Wing for beginner - suggestions please

[Grumpybeard]

Hi all,

New to RC, FPV and this forum, so I know nowt!


Been bitten by the bug, and despite first looking into Fatsharks with a wing I envisioned starting with a quad build, working up to gimballed sports videography, and eventually some kind of wing for longer flight times in the glorious landscapes of the Scottish Highlands, English lakes, Swiss and French Alps.


During my research of quads I've noted available models (QAV400/QAV500G/Discovery/Pro), possible flight times, initial costs and spare parts.  I've also seen some horrific crashes and what a gut wrenching feeling it must be to pick up the pieces and take it home in tatters, many £££ down the drain.  I would find trouble sleeping that night!


Do wings of any sort tend to be more "crash" or beginner resistant?   Do the electronics tend to walk away in a better state after a smackdown in a plane than within a quad?  I know its gonna happen, par for the course, but curious.


I've seen "traditional" planes like the Skywalker and Bixler, and wings like the Cappi, ZII and Venturi.  Are the traditional ones with fuselage more prone to breakup than wings?  Any recommendation for a suitable first wing, with regard to build, flight stability, easy of launch/land?  Would a ZII just be a crazy thought?  Something more Cappi sized the way to go?  Get some hours flying LOS on a cheap trainer first?


Apologies for all the questions however I do appreciate the advice.

[dirtyharry]

get a tech-sumo from hobbyking , really easy to build and if you buy a roll of 3m glass tape for the leading edge it will be very crashproof.

If you want something bigger a maxi-swift is a good platform

wings are  more crash resistant but if you haven't flown anything before get a bixler to learn with

[Brucey]

A wing isn't good starting place. Start with a bixler and get confident with fpv, and then by a wing.
What's your location, you might be local to someone that can show you the ropes

[FPVSteve]

Have to agree if you're just starting out a wing is probably a bad idea as they tend to be faster and have different flying characteristics (bank and yank) compared to something like a Bixler which will turn by itself once you give it aileron / rudder input.

A Bixler (or other similar) will give you hours of happy FPV and you won't outgrow it in a hurry either unlike something like a SpyHawk.

A Bixler can take a good hit too - ask many of us on here :laugh: they glue back together, tape back together and can generally fly again (just as well as new) unless you turn it into a crater - in which case you won't sleep that badly because you'll have an awesome video to show off and the Bixler kit is only about 30 quid to replace :) Usually the electronics are absolutely fine even if the airframe is trashed so worst case, just fit all the gear into another lump of foam :)

By the way - welcome to the hobby!!

[DaveyLC]

A wing isn't good starting place. Start with a bixler and get confident with fpv, and then by a wing.
What's your location, you might be local to someone that can show you the ropes

+1 from me too!

If you're new to RC unless you are a very gifted individual having a wing as a first plane will just end in tears..

I'm sure you've seen some great videos of flying wings blasting about, doing all sorts of crazy stuff but this is only possible because flying wings have no natural stability, which means you are constantly in-control, there is no room for error (which is not a good place to be when you're first starting out).

Sport-glider type planes such as the Bixler, Axion Alpha 139 and the EasyStar are all very stable airframes due to the shape and positioning of the wings: They naturally want to fly the-right-way-up and glide very well.. Plus getting the centre of gravity spot on isn't so critical so there is margin for error all over the place :)

There is a lot of Love on here for the Bixler but I still think the Axion Alpha 139 is the best sport-glider out there and I'd seriously recommend getting one.

[DaveyLC]

Do wings of any sort tend to be more "crash" or beginner resistant?   Do the electronics tend to walk away in a better state after a smackdown in a plane than within a quad?  I know its gonna happen, par for the course, but curious.

I just noticed this sub-question :)

Flying wings are far more durable than standard planes mainly because they are so simple in construction. Being one big lump of foam means there are few joins/weak points and the weight of the air-frame is loaded evenly. Also its very easy to laminate/cover a flying wing in a flexible plastic which makes them virtually unbreakable (have you ever try tearing laminated paper :D ?)

[Grumpybeard]

Some great advice and another warm welcome, thank-you so much.  Yes, stay in the North-East near Durham when I'm in the UK, Coyote kindly pointed me in direction of some fellow Northerners, I will try to hook up when I'm back in September, hopefully to have some holding hands ready to pop my cherry with my maiden!


I think I will start with one of the sport-glider options such as the Bixler, Axion or Easystar, very reasonably priced and I think they will teach me a lot without stress or tears!


Thanks again.

[DaveyLC]

Are you looking to jump in with both feet, i.e. invest in some more advanced radio gear or test the water first with a Ready To Fly package? :)

If you're looking to test the water before you invest heavily in the hobby, this is what I'd recommend to start with:

http://www.sloughrc.com/default.asp?WPG=SRCM_HomePage1&itemid=A-AX-00215-01M2

Heres some footage of a complete Newbie taking his maiden flight:
BRUSHLESS AXION ALPHA 139 - MAIDEN FLIGHT

[Staib]

All good advice above. By the way, when fpv addicts aficionados talk about 'investing' in the hobby don't be thinking there will be any financial return!!

Payback comes from a sense of achievement spiced with adrenaline, the cameraderie of communities such as this, and the chance to meet like minded nutters at fly-ins  ;D

Cheers,
Nick

[Brucey]

Well said, so true :P

[FPVSteve]

I dunno - if you buy quality gear then the 2nd hand market is pretty good so you practically get back your money having had plenty of fun in the meantime.

[DaveyLC]

Steve is right.. The second hand market is strong for:

a) Hard to source/rare items.
b) Ready to fly or built kits, where the kit might be a bit fiddly!

For example there are plenty of Taranis TX's selling on ebay for more than they cost to pre-order and there's always second hand, built TBS disco's selling for OBSCENE amounts of money.