what is the stuff a beginner to the r/c aircraft hobby should collect?

Byrdman

Well-known member
Dont over do it or over think it. Get the basic stuff you need to get started and move up from there like was mentioned above. Plane, servos, Tx/Rx, few batteries and a charger. No sense spending a ton of money when you dont even know if you will stay in the hobby for longer than a few months. Some build a plane, learn how to barely fly, and then move on to something else. If you stay in it, you will collect plenty of stuff.

IMO, repair materials are some of the most used items when you are starting out. Foamboard, glue gun and glue, wire, spare motor & esc, good razor knife, etc. Everything else just makes the job easier and faster for the future builds. Also, Amazon has a bunch of little stuff that can be delivered in a day or two. I would prefer to buy locally at a hobby store, but unfortunately in my area they are all out of business or over an hour away, so unfortunately Amazon gets all my business when it comes to y leads, servo ext., etc.

When I got in the hobby a long time ago, it was before craigslist, but I found a guy that was getting out of the hobby in the local paper classifieds, and he gave me tons of stuff and 3 planes for $100. So check craigslist if you are in the US.
 

TheFlyingBrit

Legendary member
Even though I like to keep an exhaustive collection of parts and spares, I always seem to run out of something or during a build use the last one and have to order more before my next build.
I even double up orders sometimes but eventually they dwindle away and I run out again.
The morale of the story is you will never have everything you need, as you will always run out of something specially when you need it.
 

Burnhard

Well-known member
Would suggest some tape, generally different types of glue (like foam
Armour, CA…) and lots of rubber band. I do use a servo tester only when building as its a bit more handy than fiddling with the radio. I am still wondering what to do with the lipos. Currently they are all sitting on a cupboard which is probably not ideal from a fire hazard perspective. I have a collection of old gift cards which I use for homemade control horns and the like. A little rotating multitool is a blessing. Oh, and you can never have enough popsicle sticks.

My case for the airfield includes the radio, lipo tester, charging cables (we do have charging facilities at the field), lipos (lots of or if less, a second radio for buddy-boxing), some lipo warners (these go on the balancer port of the lipo but I have stopped using these and rather rely on the clock in my radio), replacement props and additional material like prop savers, a bag of small parts (rubber band, bbq skewers, old credit card, sharp knife, masking tape…) and a set of screw drivers.
 

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
Now that I have a little more time, let me expound on this semi-sarcastic response.
Your goal as a newbie should be to gain as much experience before you run out of luck, money, and interest. This will make the hobby cheaper and more enjoyable for you in the long run.

Asking experienced hobbyists to share their experience (like you're doing here) is a great start. As is flying on a simulator, reading how-to articles, watching instructional videos, and reading product reviews.
Also, try things out whenever you can. See what works for you. Go to a flying field if you can and buddy-box. Go to fun fly events. Go to trade shows. Fly different kinds of planes. Build with different materials. Look at and use different transmitters to see which one fits your hands, your skills, your mindset, and your mission. Etc Etc. The more experiences you have the better you will understand what you want out of the hobby and how to get there.

For me, learning the how and why of a thing I'm interested in so I can make educated choices myself is a lot more enjoyable than just going with what someone else says will work and not understanding the why.

Now to answer the question you asked in your post, for the mission you outlined (learning to fly with the FT tutor).

-TX and matching RX:
A must for flying RC. If you want something simple to set up and use, that can grow with you look at Spektrum and other big names. You can often find the lower channel count radios used for a good price. If you're okay buying something simple and cheap and then upgrading later, I hear they hobbyking and Flysky radios are passable. If you want something that will grow with you forever and are willing to climb a big learning curve, look at any of the OpenTX radios (FrSky, Radiomaster, etc.) I started on a brand new Spektrum DX6i. I quickly maxed out its 10 model memory and 3 mixes, so I upgraded to a FrSky Taranis X9d+ and haven't looked back.

-Crafty kit V2:
For me and the ways I build, this is wasted money. I never use packing tape or markers. I'd much prefer a good self-healing cutting mat to the cardboard they provide. Squares are cheap, you can get a pack at the dollar store. Utility knives are also cheap, a few bucks at the dollar store or hardware. Personally I prefer to use standard razor blades for straight cuts and a good X-acto knife for curves; a utility knife will have a hard time cutting tight radii. The metal straight edge is definitely worth having, but is also available for only a few bucks just about anywhere. Spring for an 18" one if you can get it. Glue guns are not hard to find for under $20. You don't need the really high wattage glue guns that FT sells. I haven't used one, so maybe they're amazing and I don't know it. But, what I do know is that my little 40Watt AdTech dual temp glue gun has worked for everything I needed it to, including gluing up a 60" FT Simple Soarer wing. Just don't waste your money on a "mini" glue gun. A good set of small screwdrivers are definitely worth the money. I used a set of jewelers screwdrivers from the hardware store for years, but now I use a set with interchangeable tips similar to the one FT sells.

-Battery checker:
It's nice, lets you know how much battery you've used to get the most flight time, but it's not a necessity. Once you have a few flights in you'll know about how long a battery will last and you can program a timer on most transmitters to warn you when your time is about up. What I would recommend instead is to get a watt meter that can double as a battery checker. The watt meter portion will let you see what your current draw will be with a given prop/motor combo so you can calculate flight times beforehand and so you don't roast electronics when you over-prop a motor.

-Servo tester:
I've always meant to buy one, but never did. I've been building FT style planes for 8(ish) years now and never needed it. You can just plug the servo in to your receiver, turn Tx and Rx on, bind and it will center itself.

-Batteries and battery charger:
Also a must. If you can, get something that will work for the plane you're starting with and at least a few more planes you might want to build/fly later. Multi-tasking is good here so when you go to the field with a handful of charged batteries and something happens on the first flight, you'll be able to use the rest of your batteries in something else.

-Lipo bags:
These also aren't a must, provided you have a safe way of charging your batteries. I will sometimes put mine on a cookie sheet or concrete slab far away from anything flammable. I like to watch my batteries as they charge so if they start to puff or anything I can immediately react (they never have). A lipo bag will mostly contain a battery fire,but you still want it sitting on something non-flammable. It's also opaque, so you can't see what's going on as the batteries charge. Choose what suits you.


I carry the following things with me when I go flying.
In my TX case:
-Rubber bands
-Combo battery checker/watt meter
-Tx and neck strap
-Bind plug
-Anemometer
-Tachometer
-Log book

In the car:
-Spare props
-Glue gun
-Planes
-Toolbox
Very good recommendations! I never missed a servo tester till I got one, now I use it on every single build. As for collections things, I try to buy bulk whoever I can, and I also keep my eyes peeled on eBay and other places and occasionally pick up a lot of stuff from someone getting out of the hobby. I have a big bin full of random supplies and parts, and I can usually find whatever I need in there. You can never have enough servos, esc’s, extensions, etc.
 

TheFlyingBrit

Legendary member
A large card board box.
To fetch all the broken pieces home with you, when you eventually crash and you will crash we all do eventually. Either: pilot error, mechanical or electronic failure. It goes with the hobby, what goes up must also come down, if were lucky most times its safely.
Another good buy is a long Carbon fiber roach pole that fishermen use, ideal for tree retrievals or an extendable ladder :LOL:.