First of all start with the basics. Join a club that is near to where you live, because you won't want to travel a long way each time you wish to fly. You will be able to gain information about model clubs at you hobby store.
Second of all is to join the BMFA (British Model Flying Association) this organisation will provide you with insurance, and other useful information that you need in order to fly.
It is important to do these first tasks before you start flying, as you may find that once you have completed building your plane, that you have nowhere to fly it. If you can't find a club in your area, flying it in a field or airfield is quite acceptable, but ensure that there are no power cable or trees nearby, as they can create a lot of air turbulence, and especially for a beginner. Also make sure there are no air restrictions near that area, e.g. M.O.D
Buying the Plane
I must stress this point:-
If you are not prepared to see your plane crash, then you should not even consider flying planes, because it is almost guaranteed that someday, you will crash your plane.
Always start with a good trainer plane. Again your hobby store will advise you on which plane to get. The plane that I began to learn with was a Flair cub(on the pictures below). It was very easy to fly because it has a slight wing dihedral, which gives the plane more stability. It also has just under a 6 ft wing span which almost turns it into a glider. Because it is designed for the beginner, it is more forgiving than a aerobatic plane. However the trainer plane is designed so that you learn how to fly, therefore doing any aerobatics in a trainer plane is more dificult than doing so in an acrobat .
Visit
tower models for their range of model planes
When buying the engine, you must be carefull not to over power your plane. For a beginner it is important not to go for a plane which is too fast, and may therefore be hard to handle. My trainer plane will fly happily on about 1/3 throttle which had an O.S 40. Below is a typical model airplane engine.
There are certain variations planes. The three variations that could be chosen from when buying my trainer plane were 3ch f/wing, this plane has only 3 channels, elevator, rudder, and throttle. 4ch f/wing has 4 channels - rudder, elevator, ailerons, and throttle. The other variation is 4ch b/up wing this type as supposed to the f/ wing actually has to be built, whilst the other f/wing is simply made from foam, and requires very little doing to it, to make it. The choice of which to get is yours…. If you are lazy person, who is worried that they crash, then the foam wing is for you. If you do crash, and the wing breaks, usually superglue will hold it together very well. If you enjoy building planes, and don't mind repairing it if it were to break, then get the b/ up wing.
The difference between the channels is that the 3 channel plane has rudder, instead of ailerons. The difference between the rudder and ailerons is that the rudder will yaw the plane in a particular direction, as supposed to ailerons where it bans the plane in a direction. I have found that the ailerons will give a more definite response to the rudder. My plane is the 4ch F/ wing version - So that means I have foam wings, rudder, elevator, ailerons, and throttle. The transmitter below is a 6 channel variety, and is used for a more advanced plane, which may also have retractable landing gear, bomb drop, or spoilers
The instructor
Now that you have built your plane, you must now find someone to teach you. It is important to get someone to teach you because it is very hard to be able to take off, learn how to fly the plane in 30 mins, and then land again without crashing. You can usually find someone that will be willing to teach you at the club.
ALWAYS WATCH THEM FLY FIRST, AND MAKE SURE YOU TRUST THEM!
You must also decide which stick mode to fly(which sticks do what), and ensure that your instructor is familiar with that type. The most common modes are below:-
Mode 1- Throttle right
Mode 2 - Throttle left
Fuel
Once you have began using one type of fuel, you MUST stick with that type. This is because if different types of fuels are used, the oil which is in the fuel will react with each other, often bonding together and seizing the engine up. In which case you then have to strip your engine down completely. Different fuels can be bought, so ensure you buy the correct one - ask your hobby dealer for the correct one to use.
Equipment
To store you equipment, it is a good idea to buy, or build a flight box. This is used to carry all of the things for you plane, as it makes it much easier to transport things from places to place. I built the box below, it is designed to contain everything inside the box(even the fuel) in case of rain. The dimensions of this box are 48cm x 33cm x 36cm
Once you have bought the main items(plane, raiogear, engine), you must now buy the small things which you may forget about such as tools:-
Small, medium screwdrivers plain and cross-point, spanner for the propeller nut, needlenose pliers, and other small things such as superglue and spar screws and nuts
A glow plug
You can either buy glow plugs that connect from a battery in your flight box - can see if the plug is drawing a current(if amp meter is connected), or a portable one, which you charge up - portable. Both have their advantages.
Spare propellers
In case a small accident occurs, where you break your prop.
A 'chicken finger'
This is a thick rubber device that is used to protect your finger when starting the engine. This is used to rotate the propeller when you wish to start the engine. It is important that you buy one of these because the engine can 'kick back' when you try and start it, and can cut you very easily because the trailing edge of the propeller is very sharp. You can either wear this on your finger, or put it on a piece of wood.
An alternative to this is to use a starter motor, which is a heavy-duty motor which will rotate the prop. For you.
Fuel pump
Another useful things to have is a fuel pump. This is used to quickly pump the fuel into the plane. You may be able to see one mounted to the side of the flight box on the picture above. There are two types of fuel pump, manual and electric(depends if you are lazy or not).
You are now ready for that first trip to the club. Good luck!
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