I asked the owner of a model shop if it would be a good idea to learn how to fly with a slow electric plane and then shift over to gas. He said I could but that I would have to buy a whole new rc control; the rc controls for an electric wouldn't work on a gas plane. Is he correct? And what about the idea of learning on electric and then shifting over? Bob
The reason he is telling you that is because the receiver, servos, battery for the electric have to be very small and light. The same items for the gas plane need to much larger and heavy duty. Unless you are buying one of those 'ready to fly' electrics that comes with a funky little transmitter, you could use the same transmitter for the gas plane. However, it would need to be FM, on 72mHz, and be four channels or more.
I always recommend starting with the one your ultimate goal is, ie if you want to do gas, do that from the beginning. If you start with one, wanting to do the other, you end up "wasting" money on the associated support equipment. There are lots of slow flying gassers around, and make good trainers. The smaller ones might be a little harder to learn on, but mayber a small slow flying gas plane a good compromise for you?
Good luck
Frank
Bob.B.,
More accurate would be 'certain electric planes'. Doesn't apply to all, as some electric R/C planes can be gotten in the traditional 72 Mhz range with the normal/usual transmitters/receivers/servo's.
Partially.
Some electric R/C planes come with 27Mhz transmitter/receivers pre- installed, and would NOT be suitable to remove & put into a glow setup (ie;Hobby Zone's Firebird/Aerobird/and similar clones).
Glows mostly operate in the 72Mhz range now days.
I think it' a good idea! I stared with Hobby Zone's Firebird II, then went on to an Aerobird, then to my first glow trainer, in about 4 months. Instructors for my glow training said I'd already learned the basic on the electrics & I only needed their help on my glow for takeoff's & landings.
Some may suggest getting a flight simulator, but for me, I learn by doing actual hands-on flying, not by simulating real flight. --
Jim L.
If you want to fly gas/glow, then jump straight in, no point in wasting your time with electrics if power is your goal.
On 11/12/2003 11:08 AM Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these great (and sometimes not so great) words of knowledge:
Electrics USUALLY require small, light receivers and servos to save weight. Many of them will not hold up to the higher stresses in a gas plane. In either case you want a 4 channel (or more) transmitter.
I would suggest starting with glo (gas) models. They are easier to see and handle wind SUBSTANTIALLY BETTER than the majority of electric trainers on the market today.
The down side to glo is: They are noisier than most electrics, require a larger area to fly in, and you have to clean them at the end of the day (5 minutes with Windex and paper towels).
Fellow newbie, This has been a hot topic recently. In the past couple weeks ive followed maybe a dozen similar threads. The two general schools of thought are to get a glow .40 trainer (avistar, etc) Or an electric GWS slow stick. Numerous points for/against both. In the end, i opted for an inexpensive slow stick to get my feet wet, and depending how i do, maybe get a .40 trainer or so later. The GWS stick can be had from ebay (new) for about $170 US complete with radio, charger & batt. The whole concept of a light simple plane, cheap, that i can fly anywhere without bothering a trainer appealed to me.
The glow planes are a helluva lot faster, more capable of maneuvers, and have longer flight times....but at a bigger price...and they hit the ground harder....and you would be somewhat irresponsible to try to learn to fly it yourself. Some have suceeded, some fail.
And yeah, I'll be getting a nice new Futaba radio for my second plane. I dont know from GWS, and their stuff is dirt cheap so i cant automatically trust it with a $400 plane big enough to do some damage. Ive been loyal to Futaba since my first RC car back in '96. Never had a problem that didnt involve poor judgement and exceedingly deep puddles. 8)
Finally, it seems that if you do get a slow, easy electric, you will soon want the performance of a gas plane. the way i see it, you'll prolly want another plane soon regardless once the fever sets in. Go ahead and ask how many guys here only have one plane. ;) Ive 6 rc cars, and still fantasize about more!
He is full of crap. I use the same radio system for electric, glider and glow. I also learned on electric and switched to glow. I would find another hobby shop if I were you. This is assuming you are going to buy the radio system and install it in an electric. If you are talking about one of those Firebird, Fighterbird, Aerobird type planes that come with its own radio (the Hitec Sky Scooter NOT being included) then, yes, you would need a different radio for glow (and other ELECTRIC planes) since those radios are made ONLY for those particular planes. Aside from radios for the above type of electric planes, there is no real difference between radios for glow and radios from electric.
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