park flyer on a budget

No kidding. Sounded like you sold the kid for a small profit. Just teasin! Congrats.

Hi all,

I crashed my glow plane last summer and was planning on getting a new one this year. I just had my first son (yay!) so there is $$$ in the budget (boo!). I figured I would be able to get a park flyer cheaply but was shocked to find out that an electric ARF with all trimmings (receiver, micro servos, batteries etc) will end up costing me well over $300! Is there anyway to do this on a $150 budget? Specific brand recommendations would be welcome!

Thanks

Second sentence should read:

I just had my first son (yay!) so there is no $$$ in the budget (boo!).

| I crashed my glow plane last summer and was planning on getting a new one | this year. I just had my first son (yay!) so there is $$$ in the budget | (boo!). I figured I would be able to get a park flyer cheaply but was | shocked to find out that an electric ARF with all trimmings (receiver, micro | servos, batteries etc) will end up costing me well over $300! Is there | anyway to do this on a $150 budget? Specific brand recommendations would be | welcome!

For $150 you're either going to have to do a cheap glider, or a used plane -- you won't have much luck finding a new powered plane at that price that's not a `toy'.

For $180, the Aerobird Xtreme seems pretty good. Yes, it's shaped like the toys, but it's bigger and flies really well. (I was quite impressed when I first saw one -- and posted here, if you want to google for it.)

Check out the T-Hawk from

For $159.00 it comes with two sets of wings and tails and two NiMH battery packs. I've had one for about four weeks now and it flys very well and is tough as nails in the crashes.

I also have a GWS Tiger Moth and it is an easy slow flier but is extremely fragile and does not handle any wind at all.

Mark

Its not clear whether this costs includes EVERYTHING or whether you have enough bits left over from the crashed glo plane - servos avionics etc.

If you have, something speed 600 - I know its a bit big for a parkflyer

- is teh cheapest way to go =- second hand buggy motors and crace packs from the car racers - standard sized servos and radio equipment, cheapo car chargers - you can build a nice vintage style plane with about a 6ft wingspan, stick a geared 600 in it, and have a lot of fun, for plane, pack and motor and ESC cost of about $150.

Well how much would I have to spend to get a respectable park flyer? I probably can't afford it, but I am curious nonetheless. If you could break it out by equipment that would be great (i.e electronics, kit, etc)

Thanks!

you.

Hi Jerry -

First of all, congratulations on the new boy! I wish the two of you many, happy buddy-box hours :^)

Since you sound like an experienced flier, I doubt you'll be much impressed with the Aerobird/Firebird planes (although the Xtreme sounds like it may be more capable than its peers).

If you can be happy with an ARF, you might want to spend some time at

Not only do they have a really nice selection of ARF's, but they list all of the equipment needed to finish it, and they give you a bottom-line price (you'll have some of the equipment already, but its a good point of reference).

After you've browsed around there, look over at

They have some more. Right now I have a Wattage Reno Racer on the bench that looks very promising. You can check back every so often for sales.

I'm not sure how they measure up to your price limit (I haven't done a "Total Cost of Ownership" yet) but I think you can get close. I picked up the Racer (motor and prop included) for around $40.

Good luck. Dan.

The GWS Slow Stick 300 will easily carry standard size receivers and servos:

Charger: Motor Controller: Flight Batteries (and connectors):

What equipment do you already have? If you have the radio gear already there are MANY park flyers you can go for. Wingo. Sky Scooter Pro II. Zagi 400X. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Congratulations on the new munchkin. My twins are 3years old, but i can still sympathize.... anyway, i started flying around thanksgiving with a GWS slowstick - one of the best beginner planes available with few people to argue - and it didnt cost much. ...at least in the beginning....

I love my SS dearly because it allowed me to learn on my own. Its durable as any plane could ever hope to be, though not indestructable. Parts are way-cheap though. i recommend this guy:

one of those ebay guys distributing out of his basement, but his prices are rock-bottom, and more importantly, hes really flexible. If you still have your transmitter, receiver, and two working servos, your Golden. you need the plane ($35), Receiver ($25), Electronic Speed Controller ($25) charger ($50) and batteries (every dollar you'll ever make) Another good source is (all E rc dot com) for batteries, you want KAN 1050, 7 cells. No more, no less. Lithium polymer batteries are great, but too much for your budget or newbieness. You also want extra propellers. GWS 1180's . They dont survive even the slightest crash - but at least they are cheap +- $2 ea. The charger you select is of moderately high importance though. I use an MRC superbrain

959, and its ok at best. Many others are better. You NEED nicad and Nimh capability. PEAK DETECTING only, not timed or peak predicting - they suck. Ac or DC is your choice. If you have a junk computer, you can make a DC power supply for about $5. Just search here for instructions. Otherwise use a car battery. Lipo compatible is a plus, but usually costly. If you upgrade to lipo later, you can always sell your old charger. I recently ordered a hobbico MKII field charger, which charges nicad, nimh, and lipo - dc only, for $50. Reviews are mixed, but i'll try it. Best of luck, email me if any more questions. Mike

| Well how much would I have to spend to get a respectable park flyer? I | probably can't afford it, but I am curious nonetheless. If you could break | it out by equipment that would be great (i.e electronics, kit, etc)

Well, let's see ...

I'll assume you've still got your transmitter from your old stuff. The rest of your equipment is probably too big, so you'll need to replace it.

Receiver -- GWS 4P, $28 from radicalrc.com. It's a cheap single conversion receiver, only sutiable for a park flier, but it IS cheap. Stay away from the Hitec Feather -- crap! Servos -- two mini servos, $20 each. Micro servos may cost closer to $30 each, and you may need three instead of two depending on the plane. ESC -- $25 for a GP Electrifly C-10 that can handle 10 amps. More amps will cost you a little more. Battery -- this can vary massively, but let's say $20 for a small 7-8 cell NiMH pack. Usually you'll want at least two batteries, but I'm adding in just one for now. Charger -- I'm fond of the GP Triton, but it's $130. Cheapest is the GP Electrifly DC Peak Charger from Tower Hobbies for $20. It'll do 6-8 cell batteries. Still, you'd probably be happier spending more like $50, but I'm trying to keep this cheap.

Motor -- $6 for a speed 400 with no gearbox, $20 or so for a speed 180 or speed 400 with gearbox.

There's your electronics. Minimum price looks like $141, and that's the cheap end of things. And you'll now need a plane. Planes like the Slow Stick cost about $40 and come with a motor -- these are good planes, and a good deal. For smaller planes, you'll probably need the micro instead of mini servos, adding to the cost.

With a little work, you could make your own plane for just about nothing out of foam boards, but I'll assume you're not doing that.

Hmm, I guess since you do already have a transmitter (right?) it's cheaper than I was thinking. Still, $150 is very optimistic.

I have one of these under another brand and they are a blast. 20 minute flights, rugged and reuseable servos and receiver. I fly at lunch - really makes the day right. Earle

Not sure if you have gotten any thing yet but my suggestion would be a Gws Pico-Stick. If you already have a transmitter you can have it ready to fly for about $130-$140. It was the first plane I had and it flys very well. If you are willing to spend a little more I would suggest a dual conversion reciever and a larger battery pack. If you use a 7-cell

730 mah Nimh gws pack you get about 20 minutes of flight time and it can handle more wind. Otherwise use a 7-cell 370 mah Nimh. I hope this is some help.