The New guy.

[saint]

Alrighty folks.... my name is AL. A little about myself as well as a plan to get into the hobby.

I am 46 and a disabled Veteran of the USMC. I have always wanted an RC Airplane but never could make it happen until now. Have RC cars but love the look on my sons face (5 yo.) when he see's the airplanes and it has renewed that desire to own and fly one. I am a total noob.... never ever flown one before, but put this plan together off the advice of some of the advice given.


The plan:
1. order the RF RC flight simulator 7.5
2. Spend time everyday getting the hang of it.
3. Once I am proficient at the simulator upgrade to the E Flight Apprentice S 15e with SAFE
4. fly the heck out of it
5. upgrade to the FMS 1700mm F4U Corsair
6. Dynam A-10

Love the forum and everyone has been great so far. Hoping to be flying soon. Thank you everyone.

[TiredIronGRB]

Welcome Al, and thank you for your service to our nation!

[Capt. Crunch]

Hi Saint, I am by far no expert, but if it was me, after step 4 I would get something like the Dynam corsair or maybe the fms 1400 corsair. That 1700 is quite a leap from the apprentice. Just my 2 cents

Oh and thank you for your service

[saint]

Hi Saint, I am by far no expert, but if it was me, after step 4 I would get something like the Dynam corsair or maybe the fms 1400 corsair. That 1700 is quite a leap from the apprentice. Just my 2 cents

Oh and thank you for your service

I will look into that. I only went with that one because of the review. They said it was more stable flyer. But most likely go with your advice. Thank you and you are most welcome.

[Prowler901]

Welcome aboard, Saint. I'm a Navy vet. I had the pleasure of serving with Marines during flight training. Some of the most professional people I've ever worked with. Thanks for your service.

[saint]

Welcome aboard, Saint. I'm a Navy vet. I had the pleasure of serving with Marines during flight training. Some of the most professional people I've ever worked with. Thanks for your service.

Outstanding brother.... thank you and thank you for your service. Put the simulator on layaway and will be picking it up here as soon as my new pc gets to me. Very excited to get started.

[XF-15DCC]

Welcome saint, USAF vet here. You will enjoy this hobby. Nothing like getting the heart rate up with a few "close calls". Remember, all planes have an expiration date so don't get discouraged if/when that happens.

Do you have any clubs in the area? Great place for help and resources.

See ya around,

Kevin

[rc-eflyer]

Hi Al, great bunch of people here, many years of experience, so don't hesitate to ask anything. Your plan sounds good and like has been said you might want to put another step in there before the Corsair and get really comfortable with a low wing sport plane first. Thanks for your service!

Steve

[saint]

Thanks Kevin!

Hi Al, great bunch of people here, many years of experience, so don't hesitate to ask anything. Your plan sounds good and like has been said you might want to put another step in there before the Corsair and get really comfortable with a low wing sport plane first. Thanks for your service!

Steve

Which one would you suggest Steve to ready myself for a warbird?



Thank you everyone! Can't wait to get my RF 7.5 out of layaway.

[Grossman56]

Hey Steve, I went the Pandora (I may have told you this before, but its worth repeating) and flew the heck out of it. We have the Apprentice and its a great first plane. It so slow that you have lots of time to correct and think things through.
The Pandora in low wing/ tail wheel configuration will give you the 'AT6' sort of training to get you to the warbirds. I have six warbirds now (4xP51d's[two FMS and two Freewings], 1xP51B, and theP40B) and still love to fly one of my Pandoras.

Yeah I am a Mustang Junkie!!

Grossman56

[saint]

Thank you sir!

[Alpha]

Hi Saint, welcome home! And thank you for your military service to our great nation!

I like your plan a lot, and I think you've paved a good path to success by building on a solid foundation first. I tell my students to begin with the simulator and practice until they can fly a complete flight profile to perfection (taxi, takeoff, circuit, maneuvers, inverted, stall recovery, touch and go, reverse pattern, etc, including a perfect landing in the same area, at least 25 times in a row. If there's any deviation from the flight profile, or a bounced landing, or anything not perfect, the count resets to zero. Not until they make the 25 times in a row requirement do they then transition to an actual airplane. This instructional path takes longer, but instills the discipline required to maximize the probability of a successful maiden and subsequent flights. It also instills an appreciation of and respect for the complexity of this hobby. Proper care of batteries require respect of instructions. Safe operation of an aircraft in appropriate airspace requires respect of the rules. Diligent expansion of this hobby to a new generation requires respect of other pilots. Etc, etc, etc.

A kite requires a string in order to soar. Without string, i.e. discipline, one's skills and fun factor with this hobby cannot fully soar, either.

P.S. Begin to make space in your garage. I guarantee you'll end up with more than those three airplanes ;)

[saint]

Love it! Yea I was just thinking about it. My garage is 20 x 20 and I do not have the room lol. time to build a sealed storage unit for the soon to be squadron.....ahahahahaha. Ground control hobbies is here in Yucca and Eddie was telling me about making sure you can land and take off without a hitch for at least 20 times in a row before you even think about flying on for real. So I will definitely take your advice. I want to do it right so that I can teach my son and daughters to do it right as well. Can't wait but will take my time. Love it here. and thank you all for such a warm welcome. Know that this is not just for me but will be passed on to my man cubs.... boy who is 5yo, my middle baby girl who is 8 and my oldest which she is 11. I remember when I was 9 and wanted a corsair so bad..... get to live the dream now and pass it on to my kids.

[xplaneguy]

Welcome Al! Thank you for your service, brother! Great family photo. :)

I'm 46 years old, a disabled Desert Storm vet, USAF Ret, and currently the KC-46A Flight Test Logistics Manager at Edwards AFB, CA.

You have come to the right place my friend. Hobby Squawk is an outstanding forum filled will a great bunch of passionate modelers and as you've already seen, very helpful and supportive. We're all BIG KIDS here and for the most part, well behaved. ;)

You're not too far away, maybe you can join us at the Apollo XI Field in Van Nuys, CA sometime or a few us road trip to Yucca Valley for a flying session in the future. Just something to think about. I always enjoy meeting online friends and like road trips too! :)

Have fun,
Tony

[saint]

Sounds good brother. Will let you know when I am in the air. Also brother.... thanks for your service. Great to see other vets in the hobby.

[weedsnager]

The sport cub S is a great plane to learn with also, it's smaller than the apprentice and you can fly it at almost any park

[saint]

Oh and yea just found out our local airfield shut down (Joshua tree airport) about 3 years ago and turns out some RC flyers have been using it. Also my father in law has his civilian pilots license and lives on 5 acers..... so I may be able to talk him into building a small airfield at his house. Just need to learn how to fly asap.

[Grossman56]

Or, just wander into a new sub division and learn on the new paved streets, that what I did!

Grossman56

[saint]

We have some pretty big parks to practice at here. Open as this is the desert. Can't wait.

[saint]

New life goal.... lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-am06l7LvE