Trying building from plans

[Noob]

Hello all. I think I have decided to take the plunge and want to try my hand at building from plans. I have built a couple planes from lazer cut kits. I feel like having the experience of building from just plans will help me in the long run with repairs and future builds of all kinds. So why post about it? Well after looking through several plans online I am just drooling over the possibilities of what I can build. So my question to everyone is what plans would be a good place to start without having a ton of experience? Any good beginner plans/good flying planes that you would suggest to be my first build from plans?

For reference I think I would prefer the ability to put a gas engine on it. My second choice would be electric. I think I would like to avoid nitro fuel planes for the time being. If there is a build that is nitro that I just should not miss then so be it.

Thanks for the suggestions in advance.

 

[Joker 53150]

What size plane and what engine size?

 

[Joker 53150]

A quick thought, a "stick" would be available in many different sizes and would be a fairly easy build and good flyer, and could use any type of power.

 

[CrashRecovery]

I agree if I was going to build I would consider the ugly stick as my first build

 

[Noob]

I don't have any requirements for engine size or plane size. I am really just looking for something on the beginner side. I don't have an engine or anything for this build so it would really be completely up in the air.

Thank you for the suggestion of the ugly stik. I do already have an ugly stik that I bought off a club member a short time ago. I will keep that option though as I could build one instead of buying it already built.

Keep the suggestions coming. I don't know if this will make any impact but I really do like war bird line of planes. Plans that I was looking at were a B-25 twin engine and a P-40 but after looking at the plans I found I think they may be a little, ok maybe a lot actually, over my head.

 

[Joker 53150]

In my opinion, if you want to try building from plans and not from a kit, for your first build do something very simple where the wing ribs are all the same (like a Stick) and where the fuselage is also a very simple design (like a Stick). Luckily you realize that the B-25 and P-40 are far from good choices for this build! It's been said elsewhere: set yourself up for success, not failure for your first build.

There should be a number of generic high-wing trainers on Outerzone and other sources, so you should be able to find something that fits your size requirement and power-plant requirement, whatever they end up being.

 

[Ken-The-Woodman]

I started with a Telemaster 71" as my first build. I bought full size plans for the Tele. and a Biplane when I decided to get into RC last year. Started with the Tele. thankfully. It was a fairly easy build with not a whole lot of pieces to it. spent 5 weeks o the Tele. and 5 months on the Biplane. IMO bigger is easier (easier to work on a clock than a wristwatch)

 

[BobK]

The Telemasters are great airplanes IMO, if they are bigger than what you want try to find plans for the Mini-Telemaster, they are a blast and fly just as good as the large ones. It would be a fairly easy build using common building techniques.

 

[Amcknight31]

Two suggestions, buy lots of clamps and use lots of fuel-proofer. ;D

 

[gabrielete]

I've already built five. The first one was really small. MISTAKE, it never flew. The second one was an American Dragon, complicated, as it was a biplane. The other two were my own desing and a conversion from foamboard.

The last one, was the easiest one to build and also the one that flies better. It was a Tiger 2 from scratch.
http://forum.flitetest.com/showthread.php?23346-Tiger-2-build-log

The plans https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0TPP3ODLss8WnRleTZGbzNZS28/edit

 

[Thorsclaw]

If you haven't checked out http://airfieldmodels.com/ for some tips and tricks on building from plans I would highly recommend it. it covers everything from selecting wood to radio installation.