Hi everybody! I probably the oldest newbie to RC airplane flying. I'm 77 and never flown a model plane that had a motor. I have been interested in flying since I was young. Even started flying lessons in HS but that ended soon with the Vietnam war.
Because of an accident, I became stuck not leaving for a vacation. That change gave me 4 weeks of free time with nothing to do so.... I looked into RC model flying. Reading a lot on the net and a few telephone calls to a club member and 2 hobby shops. Based upon some information, 1)I have decided that I should get a trainer to learn how to fly , 2) I should look for a trainer with "safe to Fly" assistant controls, 3) maybe add safe to land assistance.
I was thinking of buying a RTF model maybe the Horizon Hobby Carbon Cub CS +. However,based upon one telephone conversation, it was strongly suggested I not buy a RTF but a PNP? everything but the transmitter because the RTF transmitters would only work on the trainer I purchased and I would SOON (I doubt this) would outgrow it then requiring to buy a $250 transmitter.
I have several questions:
1) Can a RTF transmitter be used on more than one model?
2) If I were to buy 3 planes in one year, would I be better off buying a PNP, add a transmitter first?
3) Should I try to find some used parts & pieces ?
Any other suggestions?
Soooo....
Let me start with a few abbreviations that might help you:
RTF - Ready To Fly. These are systems that come with a transmitter, a receiver, motor, servos - just about everything you need to get a plane into the air. They don't usually come with a battery or charger, but some of the newer models are coming with them, so you might see that happening more.
BNF - Bind N' Fly. These systems are ones that do NOT come with a transmitter, but come with servos, a receiver, motor, ESC (Electronic Speed controller) - essentially, they're ready to go out of the box if you provide your own transmitter, and are a little cheaper for those of us who already have a decent transmitter. However, you need to pay attention to the Bind N' Fly, because you might buy a transmitter that is NOT compatible with the receiver. For example, MOST (but not all) BNF planes are Spektrum, and use DSM2/DSMX compatible receivers. If you like the idea of having everything pretty much ready to go and you just want to plug things in and go, Bind N' Fly is a great way to go IF you already have a transmitter.
PNP - Plug N' Play. These planes usually have servos, motor, and Electronic Speed Controller, but do NOT have a receiver.This allows you to buy the plane and plug in your own receiver of choice, so that you can fly it on whatever brand of transmitter you want. The savings on this is negligible from the BNF to PNP - essentially, you're saving the cost of the receiver by purchasing a PNP.
ARF - Almost Ready To Fly. These are less common nowadays, but they offer up an airplane, sans electronics. No receiver, servos, motor, ESC, are found with this kit, so you'll have to source those yourself and build it up a bit. If you're brand new and not sure what motor/ESC combo to use, what servos are recommended, etc., I would stay away from these, at least until you know a bit more about what to buy. They're fun to put together, but not something i would recommend for a first time pilot.
I'm going to tell you with regards to the RTF transmitters, that it depends. If you are picking up a Carbon Cub S+ with a DXe transmitter, the answer is YES, you can use it for multiple models, WITH LIMITATIONS. It will require reprogramming by hooking it up to a phone or computer and reprogramming it each time you change over to a different model. If you think you're going to be even the LEAST bit hooked with the hobby, it's worth it to spend a little more by selecting the BNF (Bind N' Fly) version and a separate transmitter like the DX8e, DX8, or NX8.
These radios have the ability to program multiple models in to the system - 250 models, stored in the radio, and won't require a phone or computer to program. They'll also have enough channels to program for the Carbon Cub S+, and support just about any other Horizon Hobby plane out there.
Now, there are a lot of people who will steer you to one brand or another. I will tell you this - BUY WHAT FEELS MOST COMFORTABLE, regardless of brand.
I personally tried a FlySky FS-I6 radio recently (our club's VP works at a hobby shop, and had one for demo in the shop, so i was able to try it). I didn't like the way it felt - not enough resistance on the sticks. I don't know if that's something that could be adjusted for, as some radios offer, but it was instantly a turnoff for me - I felt like I was playing with a cheap "imitation" transmitter, like what i've used for a flight sim.
I've also picked up an FrSky X-Lite transmitter that is favored by some because it looks and feels like a video game controller. I hated the way it felt in my hands because, for my handling, it felt cramped, like I couldn't get a good feel on the sticks. But the kid who was flying with it absolutely loved it, and it felt better in his hands because it was smaller and lighter than some of the bigger transmitters.
My point in mentioning these radios is that there are always pluses and minuses for it, whether it's configuring the radio (do you have friends who have used an OpenTX radio? Do they know how to set it up? if not, you'll likely be watching a lot of YouTube videos trying to decipher how to configure everything on your own), or how it feels in your hands. If it feels cheap, you're likely not going to trust it. If you have to do some weird stretch to flip a switch while flying, or look down at the radio to see a timer, or what position a switch is set to, you're going to hate it and want to change it out to something else, which might mean you have to switch out receivers for your planes, at an added expense.
You get what you pay for - if you buy something cheap, with no support, you're going to struggle. But that doesn't mean you need to sink $1000 into a high end transmitter that will handle 20 channels, record your flight altitude, and even have the ability to show you YouTube videos (I'm not kidding with that last bit - some of the higher end Spektrums have internet capability and can play YouTube videos on their display screens). Buy what feels best, and what you think will give you the least headache with usage. Do a little bit of research based on what YOU need for the planes you think you'll want to fly in the future. And if you can, ask to handle the transmitters you're considering buying. See how they feel in your hands, if any switches feel awkward to flip while holding the controller, if the sticks feel big and bulky or like they might snap if you push them to the limits.
