Hello, I am new here,and to the Hobby

[Whiteraven]

Hello! I am just getting into RC Aircraft, my Goal is to reach a level of experence that I can fly Turbine Rc Jets, for starter Planes I have a skyking Pusher prop Glider, and the FMS Dragonfly, is this a good place to begin?

[Hippie 64]

Whiteraven welcome to the world of RC !!!

First off what did you get for a radio ? Looks like you have RTF setups , which are good starters , but from here on you will need to prepare for a better radio . Nothing less than a 6 channel . Then look into chargers and power supplies , batteries , and tools .

There in nothing wrong with the FMS , I can't say anything about the Hobby King but for future it is like pulling teeth to get parts from them . I can speak from lots of experience that MRC is the best I have ever dealt with . The FMS is a 31" wing span and don't be alarmed if it seems twitchy most smaller planes are . When your ready for a step up I would suggest the Freewing Pandora . It is four setups in one plane . It can be a wheel dragger or a tricycle landing gear . Also in it can be setup for a high or low wing . Starting in a high wing is the best way to learn then when your ready move it into the low wing and it flys different . Also bigger planes are more stable for the most part .

If you can find and join a local flying club there you will get hands on help and any questions you have can be answered , there will be many .

My best advice is BE PAITENT ! You will crash , hope not too bad , we all have and will . It is the worst part of this hobby . Ask anything that comes to mind because the only dumb question was the one that was never asked .Anyone here will do all they can to help you , call the MRC support if you need they are all fantastic.

Sorry for the book I have written be there is much to learn . Good luck and keep us informed

Bryan

[xviper]

Patience and MONEY! You're going from things that are a couple hundred bucks to over $10,000.00 for a good used turbine plane. Of course, there are the ever increasing availability of foamie turbines to help keep the price down. I love those turbines but I'm afraid my budget just won't allow it. I know some guys have $25,000.00 turbines. The power system by itself can approach $10K. Too rich for me. The one fellow who did a high speed lawn dart with his megabuck turbine .............. I can't even fathom how he must have felt. Yes, join their club and learn from them.
Working your way to turbines takes time and experience with faster and faster and more complex aircraft. You don't want to go to the next step until you've reduced your crashing and "boo boos" in the previous step. They make some pretty fast and awesome EDF jets now. When you get there and can fly nearly 90% incident free, then you might be ready and willing to get into turbines. Even a small boo boo in a turbine can cost you hundreds, if not thousands. And it's not always pilot skills that cause accidents. There are so many mechanical and electronic areas that can go wrong. Practice takes care of the pilot skills. Getting help from those in the know can take care of "most" of the rest.

[XF-15DCC]

Welcome!
Hippie and XViper nailed it with their reply. As Hippie said you will crash. All planes have an expiration date. I still have a Flyzone Beaver stuck in a tree all made possible by a stupid mistake.

I do recommend walking the field that you will be flying. If I did that I would have realized how large the field is before landing in the tree.

Enjoy and have fun!

Kevin

[Whiteraven]

Hello Guys! thank you for the advice, and I will take it, I have lots of questions, and over time I will post them, you guys are great, it's good to be here, I have a HUGE wish List, with Motion RC! LOL :)

[Grossman56]

Hi Whiteraven!
What the guys say is gospel, it wasn't so long ago that we were all right where you are. Patience is the key. If you have a club around, join it, if you can get any guidance it will make it easier. We're all here to help out in any way we can. Bryan is right, nothing less than a 6 channel, I'd recommend an 8 channel myself a I found when I got into retracts and flaps, I could just do it with a 6, but when I wanted a gyro, I had to go seven and replace my receivers as well as the radio. Things to take into consideration

Grossman56

[doctormike]

Welcome, Whiteraven. You will make mistakes, and learn from them, but with this bunch of guys helping, you can keep mistakes to a dull roar. We're here to help! Doc

[PappaBear]

Hello Whiteraven,

Welcome to our little family. I won't repeat what has already been said by others, only to say that everything they say is true. I will add this though. "There are two kinds of pilots, those that have crashed, and those that are going to crash." Use each mistake as a learning curve.

Martin.

[Whiteraven]

Thank you for making me feel welcome guys! :)

[Grossman56]

You're on at the beginning of a wonderful hobby, we've all been exactly where you are right now, so we can totally relate and are sure as heck willing to help out a fellow flyer, right guys?

Grossman56

[boomer108]

Your right Dan! We've all been there Winterhaven,and we are glad to help you along the great path of this hobby. Good luck and great flying!


Roy B.

[KitBuilder]

It's not a hobby.. it's an addiction... only you don't go to jail :) !
I have a friend who's a pilot and he flys his cessna. He laughs when I say I can fly whatever I want :)

[danloc78]

Hi Whiteraven and welcome! I'm a beginner too and I found my simulator to be a great help in getting comfortable with the controls before heading out to the field to fly my brand new 4-channel plane. Of course when it's real, there will be some jitters, but if you build a solid foundation using the simulator the jitters won't be as bad.

Short story...back in 2007/2008 timeframe I visited a local hobby store and saw all the cool RC planes. On a whim I decided to buy one, and against the recommendations of the hobby store owner, I bought a P-51 instead of a high-wing trainer. I crashed it twice hand launching, quickly broke both propellers it came with, and sold it on ebay for parts. Fast forward to 2013, I bought a Champ RTF. My Champ has been crashed a LOT, and while it is a bummer to see it crash it's actually enjoyable to fix because it's a pretty simple airplane and I get a sense of accomplishment making her flight-worthy again. Also, each crash created another wrinkle in my brain, all of which prepared me for my first 4-channel experience.

If you do things in the right order you'll be rewarded immensely. Trainer + simulator will provide a good foundation. Obviously there is a wealth of knowledge on this forum and I'm sure you've seen the knowledge base links on MRC? Check 'em out!

Best of luck,
Dan

[TiredIronGRB]

It's not a hobby.. it's an addiction.

So true, I got back in the hobby in January and now have 15 planes and fly almost every day. Real Flight 7.5 simulator has helped me tremendously.

[TSHobbies]

Welcome to the forum..and the hobby! one tip I will add is..for you first plane..make sure its one thats easy to repair and/or get parts for. if/when you do crash it..try your best to fix it and keep going. You may end up fixing it 10 times or more..but that 'fixing experiance' also gives you more knowledge about the planes and their workings as well..which is just as important as flying experience. dont crash it,toss it and buy another..just keep fixin till it cant be fixed no more. trainer planes are good that way..my Alpha 40 literally had been broken in every way possible...and repaired! what couldnt be repaired was replaced (thats why I say make sure parts are available) ..good luck and be patient... "patience ..you must have patience" ...Master Yoda

[doctormike]

So right...I have learned SO much from repairing crashed planes, how it all works and how to set them up...plus, how to glue them back together and refinish them. Doc

[Arthur89777]

Hello and welcome)
I would like to sare with you by interesting info about the how to build model, how to select servos, ect.
If you want, you can see it and it may to be useful for you)

http://www.rcfair.com/blogs/view_entry/13412/

[T-CAT]

Welcome to the forum and the hobby! You are in for an incredible amount of fun.

Everyone has provided great information already, and I'll add some more as well.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes, although mistakes will find you easily in this hobby :D, but you'll learn from each and every one of them. Just be sure to do everything you can to be safe in all instances, so as the mistakes occur it's best to ensure they won't harm you or others around you and reduce the risk of dangerous mistakes occurring. A few example's of this would be:
1. To scope out your flying site and be aware of obstacles, weather conditions, any nearby people, runway conditions, landing pattern, etc.
2. Learn to program your transmitter to use one of the switches for a "throttle inactive/throttle active" capability. This is VERY useful and great practice, especially when working with propellor driven aircraft. I use this switch to deactivate my throttle anytime my aircraft is turned on, near me, or near anyone in the pits as I preparing it for flight or about to end the flight before unplugging the battery. This keeps the motor from spinning (and the propellor), so if you accidentally move the throttle stick on the transmitter, you or anyone around you won't be injured via the propellor and aircraft. Don't underestimate the danger of the propellor. I just saw someone at the field yesterday brand new to the hobby that ended his flight, picked up his airplane and as he was walking over to the pits he bumped the throttle stick on accident. Thankfully, the propellor was away from him, his limbs and face, so it was just a scare, but he was very fortunate it didn't end worse.
3. Learn to properly preflight all your aircraft and keep the maintenance up, which isn't a lengthy process, but ensures safety. It's better to catch a problem on the ground before it becomes a more serious issue in the air. Than are many aspects to this you'll learn over time (some are used mainly on just after building a new plane and setting it up, while others is always done before each flight or first flight of the day) such as ensuring your servo's are properly centered, always checking the servo's are secured in their servo pockets, all screws are tight and linkages are attached, all control surfaces are moving freely in the correct direction (always always always check this as it's a common mistake made by many), range check the TX to the receiver on a new plane you just binded, check for proper Center of Gravity of the aircraft with the specific battery used in its ready to fly condition, calibrate the throttle end points on the ESC to ensure full range capability, make sure all control surface hinges are secure and not torn or weakening, make sure control throws are within the ranges necessary for a good flying aircraft, always check Lipo's (if you're flying electric aircraft) with a cell checker to ensure the cells are balanced and none are weak or malfunctioning, make sure the motor is spinning in the correct direction, as well as the propellor being on facing the correct way, check all glued surfaces to make sure they are still secure, keeping uncharged batteries separate from charged ones so you know which you've used after a flight, etc.

Do your research from several valid sources regarding the various aspects you want to learn in the hobby (forums like these are just one of the many ways to do so, asking experienced pilots is another, books, videos, etc.). Proper research can save you much frustration by putting you on the correct path right off the bat regardless of what you're looking to do in the hobby. For example, research what type of glues work properly for the various types of foam or other materials to ensure a proper bond. Some glues won't bond well to the material, and others will chemically destroy or weaken the material you're working with. Research how to properly charge batteries, store batteries, etc., as charging improperly can be very dangerous. Treat your batteries well, and they'll be more likely to treat you well. There are many great articles about LiPo's, nominal voltage, end charge voltage, proper storage voltage, charging at at specific capacity/speed and what that means, etc.

Learn to solder, as this will open up many doors for you in this hobby and allow for you to repair, set-up new planes and electronics, provide various connectors and harnesses needed to mate ESC's to Batteries, etc. This again can be dangerous, so make sure you get proper advice from experienced folks and always pay attention and triple check everything before you solder. You don't want to make a mistake while soldering a battery connector incorrectly and have a potential fire or explosion occur. A good soldering iron and solder will last quite a long time if properly used and taken care of, and will be worth the cost (although they can be relatively inexpensive).

Learn the basics of flight and RC controls on a simulator. This saves a lot of money in potential mistakes. Instead of destroying an aircraft, you can simply hit the refresh button on the simulator and be back flying again with no risk. A simulator helps understand aircraft control, throttle management, and aircraft orientation (for example, flying toward you is different than flying away from you). Once you feel confident in the basic maneuvers, can take off and land consistently well, and minimize the amount of crashes occurred from human error, controlling a real RC plane becomes much easier, safer, and more enjoyable as you'll spend less time crashing and repairing (although you still will just as other folks already said ;)).

Chose proven equipment known to be reliable, and that will still allow you to "grow into" such as the proper transmitter (easy enough to program, yet has enough channels for more complex aircraft later on, at a price point you're comfortable with, has a solid link, and good customer support). Another example is a reliable battery charger, as that can't be underestimated. Two things in this hobby (although there are others) that shouldn't be skimped on is a great transmitter and a great charger. Even if you have to spend a bit more on these items at first, it's worth it not only for growth in this hobby, but for safety and reliability. You'll thank yourself later.