Does anyone know much about r/c planes?

[Guest]

I've been looking at some r/c planes in the past week and getting a little interested in possibly getting one with the summer coming up.

Does anyone know if any of the cheap-ish ones on ebay are any good? ie ones around the £40 mark? possibly a bit more.

What did catch my eye was the Parkzone FW190 rtf which costs about £100 on ebay, i checked their website out and the videos of it were pretty impressive to say the least. Then i realised i'd probably crash it on the first flight and destroy it lol which lead to me to looking at cheaper ones.

Is there any cheap plane which would help me learn the basics and see if i enjoy using them? i dont want to spend a fortune as i wouldn't be using it alot, and i dont want to be too pissed off if i break it lol

I realise this isn't an r/c forum, just thought i'd ask anyway.

Cheers

[wonwinglo]

Forget the FW.190 for now,go for a good basic high wing trainer that you can have hours of learning and fun from,another good choice for training is a powered glider,something to steer around the sky is what you want at first,these types of model will give you all of the confidence that you need.

The fighters are fine once you have mastered the basics,and then you can let them rip,if you see anything that you fancy on the net paste the link and I can advise as to its suitability for you.

[Guest]

I bought myself a Cessna off Ebay specifically to learn to fly with it. The attraction was that it came complete with everything needed to get it into the air and should be easy to learn with.

It is only foam construction so should fly nice and slow and give me a chance to get the hang of it. If I crash it all I have to do is glue the bits together with some Polystyrene tile glue and go again!!

That's the theory anyway. I haven't even put it together yet but it looks fine in the box. I also wanted four channels so I could practise with airlerons, rudder and elevator and the whole lot coast about 100.00 pounds.

I need to gain some experience before I put the Flying Styro 109 in the air as that one is going to have a bit more time spent on building it.

[wonwinglo]

Thats the idea,think of learning to fly like this-

1/Driving schools use Metros and things,not Jaguars.

2/Flying schools use Cessna high wing machines and not Spitfires.

The very same applies to flying models,keep it simple,high wing or parasol for added stability with everything hanging underneath weight wise,and you are on the right track to success.

Get your reflexes sorted with RC Flightmaster ( see Johns writeup ) during days like today,it is pouring down with rain outside but I am enjoying doing circuits with a Boeing 747 from a school playing field as a challenge !! my small electric models are all ready to fly when the sun shines again,whenever that will be ?

[Guest]

also element you saying this isnt an r/c forum???

this is a scale-models forum.

which is open to almost anything (if its made to scale)

and as far as i know r/c things are made to scale....sooo.....

[Guest]

Be sure to contact your local model flying club before attempting to fly, you may have a frequency problem. You radio will interfere with others and vice versa leading to crashes.There are a myriad of things to consider before throwing your pride and joy in the air. Dont be tempted to try it out in the local park or anywhere that the public could be affected. Club members will save you a ton of money and get you off on the right foot. Insurance must be considered. Bunkie use 5 minute epoxy not tile glue for repairs. Your plane may not be made out of "polystyrene" but a variant of the polyethelene family (with names like Elapor if German made) . Tile glues are usually water-based and will take ages to dry. Epoxy will cure anywhere without air. Go lightly with it though. Go and chat with local flyers,find out the routine first, you dont HAVE to join the club but just listening to the chat can be very educational. 5thEl, Do you have a radio control set on 35mhz?

[Guest]

lol fair enough (about the r/c thing)

wonwinglo - Heres a few examples of the kinda things i've been looking at, the designs seem endless so i'll just post a few samples of the kind i've seen.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HUGE-ONE-METRE-WINGSPAN-SEABIRD-RADIO-CONTROL-AEROPLANE_W0QQitemZ6058769478

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Brand-New-Radio-Control-R-C-HUGE-Seagul-Aeroplane_W0QQitemZ6059074504

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6059354331

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HUGE-RC-RADIO-CONTROL-R-C-ATR-AIRCRAFT-PLANE-AEROPLANE_W0QQitemZ6058657700

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bluebird-211-Radio-Controlled-Stunt-Plane_W0QQitemZ6057085216

If anything that style is good enough to get into the air and steer around and land i think i'd be happy lol i just wasn't sure if these kind are totally crap or not.

Bunkerbarge - was your Cessna one of these? or something similar

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-R-C-4CH-CESSNA-182-RTF-AIRPLANE-ELECTRIC-PARK-FLYER_W0QQitemZ240000229842

Looks/sounds quite good sure it'll be fun to use.

Duncan - Cheers for the advice, i'll need to look into clubs, not really sure im that much into it yet though. I just wanted something cheap to mess around with in summer and see if i like it. I dont have any radio sets at the minute, well apart from a Tamiya Monster Beetle controller from years ago lol and i'd only be using the radio supplied with whatever plane i bought, assuming i do buy one.

[Guest]

These are all toys, but they do use the 35mhz frequency. I wouldnt recommend any of them if you are older than 12 years of age.

[wonwinglo]

Forget the first two,they are controlled via asymetric power,too tricky for beginners ( ie shut one side of engine or throttle that side back to turn )

The third down is a possible,simple pusher,these do fly.

Forget fourth one down.

Better would be that Cessna 182,the price does reflect what you get for your money.

These are basically toys for youngsters introduction to small r/c models,but that is not to say that you cannot enjoy their possibilities,the ARTF market is changing all of the time with some sophisticated models.

[Guest]

Mine is the same as the last Cessna you posted.

It may well be a toy to a lot of people but I want something to learn on and something that I won't be upset about if I crash it.

My experience with local flying model clubs have not been very positive so whilst I am still a member of the national club for insurance purposes I am convinced that I am going to have to learn to fly on my own. I waited for many meetings for someone to help me learn to fly my first model and got fed up with watching too many people showing off with helicopters, fast electric models etc. Eventually I tried my model on my own and it was in the air for about thirty seconds. It went straight in the bin after that.

This time I won't shed any tears over crashing my toy and it will be relatively easy to learn with.

As Barry says I am at the "Metro" stage so the Jag can wait while I learn with my toy.

[wonwinglo]

Also these little models provide useful small items to build a scratch built that utilises motor,fittings etc when you get fed up of the foamie,the wiring is a work of art on the multi engine models which I ripped apart and made sketches for my own designs.

The biggest drawback is that you need to wait for fine calm weather and make the most of those slots,they are very light and will not penetrate too breezy conditions,early morning or late evening is the best time to fly them,always have them on standby and make the most of better days to fly.

Interesting that the BMFA has not had a single claim for insurance on any park flyer to date,they are so light that they just bounce,the foam absorbs any shocks.

As Duncan points out just make sure that there are no local clubs within range,whilst the rx are mostly short range,the tx is not.

There are a lot of places that you can fly that would not be possible with IC power,certainly they have been my saver around here with houses being built everywhere.

[Guest]

My experience with local flying model clubs have not been very positive so whilst I am still a member of the national club for insurance purposes I am convinced that I am going to have to learn to fly on my own. I waited for many meetings for someone to help me learn to fly my first model and got fed up with watching too many people showing off with helicopters, fast electric models etc. Eventually I tried my model on my own and it was in the air for about thirty seconds. It went straight in the bin after that.

I have to agree with this! My local club is VERY clichey and if one doesnt spend £££££'s on heli parts, transmitters that have better LCD panels than my pc and rocket powered jets they dont want to know, let alone get you into the hobby! Im just VERY lucky to live in the middle of nowhere with miles of fields i can use to fly in.....learning of course is a totally different matter!

Theres so many RTF's to choose from now! But as barry and richard have said that cessna looks the best bet. The hardest part of learning for me was controling the aircraft when it was flying towards me and getting used to the inverted controls!

SLIGHTLY OFF TOPIC- Can you get Tx's now that auto invert the controls when the aircraft is flying away from you or am i in the realms of sci-fi now?

[wonwinglo]

No need Squiffy,when the model is coming towards you and the wing drops,just push the stick in the same direction as the wing dropping,once you get used to it ,it is easy,different with helicopters though,hovering in takes some practise,once again the simulator comes in handy for this.

[Guest]

my son has the 2nd one down !- bought for him this christmas by grandma from a toy shop,

this gives some insight into the type of model it is,

it is 95% ready to go,

it is in the grand scheme of things a cheap plane ,

it is basically a toy with big ideas...

but in its defence it is alot of fun for the money,

it is controlled/ turned by decreasing motor power on one of the motor pods, it is also basic in its operation but fire up both motors on full throttle and this thing will happily fly.... it is very forgiving in the hands of a novice and his son ! and if you hit the deck ( and we do regually) it bounces,

the drawbacks i see are generally radio/ power based, despite everything it says on the box, radio range is limited, so you end up flying the model round and round yourself, it is easy to fly out of range.... the plane then usually drifts off and comes to the ground in a glide path !- my guess is range is 120 ft max.... it only flies well on still days..... and i mean still zero breeze !

the motor pack needs charging frequently, the cells are cheap and duration of flight is under 10 mins- usually around 8 mins....

but it is tough, no matter how many times we nose dive and hit the deck it gets up for more !- its not an ideal way to learn to fly as basically it does not fly under the 'normal' style of control- you do not have 100% proportional control over the flight surfaces,

but if you want a cheap fun 'plaything' for summer days in the park then this fits the bill - its a giggle and a bit of fun.....

but not something i would take to the local aero club- they would laugh at you !

hope this helps

[Guest]

I have to agree with this! My local club is VERY clichey and if one doesnt spend £££££'s on heli parts, transmitters that have better LCD panels than my pc and rocket powered jets they dont want to know, let alone get you into the hobby! Im just VERY lucky to live in the middle of nowhere with miles of fields i can use to fly in.....learning of course is a totally different matter!Theres so many RTF's to choose from now! But as barry and richard have said that cessna looks the best bet. The hardest part of learning for me was controling the aircraft when it was flying towards me and getting used to the inverted controls!

SLIGHTLY OFF TOPIC- Can you get Tx's now that auto invert the controls when the aircraft is flying away from you or am i in the realms of sci-fi now?

Squiffy,

Interesting concept but how would it know whether it weas flying towards you ar not. And if it did how would it control when it was flying tangentially to you and how would you deal with the point at which it changed over?

Nice idea but I can see some challenges with it!