is there anyone who has jumped from simulator to the big boys?

What would be considered "the big boys"?

It can't be done.

Originally Posted by TP16

What would be considered "the big boys"?

anything over 50" wing span! sorry for not being very informative! or edf.

like totally skipping the cesna or piper cub foamies.

Originally Posted by scootrb4

It can't be done.

i did it. it can be done! i went from realflight g3.5 to het f15 twin edf. (belly lander) over 10 successful flights till one motor just gave out and yet i still brought her down with minimal damage. sold the fuselage then got a helicopter which lasted a week till i recked it lol. then a parkzone spitfire then now, sbach 342 60"!

im pretty sure someone else has done it as well. hard headed is another name for pilots like us.

I got interested in RC sim flying 1.5 yrs before my first plane.
I bought GP4.5 and later upgraded to 5.5 with combat.
I flew & flew & flew.
First plane 47" SuperCub, 20 flights in 2 weeks (no crash)
2nd Plane 1100mm P-47, 40 flights with no crash.
3rd plane F4F. Crash maiden by mechanical failure, my fault. 2 successful flights after repairs.


The sim has does teach the most important thing about RC flight which is that the R/L controls reverse when the plane is coming towards you. But it is no substitute for the hands on flying experience you get at the field.
The sim perspective is off, making it harder to fly from a fixed due to a lack of realistic field of vision.

Sim flight has no consequences which leads to casual risks you will never take flying at the field.

My experience is while it has helped me get a clean start and advance quickly, there is no substitute for the real flying experience you will need to fly with the dig dogs.

Originally Posted by scootrb4

I got interested in RC sim flying 1.5 yrs before my first plane.
I bought GP4.5 and later upgraded to 5.5 with combat.
I flew & flew & flew.
First plane 47" SuperCub, 20 flights in 2 weeks (no crash)
2nd Plane 1100mm P-47, 40 flights with no crash.
3rd plane F4F. Crash maiden by mechanical failure, my fault. 2 successful flights after repairs.


The sim has does teach the most important thing about RC flight which is that the R/L controls reverse when the plane is coming towards you. But it is no substitute for the hands on flying experience you get at the field.
The sim perspective is off, making it harder to fly from a fixed due to a lack of realistic field of vision.

Sim flight has no consequences which leads to casual risks you will never take flying at the field.

My experience is while it has helped me get a clean start and advance quickly, there is no substitute for the real flying experience you will need to fly with the dig dogs.

indeed.

Why skip it? Learn to fly on a $100 plane so you have less chance of messing up a $700 plane.

Flying a large plane is easier then flying a small one; there's the extra cost of crashing to consider, along with the extra danger to innocent bystanders.

Myself, i went from sim to a 36" 4 channel biplane, skipping the micro and/or 3ch high wing trainer step. It went well, but i wouldnt recommend someone make an even bigger leap.

I have am going from a sim to a micro Su-26 to a extra 300.....I'll let you know how it goes in a day or two.

Originally Posted by out of stock

anything over 50" wing span! sorry for not being very informative! or edf.

like totally skipping the cesna or piper cub foamies.

Please, in all seriousness, if you decide to go that route, do it in a large area away from people, etc.

Any damage you inflict will directly affect other flyers in your area.

I don't mean that as a slam or to discourage you. I assume you're an adult and will do what you have in mind, just try not to hurt someone else. Things go south quick in the air if you're not ready.

Originally Posted by scootrb4

It can't be done.

What I meant was there is no substitute for real rc flying... So you will still be a green beginner rc pilot when you first take to the air. But you will be one with better classroom training, IMHO.

There are some things that a sim wont teach you. Even the RTF airplanes will require minimal set up and maintenance. There is quite a bit of trouble shooting to do when something stops working as well. A sim will get you pretty close to jumping into flying an intermediate plane, but there is a tad bit more to this hobby than flying (even if some people pay lots of money to avoid it).

Back in the day, people would start into this hobby with a .40 size trainer. Its not unusual for these trainers to have 65+ in wing spans and even budget .46 size motors will pull these planes faster than most foamys fly. For the most part they are pretty aerobatic as well (of course I tend to do low inverted passes with J3 Cubs as well).

Something like this would not be out of question for someone with a ton of sim stick time. I doubt you would get bored of it any time soon. These larger/faster planes are not considered park flyers. Well, by the AMAs definition anyways. They can do quite a bit of damage to themselves, and more importantly, to people and property.

I spent 3 weeks on a Phoenix simulator and then flew a Hawk Sky. No crashes on my first flight but plenty since!
Simulator DEFINITELY helped and still does. It's basically automatic turning now when the plane is coming towards me. Indoor heli helped also!
If you have to think which way to turn you will crash a lot.

Originally Posted by djacobox372

Flying a large plane is easier then flying a small one; there's the extra cost of crashing to consider, along with the extra danger to innocent bystanders.

Myself, i went from sim to a 36" 4 channel biplane, skipping the micro and/or 3ch high wing trainer step. It went well, but i wouldnt recommend someone make an even bigger leap.

Which biplane? Looking for one that size.