So I am new to the hobby and I am very confused, way back in school my parents bought me a control line Piper J-3 Cub trainer size .40 i think the size was, anyways, never did get the hang of controlling it but then on the other hand i was just at the start of my teens now i am looking to get into the hobby and need lots of information, i dont have much money so i cant just run out and buy which ever model and which ever accessories or even a nice new futaba radio system the best and closest i have to the hobby is RealFlight G4.5 aside from the 2 channel RC Helicopter i have with a dead battery, the closest place i can fly is the park 2 blocks down the next street over from my place so i want to find a nice little park flyer but i am not entirely sure what defines a parkflyer, i have been "window shopping" some electric pipers but thats as far as I have gotten, something i have noticed is alot of the planes require you to supply your own charger and many of the chargers I have seen all seem to have poor reviews can someone point me in the direction of a nice little charger that will charge what ever RC related batteries i happen to throw at it, don't worry, i don't think i will be heading in the direction of jets, maybe eventually invest in a plane with a 6'wingspan at the most maybe eventually get into some warbirds so yeah, what defines a parkflyer and what charger do i need for the batteries?

Good God man.. you don't have a single period in that paragraph.

Don't interpret this as "nit picking"... complete lack of proper punctuation actually makes a post a heck of a lot more difficult to read.

lol, my mom always complained about my spelling and grammer too and so does my wife, i just accept it as a compliment of difference but atleast i repeated the questions at the end of the post

A Parkflyer is usually a smaller size plane, under about 2 pounds. It is also a slower flying plane and has a wingspan under 3 feet wide or so. It can comfortably be flown in an area the size of your local park.
If you are just starting out, I suggest you look at a Hobbyzone Champ for $89.99 plus tax. It is small, and makes an excellent first plane to start out with in this hobby. It comes with a basic transmitter, and battery charger. All you will need is a couple of spare batteries, and you will be ready to go. Welcome to the hobby!! I will attach a link to another section of this forum which is dedicated to the Champ. BTW: If you can ask around in local hobby shops to find someone who is willing to help get you started, that would be a big help, but you can also do it on your own if necessary. As to your confusion, just read, read, and read some more.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1216910

well, the hobbyzone champ looks to fit into the needs quite well, the only issues i have with it at this very moment are the fact its 3 channel (any attempt to do 3 channel on realflight results in the plane banking while turning with the rudder) and then of course there is that playstation style controller my question is, on a real 3 channel rc plane, do they have a tendancy to bank while turning? If they dont bank then that wont be an issue any longer

Yes, they bank while turning. The included transmitter isn't up to par with the Spektrums and other more advanced ones, but it is quite adequate for someone starting off.

Why wouldn't the plane bank when it turns? And how is that a 'problem'? I don't get it....

Also, just to prevent any confusion down the road, a 3-channel plane doesn't HAVE to have rudder, elevator, and throttle. I am just finishing up a small 3-channel pylon build that will do an easy 120mph+ and it will most certainly bank while turning because it's set up with ailerons rather than a rudder.

well the banking while turning with no control over the ailerons would drive me absolutely mental most probably to the point of giving up the hobby so i think i would probably do better with a 4 channel plane... I wont get to fly the plane till sometime march so atleast i have time to save up and get things....

I agree with the four channel thing. If you have a lot of simulator time, getting a rudder steered three channel plane is like taking a step backwards. Most sim planes are four channel with ailerons.....so buy what your used to. The down side is that four channel foam planes are harder to find cheep. Most folks end up adding ailerons to a three channel bird.

As long as the plane is a "trainer" type with a high mounted wing you should be OK. Foam is also recommended as the material of beginners because it is easiest to repair and cheapest to replace.

Here's an option that I've heard good things about, it's foam and five channel, but nothings included but the airframe and hardware... http://www.atlantahobby.com/Store/pc...5-28p14230.htm
It will force you get a nicer radio to start with too!...maybe thats a good thing??

well i think that one is a tad bit big, but who am i kidding, its a wide open park that hosts like 5 or 6 baseball / softball games a year, some nice small hills a few power lines around the outer perimiter some chem treatment plant of some sort and a couple houses and nothing else i just dont want to spend a battery taxiing the plane there and i was kinda hoping for a RTF plane, but i suppose an ARF would serve the same purpose till spring really :P

I agree with Nathan, the Fun Cub he linked to would be a great one to start out again with.
Search on youtube and you can find videos of it flying. It appears to be really stable and just enough controls to be enjoyable with a smaller chance of single flight syndrome.

Originally Posted by rasterburn

well the banking while turning with no control over the ailerons would drive me absolutely mental most probably to the point of giving up the hobby so i think i would probably do better with a 4 channel plane... I wont get to fly the plane till sometime march so atleast i have time to save up and get things....

Not sure why people say three channel aircraft aren't good to learn on. If you have a three channel aircraft that only uses the rudder to turn you plug that servo into the aileron channel of the RX so it's controlled exactly the same as a 4 channel aircraft.

Flying a 4 channel aircraft with the right stick only and without rudder mixing will result in uncoordinated turns so you actually have more to do.

Learning on a three channel aircraft is perfectly fine. The Easy Star is a perfect example of the aircraft you should be looking at.

I think the tons of people who have easily and successfully learned on an HZ SuperCub is evidence that a 3-ch plane is fine.

3 function versus 4 function is discussed in this document

http://homepage.mac.com/kmyersefo/ev...ng-e-power.pdf

One is not necessarily better than the other. Both will work well.

OK, so I have a HobbyZone Super Cub.
I understand that wind makes flying more difficult, but are these symptoms just a result of wind?


Under full power with neutral controls and headed into the wind the plane gets into a cycle where it noses up, stalls, the ACT kicks in and kills the motor, the nose drops, the motor starts up and the cycle repeats itself.

The only cure I can find so far is to turn off the ACT and let the plane loop or turn it away from the wind.

Also the plane seems to have a bad glide angle for a beginner's plane to my thinking. I used to fly free-flights that would glide with a very shallow angle. This thing noses down quite steeply when the power is cut.

Where is the CG on this plane? I don't see it on the various websites I have found so far.

Thank you

SORRY -- PLEASE SEE NEW THREAD I MEANT TO START