Awesomest_Dude
Member
I want to get started in rc planes, and i have done a good amount of research. i think i even know what I want to get. But i decided that I should get a book first. Any ideas?
Good Book for beginners?
- Thread starter Awesomest_Dude
- Start date
Monte.C
...
I like your thinking, most of my life I've approached endeavors that way too. But in this day & age and with this hobby I'm not sure that's the path to take. We turn to youtube now, and we have this forum. Absorb as much as you can, and pretty soon you'll say wait - why am I not cutting and gluing foam right now?
Awesomest_Dude
Member
idk ive watched a lot of videos but i think something i could access more would help too
Monte.C
...
In the dark ages we had magazines. They weren't exactly DIY manuals either, but it was what we had. We read about the hobby and absorbed more info than we realized.
I wouldn't expect to find "How to RC Scratchbuilt Foamboard Airplanes" on the bookshelf, and if it was there I do believe it would be a waste of money, with the very good sources of information I've mentioned, youtube and this forum. What areas are you hazy on? Foamboard building techniques? Electronics? Flying?
I wouldn't expect to find "How to RC Scratchbuilt Foamboard Airplanes" on the bookshelf, and if it was there I do believe it would be a waste of money, with the very good sources of information I've mentioned, youtube and this forum. What areas are you hazy on? Foamboard building techniques? Electronics? Flying?
Ligbaer
50 Percenter
https://www.rc-airplane-world.com/beginners-guide-to-flying-rc-airplanes.html
i bought this ebook
it is a tad outdated though
i bought this ebook
it is a tad outdated though
Flying Monkey fab
Elite member
First off, I like the way you think. I want to recommend a good book but thinking about the ones I have I just can't. As much as I like reading as a learning style I'd have to recommend YouTube for this. The Flite test guys have all the basics. Then come back here and ask specific questions. This is a helpful bunch.
Awesomest_Dude
Member
wth is lamentations
Flying Monkey fab
Elite member
It is one of the books of the Christion old testament, dark, he was making a joke, perhaps not a very good one but a joke just the same.
Awesomest_Dude
Member
yeah i know its a book but like ok
Mr NCT
Site Moderator
Yeah, maybe not the best joke but Lamentations is good after you've smashed your first plane. Kinda puts things in perspective since it laments the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon in 586 BCE. BTW, also accepted as a Jewish text.
Awesomest_Dude
Member
ok
Tench745
Master member
I too would like to recommend something, but the RC model airplane world has changed so significantly in the last 10-15 years that books about the kind of flying we do now are hard to come by. Foam planes, electric power systems, transmitters, receivers, and small electronics have all changed significantly since the books I know were published. BUT, those older resources do have good information that will still apply.
Also, if there are specific portions of the hobby you are interested in, we can probably direct you to reading materials that relate to that.
It's kind-of hard to learn to fly from a page full of words so I don't know of many books that broach the topic. You will likely gain a lot more in that area from videos. Most of the books I know of talk mostly about the technical side of the hobby. For instance:
Keith Sparks' book "Building With Foam" is a must read if you want to start building more complex or large foam models.
"The Basics of R/C Model Aircraft Design." by Andy Lennon is a math-centric technical overview of designing planes. The author focuses primarily on balsa models, but the aerodynamics math applies to all models.
I think http://www.airfieldmodels.com/index.html is a good resource for building. Again, the author focuses mostly on mid-sized balsa models but I think that mindset of building and flying is valuable if you want to dive deeper in that side of the hobby.
Also, if there are specific portions of the hobby you are interested in, we can probably direct you to reading materials that relate to that.
It's kind-of hard to learn to fly from a page full of words so I don't know of many books that broach the topic. You will likely gain a lot more in that area from videos. Most of the books I know of talk mostly about the technical side of the hobby. For instance:
Keith Sparks' book "Building With Foam" is a must read if you want to start building more complex or large foam models.
"The Basics of R/C Model Aircraft Design." by Andy Lennon is a math-centric technical overview of designing planes. The author focuses primarily on balsa models, but the aerodynamics math applies to all models.
I think http://www.airfieldmodels.com/index.html is a good resource for building. Again, the author focuses mostly on mid-sized balsa models but I think that mindset of building and flying is valuable if you want to dive deeper in that side of the hobby.
Awesomest_Dude
Member
Im thinking of planes that don't need building, like RTF/PNP/BNF. Any books about that?
Tench745
Master member
What do you want to know about them?
Are you looking for product suggestions? How to pick a plane? How to fly?
NM156
Member
Awesomest_Dude
Member
all of the above
Tench745
Master member
Those books NM156 linked to actually look pretty good. I don't own them, but they have some previews and they look to be quite in depth. "One Week to Solo" looks like a good place to start.
Products change often enough that you would be hard pressed to find a book that talks about that. The internet probably wins out on this one.
For picking a plane, start with a trainer. There are a few schools of thought on what size is appropriate for a trainer plane, but almost everyone agrees that you want a forgiving plane with enough power to get out of a sticky situation. Something with a high wing, enough dihedral to self level, and a low enough wing-loading that it can fly really slow before it stalls.
If you haven't yet, I would recommend watching FliteTest's beginner series on YouTube. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6IuSFWz4ktvupu_gxw1vn-sjBGOkJFHV It helps lay a good groundwork to build on. I know you said you've done a lot of research, so it may all be things you know already.
Products change often enough that you would be hard pressed to find a book that talks about that. The internet probably wins out on this one.
For picking a plane, start with a trainer. There are a few schools of thought on what size is appropriate for a trainer plane, but almost everyone agrees that you want a forgiving plane with enough power to get out of a sticky situation. Something with a high wing, enough dihedral to self level, and a low enough wing-loading that it can fly really slow before it stalls.
If you haven't yet, I would recommend watching FliteTest's beginner series on YouTube. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6IuSFWz4ktvupu_gxw1vn-sjBGOkJFHV It helps lay a good groundwork to build on. I know you said you've done a lot of research, so it may all be things you know already.
Monte.C
...
Bravo.
you can read all the books you want. books are great, i read them everyday.
but looking over your questions since you joined, i don't think a book will help.
it seems to me you're stuck on the fence, and no amount of reading is going to help.
sometimes you just have to jump in the pool and get wet.
but looking over your questions since you joined, i don't think a book will help.
it seems to me you're stuck on the fence, and no amount of reading is going to help.
sometimes you just have to jump in the pool and get wet.
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