A good RTF elect. for a youth?

Tell him to go to his local field and get them to train the kid.

Barring that, buy something from someone who sells _all_ the spare parts (it's been a long time since I looked, too, but I believe that Hobby Lobby has a couple of trainers that you can just about build from available spares).

One of the multiples trainers- all foam. when it breaks ( and it will) it's a simple matter to glue back together with cyano and a kicker.Not pretty, but fast and practical.

IMO, easiest plane to fly is the Parkzone Micro Citabria. It=92s a micro, as the name suggests, not sure if that=92d be a deal breaker or not. Weighs under 1oz, so it doesn=92t really carry enough momentum to do damage when you crash it. It=92s still fun, and can do small stuff. It=92ll loop no problem, fly inverted for a bit, and generally kick around enough to keep you entertained for a bit. I know of 4 people, myself included, who learned to fly on one of these things with no training and no experience flying anything. 2 of the 4 managed to break props by not cutting throttle on nose-ins. ~$2 for a new prop,

2 minute fix with only a small set of needle nose, and you=92re back in the air. I flew mine without a single repair until I got too cocky on a windy day and lost it. Speaking of, whatever they get make sure they write their name & # on the plane. These go for $120 new, and can usually be had for around $80 in good condition on RCG, or a bit more if they come with some extra batteries (not a bad idea!). IMO the biggest downfall to this plane is it=92s lack of wind resistance =96 being under 1 oz AUW it=92s very susceptible to being tossed around by the wind. OTOH, if you learn when it=92s calm and work your way up it=92s a good way to learn to deal with the wind, and teaches you things that will translate to handling bigger 3 channel planes in higher winds when you move up.

Another commonly recommended first plane is the Multiplex Easystar. People like these because they=92re fairly resistant and they=92re pushers. To me, a big downside is if/when you do break one, they=92re not cheap to fix. Expect to pay around $200 for a RTF.

My personal favorite is the Slow Stick. It=92s not ARF, but the build is quick =96 2 hours if you really take your time. I can build one in under an hour. One of the best things about this plane for a beginner is the entire slope glider kit is only $20, so it=92s almost impossible to do more than $20 in damage, and you can have a spare everything on hand for an extra $20. Also, all electronics can be moved over to the next plane if/when you outgrow it. Personally, I like mine enough that when I build another plane I buy more electronics, and keep the SS for lazy flying and AP. They can be built for anywhere from $100- $300, depending on the radio choice. Mine=92s probably about $300 all told, but $180 of that is a DX6i Tx/Rx, which is Spektrum 2.4G and has a 10 model memory =96 it=92s all the Tx I=92ll need for years to come.

IMO the easystar or the slow stick is going to suffer some damage learning with no training. It=92s a shame you can=92t get them to ride the 50 miles and buddy boxy with you. The slow stick will suffer more broken props, even with a prop saver (highly recommended!), but it=92s a lot less expensive to fix when you do break it. I can=92t think of anything offhand besides aero-ace style toys and the PZ Micro Citabria that=92s going to lend itself to out-of-the-box flying with no experience without some breaking of things during the learning curve.

Unless starting with the PZ Citabria, I=92d suggest a bit of time with RC cars or on a sim (normal game controller with 2 joysticks/keypads and a freebie sim like FMS is fine) to get the hang of orientation before flying for real. Some people have trouble with the reversing of controls when the plane is coming toward them. I raced RC trucks long before I got into planes so it was natural for me, and should be for anyone with RC car/truck experience.

Good luck!

Dan

Snip Another commonly recommended first plane is the Multiplex Easystar. People like these because they?re fairly resistant and they?re pushers. To me, a big downside is if/when you do break one, they?re not cheap to fix. Expect to pay around $200 for a RTF.

snip I disagree.... fixing is easy and cheap., as I said above. Maybe not if you try and buy a spare wing or fuselage.... The mentor is a dream for a beginner. Ok in winds to 15mph looks nice, flies nice.

I've not had one, so I'll take your word for it. I've read some things on RCG about beginners being dissapointed because they managed to destroy a wing or fuse, and replacements were so expensive. It's possible they lacked your repair skills, or crashed harder than usual. To rephrase: If you break one bad enough to require spare parts, they're not cheap to replace the broken parts.

I'd like to see a plane like the EZ* in all EPP. It'd make a great starter plane.

I've not had one, so I'll take your word for it. I've read some things on RCG about beginners being dissapointed because they managed to destroy a wing or fuse, and replacements were so expensive. It's possible they lacked your repair skills, or crashed harder than usual. To rephrase: If you break one bad enough to require spare parts, they're not cheap to replace the broken parts.

I'd like to see a plane like the EZ* in all EPP. It'd make a great starter plane.

Repair is relatively easy.... make sure u have the majority of the foam.... if it was a major ground hit, then it will be a bin job whatever model you have.... I split my fuselage in half just behind the U/C back edge. Couple of bits missing, no big deal.... Make sure the 2 parts will fit back together..... then cyano one half, kicker on the other half and get ready... you got to get the 2 parts back in line and pressed together in one go. there's NO second chance. You'll have a couple of seconds to get the final fit...... the kicker and cyano will generate lots of heat and fuse the 2 parts together in a flash.

5 mins later, job done, back flying.

I guess that's more what I was getting at. I expect some major ground hits from anyone learning to fly on their own with no experience, no sim time, no coach and no buddy box - which is what the OP sounded like he was dealing with. In that case I think something like the PZ Citabria is the best bet, since as long as you're at least 6' off the ground when things go wrong you can just cut the throttle, let go of the controls and watch the thing straighten itself out and float down to a perfect landing. If you want something bigger than that, I like the Slow Stick not only because it's easy to fly, but because if (when, given the above circumstances) you do hit the ground hard and really break stuff, you're most likely looking @ $20 to replace whatever you broke, with a nice stash of spare parts left over. It doesn't hurt that the thing can be built up, brushless & LiPo, for well under $100 + radio (which can be as little as $20 used, or as much as a couple hundred to buy one that'll do you for years and a bunch of planes). In fact, given the liberty to select an inexpensive, used FM Tx/Rx I'd be willing to bet I could spec an entire Brushless/LiPo SS for $100, plus charger (which is another spend $10 or $150 thing). I could probably even include a cheap lipo charger and stay under $100.

This isn't to say the EZ* isn't a good plane, mind you. It's a cult classic with thousands of loyal followers, just like the SS. There are no doubt reasons for that, with both planes. I am saying more about the SS because I=92m familiar with it. If I knew more about the EZ* I=92d be saying more about that.

Your repair tutorial for the EZ* is quite clear, and sounds simple enough. I'm sure it'll come in handy for someone, maybe even the kid the OP was asking for.

Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these great (and sometimes not so great) words of knowledge:

I STRONGLY recommend having an instructor at a local flying field teach the person.

If that is not possible, take a look at the Easy Star

These are large enough to handle LIGHT winds, easier to see and see what they are doing and will actually fly with the stock configuration (UNLIKE MANY RTF - insuffiencient power). There are spare parts for it also.

They fly slow enough so they will not get ahead of newbie.

The BIG bonus there with the ES is no undercarriage.... That is where a lot of damage gets done...

"TTman" wrote .

Yes, but if it has no gear, then there is no practicing touch and go's, or landing or taking off.

If you are not able to do that, is the person really learning to fly? There are those who would say no, and I would have to say that I'm one of them.

To grab and hold interest, it must be easy enough to fly some before crashing, and be able to do more than fly around in a circle to then flop down in the grass. IMHO, of course.

The Parkzone Micro Citabria really is pretty good in calm winds. I spent a great 45 minutes yesterday flying with my 14 year old daughter. She was flying a PZ Citabria, and I had a Vapor. With extra batteries being VERY cheap, and the spare parts reasonable, it's a decent way to start. After many collisions with the ground, trees, etc, the only damage to date is one broken prop.

The other plus is you don't need a big field to fly in.

PCPhill

many whop have bounced an easy star off the field would disagree with you here. ;-)

Besides, touch and goes is 'advanced training'. The easy star is slow enough and tough enough that the inevitable crash following control reversal dumb thumbs doesn't take more than a few minutes to fix.

once the basic up down left right stuff is keyed into the brain, then its time to ditch the easy star and move on.

Who says that one expensive plane and formal instruction is the only way to move from zero to a certificate?

I started with a ARF electric glider, moved on to planes with ailerons land wheels much later.

MY club is miles away and no one wants to instruct. But I had huge amounts of fun tecahing myself on a field out the back. Sure it cost me in planes, but it was cheaper than driving to the club. And finding no one there.

crap plastic electrics are the best way into teh hobby for absolute newbs, unless they have a really good club with nice helpful people close.

In which case they wouldn't be asking here.

Mate, when I were a lad flying single channel, what you describe was the height of success, and was followed by at least half an hour of self congratulation.

The firtst thing to do is get a model up and down in one piece: that n itself is actually quite challenging.

The next thing is to fly it where you wnt it to fly. That is a second major hurdle. Then to get it to land near your feet. Dead stick. Thats a real achievement.

All that needs to achieve those three things is a crappy plastic easy start or similar.

Takeoffs and landings on wheels are not a huge challenge beyond that, but flying a plane with neutral stability and ailerons is: thats the next challenge. Planes that you have to fly, rather then guide.

Thats where your basic plastic crap gives out. At that point you probably want something else. For many its a foamie jet, others go for scale models, some go glo, some dont. Some never go further - I fly a lot of really slow vintage planes, because actually I just like building them and watching em in the air!

My two cents worth... understand that I am a 40 year modeler who still flys CL and has flown both indoor and outdoor FF. So I have trimming skills that a raw beginner is missing. I got impressive results out of a $20 Estes toy after about a half hour of trimming... and I have not flown any RC since the days of pulse rudder only. It depends on what you want (a toy or a more serious flying machine). Now... if I were planning on taking up RC Pattern as an event I would go to the local RC field. But for a lazy sunday afternoon with a kid that had not already fallen in love with flying I would probably get one of the under $100 toys out there. And it helps if it looks like a FF model... (high wing, or at least a good bit of dihedral). Bob Furr