Tim JS Posted November 10 Share Posted November 10 I'm sure you've answered this question a number of times, so thank you for your patience. My 13 year old daughter has been flying drone (pretty impressively) for 4 years and now has asked for a RC plane. She has a decent grasp of the fundamentals. Does anyone have a recommendation of a RTF plane that would be good for her to learn with? Many thanks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted November 10 Share Posted November 10 Could do a lot worse than the little 400mm warbirds...... cheap, tough, fly brilliantly. If you're not overly impatient, AliExpress do lots..... Corsair, Spitfire, Bf109, FW190, Mustang etc..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim JS Posted November 10 Author Share Posted November 10 I should add, I've very open to buying everything separately if that makes more sense (transmitter, receiver etc). Would really welcome any advice. Ideally would spend inside £200 for this if possible.. Thank you again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted November 10 Share Posted November 10 Per above, all in a single box for well under £100..... nice stabilizing gyros included 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim JS Posted November 10 Author Share Posted November 10 1 minute ago, GrumpyGnome said: Could do a lot worse than the little 400mm warbirds...... cheap, tough, fly brilliantly. If you're not overly impatient, AliExpress do lots..... Corsair, Spitfire, Bf109, FW190, Mustang etc..... Is a high wing option with SAFE not better for her to grasp things? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Learner Posted November 10 Share Posted November 10 11 minutes ago, GrumpyGnome said: Could do a lot worse than the little 400mm warbirds...... cheap, tough, fly brilliantly. If you're not overly impatient, AliExpress do lots..... Corsair, Spitfire, Bf109, FW190, Mustang etc..... After flying one for the 1st time today cant say I'm impressed. certainly wouldn't recommend one to a beginner. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Skilbeck Posted November 10 Share Posted November 10 Have a word with your local club, you could probably pop along with your daughter and they'd have a suitable plane and buddy box she could have a go on. Our club has, and has done this loads of times. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Gates Posted November 10 Share Posted November 10 +1 on Franks comment. Go to a local club and talk with them as they will be best placed to assist and to make sure that she flies legally & safely. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted November 10 Share Posted November 10 I recommended the little ones because she's been flying 'drones' for years so should understand quite a lot of the basics. And a high winger with SAFE (yeuk) probably means an Apprentice which is well in excess of the budget - unless gambling on second hand. @LearnerI wouldn't recommend one to an absolute beginner either..... but she ain't one. And you are most definitely in the minority with your opinion of these little marvels. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Learner Posted November 11 Share Posted November 11 8 hours ago, GrumpyGnome said: @Learneryou are most definitely in the minority with your opinion of these little marvels. Do you use the supplied transmitter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted November 11 Share Posted November 11 Nope - I bought them without the tx, and use my Radiomaster. Binds easily and has all the functionality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Burch 1 Posted November 11 Share Posted November 11 12 hours ago, Learner said: After flying one for the 1st time today cant say I'm impressed. The appeal of a small Spitfire, Bf109 or similar, which just about anybody can fly, is huge. A few people at our club gave these models; if you want to have fun they're great, and we've seen that they can attract young people into the hobby. However, you're right in that, with their robust autostabiliser/autopilot systems, their value as trainers is limited. The Volantex Ranger 600 probably offers a better introduction to model flying in its 'intermediate' mode, but it doesn't have the same appeal. Meanwhile, a decent conventional trainer, together with a charger, LiPos, CAA registration and BMFA membership will easily break the £200 budget. Perhaps a sub-250g foamie, plus membership a local club that offers buddy-lead training sessions, plus plenty of readily-available help and advice, might offer a better way of spending £200. If she really wants to learn to fly, IMHO don't focus upon 'which model' too much for now; rather, try out a club trainer (many clubs offer 'taster sessions'), talk to other flyers and make an informed decision that suits you both. Prepare to spend more than £200, though!. Personally, I think SAFE and other autostabiliser/autopilot systems merely interfere with the learning process....but that's just my opinion. Other opinions are available! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted November 11 Share Posted November 11 12 hours ago, Learner said: After flying one for the 1st time today cant say I'm impressed. certainly wouldn't recommend one to a beginner. I've got several hundred flights logged on mine and can honestly say that they are amongst the very best flying models that I have ever flown. They will handle any wind thrown at them, can be positioned exactly where you would want to put them in the sky - look fantastic when flying past in formation and in terms of fun per pound are unbeatable IMO. In this particular case, to give fixed wing flying to a n experienced drone flyer that would be a great option, though not particularly in terms of flying a larger model or learning to fly other models as their control responses are quite different than the norm. For orientation and positioning in the sky though - a great tool and, most important of all, tremendous fun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Cooper Posted November 11 Share Posted November 11 @Tim JS If you are close to Wellingborough or Corby (Northamptonshire), you and your daughter will be very welcome to visit a club for some trial flights, a natter and to experience a few different models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Learner Posted November 11 Share Posted November 11 As I said I had one battery and a couple of flights. so will no doubt get better as the time goes on. At no time did I feel confident it was going to go where I pointed it which certainly isn't trainer material. If I can get it to switch stabilizer modes with my Spektrum transmitter I can see potential but not so sure with supplied transmitter. Time will tell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted November 11 Share Posted November 11 If you can't get it to switch stabilizer mode, you'll be quite limited. For anyone with experience, the beginner mode is far too limiting, and they can be quite challenging in expert mode..... I usually launch and land in intermediate mode, and spend the rest of the flight in expert. I also typically now flick the reset switch with it on a level surface to make sure its set right. If your DX9 provides less functionality than the supplied tx, making it work with Spektrum seems a little ..... self-defeating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted November 11 Share Posted November 11 The wee transmitters are actually brilliant. It's amazing that a transmitter which actually costs around £15 has telemetry, switchable stabilisation modes, full digital trims on rudder, elevator and aileron, with a function via the telemetry to help find the model, a one button aerobatic mode, a one button U-Turn mode and via that telemetry the capability, via different beeps to tell you when you are getting close to going out of range, when the model battery voltage is low enough to tell you to land and also monitor the transmitter dry cell voltage to tell you when those are getting flat. Couple that with intelligent throttle arming which requires a set routine to make the model live and it's Roswell-standard technology for pocket money costs. For battery longevity I'm running my wee transmitters on their original batteries and have only had recently needed to replace the dry cells on my Me109 transmitter, which has been in frequent use for 2 years of nearly 200 typically >10 minute flights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted November 11 Share Posted November 11 5 minutes ago, GrumpyGnome said: If you can't get it to switch stabilizer mode, you'll be quite limited. For anyone with experience, the beginner mode is far too limiting, and they can be quite challenging in expert mode..... I usually launch and land in intermediate mode, and spend the rest of the flight in expert. I also typically now flick the reset switch with it on a level surface to make sure its set right. If your DX9 provides less functionality than the supplied tx, making it work with Spektrum seems a little ..... self-defeating. I have to respectfully disagree GG - I'm moderately experienced as are the other flyers of these in our club and at least three of us fly together almost exclusively in the beginner mode and don't find it limiting at all - you can perform some extremely tight turns in beginner mode and put the aeroplane pretty much exactly where you want it. I'll be investigating putting a couple of my wee fellas on my Radiomaster, just to try it out and with the one thing that I do miss - being able to execute a nice spilt S - but round these parts Beginner mode is widely used on most flights by experienced pilots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J D 8 - Moderator Posted November 11 Share Posted November 11 14 hours ago, GrumpyGnome said: Could do a lot worse than the little 400mm warbirds...... cheap, tough, fly brilliantly. If you're not overly impatient, AliExpress do lots..... Corsair, Spitfire, Bf109, FW190, Mustang etc..... A young lass comes along with her dad to our club now and then and sends her Corsair around the sky with authority. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Learner Posted November 15 Share Posted November 15 (edited) Light winds today so flew the volantex p51 again, this time at my club site and with supplied transmitter to see if I could improve my experience. After 3 flights using all options I have to say flying it on beginner mode was the best and most enjoyable. using all the movement on the transmitter, it was fun and controlled and actually now think it would be a good model for the OP. I gave it to a fellow flyer and he enjoyed it so much he's ordered one. Expert mode was lairy but I think a combination with beginner might work well for me. Intermediate (the mode I used for first flights ) was not nice, elevator seemed like an on/off switch making smooth flight virtually impossible and actually harder than expert mode. So after today ordered more batteries and can't wait to experiment more. Just proves first impressions aren't always right. Edited November 15 by Learner 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Bullit Posted November 15 Share Posted November 15 My daughter learned to fly in an Eflite Cub Sport Cub S. Picked it up fine at around ten years old. She's also flown drones a little bit previously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Day Posted November 15 Share Posted November 15 (edited) On 10/11/2024 at 20:30, Tim JS said: I'm sure you've answered this question a number of times, so thank you for your patience. My 13 year old daughter has been flying drone (pretty impressively) for 4 years and now has asked for a RC plane. She has a decent grasp of the fundamentals. Does anyone have a recommendation of a RTF plane that would be good for her to learn with? Many thanks The 400mm wee things are nice but get blown about if a butterfly flaps its wings. I would go for a ready to fly/ RTF package . One that comes to mind is the FMS 1300m piper. Its a good visible size but also easy to transport. Sorry about the length of the link it is genuine. The price in the link can be beaten if you search around a little. https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005006949931826.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.7.638dzEfszEfs4J&algo_pvid=b78b01c9-a3b5-4216-b5c2-8df7ea0ce513&algo_exp_id=b78b01c9-a3b5-4216-b5c2-8df7ea0ce513-3&pdp_npi=4%40dis!GBP!256.71!141.19!!!2287.97!1258.38!%40211b6a7a17317086285105541ed9b2!12000038827913147!sea!UK!169952903!X&curPageLogUid=e4qeh0kPWFDZ&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch|query_from%3A&_gl=1*8fioc3*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3MzE3MDg2MzEuQ2owS0NRaUFfOXU1QmhDVUFSSXNBQmJNU1BzamNOcFkxakVHSGhuYktDSUhqTFBiZGpYblA5VzFGanB4Y1l5d0RvdW1samZINGktOHA2MGFBaUpERUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_dc*R0NMLjE3MzE3MDg2MzEuQ2owS0NRaUFfOXU1QmhDVUFSSXNBQmJNU1BzamNOcFkxakVHSGhuYktDSUhqTFBiZGpYblA5VzFGanB4Y1l5d0RvdW1samZINGktOHA2MGFBaUpERUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_au*MTIyNDQwNDc2LjE3MjQ5NTkwNzQ.*_ga*ODgyODE0MTAuMTcxNjg5Mjg4NQ..*_ga_VED1YSGNC7*MTczMTcwODU3Mi45MS4xLjE3MzE3MDg2NjQuNDIuMC4w Edited November 15 by Frank Day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted November 16 Share Posted November 16 @Frank Day sorry Frank but you're misinformed about those little 400mm jobbies. As a number of us will testify, they can be flown, comfortably, in surprisingly brisk winds......... see the "Who's been flying" thread for several testimonials. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted November 16 Share Posted November 16 What GG says is quite correct, if I had to name models that are rock steady in a brisk wind, never mind a butterfly's wing waft, the wee Volantex 400mm jobs would be in the first ten places. Here's a snap from a few weeks ago of a group of our models hovering in a brisk and blustery crosswind, directly across our very tight strip. Their forward speed can be matched perfectly with throttle and the stabilisation keeps them totally steady, They are just as happy flying their usual circuits, with remarkable difference in groundspeed on the upwind and downwind legs and can be landed at your feet. Wind? What wind? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Day Posted November 16 Share Posted November 16 (edited) 2 hours ago, GrumpyGnome said: @Frank Day sorry Frank but you're misinformed about those little 400mm jobbies. As a number of us will testify, they can be flown, comfortably, in surprisingly brisk winds......... see the "Who's been flying" thread for several testimonials. I personally had one disappear in the wind that suddenly caught it near to the end of a flight, couldnt get it back before it disappeared and I'm not the only one at our site, one guy saw his UMX Mustang suddenly head off in the wind. May be something with the wind at our site that tends to be across it mostly with plenty of trees etc. I love the idea but seeing two disappear makes you think twice. I have a pair of the Parkzone Mosquitos Micro type, one is standard no stabilization and the other im trying to fit the board from the B26 or whatever its is. As for a beginner plane the consensus on this site always seems to be bigger is better, visibility, stability of a high wing etc. If the youngster that this tread is about wants to do the A test a fully stabilised UMX 400mm isnt going to be suitable, that was the real point of the comment. Edited November 16 by Frank Day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.