What do i do?

[Mrbiscuits]

Hi,Im trying to get into RC planes and have done plenty of research. i know what transmitter i want(spektrum dx6i). but i cant decide what beginner plane to get. I have been looking at the sport cub s from horizon hobby, the umx radian, or getting a electronic kit from flite test and scratch building a plane. if anyone has good ideas please help. but i am on a low budget of about 130, and only have large, somewhat windy fields to fly in.

 

[notreallyme]

1st welcome to the forum
2nd i believe any of those 3 are a great choice as a first plane.

Learning to fly in the wind will be "fun" small planes get pushed around by the wind pretty easy and big planes that can handle the wind easily are expensive. the radian and the scs both have as3x which does help and the scs has the safe system that really helps beginners not crash everytime the plane goes in the air. the FT planes(FT flyer, tiny trainer) are pretty easy builds and repairs.

the choice is yours to make but it looks like your on the right track to me.

 

[Mrbiscuits]

thanks i can use all the advice i can get

 

[quadsview]

I love the Tiny trainer. It is my first plane and it flies great.

 

[Craftydan]

For a first plane, starting with nothing, One of the Horizon's UMX BNF planes + DX6i is a great, affordable combo. Friendly, well tuned to fly and comes with the battery charger gear for the plane. The DX6i is not the best radio for the long haul, but it's a great starter radio, especially if you can find a bargain on it. It should easily last you a year -- possibly two -- depending on what you want to get into.

Of the two BNF's you mention, I'd point you toward the UMX Radian -- a very friendly 3 channel power glider. Simple controls, VERY stable, and in moment of desperation, you can cut the throttle and she'll eventually settle into a nice glide (and if she's headed to the ground, as long as the throttle is off, she's light enough to survive a modest crash). Overall a great airframe! if you're handy with tools, the wing magnet mod to replace the screws is a great improvement for packing and storage with almost no cost in weight.

Starting from scratch with building, the best route, IMO is the FT Tiny Trainer . . . but . . . this is not the best way to learn to fly. it builds fairly simple and is easy to repair, but for your first flight, maybe not so much. If you start with a airframe you've built yourself, when you run into problems (and you will) it's better to know the airframe is sound and the issue you're dealing with is a piloting skill you need to learn. If the airframe's trim and fit is also an unknown, you might be fighting against a mistake from building, trim, or just skill in piloting . . . so finding and fixing the problem has just become MUCH more complex.

Build your second plane? Absolutely! Keep in mind, when you build your own you'll also need to invest in the battery charger gear, which the UMX gear has, but won't migrate up to bigger batteries and power systems.

 

[rcspaceflight]

Foam board building isn't any cheaper than buying a bind and fly. However, you can very cheaply build a new air frame and all of your electronics are likely to survive a crash. So in the long run building with foam board is far cheaper. Especially if you plan on crashing a lot.

There are a lot of great first foam board planes out there. If you want to go with a Flite Test build, then I suggest watching all of the build videos of the planes you're thinking about building and make sure you're comfortable with building that one design multiple times.

The best advice is to stick with one air frame until you master it. Even if that means building 10 of the same plane over and over again until you get the hang of it. It's a mistake to think the problem is the design if it's a proven design. The most issues you're going to run into is setting up the plane incorrectly, building it incorrectly, and pilot errors. The more you build a single design the better at building it you will become. The more you fly and experiment with a plane the more knowledge you will have on setting up that design correctly.

Long story short, you're going to run into more issues with scratch building (incorrectly building it or setting it up) but it will be cheaper in the long run than a bind and fly or a ready to fly.

 

[Splatwillicrash]

Wise beyond his years that boy!

For a first plane, starting with nothing, One of the Horizon's UMX BNF planes + DX6i is a great, affordable combo. Friendly, well tuned to fly and comes with the battery charger gear for the plane. The DX6i is not the best radio for the long haul, but it's a great starter radio, especially if you can find a bargain on it. It should easily last you a year -- possibly two -- depending on what you want to get into.

Of the two BNF's you mention, I'd point you toward the UMX Radian -- a very friendly 3 channel power glider. Simple controls, VERY stable, and in moment of desperation, you can cut the throttle and she'll eventually settle into a nice glide (and if she's headed to the ground, as long as the throttle is off, she's light enough to survive a modest crash). Overall a great airframe! if you're handy with tools, the wing magnet mod to replace the screws is a great improvement for packing and storage with almost no cost in weight.

Starting from scratch with building, the best route, IMO is the FT Tiny Trainer . . . but . . . this is not the best way to learn to fly. it builds fairly simple and is easy to repair, but for your first flight, maybe not so much. If you start with a airframe you've built yourself, when you run into problems (and you will) it's better to know the airframe is sound and the issue you're dealing with is a piloting skill you need to learn. If the airframe's trim and fit is also an unknown, you might be fighting against a mistake from building, trim, or just skill in piloting . . . so finding and fixing the problem has just become MUCH more complex.

Build your second plane? Absolutely! Keep in mind, when you build your own you'll also need to invest in the battery charger gear, which the UMX gear has, but won't migrate up to bigger batteries and power systems.

I second Dan's input, he is right on the money. I flew to Flite Fest last year with a UMX Radian in my luggage and due to careful packing it survived the trip out!!! I love that little plane but it is VERY delicate from a standpoint of rough handling, it survives flying stuff fine it is on the trip to and from the field I usually damage it.

DX6i is a very popular radio and tons of folks can help you with it. For your second radio, Look at a TARANIS. Best money I ever spent in this hobby.

 

[Gryf]

Just to throw in my two cents, I've used a Tactic TTX650 radio for quite a while now. They list for about $150, and while there are transmitters that cost less, the Tactic's SLT technology makes it really easy to bind to Tactic receivers, which are reasonably priced. That said, one of the things I like best about the TTX650 is that it's quite easy to program.

Transmitter

Receivers (I use a TR625 in my Bixler, and TR624s in my other planes.)

Admittedly, another reason I like Tactic stuff is that our Local Hobby Shop carries it, so I can just drop in and get another receiver when I need one. And interestingly, the local shop's prices are cheaper than those listed on the Tactic website, with the TR624 receiver priced at only $16.99, and the TTX650 radio for $139.95. I guess it pays to shop around.

Gryf