Most beginners start their RC flying adventures with an RTF (Ready To Fly) package – this includes the plane, transmitter, receiver and batteries – the whole package. Having now “mastered” the art of flight, it’s time to move on to your next plane – but which one?
Let’s first assess where you stand with your flying skills:
Unless you’re the rare 1 in 100 for which RC flying is drop-dead easy stuff, you’re now able to take off, do some simple aerobatics – such as loops and spins – land and you’ve pretty well internalized how to control the plane when it’s flying away from you or toward you without thinking about it. Most likely your trainer is rudder and elevator only – no ailerons.
In short, you’ve got the basics pretty well nailed down. However, you’ve done this with a plane that’s built to be very forgiving – more than likely a high wing trainer. These are configured to be fairly “goof-proof” – they will tend to self-correct if you let the sticks go, fly slow enough to allow corrections in a second or two to take effect and generally be very tolerant of over-correcting the plane.
So what’s next? A WARBIRD! Can’t wait to get my hands on a P51 or Spitfire!
Time out! This is where most beginners learn the hard way that a basic trainer is not a warbird trainer.
Flying a plane is an exercise in controlling a moving object in the air – speed is something to consider very carefully when selecting any model. A trainer flying at a modest 20 mph does not seem too fast, but let’s consider how fast 20 mph is in feet / second:
20 mph = 29.3 feet / second
Let’s say your 30 feet off the deck and have to correct from a bad turn – you have one second to do it. Presumably you’ve honed your reaction time so that you can recover OK. How much time does a warbird give you? Let’s say it’s cruising speed is 40 mph:
40 mph = 58.6 feet / second
If you’re 30 feet off the deck, you now have a half second to recover – and this for a new plane with unfamiliar, and unforgiving, handling. In level flight on a small field, blink your eyes and it’s gone. If you like to glue small foam pieces, this is a great way to do it.
Desirable Characteristics for a Second Plane
Let’s start from scratch – what should you look for?
Ailerons: If you’ve learned with rudder and elevator, the next step is ailerons. Most likely you’ve learned using the right stick for rudder and elevator control, so graduating to using the right stick for elevator and ailerons is not a jarring change. Banking right or left will be more responsive but not all that different. The rudder is now on the left side with the throttle – unless your plane has a steerable tail wheel, you can easily fly without touching the rudder.
Fly Fast or Slow: You’re still learning – flying an unfamiliar plane that requires a fair amount of speed to stay airborne cuts down on your reaction time – a plane that is flyable fast or slow mitigates this problem.
Moderate Wing Loading: The higher the wing loading, the faster the plane must fly to stay aloft; ideally something under 15 ounces/ft² will keep things reasonable.
Dual Rates: The transmitter should be capable of setting the control surfaces for two rates – low and high
rates. This means that with a flick of a switch, the control surfaces will move just enough to control the plane moderately (Low Rates); after gaining experience with the plane, you can select High Rates for more aerobatic-like rates.
Highly Survivable: You’re still learning – you need a plane that will not turn into a pile of foam or toothpicks the first time you have a “close encounter of the ground kind”. This means foam of some kind.
Easily Repairable: This does not mean only that spare parts are available – the plane should be “glue friendly” so you can easily make those inevitable small repairs that crop up.
Choices
If you have an RTF, the first decision you have to make is “Do I go RTF again, or do I buy a re-usable transmitter package?”
Most likely the RTF package you have is a three channel rig – ailerons with rudder require a minimum of four channels, so porting your three channel RTF rig is not feasible. This article lists some radios to consider – definitely go for the best computer radio you can afford.
If you decide to buy another RTF package, your choices narrow fairly quickly – IMHO there are two good RTF options available which meet most of the criteria listed above. Many of the other “intermediate” RTF planes use ailerons but no rudder – so you’re buying another three channel rig.
My favorite plane – my full review HERE. The Bug can be set up as a trainer or for full aerobatics – it can be bought as an RTF with a Spektrum DX6 radio – this is one of the top six channel transmitters on the market and will serve your needs for years to come. I can attest from my own experience that the Bug is extremely tough and a great park flyer – a forum on it HERE.
This is made of easily repairable foam and is very tough. The multiplex is available as a kit, ARF or RTF package. Do a search on the RC forums and you will see many positive references on it.
ARF kits require you to buy the transmitter, receiver, motor etc. One frequently mentioned that meets some of the criteria above:
The GWS Estarter is one that many recommend as an aileron trainer. This is an ARF but it’s a good start. Do a search on the RC forums and you will see many positive references on it.
Conclusions
It’s very easy to succumb to the dark side – resist the temptation to jump from that docile high wing trainer to a snarling war bird as your second plane. Some do and they’re fine – most transitioning from a basic trainer will not have a great experience. A better plan is to graduate to a tough, repairable aileron trainer with a radio package that’s going to meet your future flying needs.
Your Second Plane
Most beginners start their RC flying adventures with an RTF (Ready To Fly) package – this includes the plane, transmitter, receiver and batteries – the whole package. Having now “mastered” the art of flight, it’s time to move on to your next plane – but which one?
Let’s first assess where you stand with your flying skills:
Unless you’re the rare 1 in 100 for which RC flying is drop-dead easy stuff, you’re now able to take off, do some simple aerobatics – such as loops and spins – land and you’ve pretty well internalized how to control the plane when it’s flying away from you or toward you without thinking about it. Most likely your trainer is rudder and elevator only – no ailerons.
In short, you’ve got the basics pretty well nailed down. However, you’ve done this with a plane that’s built to be very forgiving – more than likely a high wing trainer. These are configured to be fairly “goof-proof” – they will tend to self-correct if you let the sticks go, fly slow enough to allow corrections in a second or two to take effect and generally be very tolerant of over-correcting the plane.
So what’s next? A WARBIRD! Can’t wait to get my hands on a P51 or Spitfire!
Time out! This is where most beginners learn the hard way that a basic trainer is not a warbird trainer.
Flying a plane is an exercise in controlling a moving object in the air – speed is something to consider very carefully when selecting any model. A trainer flying at a modest 20 mph does not seem too fast, but let’s consider how fast 20 mph is in feet / second:
Let’s say your 30 feet off the deck and have to correct from a bad turn – you have one second to do it. Presumably you’ve honed your reaction time so that you can recover OK. How much time does a warbird give you? Let’s say it’s cruising speed is 40 mph:
If you’re 30 feet off the deck, you now have a half second to recover – and this for a new plane with unfamiliar, and unforgiving, handling. In level flight on a small field, blink your eyes and it’s gone. If you like to glue small foam pieces, this is a great way to do it.
Let’s start from scratch – what should you look for?
rates. This means that with a flick of a switch, the control surfaces will move just enough to control the plane moderately (Low Rates); after gaining experience with the plane, you can select High Rates for more aerobatic-like rates.
If you have an RTF, the first decision you have to make is “Do I go RTF again, or do I buy a re-usable transmitter package?”
Most likely the RTF package you have is a three channel rig – ailerons with rudder require a minimum of four channels, so porting your three channel RTF rig is not feasible. This article lists some radios to consider – definitely go for the best computer radio you can afford.
If you decide to buy another RTF package, your choices narrow fairly quickly – IMHO there are two good RTF options available which meet most of the criteria listed above. Many of the other “intermediate” RTF planes use ailerons but no rudder – so you’re buying another three channel rig.
My favorite plane – my full review HERE. The Bug can be set up as a trainer or for full aerobatics – it can be bought as an RTF with a Spektrum DX6 radio – this is one of the top six channel transmitters on the market and will serve your needs for years to come. I can attest from my own experience that the Bug is extremely tough and a great park flyer – a forum on it HERE.
This is made of easily repairable foam and is very tough. The multiplex is available as a kit, ARF or RTF package. Do a search on the RC forums and you will see many positive references on it.
ARF kits require you to buy the transmitter, receiver, motor etc. One frequently mentioned that meets some of the criteria above:
The GWS Estarter is one that many recommend as an aileron trainer. This is an ARF but it’s a good start. Do a search on the RC forums and you will see many positive references on it.
It’s very easy to succumb to the dark side – resist the temptation to jump from that docile high wing trainer to a snarling war bird as your second plane. Some do and they’re fine – most transitioning from a basic trainer will not have a great experience. A better plan is to graduate to a tough, repairable aileron trainer with a radio package that’s going to meet your future flying needs.