Hi, New newbie here

[Phil Brunt]

Hi, New to this world of R/C planes. Just bought a Ranger 850 trainer. Intend on sorting all my bits out and joining local club after Christmas. so, at the moment just gathering as much info as possible. Both excited and nervous about this journey, I am 60years old and never flown an r/c plane, so any help on stuff I may need and general tips would be appreciated. Thanks in advance......Phil

[GrumpyGnome]

Welcome!

 

You've already made the best decision - to join a club.  Invaluable. And don't be upset if they want you to start on a club trainer rather than your Ranger.

 

Second best decision - join this forum.  It has probably 10's of thousands of years advice to call on.

 

Which version of the Ranger do you have? What will come with/came with the aircraft?

[Phil Brunt]

Hi GrumpyGnome, thanks for the welcome. The ranger is the small one, 850mm wing span. mainly for transport reasons. But it is supposed to have loads of beginner friendly features, stabuility and virtual fences etc. i am looking at spare batteries, charger and battery checker, and because of the transport issue I am going to make a box for it to travel in. The transmitter is very basic so should be quite easy to understand. I got the plane this week, but haven't built it yet. If weather picks up would like to have a play at taxi'ing...start small lol

[SIMON CRAGG]

Welcome to the forum, great place to start.

 

Having taught and examined countless pilots over the years, here are a few pointers!.

 

Hopefully, your new club will have a "Club Trainer", which will be set up on a buddy lead and trimmed so that learners can cope with it in the early stages. Our club trainer is one of the best purchases we made, and has proved to be a real bonus to the club (Arising Star ic model converted to electric).

 

Have you got a flight simulator?. With Winter upon us (less stick time at the field), we have found a sim. an invaluable tool in the learning process.

 

The only observation on the model you have purchased, is that it is a bit on the small side. 

 

Generally, something in the 1200mm + category is better, easier to see and slightly heavier to cope with the wind better.

 

Anyway, good luck. Its a fantastic hobby, and despite being a modeller for over 50 years, I am still learning and discovering new aspects of this fascinating hobby.

 

And above all still having.............FUN!.

 

 

[Phil Brunt]

Thanks Simon, the club I am looking at is PANDAS at pontefract. it is an affiliated club with a good reputation. I pass nearby each morning on my way home from work ( night worker) so is ideal for me in the summer months. memberships are taken in the december meeting so hence a few weeks before i meet anyone, but I'm hoping to drop on one of their training days before hand to say Hi.

The choice of plane size for me was dictated by the fact I drive everywhere in my campervan. So leaving wings on isn't an option, thanks for the heads up on wind effects on the smaller plane. As for simulator, well it's a money issue at the moment buying the plane was a must have, but hopefully a sim will come along in the near future, can you recommend a good one which will not compromise my pocket too much, LOL.

Thanks in advance for a recommendation and possible link to it...cheers Phil

[GrumpyGnome]

Hi Phil

 

I was really asking wh7ch version (ARTF/RTF) you had but as you have a basic transmitter, I expect it's the RTF version.

 

Yes, you'll need a couple more batteries.  A better charger could be on the list for later - one with multiple charge outputs will allow you to charge more betteries at once.

Somewhere safe to keep the batteries is a good idea - people use ammo boxes, or fireproof bags/sacks.

 

A battery checker is a 'nice to have' in my opinion.  I successfully flew for years without removing the dust from mine.  Probably more useful for planes further down the line. 

 

A sim is a good idea, and you can get some decent ones off ebay/amazon for under £20 - I'm not sure your basic transmitter would work with them though - does it have a phono/din type output anywhere?  If not, you'll need a transmitter for the sim as well.  You can use sims with a keyboard but I'd not recommend that tbh.  

 

Over that, you'll need insurance (join the BMFA), and CAA certification - visit the BMFA website https://bmfa.org/

 

Waterproof shoes, warm clothes, fingerless gloves are a good idea in winter, sunglasses and a hat in summer (some winter days too!). Screwdrivers, pliers, allen keys.

 

I see why you want a box to transport your plane.... + one for bits and bobs - I use a cheap B&Q toolbox.

[GrumpyGnome]

That Ranger looks a clever wee beastie....... 

[Phil Brunt]

Thanks GrumpyGnome, the club is BMFA affiliated and membership thereof is a must have. I think that insurance is part of that but I will double check. CAA is on my to do list aswell.  And now more than before I'll be looking into simulators. I'll check that Tx of mine but can't imagine it being of any use to a sim. Also scanning ebay for a Ammo box, do you line them with sand?

Plenty to get on with...thankyou.

[David Davis 2]

Hi Phil and welcome to the forum from me.

 

PANDAS has an excellent reputation and I expect that they have a club trainer. They will probably want to take you up on a "buddy box," and extra transmitter connected either wirelessly or by a cable to the instructor's transmitter. He will hold down a sprung lever or button to give you control and release it when you make a horlicks of things!

 

if you take to the hobby you will be in the market for a more sophisticated transmitter. I'd advise you to chose the same make as your instructor.

 

Don't be dismayed if you don't make rapid progress. Kids learn to fly in no time. The second best pilot in our club is thirteen. The best pilot is hid dad! Older beginners take rather longer in my experience.

[Phil Brunt]

Thanks for the welcome David and for the encouragement.

[kc]

Many clubs have a limit on membership numbers so put your application in early!  Go along beforehand and make sure you like the club, it's flying hours and availability of instructors.

[J D 8]

      Hello from a stormy West Wales coat, can't beat the advise from those above.

  Another benefit of joining a club may be some S/H aircraft for lower cost. In fact some of the planes in my fleet [ been doing this a long time ] that I enjoy the most have come to me this way.  Cheers,  John.

[Dickw]

2 hours ago, Phil Brunt said:

Thanks GrumpyGnome, the club is BMFA affiliated and membership thereof is a must have. I think that insurance is part of that but I will double check. CAA is on my to do list aswell.  And now more than before I'll be looking into simulators. I'll check that Tx of mine but can't imagine it being of any use to a sim. Also scanning ebay for a Ammo box, do you line them with sand?

Plenty to get on with...thankyou.

Phil. Insurance is included in BMFA membership, and you can do the CAA registration via BMFA at the same time - makes life simpler. 

Re Ammo boxes - I lined mine with cork floor tiles cut to shape. 

 

Dick

[Cuban8]

2 hours ago, kc said:

Many clubs have a limit on membership numbers so put your application in early!  Go along beforehand and make sure you like the club, it's flying hours and availability of instructors.

Excellent advice. Very important that you find a club that you feel comfortable with. It's possible that although a club is well run with excellent facilities etc. you'll find that you just don't click with the members and the general character and atmosphere of the club. Clubs can differ greatly despite having the same aims.

Just YouTubed your Ranger 850 and while it looks like a nice model, in my experience it's not a good starter for a complete beginner. Too small and skittish and will be blown around in breezy conditions - beginners always initially make the mistake of allowing their model to fly too far away from them, so again, a small model will not help there and will quickly get away from you and be difficult to keep orientated on. Hopefully the club that you join will have a larger trainer for you to buddy box on and you'll gain experience to cope with the smaller model. Unfortunately, smaller and lighter doesn't necessarily make easier to fly despite what would appear to be a sensible conclusion.

Good luck.

Edited November 25, 2022 by Cuban8

[Phil Brunt]

Some great advice there fellas, cant thank you enough for the help and advice. Good group this....yay!

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Welcome to the forum Phil, Pontys a sound club you'll be fine there, when you've settled in we're just down the A1, Don Valley mfc Doncaster, guests always welcome.

[Don Fry]

Welcome. 
One bit of advice. Get all the bits, batteries for your plane, simulator. Then wait til you join the club. Then you will get to know the difference between what you need, and what you think to need. What you need is cheaper. And with that knowledge, hunt for it in the club. There is always trainer stuff, 2nd aircraft  airframes available second hand in a tidy club. 

[Phil Brunt]

Hi Don, thanks for the welcome, you're tips do make sense...will be following this advice...thanks

John, thanks for your welcome to the forum. I came out to your field a couple of weekends ago and watched from the roadside. A couple of guys flying. Really enjoyed that, the nearby trees were a little off putting from where I stood but those guys had got it covered and put a good show on. Both fields are about the same distance from my home, and living in woodlands a few decades ago I was drawn to your field first..

[SIMON CRAGG]

Just had another thought.

 

A good source of modelling items, can be a club auction.

 

Probably best to get a second opinion so you don't end up with a load of "tat", but surprisingly good airframes and other ancillaries usually appear.

 

No good club will try and palm of rubbish on a newbie........we were all newbies once and appreciate how much there is to absorb!.

[Simon Burch 1]

9 hours ago, Phil Brunt said:

Thanks GrumpyGnome, the club is BMFA affiliated and membership thereof is a must have. I think that insurance is part of that but I will double check. CAA is on my to do list aswell.  And now more than before I'll be looking into simulators. I'll check that Tx of mine but can't imagine it being of any use to a sim. Also scanning ebay for a Ammo box, do you line them with sand?

Plenty to get on with...thankyou.

Hi Phil -  simulators needn't be expensive and, in my experience, a PC-based simulator is invaluable for newcomers and improvers.  If you use it properly, you really can learn basic and advanced techniques.

 

If your new tx won't work with a simulator, it's possible use an old 35MHz set; these can be picked up for next-to-nothing on ebay.  A club member might well be willing to donate one.  You just need to be sure that the tx has a buddy-lead socket.  You'll need an interface dongle and lead which will cost around £10-15 on ebay.   Personally, I used an old Futaba FF6 tx which I bought for under £10 - which I eventually donated to a beginner 

 

As for software, Picasim is an excellent free download - in my opinion it’s as good as payware, especially for gliders.   It seems to work well with the standard dongles that you'll find on ebay.  It has own built in controllers, and you can use a standard gaming joystick, but a 'real' RC tx is what you need.

 

A club member should be able to show you how to set it up; otherwise there are plenty of videos out there.

 

[Don Fry]

4 hours ago, Phil Brunt said:

Hi Don, thanks for the welcome, you're tips do make sense...will be following this advice...thanks

John, thanks for your welcome to the forum. I came out to your field a couple of weekends ago and watched from the roadside. A couple of guys flying. Really enjoyed that, the nearby trees were a little off putting from where I stood but those guys had got it covered and put a good show on. Both fields are about the same distance from my home, and living in woodlands a few decades ago I was drawn to your field first..

There are flyers wot have hit the trees, and them that hasn’t yet. Survivors don’t hit the tree twice. Game of blood. There are easy work arounds to trees and depth perception. But the lesson costs an airframe, normally. 

I would guess, from downwind, he turned above the tree, note, sky under wing, no need to know distance.There is a well known notch or gap. Turn in to land at the gap. Keep it with a bit of sky below the wing. And about 80 to 100 meters out, bifocal vision kicks in, and you get, hight and distance knowledge, and work the sticks to pretend it was preplanned. 
Full size pilots think they are clever.