First Step Sept 2011 free plan

[Ton van Munsteren]

With the First Step published in the Sept mag as a free plan, made me think that for the modellers who like this plane some more pics could be of help.

As mentioned in the mag the model is build by our daughter Nikki and me which was lots of fun.

 

The design was already done some year ago but never got around to start building this model. What better way to start with the build as a schoolproject for our daughter and do a presentation together with Nikki at her school and show the kids what modelling is about.

 

Is Nikki going to be a modeller with every day flying , no way but she is the owner of the model and let me borrow it for doing some flying am I a lucky dad or what.

 

The model it self was not designed directly in mind for the novice but for throwing it around or having some relax flying on that still lovely speed 400 motor.

 

Lets start the build and hopefully there will be more modellers posting pics of there own build, just throw your pics in here or if you have any question just ask.

 

 

Even got some help from brother Dylan.

 

 

 

Ton

Edited By Ton van Munsteren on 06/08/2011 23:22:17

[Danny Fenton]

Fantastic Ton, great to see the youngsters joining in. I think you are both very lucky

 

I am lucky too. you have to start em young

[David Ashby - Moderator]

Sweet, remind me of my daughter a few years ago. It's a great design and Ton's video of the model flying is here.

Edited By David Ashby - RCME Administrator on 07/08/2011 08:34:53

[Ton van Munsteren]

Danny, looks like you have some great help there sanding that wing .

 

David, thanks for placing the link.

 

 

 

Here some more pics ,

 

The start of the fuse with the boom.

 

 

Ton

 

[Ross Clarkson]

Wow, that is great to see Ton, well done and good luck to Nikki. She seems to be doing an awesome job.

[Ton van Munsteren]

Hi Ross thanks for the compliment I will pass it on to Nikki.

 

Ton

[Tim Hooper]

Ton,

 

Nice to see a back-to-basics model reaching a wide audience. Also nice to see a younster at the helm too!

 

tim

[Ton van Munsteren]

Tim,

 

Thanks and yes I do hope that the wide audience picks up this model going back to basic is good fun, specialy when the model is as good to handle as this model and you can throw it around the sky with only a speed 400.

 

To be honest I never had expected that several modellers at our (arf) club are waiting for the magazine to come into the shop. Who knows maybe we designers can get all the modellers back to the building board someday. .

 

Yes its great to see Danny's youngster with a helmet I think building warbirds is much more dangerous.

 

Ton

 

 

[Danny Fenton]

If you see my elbows flying around when I sand you will understand the need for the helmet

It would be nice to get more model building into the hobby, but we must be careful not to push this too hard on the model flyers, some just do not have the time to acquire the skills.

[kc]

I could not believe how close that child had it's face to the work and in particular the scalpel with it's point facing to the body. Unbelievable the ( apparent ) lack of training in safe working.

If pictures are published showing unsafe practises it's setting a bad example.

 

[Doug Ireland]

Ton, I enjoyed reading your article in the mag it was very well written considering English is not your first language. Your young student is making a good job of building her project model! I tried to get my daughter involved in aeromodelling but she said it would chip her nail varnish!

[Ton van Munsteren]

Kc,

 

He Iam not saying that Iam the perfect teacher and have done my best to keep it all save specialy by telling what to do and not to do.

Its a rejectable knife and yes its out of the holste for about 10mm and your completly right mentioning that its unsafe and my mistake , thanks for pointing it out.

Thats why I let Nikki do all the cutting with the small saw blade this was only one moment that she corrected a little piece of balsa and did the gluing directly.

It was such a 10 sec moment from cutting , gluing , making the pic and putting the knife in to a safe place, not the correct way I must admit.

 

 

Doug,

 

Thanks for the compliment but to be honest the article is rewritten by Graham Ashby to make it correct English. I did my very best making an article to give him all the info he needed and he made it the article it is. I thing you can see it on the write I do on this forum with a little help of the translationsites for some words, Iam more a modeller than a writer but do my best and have lots of fun with it.

 

Well Nikki did only do the work on this model for her project and after that she went back to nail-varnisch and eye-liner

 

Ton

 

 

 

 

 

[Ton van Munsteren]

Some more pics;

 

Ton

[Ton van Munsteren]

Some more pics;

 

Ton

[Ton van Munsteren]

Some more pics ;

 

First flights were on a very old 2S Lipo 1500 pack and worked also okay.

 

Ready for the maiden.

 

Ton

 

[Mac 7]

Hi all,

I have just bought the sept issue to build this plane and start learning to fly.

I'm sure the build will be ok and will let you know how it goes, but will need to learn to fly it.....

Mike

[Ton van Munsteren]

Hello Mike,

 

Great to see you here and planning on building the First Step don't forget to look for a club to fly the model and get help from a flightinstructor.

 

Enjoy the build of the model and if you need any help please tell and if possible would be great to see some pics of your build.

 

Iam flying the model with a speed400 motor myself for nostalgic reason, best for your model is to select a brushless motor for twice the power and twice the flight time.

 

Ton

[Mac 7]

Hi Ton,

I can't wait too get it and start building....

I wan't my 2 boys to build them too, so 3 will be built..
Will send pics in for you and all to see..

Many thanks Mike

[Frank Skilbeck]

Ton, nice runway, do you think it will be long enough

[Lazygit]

Posted by kc on 08/08/2011 16:45:07:

I could not believe how close that child had it's face to the work and in particular the scalpel with it's point facing to the body. Unbelievable the ( apparent ) lack of training in safe working.

If pictures are published showing unsafe practises it's setting a bad example.

 

Sorry kc, but I think this a bit OTT in this case.. I remember way back at that age having my face into most things I was looking at. Most children do it, (probably because they can). Unless i have glasses on now, it's difficult to focus at three feet, let alone three inches. The knife was not moving, and when it was, it was being used for an appropriate purpose.

As for the lack of training in safe practices, visit a model flying site (even during a public display), and watch the unsafe practices on a continuous basis, and this from adults who have supposedly been trained, (they often have A or B certificates).

 

Danny\s sanding picture on the other hand, does show something apparently less harmful. but potentially more serious. While sanding balsa may be less harmful than sanding beech or oak, it's not without its hazards, and worse when it's coated with sanding sealer or epoxy for example. For dust info a starting place is here (there's lots to read). Unless you're rich enough to afford a dust control system, outdoors is the best option for sanding. The effects of wood dust can be devastating.

[Ton van Munsteren]

Mike,

Can't wait to see the 3 First Step's come to live enjoy the build.

 

 

To all are there more models in the making would love to see some pickies.

 

 

Frank,

As a runway it was a little to long it was just possible to hold the model down and make the takeoff between the trees.

 

So the best option was going down the shortcut and do the takeoff on the width of the runway and even that was just more than enough for the takeoff and landing .

 

 

The grass was no optoin it was a little to long

Ready to go

 

 

Its flying after only .....

 

 

This pic shows the washout very nice.

Halfway down a loop and there will be much more to follow.

 

Ton

[Seamus O'Leprosy]

Are all these Kids been trained up for Chinese sweat shops when they take over the world

[Phil May]

At last my 9&1/2year old son ( apparently the 1/2 is important ) is showing an interest in model flying, typical as I sold my trainer a few months back.

So instead of buying a cheap trainer we have decided for him to have a go at building 'First Step'.

 

Hopefully this will give him an insight to how a model flies and learn some basic model building skills.

 

I have him a couple of times a week and we plan to put aside an hour or two each visit to build the model ( I foresee a long build ) and he wants me to start a thread on his progress.

 

Fingers crossed he does not get bored after the first couple of sessions in the work shop.

 

Phil.

 

 

 

 

[Ton van Munsteren]

Hi Phil,

 

Not bad that it only took 1/2 a year to concince your son to get started in this great modelflying hobby.

 

Pitty that the trainer was sold just before , but for me its great news because now we can look forward to a First Step build.

 

Looking forward to your build thread and hoping you both have a great time building and flying the model.

 

If you have any question please ask and I will help you in any way I can.

 

Ton

 

[Sigh]

Hi Ton;

I liked the plane very much, i immediately searched the magazine website, to check if there is a way to download or buy the plan but i guess it is not possible. where can i find the plan for this or a similar model.