Newbie in RC plane DIY

FDS

Elite member
Buy speedbuild kit.
Buy correct power pack
Buy a battery and charger
Buy a cheap transmitter and receiver like the Flysky Fs6i
Watch the build video whilst it is posted to you.
Buy hot gluegun
Put build video, hot glue gun, speedbuild kit and yourself in a room
Make plane
Crash plane
Repeat. Sometimes with scratch builds.
Welcome to the forums, it’s really that easy, especially the crashing part. Corsair isn’t really a beginners build or flyer, so maybe make something simpler like a Tiny Trainer first and work up from there. You will always end up with more than one plane anyway!
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
I agree with @Walt1942, the Corsair will be a very difficult first build.
If you are new to flying, I would recommend starting with a high wing trainer. The Mini Scout, Tiny Trainer, Storch, Bushwhacker or Simple Cub are all ideal. These planes are far easier to build, fly and repair. Save the Corsair for your second plane after you have some building and flying skills.
 

Vimana89

Legendary member
The Corsair is definitely cool, but like others have said, it is really high on the build difficulty. This is because it makes extensive use of foam molding techniques introduced in the master series,and this way of building is much more demanding than the simple fold techniques in a plane like the mini Scout or Tiny Trainer. As far as flying, the Corsair is intermediate difficulty, good for a second or third plane. The mini Scout kit would be a great choice, because the speed build kit is cheap and quick to build, so if you smash it up learning it won't hurt much to rebuild. The scout will prepare you well for a plane like the Corsair, because while it is an easy trainer and can fly slow, it is no slouch on higher throttle, has a high climb rate,and can do some mild aerobatics with ease.
 

six

New member
Allright, i guess we figured out the model out what about engine, controller transmiter and battery ? Are those powerpack and crafty kits actually worth it ? Seems kinda expensive to me .
 

FDS

Elite member
See how much a ready to fly plane of similar size is, like the Carbon Club S ($250-299) add up the parts then remember every piece of the FT power pack can be re used in another airframe when you wear the first one out.
You can save money by buying parts separately, but that introduces new stuff to learn first and may take more time to get right.
The Transmitter choice is entirely yours, you will want 6 channels and something that you can understand how to set up and program. Dual rates and expo will help you learn. You can get a radio that does all that, with a receiver for about $50-60 (Flysky Fs6i) and other options are available, depending on how steep you want the learning curve to be. If you are thinking of having bind n fly planes in future then you might want a transmitter that’s compatible with the protocol they use (Horizon/Spektrum uses DSMX.)
Second hand TX’s are useful too, just make sure they work and are the right protocol first.
 

six

New member
So technically i only need Flysky , and everything else that comes with a plane , but then if i want to buy Corsair frame i would probably need new engine for it right ?
 

FDS

Elite member
The Master Series Corsair would want a bigger motor than your trainer, plus you only recover things like servos from destroyed planes, since they are buried inside. 5 and 9g servos are under $5 each so I consider them a consumable.
If you built a mini Corsair or larger trainer like a full size Storch or Scout then you could re use the motor in the master series Corsair.
When you want a bigger plane you just buy a bigger motor and a $15 30A esc to match, you could re use the receiver but again, those are $15 each. None of the individual parts are expensive. The base cost for a whole set of electronics is around $45-75 depending on motor/esc required and how swanky you want your parts to be.
The FT packs are good for new builders since it’s all there and ready to build with no guess work required. The new V2 power packs with the radial motors and FT designed ESC’s are very good quality overall.
 

sprzout

Knower of useless information
Mentor
If you want some good recommendations on transmitters, we have a whole thread already created listing some of the transmitters:

https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/which-transmitter-you-should-buy.37966/

And as counterintuitive as this seems, I would suggest starting at one of the last posts first; I wrote up some things to consider when buying a transmitter (and tried to keep it as non-specific as possible when it came to brands, because there are a LOT of different brands out there). The best I can suggest BEFORE you sink money into a transmitter is to consider what your goals are with the hobby. Yes, you can spend $50-$60 on a transmitter; that said, it might not have all the bells and whistles that a more expensive transmitter might have, or it might not have enough channels to fly a warbird replica/glider/quadcopter/etc. that you may want to fly. Transmitters are something that you'll have for many years, unless you have an accident, like upgrading to the "new hotness", or are a sponsored pilot. :)

Here are the 2 quality things (3 if you plan on building primarily foam board planes) that you want to spend money on up front if you are planning on this being a long term hobby:

Transmitter - The best I can suggest BEFORE you sink money into a transmitter is to consider what your goals are with the hobby. Yes, you can be really cheap on a transmitter; that said, it might not have all the bells and whistles that a more expensive transmitter might have, or it might not have enough channels to fly a warbird replica/glider/quadcopter/etc. that you may want to fly, or it may be a non-programmable transmitter, or it might be a used transmitter that a careless person owned and dropped, etc. Transmitters are something that you'll have for many years, unless you have an accident, like upgrading to the "new hotness", or are a sponsored pilot. :)

Battery charger - This is something you'll be using with regularity to charge your batteries up before you go flying. You can get some very cheap chargers (I've seen some for $15-$20), but be aware that they may not come with any charging leads, it may only be for one particular type of battery - there are different chargers, for batteries like Nickel Metal hydride (NiMH), Lithium Ion (Li-Ion), Nickel Cadmium, Lithium Polymer (Lipo, which is the most common for flying), may be AC or DC only (I feel that this is VERY important; if you don't have an AC/DC charger, that means you can only charge via one method or the other. Some fields have solar charging stations that charge a battery and run off of that constantly charging battery; others may not have a charging system at all, which mean you either need to bring a portable generator, or connect to your car battery and charge off of that), or may only have a low wattage to charge batteries, thus lengthening the time it takes to bring it up to charge. Cost may be a factor, yes, but it shouldn't be the ONLY factor - especially if it means you end up buying a charger that does what you need later on, when you could have invested that money at the start on the one you really needed
.
Hot Glue Gun - This may seem like a silly thing to rate up there with buying quality, but here's the reason I (and Josh Bixler, during some of his build videos) recommend it. I went and bought a Dewalt glue gun from Home Depot nearly 3 years ago for, I think $30? I still have it, and it works WONDERFULLY, pumping out the glue in a constant stream, and I've built numerous planes, plus used it for over 120 Flite Test chuck gliders for kids last year. I also bought some cheap, $5 glue guns for kids to use at the Maker Faire I was working last year. Those glue guns took FOREVER to warm up, they couldn't do a good bead of glue, they didn't stay hot (meaning that I was constantly worried that I wasn't going to be able to get glue down fast enough to bond stuff together), and I was constantly having to pull the trigger to get the glue to pump out with those cheap guns. So, yes, they work, but it can be really frustrating, ESPECIALLY if you are trying to build a big wing, like say, the Sea Duck, where you are running three 4 ft. long beads of glue to form and glue down the wing. If that glue hardens before you're ready, you may be SOL with that wing!

As for your questions about whether you should invest in the Power Packs? YES. They've taken out the guesswork of "Will that motor work with this plane? What combination of ESC do I need? What prop size is good for this motor, so I don't burn it up?" It's all been tested already, so you KNOW it will work together. They've also put it together at a reasonable price for you. It IS possible to find cheaper equipment, yes - but there's questions on whether it's of decent quality when you get the parts. It's honestly easier to just use one of those packs, IMHO.

I know, a lot of info...Hopefully it benefits you in getting started! :)
 

earthquake

Member
I download the build video on my computer so when I watch it I don't use up all my data, I am on a fixed plan not Unlimited.
 

ThomasRC

New member
I would like to build Corsair from FT so now im wondering what do i need exactly to build it and fly it ?
Yeah, the corsair is not only a tougher build but the parkzone corsair I had was a tough flyer for a beginner. Idk how much flying or building experience you have but I would recommend a different easy builder and flyer