Dunfielder
Active member
Hi, I’m a noob myself. From my understanding EDF jets are really not a good starting point for beginners. Very fast, very twitchy, don’t really like to fly slow. All bad things when starting out. Might want to try a more conventional style RC aircraft first. Then you’ll have some skills before trying to fly an EDF jet. Do you have any experience?
Dunfielder
Active member
So is that like large model planes or little tiny micro ones? Warbirds, trainers? I am starting with a low wing warbird and that's usually not recommended. But I believe that starting with EDF jets, especially something your gonna spend a couple hundred buck on is a really bad idea. Check out youtube vids of total beginners on EDF jets. It never ends well. I'd hate to see you out a bunch of cash and only a pile of confetti and a radio to show for it.
JasonK
Participation Award Recipient
for what is is worth "with radio and everything"
the cheapest radio I have seen was about $60 for TX + RX, most EDFs use fairly big batteries, etc. I don't think $200 is even a reasonable price range to look at for an EDF if your including your TX/RX in that total.
Honestly, if you don't have a TX (IE your needs a radio requirement), I question how much experience you have flying. And everything that Dunfielder said about what happens.
As you can see in my signature, I crashed my trainning plan (Tiny Trainer) so had and so many times that I have had to completely rebuild it 3x times in the time it took me to get to were I could fly it without crashing.
the cheapest radio I have seen was about $60 for TX + RX, most EDFs use fairly big batteries, etc. I don't think $200 is even a reasonable price range to look at for an EDF if your including your TX/RX in that total.
Honestly, if you don't have a TX (IE your needs a radio requirement), I question how much experience you have flying. And everything that Dunfielder said about what happens.
As you can see in my signature, I crashed my trainning plan (Tiny Trainer) so had and so many times that I have had to completely rebuild it 3x times in the time it took me to get to were I could fly it without crashing.
Dunfielder
Active member
Not trying to discourage you @LukeJ from getting into the hobby. Don't take anybody's remarks that way. I doubt though anyone will recommend any EDF jet to a rank beginner. Have you thought about building a Tiny Trainer or any other Flite Test plane? The simple scout seems to get rave reviews as well.
Dunfielder
Active member
The tiny trainer is a lot more than 1 step below an EDF I would say. But It is a good trainer plane to get you started flying. I'm not telling you ya have to go with the tiny trainer, hell like I said I started with a warbird you could too! I'm just really trying to impress on you how difficult and costly the EDF route is probably going to be for you. One beginner to another flying is not the most easy thing to do. You are going to crash and burn multiple times before you get good. Build whatever you like but the faster the bird you build, the faster it'll be destroyed in all likelihood. Just my 2 cents
quorneng
Master member
Lukej
To recommend the 'next' step it would help if you could say what RC planes you have flown.
By their very nature EDFs when compared to simple planes are powerful, relatively heavy and thus fast. As a result crash resistance is not their strong point. One mistake can mean a big repair bill.
To recommend the 'next' step it would help if you could say what RC planes you have flown.
By their very nature EDFs when compared to simple planes are powerful, relatively heavy and thus fast. As a result crash resistance is not their strong point. One mistake can mean a big repair bill.
shadeyB
Legendary member
My .10p Worth
I recommend Ben Harbours F-16 Viper with 70mm EDF
Awesome flyer, stable and fast in the air 👍
Don’t forget to put afterburners in it too 🤪💫💥🤬
If you are a beginner as you say be prepared to find it far away from you in lots of tiny pieces 😂😂💥🔥
Buy yourself a cheap radio and receiver like Flysky i6
Build your plane, get all electrics for it And get ready to go
You will learn, understand & appreciate flying sooo much more than spending a whack for 3secs of flight and a pile of foam lol
Flite test has soo much to offer and this fantastic forum sitting behind it to help us all along the way
I recommend Ben Harbours F-16 Viper with 70mm EDF
Don’t forget to put afterburners in it too 🤪💫💥🤬
If you are a beginner as you say be prepared to find it far away from you in lots of tiny pieces 😂😂💥🔥
Buy yourself a cheap radio and receiver like Flysky i6
Build your plane, get all electrics for it And get ready to go
You will learn, understand & appreciate flying sooo much more than spending a whack for 3secs of flight and a pile of foam lol
Flite test has soo much to offer and this fantastic forum sitting behind it to help us all along the way
Attachments
Well Ive never flown a edf plane before. Mainly I just want to build a plane that isnt the rc plane a 5 year old can fly and takes no skill to build or fly. Also, I really want something extra in the plane like retractable landing gear and gear doors. I think yall are right and I should try to build a propller plane before I try EDF. Any suggestions for planes that have retractable landing gear but are more complex than the trainer?
JasonK
Participation Award Recipient
For some context, one of the experianced guys at the airfield I fly at flies some EDFs. He glanced away at his controller to check something and looked back up to a plane out of control. Or so that is what I was told, it happened before I got there and it was in enough pieces that it was unlikely that it would ever get airborne again.
Dunfielder
Active member
Do a warbird then. You'd have to do custom retracts but building is half the fun! Any swappables warbird should be challenging enough.
Dunfielder
Active member
P40, Mustang, Spitfire. In the master series (which is a more complex build that you are looking for), they also have the Corsair, Mustang, Spitfire. I like the Corsair. Would look sweet with some custom retracts!!
shadeyB
Legendary member
I absolutely understand your feelings 🤪 this hobby takes that grip on us,
retracts are cool and break off lol bend, snap.
I’m not saying don’t as they are cool and some of my planes do have them also however I build also without and just belly land them (crash gracefully)
I suggest a building the Edge540, Masterseries Spitfire, ms mustang. P38. P47. And on and on.
Ps a 5 year old could fly these also it’s what you do with the sticks that counts
Can you fly your 5 year old’s trainer inverted, knife edge, hover ?
More to it than just the plane, it’s the pilot that makes the plane look cool
Attached is the picture of my 1st EDF 7 years ago lol it ended well after 2mins flight lol
Brett_N
Well-known member
Build the viggen.
with the big fan (70mm IIRC) and a 4S battery she will fly right out of your hand. The big flat bottom acts as a huge airfoil helping with slow speed flight, and it's foamboard, so cheap and easy to build and repair. only recommendation is use metal gear servo's since it's a belly lander and tends to come in nose-high, which puts a strain on the elevon's
with the big fan (70mm IIRC) and a 4S battery she will fly right out of your hand. The big flat bottom acts as a huge airfoil helping with slow speed flight, and it's foamboard, so cheap and easy to build and repair. only recommendation is use metal gear servo's since it's a belly lander and tends to come in nose-high, which puts a strain on the elevon's
