John Parker 1 Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Hi all I am a complete novice. I am about to retire early and move to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands with my wife (poor us!). I will no longer be able to continue my existing hobbies so I need an absorbing hobby to while away the long, hot days and nights and have decided on building and flying rc aeroplanes ("never, ever, call it a plane" - my hero Douglas Bader). I do hold a PPL so I hope that will stand me in good stead (for the flying part). Purely by chance, since deciding, I discovered on Google Earth that there is a 115m purpose-built tarmac runway less than a km from what will be our house and visited it on our last trip and discovered from the signs that it is owned by a Spanish rc club. I have yet to see any flying but I think it is a good omen. Before I go I need to buy everything I will need to take with me as I imagine obtaining anything other than general diy stuff on the island will not be possible so I will have to buy online and have it shipped which is both expensive and slow. I have looked through the forums and found much useful advice about tools etc that I may need but my question is, can anyone suggest anything else I will need? I realise this a bit like "how long is a piece of string". I would hat to move out there and start to build only to fund I need a vital something or other, perhaps that only costs a few pounds, that I am going to have to order and have shipped. I can guess at most of the tools but I don't know what else may need with regard to spares, glues, etc. My initial intention is to buy an artf to learn on and take a few kits with me (my preference is for scale light aircraft) along with a transmitter (Spectrum dx6i perhaps) Any suggestions gratefully received. Regards John Parker ps. Starting this posting inspired me to do a google search to try and find the club that operates from the runway - it turns out it is run by an English music bar owner/musician I know. Its a small world! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 While it may add to the cost, remeber that you can get stuff sent out from the UK. The best thing might be to go to a model shop and get them to kit you out. Obviously you never had any dealings with Bader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bran Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 About three years ago I had an extended holiday on Fuerte. I contacted the club out there, which seemed quite active, and had a website, but in the end did my own thing with a powered Slope Soarer, which I took out dismantled. Thats me flying formation with a local Hawk............ At the time 2.4GHz was not actually legal in Spain, assume it is now!! I now see you have made contact, I strongly suggest that you properly investigate the supply chain for things out there before going any further!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Cantwell Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 gawd, he has found paradise, unless you can find the stick mode these fellow inhabitants of paradise fly, mode1, or 2, then buy a set that you can swap stick modes, then decide if it will be ic engine, either glow 2 stroke or 4 stroke, or electric, as for kits, that nice artf trainer might be ok in brit climes, but the covering might go a tad slack in regular hot climes, so i would go for the thunder tigre ready 2, these have been in use at the r/c hotel, and have stood the tests of time, if you want to build, then there is only one place to get the kits, DB sport &scale, their range is just what you want, tools? there is another thread on here dealing with that, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 9 Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Posted by Peter Miller on 12/08/2012 07:55:19: While it may add to the cost, remeber that you can get stuff sent out from the UK. The best thing might be to go to a model shop and get them to kit you out. Obviously you never had any dealings with Bader. I would not try and buy everything at once I buy almost all rc gear online and alot of that is not from the UK (alot from Honk kong, China and USA) and have even bought from mainland Spain using google translator One thing I do buy local is glow fuel. If you cant buy this near to your new home it may shape the types of models you will have. ie it will probably be electric to start with and maybe petrol if you get larger models Edited By Phil B on 12/08/2012 08:13:47 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Cantwell Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 just read the bit about bader, i think your hero is Kenneth Moor, who played him in reach for the sky, and uttered those its not a plane words, there is a forum member on here whoes father was part of baders ground crew, he has another word for him, and it aint hero, and it aint complimentory!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultymate Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Don't want to rain on your parade but over the years I've seen many PPL holders have a go at model flying only to find their full size qualification of no help at all in the model world. I don't know what the timescale of your move is but it might be a good move to have a dabble at model flying here in the UK before organising purchasing and exportation of all the necessary kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Posted by Alan Cantwell on 12/08/2012 08:19:00: just read the bit about bader, i think your hero is Kenneth Moor, who played him in reach for the sky, and uttered those its not a plane words, there is a forum member on here whoes father was part of baders ground crew, he has another word for him, and it aint hero, and it aint complimentory!!! AH! Someone else who found him an arrogant, big headed pillock! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouncebounce crunch Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 carry less on the plane, get the rest sent by mail, you will probably move back from the Islands quicker than you think, so foamies will be your go. Douglas Bader / well there are more heroic and less foolish; if you are looking, there are others that went against the grain and did not survive too; so not to put your hero down, reach for the sky. bbc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 JUst to point out something that not many people know. Colin Hodgkinson lost his legs in a flying accident (Not one where he was disobeying orders and doing low level stunting) He refused to leave the Fleet Air Arm. In the end he flew Spitfires over Europe and was shot down. So badly injured that the Germans repatriated him. He then recovered and flew all types of aircraft in the Air Transport Auxiliary. He never bragged about himself and used to call himself "the poor man's Bader" There is a book about him if you can find a copy. Edited By Peter Miller on 12/08/2012 08:47:52 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Cantwell Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 2nd the bit about the ppl thing, apart from knowing what the waggly things do, it aint much help, its long proven that model fyers make great full size pilots, but its hard the other way round to make the transition. Worst learner i ever had was a fleet air arm pilot, that flew Seafires and Seafurys, he constantly compared his efforts to sitting in the cockpit, he just could not grasp it. My advice? forget the way the full size works, and learn again on the model controls, Sorry about Bader, he was truly a national icon, but treated those around him like dirt, i could not believe some of the stories my mates dad told me of him, 2 sides to every story though, flying with tin legs could not have been easy, and must have been very painfull for the guy, i get toothache, and i am a GROT to live with!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Cantwell Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Peter, never knew about Colin, very interesting, i shall look him up, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 MY own encounter with Bader. I was an airframe fitter on Station Flight at St Mawgan. Bader was a civilian by then. He flew his Mile Gemini in. He was greeted by a Wing Commander and Bader got out of his aircraft, handed the Wing Co his brief case and said "Bader's the name. " You don't do that to wing commanders when you are a civilian.. It was the custom for ground crew to look round visitors to check them out. While I was doing this I found that the oleo leg had come down so far that it had clouted the brake drum. You could see the semicircular chip out of the edge of the drum. When Bader returned I said "Excuse me sir, but this aircraft has had a heavy landing." "I don't do heavy landings" So I said " Well, someone has done one. You can see where the oleo leg has hit the brake drum." "Nobody flies this aircraft except myself." and with that he walked off, got in and departed. Needless to say we did not get the customary ten shillings that all civilian pilots gave the crew seeing them off, but then I doubt if we would have got it from Bader anyway. Edited By Peter Miller on 12/08/2012 09:03:16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouncebounce crunch Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 nothing to do with flying, but Bragging, a young brash, and un-established Australian racehorse trainer used all of his wedding and honeymoon money, to back the horse he trained, It was called Bragger and and the trainer was a young T.J.Smith. he won the Sydney trainers premiership 33years in a row, 34 in total. now he should have some bragging rights too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericrw Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Anyone know of the title of Colin Hodgkinson`s book ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericrw Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Googled it! "Best foot forward" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 I have just bought a copy from Amazon for 1 penny plus £2.80 postage. There is at least one more at that price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Apologies, John, newcomers to this forum normally get a rather less impolite range of responses to their first post, if I may say so......... We do pride ourselves on being a friendly forum where we encourage you to ask 'dumb' questions without being torn apart, so don't let this put you off - keep asking away - plenty of very helpful folk here! I've found this club which seems to be the one you refer to and I'd suggest a quick email to them for advice on their delivery experiences. Companies such as Hobbyking may well deliver without too much of a premium, although I don't see the Canaries listed in their postage menu - perhaps an email to their contact section would confirm delivery rates. The club will no doubt advise you of the hard-to-get items, too. They seem to use Spekky gear too, which is a bonus. The question of which kit opens a Pandora's box - there are a huge number on the market but I would consider a foamy ARTF trainer as a starter, due to their bounceability. If you join a club with instructors, something like a Multiplex Mentor will keep you going through the learner stage and continue to satisfy you for some time after. If you go it alone, the Multiplex Easystar is a better bet to train you in orientation which, as others have said, is hugely different to seat-of-the-pants flying. It can be more difficult for 'real' pilots to make the transition but many have done so successfully. It's just a matter of thinking yourself into the cockpit and getting your fingers to follow suit..... Most importantly, find out which Mode is preferred and, as a novice, go with the majority. It's not easy to change later. Kit-wise for future builds, DB do some nice scale/semi-scale jobs but there are also marques such as Sig with their Cub which are highly regarded. It is also worth having a good read of the Newbie part of the forum - there you will find plenty of advice and suggestions. Keep asking the questions and we'll do what we can can to provide some relevant answers.......... Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Parker 1 Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 Interesting that a small remark in my posting has sparked so many comments about Douglas Bader. Actually Peter, funnily enough, my mother worked as a secretary with Colin Hodgkinson for a number of years after the war at an advertising agency in Holborn, London called Winter Thomas & Co. She said he was a miserable person who was always very bitter that Douglas Bader got the notoriety and he didn't. I have a copy of his book but that certainly doesn't come across in it but perhaps it is a trait of those that went through so much when so young. I certainly know that Bader wasn't an easy person, perhaps very unpleasant at times, but it was his attitude of not letting his disability stop him doing anything that I find so heroic more than his war experiences. Bouncebouncecrunch "you will probably move back from the Islands quicker than you think," - we will never move back to the UK. We have been "testing the water" by spending the winters there for the past three years and a month or so at other times of the year. I couldn't stand the thought of another winter in the UK, not that there is anything of a summer either. To borrow a description of the weather I heard a farmer in a Scottish Isle say once that seems more and more appropriate to the whole of the UK "We have 10 months of winter followed by two months of bad weather!" 2.4Ghz is legal in Fuerte now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Parker 1 Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 Pete, thank you for the advice. You obviously posted while I was composing mine. Don't worry about the comments - after 11 years as a Special in the police force I have very broad shoulders The link you have given is the one I found and the guy with the beard (Gary) is the one I know, and is actually one of the best acoustic bass guitarist I have heard. I have sent him a message. One of the annoying problems with having things sent to Fuerteventura is that some items (it seems random) get diverted to Gran Canaria to clear customs and then stay there. Although postage/courier fees have been paid to Fuerte you have to pay again to get them shipped on which is frustrating and even more expensive. If it is a relatively low cost item it can cost more to get it moved between the islands than it cost initially. But the strange Spanish beaurocracy is just one of the things you have to put up with I guess. The benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Edited By John Parker 1 on 12/08/2012 12:06:47 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PIlot Error 2 Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Just saw your post. We moved to the middle east two years ago..the UAE, and my wife swears by Shop and Ship. Bascially you get an account with them and if you order goods online you get them to delivery them to your shop and ship account in the uk. Shop and ship then forward your goods onto your address abroad. It's a lot lot cheaper than getting a shop in the uk to delivery goods to you direct and it's a lot more secure. Ive often used it to buy my rc goods online and I've never had a problem with them. we couldn't live without them.. All the best with your move paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Cantwell Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Posted by Alan Cantwell on 12/08/2012 08:09:25: gawd, he has found paradise, unless you can find the stick mode these fellow inhabitants of paradise fly, mode1, or 2, then buy a set that you can swap stick modes, then decide if it will be ic engine, either glow 2 stroke or 4 stroke, or electric, as for kits, that nice artf trainer might be ok in brit climes, but the covering might go a tad slack in regular hot climes, so i would go for the thunder tigre ready 2, these have been in use at the r/c hotel, and have stood the tests of time, if you want to build, then there is only one place to get the kits, DB sport &scale, their range is just what you want, tools? there is another thread on here dealing with that, ERM, is this not helpfull? no-one has had a dig, just a few comments about Bader, it cannot even be said to be going off at a tangent, for the poster mentioned Bader, i dont feel like i have to apologise, and if you dont mind, i wont, for the good points i have put forward, i havnt even been thanked!!! but your welcome anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Quite agree, Alan, a useful post jammed full of good info No apology asked for or expected........ Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Cantwell Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Thanks for that, but i am mystified at the need for apologies, ah well, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Just me being a bit sensitive perhaps - I got the impression that some of the responses were a tad curt for a newbie's first post - not the normal "Hi there!" we see here, IMHO - and I reserve the right to have one, of course...... Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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