What did you learn on? How long did it take?

[FlyWheel]

My first plane was a Hobby Zone AeroBird 3. I got off the ground and learned how to crash on that.

Second was a Multiplex Easy Star, I learned how to fly on that. Don't remember how long it took, but certainly less time than it would have taken with the AB3!

My third plane (and my first build) was a Tom Hunt Miss Stik Sr. I got to try one of these when I was still struggling just to keep the AeroBird off the ground (or out of the trees)!; it is such an easy to fly aircraft I seriously believe if I had started out with it I would have been confidently flying in just a day or two! I seriously believe that starting out with the plane that is easiest to fly is better than one that is easy to fix.

[stuart]

first plane and the start of addiction to rc was a cheap radioshack pusher jet 2 channel. throttle for height and twin motors to turn...lol...i could do great wing overs and figure 8's. had to or she would get out of range and fly off till it crashed.

then i got the yellow skyfly 3channel,self taught and it was very slow to climb out but once up it was even slower.....it couldn't even loop.local ball parks were all i had to fly over.

then the real addiction started about 5 years ago[i think] and i built the mini telemaster,then the Herr cub.both 48" ws ....this was the rebuild year which has continued till now as i continued to build planes i wasn't ready to fly....greatplanes 300s extra sat for 3 years and only now was maidened in the fall of 2012. alot of my oldest planes still can fly after many crash/rebuilds and crashing isn't as often anymore.[knock on balsa]

best plane i'v learned so much on is the towerhobbies kit built uproar modified greatly from reading many threads...iv built 4 of them do to pushing the aerobatic envelope of my abilities and still love to burn holes in the sky with it even if i have to build another.

so thats the humble beginnings,scary dumb thumb periods of learning on my own to joining the club i hated to the club i love being part of. to having a total blast and a basement littered with memories hanging and laying all over the man cave.


now if only the weather and weekends would work together so i can type less and fly more

[Neko]

Goldberg Eagle glider. Then a Goldberg high-wing aileron trainer that I electrified with NiCads. Long break, then an Electristar high-wind aileron trainer. And LOTS and LOTS of simulator practice. I would have had a hard time going to something like the T-28 too early in the sequence.

Keep at it.

[mattman0182]

I refuse to quit. I am sure I will be frustrated many more times in the future. I may be forced to learn on my own. But perhaps not. I want to be able to fly that BF109 without destroying it. But I wont buy it till i can fly the T28 lol. Not always easy for me to have patience.

[Murman]

I taught myself to fly with a Superfly! Yeah, I know it's not a trainer, but I saw a video of one flying and just had to have one for myself. This is how it looked back in November of 2007 when it was new...


And here's what it looks like today....

[kyleservicetech]

Originally Posted by mattman0182

Just wondering what you guys used for your first few planes.

What is the first plane you flew?
What was the first 4-channel plane you flew?

How long did it take you to get where you could fly pretty much anything without a whole lot of trouble?

As many of you know, I am new to the hobby. I have gotten very good with the Champ, but I am having trouble with the PZ T-28. Once I fix it, I aim to try again.

I will stay in this hobby, I am determined to. I understand it will take baby steps.

But I would like to know about the learning experiences of some of the more experienced flyers on this site. Perhaps this could help me in my own quest.

This goes back awhile, in fact, back to the 1960's. First RC model was powered by a Cox 09 engine with a throttle attachment. The model was a non-descript shoulder wing craft with a Galloping Ghost servo. (Don't ask!)

First four channel model was a Falcon 56 with an Enya 35 engine up front. Did a lot of flying with that, but had serious problems with radio failures. The radios we used back then were not very reliable. Twenty - thirty flights between failures was considered pretty good. The issue was vibration, it got into the servo components that were "Standing Up". The vibration simply broke them off after a number of flights.

Times are sure much better nowdays. That Microavionics Radio I had was purchased used, and cost the equivalent of 6 months rent back then.

[Fig]

Mid '80s my Dad and I picked up a couple of Cox EzBees. Great planes to learn on at the time, but initially the concept of starting the motor and hanging on until it ran out of gas was a little intimidating, but we made it through that and learned a lot. It was really fun to fly around under power, get it up as high as you could and then glide it back in. You really had to plan your landings though because you only got one shot. It wasn't too long before we were upgrading the stock .049 engines to the Black Widow version. Fun times and I think one of them is still over at his place. We flew those planes for a couple of years before moving up. They were just so much fun and fit the place we had to fly. Since there wasn't a hobby shop in town we weren't being teased with other planes.

Then we moved and found the local hobby shop. For my first four channel I got a Hobbico Cessna 182 and can't even count how many gallons of fuel I ran through that plane. Replaced the OS .40 with a .46 and it was a screamer. Next up was a Indy P-51 that they recommended a .60 sized four stroke. We stuffed a OS .91 FS in it and installed retracts. Man that plane was fast when you hit full throttle. They are both sitting over at Dads. I am contemplating giving them an overhaul and putting them back in the air. Have to see how much damage time has put on them. They may not be airworthy after this long.

Currently flying a Parkzone Corsair, Radian and Micro Sukhoi Su26xp. I am looking at getting a DX8 transmitter and a Night Vapor here soon so I can fly in my shop when its too windy outside.

[kyleservicetech]

Originally Posted by Fig

Currently flying a Parkzone Corsair, Radian and Micro Sukhoi Su26xp. I am looking at getting a DX8 transmitter and a Night Vapor here soon so I can fly in my shop when its too windy outside.

DX8 transmitter. Just picked up one last summer. Best radio purchase I ever made. (Also have the Spektrum DX7, and sold a second unused backup DX7 to a club member.)

That DX8 is far easier to program than the DX7. Things like dual aileron servos, dual flap servos, dual elevator servos are rather easy to set up. And the throttle kill switch is a no-brainer.

[Fig]

Originally Posted by kyleservicetech

DX8 transmitter. Just picked up one last summer. Best radio purchase I ever made. (Also have the Spektrum DX7, and sold a second unused backup DX7 to a club member.)

That DX8 is far easier to program than the DX7. Things like dual aileron servos, dual flap servos, dual elevator servos are rather easy to set up. And the throttle kill switch is a no-brainer.

Thanks. I am really looking forward to picking this up. Just with my current list of planes it will be nice not to have to move sliders and re-trim every time I switch to a different plane. Plus I want to get my old gas planes back in the air and fit them with new receivers and refresh the engines. I have a couple planes that haven't flown yet that I will need receivers for as well. The plan is to get one radio and dial up each plane.

I am still not 100% sold on the 2.4ghz/digital over the 72mhz servo feel due to lag, and don't want to buy a ton of digital servos but it looks like this really is the way to go and not have a trunk full of transmitters laying around.

[road king 97]

Originally Posted by kyleservicetech

DX8 transmitter. Just picked up one last summer. Best radio purchase I ever made. (Also have the Spektrum DX7, and sold a second unused backup DX7 to a club member.)

That DX8 is far easier to program than the DX7. Things like dual aileron servos, dual flap servos, dual elevator servos are rather easy to set up. And the throttle kill switch is a no-brainer.

I flew Futaba for over 25 years till they thought they could charge alot more than my DX7 and way more for recievers. They have now figured out their mistake of gouging us and have lowered their reciever prices but its kinda to late ,once i switch i wont go back. I have two DX-7s and would like to buy the 8 but my DX7s are working great still.I dont like programing my dx7 for a kill switch so i buy or make these now . joe http://buyradiocontrolledplanes.com/...products-6970/

[rcers]

Great topic. I started in 1978 and still feel like I am "learning" (thankfully).

I started with a Cirrus radio and an Airtronics "Q-Tee" airplane with a Cox .049 engine on it. Buddy and I in it together neither of us flew. It crashed into a million pieces (even the ENGINE broke) on our first attempt.

Then - frustrated we decided on gliders. I build at Marks Models Wanderer 72" glider and stood in a large field and threw it over, and over, and over again until I had some of the finer control points. I would throw harder, get higher and then would practice landing toward myself (man was that tough!). Then I attached an .049 to the nose and was able to learn with that slow gentle glider.

It was challenging being self taught before the days of simulators and video game reflexes.

I am all electric now - still learning "stuff" and having a ball all these years later. Switching to electric made me a better pilot by many levels as I increased my flights per year likely by 50 fold. Now I fly in front of the house, at the school yard and only go to the field to fly my big stuff.

That is the real key to becoming proficient, a great deal of stick time.

Mike

[road king 97]

Originally Posted by rcers

Great topic. I started in 1978 and still feel like I am "learning" (thankfully).

I started with a Cirrus radio and an Airtronics "Q-Tee" airplane with a Cox .049 engine on it. Buddy and I in it together neither of us flew. It crashed into a million pieces (even the ENGINE broke) on our first attempt.

Then - frustrated we decided on gliders. I build at Marks Models Wanderer 72" glider and stood in a large field and threw it over, and over, and over again until I had some of the finer control points. I would throw harder, get higher and then would practice landing toward myself (man was that tough!). Then I attached an .049 to the nose and was able to learn with that slow gentle glider.

It was challenging being self taught before the days of simulators and video game reflexes.

I am all electric now - still learning "stuff" and having a ball all these years later. Switching to electric made me a better pilot by many levels as I increased my flights per year likely by 50 fold. Now I fly in front of the house, at the school yard and only go to the field to fly my big stuff.

That is the real key to becoming proficient, a great deal of stick time.

Mike

The Q-tee is on my build list but electrict conversion . joe http://www.outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=1350

[Bill G]

Slow Stick. Learned instantly with perfect results. I'm not bragging up myself, only the plane, as it's that easy to fly. When you can launch, fly at 5mph, and not need to touch the controls for at least 100 feet after launching, anybody should be able to do it.

[rcers]

Originally Posted by road king 97

The Q-tee is on my build list but electrict conversion . joe http://www.outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=1350

Cool...

[kyleservicetech]

Originally Posted by Fig

Thanks. I am really looking forward to picking this up. Just with my current list of planes it will be nice not to have to move sliders and re-trim every time I switch to a different plane. Plus I want to get my old gas planes back in the air and fit them with new receivers and refresh the engines. I have a couple planes that haven't flown yet that I will need receivers for as well. The plan is to get one radio and dial up each plane.

I am still not 100% sold on the 2.4ghz/digital over the 72mhz servo feel due to lag, and don't want to buy a ton of digital servos but it looks like this really is the way to go and not have a trunk full of transmitters laying around.

If your existing servos are working fine with your existing models, I don't see any need to replace them all with digital servos when upgrading to 2.4 Ghz. Out of curiosity a few months ago, I rigged up a "Variable" output signal on my home made signal generator. The output voltage on the servo signal was varied from zero volts to where the servo started working. All of my old servos started working properly when the servo pulse signal got above 1.4 Volts DC as measured by my Tektronix 2236 oscilloscope. Based on my test results with Spektrum, JR, Futaba, Hitec, and some old Tower Servos, I never ran into any problems.

About the only issue with the Spektrum/JR receivers is the servo connector itself. The Futaba servos have a "Spline" on their connector that does not allow plugging it into a Spektrum receiver. Yes, I've removed that spline with a very sharp side cutters, but found that the Futaba connectors are a little thicker. Plugging in a batch of them to a Spektrum receiver results in bending the pins of the Spektrum receiver.

I just replaced the connectors on all of my Futaba type servos with the Spektrum type.

Spektrum now has a $29 2.4 Ghz receiver. A number of club members have them on their 100 Mph electric jet foamies. So far, no problems what so ever.

[solentlife]

Originally Posted by mattman0182

Just wondering what you guys used for your first few planes.

What is the first plane you flew?

I actually flew C/L with my brother for years on our front lawn at home ... then he left home and I was left alone unable to sort how to fly C/L single-handed ! Went to LHS and they put me onto boats and cars ... but planes kept beckoning me on ... so I finally laid out my hard earned ....
Power : Veron Robot 3ch trainer - all wood and tissue.
Glider : Solent Sailplanes Ridge Recruit

What was the first 4-channel plane you flew?

Starlight power trainer - LHS own model in UK. I took out dihedral and made her more 'personal'.
First real as per kit 4ch ... Rojair Mk 22 Spitfire with Enya 30 IC engine.

How long did it take you to get where you could fly pretty much anything without a whole lot of trouble?

I had fabulous training on the slope and saw me flying within a couple of weekends ... power was a doddle after slope and that was literally self-taught based on my slope experience.

As many of you know, I am new to the hobby. I have gotten very good with the Champ, but I am having trouble with the PZ T-28. Once I fix it, I aim to try again.

I will stay in this hobby, I am determined to. I understand it will take baby steps.

First ... get rid of this thought of just trying ... buckle up and get out there. It's an object ... you're the boss !

We all go through it ..... and anyone who says they no longer have butterflies in stomach when going to fly is either worlds best RC flyer or telling porkies !!

Nigel

[JetPlaneFlyer]

Originally Posted by solentlife

Glider : Solent Sailplanes Ridge Recruit

That brings back memories!.. My old man and I used to fly the Solent Sailplanes Ridge Racer. It was a pretty fast model in it's day. My dad mainly flew the Ridge Racer, I had a Chris Foss Phase 6.

The Phase 6 is still being sold but I think Solent Sailplanes are long gone.

We still have both models in good condition but I dont fly slope these days.

[solentlife]

Originally Posted by JetPlaneFlyer

That brings back memories!.. My old man and I used to fly the Solent Sailplanes Ridge Racer. It was a pretty fast model in it's day. My dad mainly flew the Ridge Racer, I had a Chris Foss Phase 6.

The Phase 6 is still being sold but I think Solent Sailplanes are long gone.

We still have both models in good condition but I dont fly slope these days.

I knew the Guy who had Solent Sailplanes ... often confused with a diffferent company Solent Models. SS was usually sold via mail-order or to order to a LHS.

Beautiful models ... BUT eggshell fuselages .... The Recruit was always cracking the fuselage behind the wing even on light landings.

SS faded away long ago ...

I ended up flying the Phase 6 and Centi-phase of Foss's after meeting him at a Cross Country Meet ... boy could he fly his ! I also knew him when he flew for Skyleader Radio ...



From back to front : Wanderer 98" Thermal, Zlin Akrobat Scale, Wot 4 with piped 61, P6 Pursuit, Phase 6 with fully symmet wing. (A small collection of my vast hangar in those days ... mid 80's)

Thinking of Southampton and model gear ... I miss the old SoMoSo Company ... they did a brilliant add-on silencer suitable for 60 and up glow / petrol motors ... I really need one now for my 15cc RCGF Petrol motor.... looked like a Cigar tube with smaller diameter pipes out each end.

Nigel

[road king 97]

I joined the UK forums a couple years ago and its great to see some of the balsa built trainers there . I'am also sighned up to the German forums to see what they are building and flying. joe

[Leadchucker]

A second hand well worn Debolt Live Wire Champ powered with a VECO .19 guided by a World Engines 3 channel. Took about a week of flying every evening to get her around the sky and another to get the landing sorted so as not to damge her.

[road king 97]

LOL here is your debolt live wire http://www.outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=5 Looks like i nice e- conversion Leadchucker. joe

[solentlife]

The Outerzone web-site has provided me with plans of many of the models I flew back in UK ... and I am slowly working my way through ... building in Foam and with electric power.

One that will get a definite trial - (not from Outerzone) ... is the Watt Four ... a close representation of Foss's Wot4 ... a classic Brit sport machine.


My 1980's ...

Here's my Display machine .. Skymaster Bipe



8th placed N28 at UK Southern Scale



Spitfire with retracts



First of 2 M2000 with piped 61



P6



The WOT4 with piped 61 - amazing !



Zlin scale



Tiger Moth and another Spitfire



The other M2000



Just a small selection of the models I had back then ...

Nigel

[road king 97]

Once in a while i fly off of water with dereck woodard and i have seen many of his plans in the UK . Great fun to fly with and can put a Lazy bee through its paces Nigel.He somtimes posts here on watflyers also. joe

[rcers]

Nigel - too cool.

here are a couple of my wayback shots ('78-81).

Mike

[solentlife]

I know I'm only one of many on here that can trace a history through RC ... and mine is nowhere near as illustrious as many.

I was just lucky to meet and fly with some well known names in the UK when I lived there.

I always chuckle when I remember some of Dave Boddingtons stories when he made the models etc. for TV ...

Nigel