It occurred to me that some of you may read this, get all fired up, take the plunge and get into RC flying. If you do, be warned, it's addictive! Seriously though, if you do decide to do this and you've never flown an RC plane before, take my advice and to NOT go out and buy a big bad azz WW2 fighter plane like a P-51 Mustang or an F4U Corsair. Sure, they look so cool hanging from the ceiling at the hobby shop, or doing those high speed low passes, loops, dives, and snap rolls on YouTube. But it won't look cool at all as a very expensive pile of debris on the ground. Start off with a high wing trainer, preferably with some dihedral. Dihedral is a slight, upward angle in the wings. This will help stabilize the plane and make it MUCH more "forgiving". Have PATIENCE and WAIT for a day when the wind is either FLAT DEAD CALM or just a MILD breeze at the most to fly the first few times. TRUST ME on this. If it's too windy, YOUR PLANE WILL CRASH. Hopefully where you can at least find it. OFTEN the wind will just take it to where you'll never find it again. So wait until it's calm. Pick a wide open area, preferably with grass about knee high if possible. Don't be afraid to get it up there at least 100 feet or so, or about twice as high as the trees. This gives you time to recover from your mistakes. You will make them, and you will crash. Everyone in this hobby does. If you can't find someone to teach you to fly, try a simulator. There's even some free ones you can download, and some let you use the controller you actually fly with. There's way too much advice to post it all here, but I suggest going to rcgroups.com and read "Six keys to success for new pilots". It's worth a read. And above all, have fun. Later guys!
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