- Feb 14, 2004
- 48,087
- 4,971
- 126
Welcome Cadets! The Summer 2014 ATOT Flight School is now in session! In Season 2, we'll be graduating from our twin-engine Air Hogs planes (a la Toys-R-Us) & jumping directly into a 3-channel airplane: the HobbyZone Champ RTF. This is an all-in-one airplane package that includes everything you need for only $90:
http://www.horizonhobby.com/products/champ-rtf-HBZ4900
This is a fairly unique offering for several reasons:
1. It's only $90, with literally everything you need (including batteries!)
2. It includes a crystal-free Spektrum radio (no interference!)
3. You get 3 channels of control (motor speed control, rudder, and elevator!)
4. It's fairly forgiving & replacement parts are super cheap!
5. It's pre-built (RTF = Ready to Fly); just unbox, charge up the battery, and go!
6. It's a very compact size, perfect for flying at a local park or other open area, no field needed!
7. The included battery can give you up to 15 to 20 minutes of flight time (spare batteries are super cheap online...a dollar or two if you look around, or five bucks if you just want to get them on Amazon)
The Champ is available on Amazon for $89 shipped:
http://www.amazon.com/Hobby-Zone-Cha...dp/B003DZ35GK/
This includes:
1. The assembled airplane
2. The Spektrum remote control
3. (8) AA batteries (4 for the remote control & 4 for the charger)
4. Battery-powered DC charger
5. Li-po charger
6. 1S 3.7V 150mAh Li-Po battery ("1S" = 1-cell)
7. Champ paper manual (PDF digital manual available here)
8. Battery warning sheet
Photos:
A shot of the box with a house phone on top for scale:
http://i.imgur.com/fML7vWQ.jpg
Inside the packaging: (note: instructions are taped underneath the foam, so lift it out!)
http://i.imgur.com/G8kGFYE.jpg
The contents unboxed:
http://i.imgur.com/WGVPTIg.jpg
The lipo battery is teeny-tiny:
http://i.imgur.com/UhaLMpu.jpg
The airplane is the perfect size to fly in a park:
http://i.imgur.com/1qFQnQX.jpg
Binding (connecting to the airplane) instructions for the remote control:
http://i.imgur.com/RHwlLaf.jpg
The charger takes (4) AA batteries:
http://i.imgur.com/r4HyOZI.jpg
The li-po battery only fits into the charger one way: (red LED lights up while charging)
http://i.imgur.com/Ejjmw1p.jpg
Reviews:
Here's an excellent review of the Champ:
http://www.digitalreviews.net/reviews/miscellaneous/rc-electric-plane-hobbyzone-champ-reviewed.html
Quick video introduction:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1ddNlz7YpI
Video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txm7pf5kPoY
Accessories:
The basic kit includes everything you need, but I do recommend some extras. To start out with, the included charger can take a 6V 1.5A charger. They recommend the EFLC1005 power supply; Amazon has it for under $20 shipped, although you can find a knockoff for a third the price elsewhere:
http://www.amazon.com/E-Flite-1-5-Am...dp/B001XIMGR8/
This saves you from having to buy AA batteries all the time just to charge up the li-po. You can also buy an inverter for your car (if you're at a park & need to charge up) or just grab some spare AA batteries. As far as the main airplane li-po battery goes, I have about a dozen of them. If you don't mind waiting, Hobby King has a lot of good deals on equipment like batteries & chargers. Make sure you select the USA warehouse when browsing! I bought ten batteries (a little bit beefed up @ 160mAH) & a spare charger for under $30 shipped:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/index.asp?whl=USA
Another accessory that is good to get is a multi-charger. I have an E-Flite 4-port charger ($40); it runs off (4) D batteries or the same EFLC1005 charger that the stock charger is compatible with:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001XIMGP0/
That way you can charge up handful of batteries at a time & get more flying time in at the field. At the very least, I'd recommend picking up at least one or two more batteries so that you can get at least 30 to 40 minutes of flight time outside. For the price at Hobby King, you can fly for over an hour pretty cheaply - once you get out there, it's really handy to have the extra batteries because it's so much fun to play with that you won't want to go home!
I'd also recommend keeping a box of AA batteries for the remote handy, or else investing in rechargeables so you can save money over time. Thomas Distributing is like the Monoprice of battery websites; I have a really nice Maha charger with some AA's from them:
http://www.thomasdistributing.com/
I will issue a warning about li-po batteries: they can be risky. NEVER charge them when you're not around (i.e. don't leave them unattended); in fact, I recommend charging them outside if at all possible. They like to catch on fire, blow up, and then burn forever & ever. The most common cause that I've seen is over-charging; the chargers should have an auto-shutoff in them, but better safe than sorry - never leave your house while they are charging or plugged in! Just do a Youtube search for "lipo fire" to see some scary videos, like this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odxR1lkfiEI
They have a history of catching cars on fire:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc8NTkUKJ8k
The one other accessory you'll want to carry with you is some Scotch tape for making repairs. This is a small foam airplane & can take a beating (I've crashed it into grass, asphalt, etc.) and can be patched up pretty easily with your basic clear tape. I do recommend picking up a spare wing (under ten bucks) since that's the most likely piece on the plane to break:
http://www.amazon.com/HobbyZone-Main.../dp/B003DZ35HE
If you really smash it, you can glue it back together:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnWXux86CN8
There's all kinds of fun mods you can do; one handy one is doing a magnetic wing mod, as explained in this video tutorial: (benefits you both for transporting as a smaller package & for popping off when you crash, rather than breaking off)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wySh7c-Pve8
People do all kinds of crazy stuff like beefed-up batteries & motors, high-performance wings, aftermarket transmitters, ailerons, onboard cameras, and crazier stuff like a dual-body Champ. Just poke around Youtube & dedicated R/C forums for more ideas.
Setup & Flying:
Binding is done at the factory (digitally tying the transmitter & receiver in the airplane together), but in case you need to do it again (like the first time out of the box), the basic idea is:
1. Charge up the airplane's 1S battery
2. Plug it in & wait for the LED in the plane to start blinking
3. Pull the left transmitter stick down (so the propeller doesn't start spinning), push it in (you'll hear it click), and then turn the transmitter on. You'll hear a loud beeping sound - release & then it should bind. Test out the rudder & elevator (right stick) & then the throttle (left stick up - hold the airplane so it doesn't start flying away)
There's not much to setting it up out of the box:
1. Insert (4) AA batteries into the transmitter
2. Insert (4) AA batteries into the charger
3. Plug the lipo battery into the charger to charge (only goes in one way); takes about 40 minutes if the battery is completely empty. The LED on the charger will stay red will charge, then start to blink as it gets near completion, and then either go off or blink every 20 seconds when it's done. The first time you use it out of the box, it will be partially charged and should only take about 20 minutes to be ready to fly.
4. Plug the cable underneath the airplane into the lipo battery, then stick the velcro side of the battery into the channel underneath the fuselage (body of the airplane). Looks like this: (I'm also re-installing the landing gear after it popped out after a crash landing, so that's not fully in either haha) http://i.imgur.com/fCXDOBG.jpg
5. Do the binding procedure above if the transmitter isn't talking to the airplane (the airplane will be blinking red if it needs binding)
Flying is pretty easy, but takes some practice. This is a LOT more powerful than an Air Hogs airplane, so you have to get used to the faster speed while maintaining control. So first, let's talk about the transmitter. In the United States, we typically run on Mode 2 (read more here); the transmitter has a switch for Mode 1 & Mode 2, as you can see in the center of this picture:
http://i.imgur.com/TOqSkSo.jpg
Anyway, on this particular airplane, Mode 2 means that the left stick will function as the throttle (up & down to make the motor spin faster or slower) and the right stick will function as the rudder & elevator control. The rudder is the rear tail that sticks up vertically & lets you move the airplane left & right. The elevator is the rear part of the tail that is horizontal that lets you move the airplane up & down.
If you've never flown an airplane before, the elevator can be confusing because the controls are reversed - up is down & down is up. So if you want to climb, you'd apply some throttle with the left stick & then pull the right stick down, which makes the airplane go up. Or in flight-lingo, pushing the elevator stick backwards or backwards will cause the airplane to lift or drop in flight. It takes some getting used to, but you'll get the hang of it pretty quick once you get a feel for it. I recommend starting out in a large grassy field, such as a soccer or baseball field, with no one around so you don't crash into anyone (or anything) and have plenty of soft places to land (or crash, haha).
As far as night flying goes, this does have a nice red LED light inside. The only catch is that the light is in the fuselage, not the wings, so I'd recommend adding some LED's or something to the wingtips (a different color on each wing so you know which side is which) or to the sides to shoot out on the wings. Here's a picture of the stock LED at night: (I just went out for a quick night flight & dive-bombed some fireflies, haha)
http://i.imgur.com/QilcPTP.jpg
Here's a video someone has on Youtube with some LED mods, flying at night:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q0Sne0E3ss
One more thing - sometimes the plane doesn't fly in exact a straight line. You can make adjustments using the trim buttons on the remote control (left & right or top & bottom, depending on which trim you want for the throttle, rudder, or elevator). That way you can tweak it to fly better. If it needs major adjustments (like after a big crash), you can use the mechanical linkage for adjustments. There are holds in the arms by the elevator & rudder:
http://i.imgur.com/00wuVWA.jpg
You can also use those mechanical adjustments to make the flight response snappier as you get better, so if you want stuff like faster response times for sharper turns or for doing loops & whatnot, you can easily adjust the controls using the holes in the control arms there.
As a reminder: whenever you can, fly in areas with a soft ground, like grass. I've done nosedives into the crash from 50 feet up at full speed without breaking the airplane, so the softer the ground, the lesser the impact & the less likely you are to get bad damage. The landing gear is designed to pop out if you crash too hard too, so you can simply snap that back into place on the bottom of the airplane if it does come out.
Learning to fly:
Mostly, it's just getting out there & practicing. This is an extremely forgiving airplane, especially if you fly it at a soft grassy field. It gives you way more control that a toy-store airplane because you get full control of the motor (fast & slow), elevator (up & down), and rudder (left & right); it's a really great model to learn on & just to keep around for park flying. I live right next to a couple small parks & it's really great to grab a battery and just go flying!
If you want to get social, the AMA has a lot of flight clubs you can join. When I was more serious into flying when I was younger, I was in a local club & they had a dedicated field we could use for larger gas planes. Clubs are great because there's always someone willing to teach you, they have fun get-togethers, they usually have access to flying fields, they have meetings with raffles, all kinds of fun stuff, just a great place to geek out with other hobbyists. Here's a good place to start looking for a club near you:
http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx
If you'd rather do the learning on your own, I'd recommend an R/C flight sim game. The physics are highly realistic these days, plus you can plug in a standard controller so you get used to real controls. The standard software is Real Flight:
http://www.realflight.com/
They do make a really neat transmitter interface if you already own a good radio:
http://www.realflight.com/products/gpmz4504.html
One alternative is Phoenix:
http://www.phoenix-sim.com/
The downside is that the sims & controllers (or transmitter interfaces) can get pretty expensive ($100 - $200), but it's totally worth it because (1) you can crash as many times as you want (without actually breaking anything!), (2) the physics are great, so you can totally get the hang of more advanced moves in the comfort of your chair, and (3) if it's raining outside, you can still fly! The Champ is more of a parkflyer & basic learn-to-fly kind of airplane, so there's not many advanced maneuvers you can do with it (but it's still a LOT of fun!), but if you want to learn some more advanced tricks, check out "The Pilot's Guide to Mastering Radio Controlled Flight, 2nd Edition" by Scott Stoops. It's not cheap since it's been out of print for a few years, but 100% worth it if you want to really dig into the advanced stuff:
http://www.amazon.com/Pilots-Guide-M...dp/0976711400/
A quickie review - lots of detailed diagrams & stuff to help you learn:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=424258
I recommend Spektrum radios: (the old radios used matching crystals & were subject to interference, the new ones are all on a digital 2.4ghz spread-spectrum setup so you don't have to worry about any of that)
http://www.spektrumrc.com/
The Champ includes a very basic Spektrum radio; the higher-end units start at about $99 and can be used for multiple airplanes down the road, which is pretty cool since you can invest once & then re-use as you add more models to your personal hanger.
Miscellaneous:
The Champ RTF is the best value for a full-fledged R/C airplane I've come across. It's durable, it's a great value ($90 for EVERYTHING is a crazy good deal!), you can fly it just about anywhere, and there are lots of fun little mods you can do if you like to tinker around. As always, be safe: don't fly it around other people, especially if you're not experienced, and never leave those li-po batteries charging unattended so that your house doesn't burn down!
If you're looking for another fun toy, UDI makes a great quad-copter that is super easy to fly. They're tiny, but they are super-fun to play with. I had a Model 816, which is under $30 shipped: (note: this is an OUTDOOR model, despite the tiny size!)
http://www.amazon.com/UDI-Axis-Stabl...dp/B0095BXACK/
The latest one is the U818A for $70 shipped: (has propeller bumper guards, an onboard camera, etc.)
http://www.amazon.com/UDI-2-4GHz-RC-...dp/B00D3IN11Q/
Parrot makes the AR Drone, which can be controlled from a smartphone or tablet:
http://ardrone2.parrot.com/
Or stepping it up, DJI has a quadcopter that can carry a GoPro:
http://www.dji.com/
And if you want to get crazy with it, you can get an FPV kit with a 3-axis camera stabilizer gimbal for it:
http://www.dslrpros.com/dslrpros-products/cannes-cinema-aerial-drone-kit.html
Check out this video to have your mind blown: (skip about 70% in for some action footage)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZH2bJXpBRA
If this thread goes over as well as the previous Air Hogs one did, then I'll consider doing a Season 3 thread where we'll step it up to "real" transmitters & more fully-functional airplanes, either something with ailerons that you build or a higher-performance electric foam parkflyer. I was just introduced to the Be Be Norman, which is kind of like a foam Lazy Bee, and will be putting one together later this summer, so that might be a good "next level" model to discuss here on the forums (and I think it can be built, complete with everything, for under $200, which is pretty good for a "real" R/C airplane). I know we have quite a few R/C enthusiasts here, some with tons of experience, so feel free to chime in!
http://www.horizonhobby.com/products/champ-rtf-HBZ4900
This is a fairly unique offering for several reasons:
1. It's only $90, with literally everything you need (including batteries!)
2. It includes a crystal-free Spektrum radio (no interference!)
3. You get 3 channels of control (motor speed control, rudder, and elevator!)
4. It's fairly forgiving & replacement parts are super cheap!
5. It's pre-built (RTF = Ready to Fly); just unbox, charge up the battery, and go!
6. It's a very compact size, perfect for flying at a local park or other open area, no field needed!
7. The included battery can give you up to 15 to 20 minutes of flight time (spare batteries are super cheap online...a dollar or two if you look around, or five bucks if you just want to get them on Amazon)
The Champ is available on Amazon for $89 shipped:
http://www.amazon.com/Hobby-Zone-Cha...dp/B003DZ35GK/
This includes:
1. The assembled airplane
2. The Spektrum remote control
3. (8) AA batteries (4 for the remote control & 4 for the charger)
4. Battery-powered DC charger
5. Li-po charger
6. 1S 3.7V 150mAh Li-Po battery ("1S" = 1-cell)
7. Champ paper manual (PDF digital manual available here)
8. Battery warning sheet
Photos:
A shot of the box with a house phone on top for scale:
http://i.imgur.com/fML7vWQ.jpg
Inside the packaging: (note: instructions are taped underneath the foam, so lift it out!)
http://i.imgur.com/G8kGFYE.jpg
The contents unboxed:
http://i.imgur.com/WGVPTIg.jpg
The lipo battery is teeny-tiny:
http://i.imgur.com/UhaLMpu.jpg
The airplane is the perfect size to fly in a park:
http://i.imgur.com/1qFQnQX.jpg
Binding (connecting to the airplane) instructions for the remote control:
http://i.imgur.com/RHwlLaf.jpg
The charger takes (4) AA batteries:
http://i.imgur.com/r4HyOZI.jpg
The li-po battery only fits into the charger one way: (red LED lights up while charging)
http://i.imgur.com/Ejjmw1p.jpg
Reviews:
Here's an excellent review of the Champ:
http://www.digitalreviews.net/reviews/miscellaneous/rc-electric-plane-hobbyzone-champ-reviewed.html
Quick video introduction:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1ddNlz7YpI
Video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txm7pf5kPoY
Accessories:
The basic kit includes everything you need, but I do recommend some extras. To start out with, the included charger can take a 6V 1.5A charger. They recommend the EFLC1005 power supply; Amazon has it for under $20 shipped, although you can find a knockoff for a third the price elsewhere:
http://www.amazon.com/E-Flite-1-5-Am...dp/B001XIMGR8/
This saves you from having to buy AA batteries all the time just to charge up the li-po. You can also buy an inverter for your car (if you're at a park & need to charge up) or just grab some spare AA batteries. As far as the main airplane li-po battery goes, I have about a dozen of them. If you don't mind waiting, Hobby King has a lot of good deals on equipment like batteries & chargers. Make sure you select the USA warehouse when browsing! I bought ten batteries (a little bit beefed up @ 160mAH) & a spare charger for under $30 shipped:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/index.asp?whl=USA
Another accessory that is good to get is a multi-charger. I have an E-Flite 4-port charger ($40); it runs off (4) D batteries or the same EFLC1005 charger that the stock charger is compatible with:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001XIMGP0/
That way you can charge up handful of batteries at a time & get more flying time in at the field. At the very least, I'd recommend picking up at least one or two more batteries so that you can get at least 30 to 40 minutes of flight time outside. For the price at Hobby King, you can fly for over an hour pretty cheaply - once you get out there, it's really handy to have the extra batteries because it's so much fun to play with that you won't want to go home!
I'd also recommend keeping a box of AA batteries for the remote handy, or else investing in rechargeables so you can save money over time. Thomas Distributing is like the Monoprice of battery websites; I have a really nice Maha charger with some AA's from them:
http://www.thomasdistributing.com/
I will issue a warning about li-po batteries: they can be risky. NEVER charge them when you're not around (i.e. don't leave them unattended); in fact, I recommend charging them outside if at all possible. They like to catch on fire, blow up, and then burn forever & ever. The most common cause that I've seen is over-charging; the chargers should have an auto-shutoff in them, but better safe than sorry - never leave your house while they are charging or plugged in! Just do a Youtube search for "lipo fire" to see some scary videos, like this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odxR1lkfiEI
They have a history of catching cars on fire:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc8NTkUKJ8k
The one other accessory you'll want to carry with you is some Scotch tape for making repairs. This is a small foam airplane & can take a beating (I've crashed it into grass, asphalt, etc.) and can be patched up pretty easily with your basic clear tape. I do recommend picking up a spare wing (under ten bucks) since that's the most likely piece on the plane to break:
http://www.amazon.com/HobbyZone-Main.../dp/B003DZ35HE
If you really smash it, you can glue it back together:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnWXux86CN8
There's all kinds of fun mods you can do; one handy one is doing a magnetic wing mod, as explained in this video tutorial: (benefits you both for transporting as a smaller package & for popping off when you crash, rather than breaking off)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wySh7c-Pve8
People do all kinds of crazy stuff like beefed-up batteries & motors, high-performance wings, aftermarket transmitters, ailerons, onboard cameras, and crazier stuff like a dual-body Champ. Just poke around Youtube & dedicated R/C forums for more ideas.
Setup & Flying:
Binding is done at the factory (digitally tying the transmitter & receiver in the airplane together), but in case you need to do it again (like the first time out of the box), the basic idea is:
1. Charge up the airplane's 1S battery
2. Plug it in & wait for the LED in the plane to start blinking
3. Pull the left transmitter stick down (so the propeller doesn't start spinning), push it in (you'll hear it click), and then turn the transmitter on. You'll hear a loud beeping sound - release & then it should bind. Test out the rudder & elevator (right stick) & then the throttle (left stick up - hold the airplane so it doesn't start flying away)
There's not much to setting it up out of the box:
1. Insert (4) AA batteries into the transmitter
2. Insert (4) AA batteries into the charger
3. Plug the lipo battery into the charger to charge (only goes in one way); takes about 40 minutes if the battery is completely empty. The LED on the charger will stay red will charge, then start to blink as it gets near completion, and then either go off or blink every 20 seconds when it's done. The first time you use it out of the box, it will be partially charged and should only take about 20 minutes to be ready to fly.
4. Plug the cable underneath the airplane into the lipo battery, then stick the velcro side of the battery into the channel underneath the fuselage (body of the airplane). Looks like this: (I'm also re-installing the landing gear after it popped out after a crash landing, so that's not fully in either haha) http://i.imgur.com/fCXDOBG.jpg
5. Do the binding procedure above if the transmitter isn't talking to the airplane (the airplane will be blinking red if it needs binding)
Flying is pretty easy, but takes some practice. This is a LOT more powerful than an Air Hogs airplane, so you have to get used to the faster speed while maintaining control. So first, let's talk about the transmitter. In the United States, we typically run on Mode 2 (read more here); the transmitter has a switch for Mode 1 & Mode 2, as you can see in the center of this picture:
http://i.imgur.com/TOqSkSo.jpg
Anyway, on this particular airplane, Mode 2 means that the left stick will function as the throttle (up & down to make the motor spin faster or slower) and the right stick will function as the rudder & elevator control. The rudder is the rear tail that sticks up vertically & lets you move the airplane left & right. The elevator is the rear part of the tail that is horizontal that lets you move the airplane up & down.
If you've never flown an airplane before, the elevator can be confusing because the controls are reversed - up is down & down is up. So if you want to climb, you'd apply some throttle with the left stick & then pull the right stick down, which makes the airplane go up. Or in flight-lingo, pushing the elevator stick backwards or backwards will cause the airplane to lift or drop in flight. It takes some getting used to, but you'll get the hang of it pretty quick once you get a feel for it. I recommend starting out in a large grassy field, such as a soccer or baseball field, with no one around so you don't crash into anyone (or anything) and have plenty of soft places to land (or crash, haha).
As far as night flying goes, this does have a nice red LED light inside. The only catch is that the light is in the fuselage, not the wings, so I'd recommend adding some LED's or something to the wingtips (a different color on each wing so you know which side is which) or to the sides to shoot out on the wings. Here's a picture of the stock LED at night: (I just went out for a quick night flight & dive-bombed some fireflies, haha)
http://i.imgur.com/QilcPTP.jpg
Here's a video someone has on Youtube with some LED mods, flying at night:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q0Sne0E3ss
One more thing - sometimes the plane doesn't fly in exact a straight line. You can make adjustments using the trim buttons on the remote control (left & right or top & bottom, depending on which trim you want for the throttle, rudder, or elevator). That way you can tweak it to fly better. If it needs major adjustments (like after a big crash), you can use the mechanical linkage for adjustments. There are holds in the arms by the elevator & rudder:
http://i.imgur.com/00wuVWA.jpg
You can also use those mechanical adjustments to make the flight response snappier as you get better, so if you want stuff like faster response times for sharper turns or for doing loops & whatnot, you can easily adjust the controls using the holes in the control arms there.
As a reminder: whenever you can, fly in areas with a soft ground, like grass. I've done nosedives into the crash from 50 feet up at full speed without breaking the airplane, so the softer the ground, the lesser the impact & the less likely you are to get bad damage. The landing gear is designed to pop out if you crash too hard too, so you can simply snap that back into place on the bottom of the airplane if it does come out.
Learning to fly:
Mostly, it's just getting out there & practicing. This is an extremely forgiving airplane, especially if you fly it at a soft grassy field. It gives you way more control that a toy-store airplane because you get full control of the motor (fast & slow), elevator (up & down), and rudder (left & right); it's a really great model to learn on & just to keep around for park flying. I live right next to a couple small parks & it's really great to grab a battery and just go flying!
If you want to get social, the AMA has a lot of flight clubs you can join. When I was more serious into flying when I was younger, I was in a local club & they had a dedicated field we could use for larger gas planes. Clubs are great because there's always someone willing to teach you, they have fun get-togethers, they usually have access to flying fields, they have meetings with raffles, all kinds of fun stuff, just a great place to geek out with other hobbyists. Here's a good place to start looking for a club near you:
http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx
If you'd rather do the learning on your own, I'd recommend an R/C flight sim game. The physics are highly realistic these days, plus you can plug in a standard controller so you get used to real controls. The standard software is Real Flight:
http://www.realflight.com/
They do make a really neat transmitter interface if you already own a good radio:
http://www.realflight.com/products/gpmz4504.html
One alternative is Phoenix:
http://www.phoenix-sim.com/
The downside is that the sims & controllers (or transmitter interfaces) can get pretty expensive ($100 - $200), but it's totally worth it because (1) you can crash as many times as you want (without actually breaking anything!), (2) the physics are great, so you can totally get the hang of more advanced moves in the comfort of your chair, and (3) if it's raining outside, you can still fly! The Champ is more of a parkflyer & basic learn-to-fly kind of airplane, so there's not many advanced maneuvers you can do with it (but it's still a LOT of fun!), but if you want to learn some more advanced tricks, check out "The Pilot's Guide to Mastering Radio Controlled Flight, 2nd Edition" by Scott Stoops. It's not cheap since it's been out of print for a few years, but 100% worth it if you want to really dig into the advanced stuff:
http://www.amazon.com/Pilots-Guide-M...dp/0976711400/
A quickie review - lots of detailed diagrams & stuff to help you learn:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=424258
I recommend Spektrum radios: (the old radios used matching crystals & were subject to interference, the new ones are all on a digital 2.4ghz spread-spectrum setup so you don't have to worry about any of that)
http://www.spektrumrc.com/
The Champ includes a very basic Spektrum radio; the higher-end units start at about $99 and can be used for multiple airplanes down the road, which is pretty cool since you can invest once & then re-use as you add more models to your personal hanger.
Miscellaneous:
The Champ RTF is the best value for a full-fledged R/C airplane I've come across. It's durable, it's a great value ($90 for EVERYTHING is a crazy good deal!), you can fly it just about anywhere, and there are lots of fun little mods you can do if you like to tinker around. As always, be safe: don't fly it around other people, especially if you're not experienced, and never leave those li-po batteries charging unattended so that your house doesn't burn down!
If you're looking for another fun toy, UDI makes a great quad-copter that is super easy to fly. They're tiny, but they are super-fun to play with. I had a Model 816, which is under $30 shipped: (note: this is an OUTDOOR model, despite the tiny size!)
http://www.amazon.com/UDI-Axis-Stabl...dp/B0095BXACK/
The latest one is the U818A for $70 shipped: (has propeller bumper guards, an onboard camera, etc.)
http://www.amazon.com/UDI-2-4GHz-RC-...dp/B00D3IN11Q/
Parrot makes the AR Drone, which can be controlled from a smartphone or tablet:
http://ardrone2.parrot.com/
Or stepping it up, DJI has a quadcopter that can carry a GoPro:
http://www.dji.com/
And if you want to get crazy with it, you can get an FPV kit with a 3-axis camera stabilizer gimbal for it:
http://www.dslrpros.com/dslrpros-products/cannes-cinema-aerial-drone-kit.html
Check out this video to have your mind blown: (skip about 70% in for some action footage)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZH2bJXpBRA
If this thread goes over as well as the previous Air Hogs one did, then I'll consider doing a Season 3 thread where we'll step it up to "real" transmitters & more fully-functional airplanes, either something with ailerons that you build or a higher-performance electric foam parkflyer. I was just introduced to the Be Be Norman, which is kind of like a foam Lazy Bee, and will be putting one together later this summer, so that might be a good "next level" model to discuss here on the forums (and I think it can be built, complete with everything, for under $200, which is pretty good for a "real" R/C airplane). I know we have quite a few R/C enthusiasts here, some with tons of experience, so feel free to chime in!
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