1Quik7 Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 I've got money burning a hole in my pocket lately and I need a new hobby. I've always loved airplanes and wanted an rc, plus I've also got a few large parks within walking distance, Hurricane Hobbies and the airstrip at Alum Creek right around the corner...so it seems like I'm in a prime location. Since we have a never ending polar vortex I'll probably start out with a sim(plus I can play at work as well) and wait for Spring to grab a trainer. I'm looking at RF 7.5 with the 6ch radio that I can use with the plane as well. I've flown real planes but never an rc...hopefully my general understanding of flight characteristics will make it a bit easier. Any cool local clubs? Suggestions or tips? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tindall2006 Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 GF and I got a pair of blade MCX's for V day... been fun easy to fly... But as a real helicopter pilot... i wish they where a little faster/more performance oriented! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentStateTsi Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 Join Alums club. Mike Barbee should still be around and he competes in Top Gun and Masters events. By far the nicest guy at the field. They should still have club trainer aircraft and buddy boxes available for use. I love being able to buy everything ready to go now. Since you've flown full scale I'd sugest building one as well. Foam is nice and cheap but the feeling of flying something you built isn't there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 Before you go spending a ton of money on a gas powered trainer and joining clubs and what not, go buy a cheap foamie park flyer and see if you'll even like it. R/C can get expensive fast and there is marginal resale value on used equipment so before you make the leap something cheap like a foam that you fly at a park is a good way to dip your toe in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagner Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 Before you go spending a ton of money on a gas powered trainer and joining clubs and what not, go buy a cheap foamie park flyer and see if you'll even like it. R/C can get expensive fast and there is marginal resale value on used equipment so before you make the leap something cheap like a foam that you fly at a park is a good way to dip your toe in. This, this, and this some more. I worked in the hobby industry for a while and did mostly R/C ground related stuff, but the people who followed the above advice had a better time. We used to see these cowboys come in wallets blazing that had zero hobby r/c experience wanting the biggest most bad ass whatever we had. We would tell them buy cheap, learn, grow into bad ass toys. Some would listen, others would come in with broken stuff wanting us to fix it for free because the crashed it. That is why you now wee the signage at Hobbytown that pretty much says, the second you take it out of the store its on you. tldr: Buy a hobbyzone electric super cub, learn it, crash it, fix it, master it, THEN buy the gangster flight gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I miss TORKS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buelliganx1 Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I miss TORKS But but the landfill NEEDED that new road put in........ Oh wait maybe not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybe Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I've been getting into Multicopters. Maybe that's not considered 'real pilot stuff', but they're a great deal of fun and pretty accessible. Might consider that if you wanna fly something around - r/multicopter is a good resource, and Cyclone Hobbies on Karl has a ton of flyer stuff (http://www.cyclonehobbies.com) I'd recommend a Hubsan X4 to bash about ($40) and a Dromida ($85) to get going on something larger. From there sky's the limit, custom builds with cameras, first-person-view, gps etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I should add here are a couple of questions you should be asking yourself: - Do I want to fly electric or nitro? Electric now isn't like electric of even 10 years ago (speed 400 motors in microlight planes and 5 minute flight times). You can get some pretty big airplanes up for some nice extended flight time now without the hassle of fuel. Granted you are not going to be up there for 20 minutes doing an aerobatic routine like you would with gas but the maintenance is cheap and more importantly the cleanup is less. Some people don't feel like you are in the hobby unless you come home stinking like nitro, are covered in greasy spent exhaust, and every time you start your plane you put your finger at risk, but that's all crap. Nitro does have it's advantages in that you can really be up there a while, fly more scale airplanes, fly larger airplanes, and have accessibility to older stuff. However it is really the expensive part of this hobby in fuel costs, engine costs, maintenance, field supplies, licensing, insurance, etc... - What's the part I like most about this hobby? is it the flying? is it the building? is it the flying something I built (i.e. tinkering)? You want to approach this very cautiously as the costs can spiral out of control very fast. If you want to see if you'll like flying go get a cheap foamie and put it in the sky. The hobbyzone cub was mentioned and it is an excellent 3 channel trainer, but I prefer a 4 channel trainer and low wing airplanes just because I don't even bother to coordinate rudder turn on the smaller plane - just throw it into a bank and use the elevator to pull you around. for some people 3 channel flying feels too slow and boring. to that end I recommed a parkzone or eflite T28 Trojan. If you like building, guillows kits are still commonly available and usually under $20. Pick one up and see if you have the patience for it. Way better then ending up like me with an unbuilt $250 Goldberg scale cub kit under my bed for 20 years. the guillows kits fly like crap but if you read the RC message boards there are plenty who convert them to micro RC and you can try that if you want to see if it is the I have to fly what I built that really gets you. It is perfectly ok to build display airplanes if that is your thing. Case in point here is my PT-26: http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f102/Geeto67/74e8887a.jpg I didn't build it, a neighbor of mine did and then flew it twice, then detailed it out and sold it to a hobby shop. After the hobby shop closed I bought it and it currently hangs in my parent's house in the entrance way because we are a flying family. There is so so so much detail in this airplane that if I were to wad it into ball it really would be a waste and all that detail is lost once it is in the air. This is what I fly when I want to fly nitro: http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f102/Geeto67/35336225.jpg It's an ARF rascal 40 that if I wad I can still get parts for. It flies nice and scale, easy peasy, and looks great. I recommend this if you decide to take the jump to nitro. To be honest though, I haven't touched this in over 2 years because I am having too much fun with eflite's GeeBee (NOT recommended for beginners). - Do I have to have new stuff? Like I said used gear is usually gutted on price. Once the season gets going CL gets jumping with people selling and looking to trade solid aircraft with flight time. Foamies I would buy new, but when you are ready to make the jump to balsa - used isn't a half bad way to go. There is also an R/C swap meet that happens twice a year. - What's my budget? If you really want to have some fun on the cheap: http://flitetest.com/ but you have to be ready to constantly be tweaking and trimming the airplane. But these are almost purely disposable. If you just want to get going a solid Dx7 transmitter and a bind and fly foamie will have you in the air before your credit card cools. Expect to be in it for a couple hundred ($200-$500). If you feel you just have to have nitro then put aside about $1000 and start shopping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentStateTsi Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 The foam instant gratification crowd is why the "hobby" is where its at now. Anyone can put a brushless motor on some foamboard or injected "replica" and it will fly. They do not fly the same. I can understand trying to save money or not have a big initial investment. A dx6 or dx7s is a great start just depends on if you want programming options. People don't stick around because there isn't a sense of anything other than swiping the card for another wing or fuselage. I'm not saying spend lots of money. Get the sim you already talked about. It is not just a tool for beginners. The new solid state gyro planes and as3x from horizon are great but what are you actually learning if it flys itself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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