Radio Controlled Planes

mark66

mark66

mark66

Soldato
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I have been into RC cars over the years and last year bought myself a HPI Savage which has been a good laugh - as well as quite a drain on my wallet :eek:

However, I just got an email from one of the RC Sites I use, Microtech Racing and an advert for a cheap RTF (Ready-To-Fly) RC Plane caught my eye:

prdb27618f3-4394-420a-ab2d-9ff63df42d16.jpg
or
prdd79a8620-d589-4e28-a412-5ad20dee5a21.jpg


PARKZONE FW-190 FOCKE-WULF 190 or PARKZONE F-27B STRYKER

I have always fancied the idea of giving an RC plane a fly, and the powered ones appeal to me much more than the glider types.

So has anyone any experiences of RC planes? Does this kit seem ok for a basic RTF? Would it last long or will I have destroyed it within 5 minutes :D

Thanks
 
Get the Stryker! I have one and they are tonnes of fun. Also because of the large wing area it is quite stable.

Replacement bodies for the Stryker are about £15, but you can glue the thing back together :-)

Mine is more glue and tape than foam now.

I would avoid the Focke Wolf, they will break easliy and are pretty tricky to fly compared to the Stryker.

Neither are true beginners planes really.
 
I learnt with one of these Uno-W0t planes form Chris Foss http://www.chrisfoss.co.uk/business.htm having to build it yourself, you know what goes where and how to fix it when it breaks. Also teaches you a lot about the design/construction of planes (mean s you can then have a go at designing your own!).
 
Don't get those, they're difficult to fly. Start with a trainer. You don't start with a fast 3D or delta. You want something like this..

Tiger%20Trainer%2040.jpg
 
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These RTF toys are what eventually made me give up aeromodelling after about 15 years.

You used to be able to go to a model shop and buy supplies or a kit to build a model, then build it and go to fly it at a club full of modellers who took pride in their own skills and creations.

Now the 'model' shops are stuffed to the rafters with ready to fly toys and a lot of places don't even sell the basic supplies for modelling any more. The clubs are full of flyers (not modellers) most of whom will get bored with their toy and leave after 3 months.

Just another example of the throw away culture our society has adopted :rolleyes:
 
squiffy said:
Don't get those, they're difficult to fly. Start with a trainer. You don't start with a fast 3D or delta. You want something like this..

Tiger%20Trainer%2040.jpg
Click to expand...

LOL, Tiger Trainer, Precedent Hi-boy etc, all crap tbh. So heavy that they usually end up being woefully underpowered, and when they do hit the deck hard, the damage is substantial. Which of course is very hard to repair, given their construction.

The tricycle undercarriage is a disaster too, you'll be reattaching that front leg and the bit of plywood its attached to every.single.week.
 
You want a Chris Foss Uno-w0t, as someone has already mentioned, or preferably a w0t 4, which is a perfectly capable trainer as well as being able to move up to aerobatics as you progress. If it lasts that long ;)
 
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Gurbrush. Anyone who really enjoyed flying would continue to do so regardless of whether they flew alongside 'modellers' or 'flyers'. In fact theres more kit planes as well as RTF than ever before! (see internet)

I started on the Thunder Tiger Trainer - really rugged model, and quite easy to fly in most conditions. (Got pics somewhere)

Also the uno-*** is a nice model, but you have to build it! Given the short lifespan of any aeroplane under the novice pilot, its not ideal. Depends on what you want out of it really. I.e. modelling skills.

My most recent addition to the hanger is a Flair Super Chipmunk (RTF). Its a bit tricky to fly, but it looks great!

 
In fairness I enjoyed the modelling part at least as much as the flying part, and I do feel that has been taken away from me by the RTF market.

The last year I was seriously into RC aircraft, I thought I'd pick up my supplies for my latest model at the Sandown model show (you know, the biggest one in the UK). Had been going there for years and usually been able to get everything i needed. That year I could not find a single roll of Solarfilm to cover my model for example, but I was tripping over RTF models all the way round. My local model shop had a seriously small range too, to make way for colourful RTF models. Same with balsa wood, plus all the little bits and bobs you need to build from a plan and so on.

That was when I decided I'd had enough, and it's only got worse since.

I still have my favourite planes and my helicopter, and I'm sure I'll get them out again at some point.

Sure, lots of people have learned on a Tiger trainer et al, but I still say something like a W0t 4 is better, and trust me, having taught numerous people to fly, I do know what I'm on about.
 
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Goldy said:
Also the uno-*** is a nice model, but you have to build it! Given the short lifespan of any aeroplane under the novice pilot, its not ideal. Depends on what you want out of it really. I.e. modelling skills.
Click to expand...

If we accept that it's probably going to get a bit battered, how are you going to fix it if you dont have a clue how it is constructed?

No problem, if it's an RTF dont bother fixing it, just throw it away and get another one. That throwaway consumer attitude to things doesnt appeal to me.
 
Here's a question for you RC chaps. Is there an RC equivalent of aero racing, i.e. racing around a specified circuit at low altitude?
 
I'm looking to get into this 'hobby'.

I don't really want to glue tiny bits of wood together only to crash it over and over again. So would that STRYKER be a good entry level?
I would like to get into the modelling aspect, and make something really nice, but I think that would be wasted on me to start with. And no doubt I'd lose interest after I've had a big smash.

Also that STRYKER on the link included, says it has no landing gear.. is that because you're not expected to "land" it?

ALSO, are these electric ones pretty quiet? i.e. my neighbour won't complain...
 
KingAdora said:
I'm looking to get into this 'hobby'.

I don't really want to glue tiny bits of wood together only to crash it over and over again. So would that STRYKER be a good entry level?
I would like to get into the modelling aspect, and make something really nice, but I think that would be wasted on me to start with. And no doubt I'd lose interest after I've had a big smash.

Also that STRYKER on the link included, says it has no landing gear.. is that because you're not expected to "land" it?

ALSO, are these electric ones pretty quiet? i.e. my neighbour won't complain...
Click to expand...


No the Stryker isn't a suitable learner plane. Electric are quiet, quieter than lawnmower so if they complain tell them where to go. Visit plane section in rc universe forum.
 
Ok thanks I'll check it out.

Do you know of a uk based internet shop that sells the kits? I don't know of any in my local town..
 
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