Pre-Beginner Advice?

[Railker]

Hey all,
I'm looking into starting out a hobby in Model and RC aviation. Anyone have any suggestions on where I start and/or what I start with? 'Cos I'm close to clueless

Many thanks,
Railker

[cgroves]

First, call the bank and talk to your credit manager, have all of the limits on your cards extended :D.

Seriously, RC aviation covers a huge spectrum of everything from small foam airplanes, to nitro airplanes, to helicopters, to jets, to gliders, hovercraft. Basically, anything that flies in the full scale world probably has a flying model version (and some things that would never fly in the full scale world). Is there a particular area you are interested in? That would help to narrow down the advice a lot.

That being said, there are some points common to all RC aviation:
-Join MAAC, they provide insurance and more importantly defend our frequencies and the privilege of flying models at all.
-Join a club, there are a number of great clubs in the area depending on what aspect you want to pursue.
-Be patient, hurrying ruins more models than anything else, build carefully, test carefully, wait for good weather, wait for an instructor, DON'T wait for sunset :eek:.
-Get a good instructor, someone you can work well with and whos schedule lines up with yours.
-Buy/Build a model that people in the area are familiar with. This helps since that means there is a lot of advice in the area.
-Shop around, most of the store owners are good guys and will sell you good stuff but make sure it fits you and what you will want to do in the future.
-Within reason, buy the best radio you can afford. The radio will outlast several (dozen) models and should last for many years.
-Don't buy the latest whiz bang super 3-D turbo flame-o-matic. Buy a trainer, flying RC is a lot harder than it looks and a good trainer helps build good foundation skills and you'll be ready for the next model much faster.
-Buy a simulator, this is especially true for helicopters. My simulator has payed for itself many times over in avoided crashes.

[Railker]

Sure, i'll be sure to take those points to heart. I've heard about RC Trainers, but that's all I've done is hear about them.

As for a simluator, would flying a craft in Microsoft Flight Sim 98 in R/C mode work? (I'm guessing the simulation is for coordination and all ...)

P.S. Where's a good place to go look for RC Trainers? And other EQ? I'm in the Ottawa area (Nepean)... and are there advantages of electric over gas?

[Tom Hastie]

Lots of good sights and forums give excellent information on RC. Off the top of my head:
www.rcuniverse.com
www.rcgroups.com
www.rccanada.ca

Spend some time browsing through the "Beginner" areas on those forums.

You're joining up during building season, but you you don't mind bundling up, there's often a crew of us hardy folk out at the ORCC field on weekends. (probably at Stetsons or Rideau too...) Usually in the moring. Look for a warmish, calm day and you'll find us out there. (don't bother making the drive if it's really windy and -20 though ;) )

Flying FlSim using the control tower view isn't bad. The only drawback is usually you're using a joystick that doesn't FEEL like the transmitter. If you have a dual stick gamepad for your computer that's better. There's also a free flying model simulator out there that's not bad for practicing. (google "FMS flying model simulator" and you should find it).

I fly both gas and electric, and for learning I don't think there's a real advantage eitherway... kinda depends on what you want to fly afterwards. The one advantage I can think of to getting a gas (glow) trainer is that usually they're a little heavier, and can take the wind better. That way you're not stuck waiting for perfectly calm days to learn how to fly. There ARE electric trainers out there that can handle wind just fine, but they're not usualy in ARF (almost ready to fly) format, so you'd have to do research ahead of time into what additional equipment you need to get the kit in the air.

There are four main hobbyshops in Ottawa (their addresses are in the resources forum)... My suggestion would be to visit all three just to browse and chat with the guy behind the counter. You'll get a feel for waht support equipment there is... what the different radios look like, etc.

Anyways... lunch hour is over... must get back to work... See you round!

Tom

[Gabriel]

Hi Railker,

Here is another opinion. I am a beginner too.

I bought an electric RTF, fairly cheap, everything included in the box. I wanted to know if I can fly it and if the hobby would catch my interest. It did. I've built a few planes now, but they are mostly electric foamies. I crash a lot and they are very easy to fix. So far I found no interest in flying gas powered planes and I am not sure I'll ever be interested. I enjoy watching them being flown by fellow pilots, though.

Welcome to the hobby,
Gabriel