I'm new to the hobby I fly planes and multi-rotors. I'm getting a Parkzone Icon A5 to start with. I watched the review on the A5 and think its great for me because I live on a island. The A5 is easily accessible and is a amphibious plane. Can I get advice on how I can start with it?
Hi I'm new to the hobby can I get a little help?
- Thread starter kaznut
- Start date
Hi kaznut,
You say that you are new to the hobby, and that you DO fly planes and multi-rotors or WANT to fly planes and multi-rotors?
Do you have your transmitter / receiver or are you looking for those as well? I noticed that the Icon A5 comes in a standard approx 50" wingspan and ultra-micro size approx 24" wingspan. Both are available only as Bind 'n' Fly so you will need a DSM2/DSMX transmitter. Which are you looking to buy?
You say that you are new to the hobby, and that you DO fly planes and multi-rotors or WANT to fly planes and multi-rotors?
Do you have your transmitter / receiver or are you looking for those as well? I noticed that the Icon A5 comes in a standard approx 50" wingspan and ultra-micro size approx 24" wingspan. Both are available only as Bind 'n' Fly so you will need a DSM2/DSMX transmitter. Which are you looking to buy?
Wait, is the Icon going to be your first plane? I assumed since you said you fly both fixed wing and multi rotors, that you had some flight experience. Can you give us some more detail on your experience and equipment? Like Roy said, having the right stuff is important. And for us to be able to help, we need to know where you are at as far as experience and equipment.
I do fly planes and helicopters but I have only piloted the toy grade models. I want to fly multi-rotors I have a transmitter picked out, its the DX6 transmitter, and I am getting the ultra-micro Icon A5. Hopefully im getting the Proto-X, it will be my first quad-rotor. The Proto-X is a BNF and flies like a bee it's quite fast and should be good for first time flyers.
The Icon A5 may be a bit too much plane for a starter plane, even the ultra-micro. I'm thinking it will be a bit too fast to learn on, even having some experience with toy aircraft.
It would be better to start with a trainer of some sort. The Bixler or Bixler 2 is popular as are others.
The DX6 is fine as it should bind with the A5 and Proto-X.
It would be better to start with a trainer of some sort. The Bixler or Bixler 2 is popular as are others.
The DX6 is fine as it should bind with the A5 and Proto-X.
Yeah I re-read my post many times after I posted it, and had thought to myself its needs more detail.
Yes, these are my first hobby grade models. I do not have too much experience but I do have a decent amount of experience, especially with the r/c planes from Air Hogs. I have been able to get planes in the air but when I did I got scared and droped the throttle, note this was years ago about 5 years ago, but now I believe that I'm able to fly and land planes. The last time I have flown something was a few weeks ago, I flew I believe a 2 channel helicopter I was able to hover and move around without problem, same with landing and had also taught my teacher who was the owner of the heli how to hover and move around.
The ONLY hobby grade helicopter I have flown was a Exceed r/c Falcon. I crashed many times because where I live it is very windy so it went with the wind. Only had the helicopter for one day then it broke. The reciver I think had over heated and had burst into a small flame destroying all of the circuit board. Everything else on the heli was salvaged this includes the transmitter, the motor I don't know what the rating is on it but it is a brush motor, 2 servos cannot remember the rating on those, li-po battery and charger, and a carbon-fiber tail prop.
This is most of my experience I have had that came to mind same with the equipment I had and have.
Yes, these are my first hobby grade models. I do not have too much experience but I do have a decent amount of experience, especially with the r/c planes from Air Hogs. I have been able to get planes in the air but when I did I got scared and droped the throttle, note this was years ago about 5 years ago, but now I believe that I'm able to fly and land planes. The last time I have flown something was a few weeks ago, I flew I believe a 2 channel helicopter I was able to hover and move around without problem, same with landing and had also taught my teacher who was the owner of the heli how to hover and move around.
The ONLY hobby grade helicopter I have flown was a Exceed r/c Falcon. I crashed many times because where I live it is very windy so it went with the wind. Only had the helicopter for one day then it broke. The reciver I think had over heated and had burst into a small flame destroying all of the circuit board. Everything else on the heli was salvaged this includes the transmitter, the motor I don't know what the rating is on it but it is a brush motor, 2 servos cannot remember the rating on those, li-po battery and charger, and a carbon-fiber tail prop.
This is most of my experience I have had that came to mind same with the equipment I had and have.
A "real" plane or multi will be a different story. But that doesn't mean your experience is for nothing. It will help a lot. I'd still recommend a trainer type of plane at first or a lighter quad to start with. The "good stuff" is much more responsive and will take some getting used to. That's where a trainer type of plane comes in because they fly a little slower, have a bit of self correcting properties and are designed to let you keep up.
rockets4kids
Senior Member
Is the Icon A5 really all that different from the Bixler? I have never flown either, but both the design and the specs look very similar.
Several aspects of the plane differ! The Bixler will be much easier to learn on.
It's faster and from what I hear(I haven't flown it either), it's better as a second airplane. It's likely something to do with the responsiveness of the control surfaces and no dihedral to the wing. It's also a little short coupled so that might be what makes it twitchy for a brand new pilot. As a second plane it should be fine, or even after some quality time on a good simulator and an experienced pilot to help out for the first few flights.
I don't suppose you have anyone that flies already? If not, it's not the end of the world. It will just take a little more patience and a step back. Go ahead and get the DX6 and see about picking it up with the combo of an included receiver. That will let you use a cordless adapter for a computer simulator or just get a cable to work with your trainer port on the DX6. A simulator is a great start because you can crash hundreds or thousands of times with no repairing or cash for parts. I will help with orientation and for beginning to learn some of the muscle memory that will help you as a new pilot. Even if you don't get the wireless setup for the sim, the receiver will give you some flexibility with your first models, as you won't be locked into a BNF. You can get a PNF, an ARF or a kit and get your own components, or get your own components and build one of the FT planes instead of a store-bought plane. That last will probably be the cheapest and will give you the opportunity to rebuild the plane many times for little to no extra cost. Of course, if multi's are your primary goal, it might be better to just go that route with a Anycopter or Knuckle frame and build a quad. Parts for those are available pretty cheaply, the arms are anyway, but those are what you'll break most anyway. Use some kind of cover to protect the electronics for when you crash. I use light plastic resealable containers that I found at the dollar store. Screw the lid down to the hub with some holes cut in for wiring and then just pop the top on for flight. Mounted inside there, the flight controller is kept safe from bad things when the landing is less than ideal.
Good to hear that Kaznut! The Champ is a great first plane to train on and having someone who can give you hands on advice usually speeds things along.
BTW, Welcome to the forum -- feel free to come back by and join in the conversations!
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