLG - F3K gliders? i want one!!
Anything big and slow is the best thing to start on, preferable with big wheels and tyres so you can fly them off large playing fields. Small wheels get stuck in the grass on landing and get torn off.
Be aware, New people to it think they have everything worked out in their head before they throw them up in the air, and it will all be fine,.. but it never is. Things happen very much faster than your brain can keep up with so you can lose the plot in 30 seconds or less. Specially when you turn it around and fly it back in. Everything becomes reversed and it's not easy to sort thngs out in a hurry, but since you cant park it while you sort things out, it all simply has to happen in a hurry. Controlling them is not something that you have time to think about. It just has to happen without thinking. Once you're used to it all it just happens without thinking, like riding a bike, but in three dimensions and where the controls reverse when you change direction..
As has already been said, a simulator program for the computer gets all the automatic reactions happening so much faster and will pay for itself in a few weeks from planes not being wrecked. They are also really good fun. Great Planes make a good one for around $300 including the controller and software. It covers planes, helicpters, gliders, and airships. Definitely start with one of these first.
There are loads of plane types to select from so you can pick a type that approximates to the one you are thinking of buying. There is a bit a a learning curve when transferring from the simulator to the outside model flying but nothing like learning it from scratch.
Those small micro planes are NOT where to start. It will be wrecked on the first day out. They will not land on grass without ripping the wheels off and it needs a lot of skill to drop them in on a small hard surface like a cricket pitch or driveway.
You will miss by a mile. However, houses, cars and trees are very much easier to hit. They seem to go there automatically.
wot Pweedas said...
Thats mostly why I reckon you should go for EPP gliders to start with,
They bounce off anything, no prop to break, no wheels to rip off.
Both our gliders worked well from either hand launch or bungee launch- and both survived countless impacts with trees, goalposts, powerlines, lamp posts, busses, ducks, a cow, tennis court fences, farm fences and were often landed upside down, cartwheeling across ovals, they even floated in creeks and dams [one session we hired a kids golden retriever to fetch the gliders for us!]
When you know its almost impossible to bust your toys- you can really let rip!
Learn the basics with gliders and flight simulators- then go powered!
stephen
any high wing trainer would do so u are looking for somehing that has the wing attached to the top of the aircraft not mounted underneath or in the middle of the fuse if that makes sense, the simulator is a plug and ply thingy for your computer
So I have been looking at and talking about RC Planes.
Have a guess what kind of ads are appearing on my email home page now and on the top of this Seabreeze page.
Pings me off a bit actually.[}:)]
I've been thinking about buying an RC plane for a while. I've been searching ebay and have almost pushed the 'buy now' button a couple times.
I have a massive open park at the end of my street that will make a perfect flying area.
Thanks for your shadow advise SN, I've just bought this: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=16542
Plus an extra battery.
Looking forward to it turning up and flying.
I even have an airshow 2013 lanyard to hang the remote off!
the difference between an rc pilot and a real pilot, an rc pilot walks to the crash site , happy landings my friend cause they are not optional
Reading the forums on the Bixler and they seem to almost have a cult following.
It's amazing that you can mount a camera off these things!
I just need to work out how to launch and fly one of these things.
I like the look of that,
Should last ages with the high wing, and protected prop.
Price looks good too [is that with radio gear etc included?]
Whats freight worth?
stephen
^^Yes, I had a look at the Bixler and it is fairly neat that you can go from powered to glide and back anytime.
That is a feature that would develop flying skill.
The other aircraft I really like the look of is the Hurricane.http://www.modelflight.com.au/products/EFlite_Hawker_Hurricane_25e_RC_Plane_BNF-8633-6.html
I am sure there was a video link at the bottom of the page but it seems to have disappeared.
Look at the gallery page and enlarge the pic of the guy holding it to get a concept of size. This an awesome looking plane and you can retract the undercarriage.
Gawd, it reminds me of those "Battler Briton" comics I used to read as a kid.
Gotta love forums!!
When I was messing about with R/C stuff [BIGM], you would only get a really basic 2 channel 27mhz transmitter+receiver and 2 servos for a bit over $100,
My EPP gliders ["Canterbury Sailplanes" kits, made in NZ] were about $140 each.
The elevon mixer I bought was around $70, and I had to search for the 3M spray contact adhesive @ around $25 a can.
I cant believe how much the prices have dropped- and how the electric motors and batteries have improved since then.........
Make sure you get the right type of superglue- you will probably be needing "thick" glue, and maybe the accellerator which sets the glue off instantly.
When using the accellerator atomiser bottle- do a test shot at a bit of paper first so you have an idea of the spray pattern and direction, mask off anything that might be affected by overspray [acrylic or perspex aircraft windows, varnished tabletops etc]
Stephen
