How Do I Know What NOT to Fly as My First Plane? Originally by Frank Granelli for Sport Aviator First, you should understand that only certain model aircraft are suitable for a beginning model pilot Read more
How Do I Know the Difference Between Basic Trainers & Aerobatic Trainers? Originally by Frank Granelli for Sport Aviator A wing located on the top is not a guarantee that the aircraft is a good Basic Trainer. The Hobbico Read more
How Do I Know if I Should Buy a Ready-To-Fly (RTF) or an Almost-Ready-To-Fly (ARF) Model? Originally by Frank Granelli for Sport Aviator How do you decide whether your trainer should be an Almost-Ready-to-Fly (ARF) or a Ready-To-Fly (RTF) Read more
How Do I Know the Number of Channels That My Trainer Needs? Originally by Frank Granelli for Sport Aviator Three versus four-channel operation can be a difficult choice. There are strong opinions about this and Read more
How Do I Know Which Size Trainer is Right for Me? Originally by Frank Granelli for Sport Aviator The Hangar 9 Alpha 40 (left) is the exact same aircraft as the Alpha 60 (right). The only difference is Read more
How Do I Prepare for the First Flight of My Model? I have experienced and witnessed my fair share of failed maidens. To my recollection, none of these crashes were caused by some random equipment In my day job at the Johnson Space Center, we frequently use the term “go fever.” It refers to the tendency of humans to ignore problems and take How many of us have tinkered with a rough-running engine or jittery servo at the field, only to decide “it will probably get better in the air”? I Performing a Pre-Flight Check Using a checklist is not a guaranteed way to avoid a maiden flight debacle. However, I have no doubt that taking an honest and thorough assessment of I think that by doing all of your homework before the maiden flight, you will begin the endeavor with much greater confidence. Not only will that You can review our maiden flight checklist here, or click here for more pre-flight check resources. Download PDF Read more
How Do I Select My First ARF Trainer? Originally by Frank Granelli for Sport Aviator There are many types of model airplanes. Some are built from wood kits—assembled one stick at a time Read more