DuncanM23

I think we've gone off topic as a result of me describing badly where I am in my flying journey. I have joined a club, the BMFA and registered with the CAA. I will take my online competency this week. I know this doesn't make me qualified to fly - I need to pass a BMFA A certificate at the least. I plan on buying a sensible ARTF trainer aircraft to learn on under instruction. The 250g thing was an idea I came up with to allow me to start trying building, maybe accelerate my learning if I could fly it when not able to fly the ARTF and because it would be different to the ARTF. Have I got the wrong end of the stick there? I thought that the 250g rules were in place to allow people without a flying qualification to fly something like this: https://www.elitemodelsonline.co.uk/Aircraft/By-Manufacturers/Sonik-RC/97308-/Ranger-600-RTF-Powered-Glider-With-Flight-Stabilization . I appreciate that it would need to stay closer to me and that the wind would affect it far more than a heavier larger plane, meaning I am far more likely to crash it. Back on-topic - there seem to be quite a lot of transmitters in the secondhand market. Is this a reasonable place to explore, are there (specific to transmitters) pitfalls to avoid, or is it better just to stick to new stuff?

Under 250g is classed as a toy, so I can fly on my own. Above that, you have to pass a BMFA flying qualification or fly with someone who has.

Thanks for all the useful info. I will need to re-read many times I think! I'm definitely not planning on making a foam board aircraft my main/only plane as a beginner, but I thought it might be useful as a <250g machine that I could fly on my own, wouldn't be a problem if I damaged it, and would be a bit more like a real plane than the 60g powered gliders that seem to be the alternative in that space. The foam board plans from Flite Test and similar seem relatively straightforward, both for assembly and repair, and I hope I'll learn something as I go. However, as soon as I'm a bit more competent on the sim, I'll probably get something like a Riot - it removes an additional variable (because I'll know that the plane is predictable), and I know that there are people at the club with them, so I can get advice. I believe the club is Mode 2 (certainly the ones I've met are). They have trainer aircraft, and people who can do instructing, but no official instruction program, so it's not as simple as picking the system the instructor uses. I'm not really interested in heli or multi-rotor flying, but I'm definitely setting the floor at a computerized transmitter that can do multiple models.

I've joined my local club (OMFC) and had a go on the trainer glider (that was cool and I could control it for a while before needing assistance) and a member's Riot (different story - I needed much bigger control inputs and much faster processing!). I believe that different people at the club fly Spektrum, Futaba, FrSky, and FlySky, so I don't know if that helps much. I'm inclined to go with FlySky so when I do want to upgrade I know what I value in a TX, but I'm aware I'd be buying cheap and twice. And yes, a high wing foamie trainer is probably on the cards at some point.

I'm just getting started, so have no plane or radio gear. I want to get a transmitter and fly the simulator while I build foam board planes (and if they don't work buy an ARTF one!). My budget is fairly flexible, and the choice is utterly bewildering. From FlySky at super cheap, RadioMaster TX12 and various FrSky around £100 or Spektrum/Futaba and the fancy RadioMaster and FrSky ones around £200. Mix in all the different protocols as well, and working out what to get is really hard. I'm sure I've missed some too! Different people at my new club have different systems, so that's not really something that can swing it. How did you choose your transmitter?