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RC Airplanes

pontifex

pontifex

Lifer
Since the thread about the Aero Ace I've been really thinking about RC airplanes. I plan on getting one of the Aero Aces just to test the waters and see if its really something i might enjoy.

I guess i'm gonna start with the aero ace because its cheap and pretty durable from what i hear. i don't want to go out and spend a few hundred on a nice plane and find out i either don't like doing this or i end up crashing it and destroying it (or hell, losing it) my 1st day out.

I think I sort of asked some of these questions in another thread but i can't find it.

While searching for the aero aces, i saw some other planes. So i know they can be pretty expensive. After the initial cost of the plane, what other costs am i looking at?
is it like photography where the cameras and lenses cost a decent chunk of change?

whats the best type? i've heard of electric and gas powered planes.

whats a good starter "real" rc plane?

any other useful info would be appreciated.
 
ok first decide between electric and gas
electric are A LOT more fun/easier/durable/etc/etc IMO, gas is usually better later on after you're acustomed
electric planes, well you might want to look at the GWS SLowstick or maybe even look into buying a flying "wing" (combat wing, pocket wing, - forget the exact name on the top of my head), they are EXTREMELY durable (the wing, not the slowstick), so that shouldn't be a problem
I started with the slowstick, yes, it's slow, but you can get used to all of the controls and stuff
I recently scratch-built a 3d plane that is fun for doing tricks, but i still have to work out some things

and rcgroups.com forums are nice
 
Originally posted by: spidey07
www.rcuniverse.com

have fun.

Also, make sure you know how to fly and have somebody show you. It isn't easy just starting out. You may want to get a glider.
Click to expand...

that might be a little difficult. i don't know anyone or even know of anyone around here that does this.
 
Word of advice, get a beginner level plane to start with. They are easier to handle and fly and they are usually pretty sturdy. Get an ARF or a RTF with a wing above the fuselage and made out of styrofoam.

I would also recommend an electric to start with. Gas engines are messy, noisy and handling fuel and starting can be a PITA. Gas is primarily used on the more advanced planes that are much more difficult to fly and more expensive.

Edit-I was over at a park near my house a few weekends ago and a guy had 5 electric planes there. All of them foam, the biggest probably had a 3' wingspan. They were all WWII era fighters and all of them electrics. He made it look so easy to fly them but they aren't easy let me tell you. This guy actually was a pilot and built two real airplanes himself (he sold them though and uses this to satisfy his need to fly). You need to start out with something that is very stable and easy to fly...trust me on this.
 
Originally posted by: pontifex
that might be a little difficult. i don't know anyone or even know of anyone around here that does this.
Click to expand...
you'd be surprised. but beware, most 'flyers' are old geezers, but usually nice/helpful
search for local clubs
 
here's another question.

are most of these things ready to fly out of the box or is there lots of assembly? i found a site for something called a Zagi Tazz or something like that. Watched a video and that thing was awesome! but, it looked like it came totally unassembled and i'd have to cut pieces out of it and stuff like that. i'd want something that can fly out of the box or with very minimal (and easy) assembly.

i ordered an aero ace since lots of people seem to like them (and its fairly cheap).

 
Originally posted by: pontifex
here's another question.

are most of these things ready to fly out of the box or is there lots of assembly? i found a site for something called a Zagi Tazz or something like that. Watched a video and that thing was awesome! but, it looked like it came totally unassembled and i'd have to cut pieces out of it and stuff like that. i'd want something that can fly out of the box or with very minimal (and easy) assembly.

i ordered an aero ace since lots of people seem to like them (and its fairly cheap).
Click to expand...
There's ARF (almost ready to fly)
RTF (ready to fly)
RTR (ready to run)
I think....... I hope I'm not confusing anything, but ARF = use exacto and cut out peices, more work... RTF = some assembly, not too hard... RTR = barely any assembly required
I may be completly wrong, though, it's been a while

My SlowStick had the different peices and there was an instruction booklet with pictures to follow along with, it wasn't hard at all.
 
Originally posted by: pontifex
here's another question.

are most of these things ready to fly out of the box or is there lots of assembly? i found a site for something called a Zagi Tazz or something like that. Watched a video and that thing was awesome! but, it looked like it came totally unassembled and i'd have to cut pieces out of it and stuff like that. i'd want something that can fly out of the box or with very minimal (and easy) assembly.

i ordered an aero ace since lots of people seem to like them (and its fairly cheap).
Click to expand...

Look for one that says ARF or RTF.

ARF=Almost Ready to Fly (you might need to buy other parts to go with it like a radio but this should be fairly simple to assemble and get in the air)
RTF=Ready To Fly (you probably need to clip the wings on and charge the battery)
 
what about my cost question? after you buy the plane, are there any other costs you need to consider?

I have a nikon D50 DSLR. To get the basic kit it cost me $600. Lenses are expensive, many costing more than the camera itself. anything like this with the planes?

for some reason i always tend to get into expensive hobbies and having a cheap one for once would be nice, lol.

also, what about flight and charge times? whats average?
 
Originally posted by: pontifex
what about my cost question? after you buy the plane, are there any other costs you need to consider?

I have a nikon D50 DSLR. To get the basic kit it cost me $600. Lenses are expensive, many costing more than the camera itself. anything like this with the planes?

for some reason i always tend to get into expensive hobbies and having a cheap one for once would be nice, lol.

also, what about flight and charge times? whats average?
Click to expand...

I would get a cheap RTF trainer. Something like this would be an excellent beginner plane and it comes with everything you need to get in the air. A quick charger and a spare battery would be the only thing I might add.
 
totally depends on the plane

head over to towerhobbies.com and they should give you a list of what accessories you will require.

if it is ready to fly (electric) then you may not need anything else. depends.

or, just read up some and walk into your local hobby store and get some advice.

Just put a picco .26 max motor in my RC monster truck (2.5 horsepower!). that thing now runs 50 mph...it's crazy. To tell you the truth I get much more enjoyment out of it than my planes if you're looking to pick up a new hobby.
 
Originally posted by: pontifex
what about my cost question? after you buy the plane, are there any other costs you need to consider?

I have a nikon D50 DSLR. To get the basic kit it cost me $600. Lenses are expensive, many costing more than the camera itself. anything like this with the planes?

for some reason i always tend to get into expensive hobbies and having a cheap one for once would be nice, lol.

also, what about flight and charge times? whats average?
Click to expand...
hey, I just got a D50, too 😀

this hobby is not real cheap, but not expensive, either
I spent under $200 on my slowstick, but I had already had 2 standard servos, look to spend around that, maybe a little more if you want an extra battery (I would recommend this), a good transmitter, better electronics (speed control and the sort), good charger, etc (triton ftw, btw)
 
Before you go out and buy anyting I will tell you that RC is not a cheap hobby, unless you stick with park flyers.
RC Cars are insanely expensive and I probably buried close to $5k - $6k in my stuff.
 
Originally posted by: JDrake
Originally posted by: pontifex
what about my cost question? after you buy the plane, are there any other costs you need to consider?

I have a nikon D50 DSLR. To get the basic kit it cost me $600. Lenses are expensive, many costing more than the camera itself. anything like this with the planes?

for some reason i always tend to get into expensive hobbies and having a cheap one for once would be nice, lol.

also, what about flight and charge times? whats average?
Click to expand...
hey, I just got a D50, too 😀

this hobby is not real cheap, but not expensive, either
I spent under $200 on my slowstick, but I had already had 2 standard servos, look to spend around that, maybe a little more if you want an extra battery (I would recommend this), a good transmitter, better electronics (speed control and the sort), good charger, etc (triton ftw, btw)
Click to expand...

i've had my D50 for a little while and luckily my dad is a photographer who uses nikon so he had some lenses he didn't use so he let me sort of have them.
 
Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
Before you go out and buy anyting I will tell you that RC is not a cheap hobby, unless you stick with park flyers.
RC Cars are insanely expensive and I probably buried close to $5k - $6k in my stuff.
Click to expand...

*sigh*
why can't i be interested in rocks or bits of string, lol
 
I just began flying RC Airplanes a few weeks ago. The plane I have is a Firebird Freedom. Its about $150, but it's extremely durable ... I've had it doing cartwheels (on the ground) and only a small plastic piece snapped that I was able superglue back on. I enjoy the plane, it's pretty easy to fly, doesn't go too fast when you have the throttle at 1/2 or 1/4, but it also can go fast enough that I think it'll be able to entertain me for a while after I get the hang of flyign this thing.
 
Originally posted by: pontifex
Since the thread about the Aero Ace I've been really thinking about RC airplanes. I plan on getting one of the Aero Aces just to test the waters and see if its really something i might enjoy.

I guess i'm gonna start with the aero ace because its cheap and pretty durable from what i hear. i don't want to go out and spend a few hundred on a nice plane and find out i either don't like doing this or i end up crashing it and destroying it (or hell, losing it) my 1st day out.

I think I sort of asked some of these questions in another thread but i can't find it.

While searching for the aero aces, i saw some other planes. So i know they can be pretty expensive. After the initial cost of the plane, what other costs am i looking at?
is it like photography where the cameras and lenses cost a decent chunk of change?

whats the best type? i've heard of electric and gas powered planes.

whats a good starter "real" rc plane?

any other useful info would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

One guy in my dorm got an Aero Ace. The next week, there were at least 20. These things are pop-u-lar.

Learn to fly it, then step up the GWS 'Slow stick'. Get the speed 400 power system. It's electric, cheap, and not a disaster if you crash. If you're not comfortable with flying but still want to step up to a 'real' plane, check out foam-body speed-400 packages.
 
Originally posted by: pontifex
Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
Before you go out and buy anyting I will tell you that RC is not a cheap hobby, unless you stick with park flyers.
RC Cars are insanely expensive and I probably buried close to $5k - $6k in my stuff.
Click to expand...

*sigh*
why can't i be interested in rocks or bits of string, lol
Click to expand...

Buy a cheap park flyer first. You won't spend that much unless you really get hooked. The guy I talked to with 5 planes spent about $3k on all his gear.

If you get really crazy you could spend huge amounts of money on RC planes but only if you start building your own planes out of paper and wood and get into gas powered planes. That's a bit down the road for you...trust me.
 
Originally posted by: pontifex
Since the thread about the Aero Ace I've been really thinking about RC airplanes. I plan on getting one of the Aero Aces just to test the waters and see if its really something i might enjoy.

I guess i'm gonna start with the aero ace because its cheap and pretty durable from what i hear. i don't want to go out and spend a few hundred on a nice plane and find out i either don't like doing this or i end up crashing it and destroying it (or hell, losing it) my 1st day out.

I think I sort of asked some of these questions in another thread but i can't find it.

While searching for the aero aces, i saw some other planes. So i know they can be pretty expensive. After the initial cost of the plane, what other costs am i looking at?
is it like photography where the cameras and lenses cost a decent chunk of change?

whats the best type? i've heard of electric and gas powered planes.

whats a good starter "real" rc plane?

any other useful info would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

BOLDED= ...lol, I lost my first plane on its first flight....that sucked.
 
Originally posted by: DaTT
Originally posted by: pontifex
Since the thread about the Aero Ace I've been really thinking about RC airplanes. I plan on getting one of the Aero Aces just to test the waters and see if its really something i might enjoy.

I guess i'm gonna start with the aero ace because its cheap and pretty durable from what i hear. i don't want to go out and spend a few hundred on a nice plane and find out i either don't like doing this or i end up crashing it and destroying it (or hell, losing it) my 1st day out.

I think I sort of asked some of these questions in another thread but i can't find it.

While searching for the aero aces, i saw some other planes. So i know they can be pretty expensive. After the initial cost of the plane, what other costs am i looking at?
is it like photography where the cameras and lenses cost a decent chunk of change?

whats the best type? i've heard of electric and gas powered planes.

whats a good starter "real" rc plane?

any other useful info would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

BOLDED= ...lol, I lost my first plane on its first flight....that sucked.
Click to expand...

hope it wasn't too expensive. either way, that would really suck.
 
Definitely buy one of the cheap electric kits to get the hang of flying. It sucks to crash a $500 plane, or one you just spent 2 months building, on its first flight.

I was hardcore into it back in the 80's. Turbines were just coming out. My FB111 plane was sweeeeet. 🙂
 
i was looking at planes online last night. some nice ones out there.

well, we'll see how i like this aero ace and if i like it i might end up getting something better.

i know some of you already posted the planes you have, but what are some of the better brands or ones i should stay away from?
 
What blows me away is the fact that there *are* brands. Aside from the Testors kiddie planes, in the 80's you pretty much built your own plane. The brands were for engines and servos and such.

 
Servos, batteries, chargers, engines, kits, transmitters, receivers. When you get into building them it can get expensive quick.
 
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