Which Radio Control Plane Should I Buy
You will have many planes over the years in the hobby. Don't get the biggest and best as your first plane. Get a plane that matches your flying skill level and and get the more complex planes after you have mastered the simple planes. Avoid fast, noisy, fragile, and expensive planes. Get a plane that is easy to fly and hard to break.
The first plane you choose will usually determine if you are going to enjoy the hobby. Don't get in a hurry to spend money. Those who spend too much money too fast don't last. Go to your local flying field and see what other people in your area are flying and meet the flyers. Some of my best friends are people I fly with. Find you local hobby stores and go online and take time to learn more about the electronics and planes.
Where are you going to fly? If you are flying at a flying field with grass and a runway you may make a different choice than if you fly at the neighborhood soccer field, farm fields and rough ground or mountain slopes. All of our planes are designed to fly over rough ground and can take the abuse of a hard landing. Our planes are designed to be quieter and neighbor friendly. Crashtesthobby planes are often seen flying when there is too much wind for any other type of plane. I taught my 4 sons to fly on EPP flying wings with a little pre-training on a RC simulator. All of them learned on a single plane. We do a lot of flying in the wind often without a runway.
You want to buy EPP foam planes because they don't crush. At Crashtesthobby all of our planes are cut from 100% EPP foam. Even in a major accident the EPP foam returns to the original shape we cut it. You will be amazed at what our planes can survive. We have designed planes that will keep on flying when other planes will not. If you are going to fly you are going to have wrecks. Don't buy planes that won't last. Look for solid wings and solid fuselages cut from EPP foam.
If you are new in the hobby get our Albatross which is cut from EPP. We cut it with a solid EPP fuselage, wing and tail that won't crush. It can take more abuse than any other trainer. It will help you learn to fly because It is designed to level its wing and put its nose on the horizon without much pilot input. Watch the videos of this planes. It is an amazing flyer and durable. It makes a great park flyer, night flyer and FPV plane.
If you have some flying experience you might want to try our EPP 39” Assassin which is the toughest plane on the planet or our Grim Reaper that is a larger and easier to see flying wing. Both planes are designed to fly well and take serious abuse. They set a standard that no one can beat. They are combat club favorites but still very enjoyable to fly if you are flying alone.
We also have EPP planes that are bigger, smaller, faster and slower so look at our products page. All of our planes use our unique combat worthy construction methods, making them the strongest planes in their respective classes. Each of our plane designs have their own personality. They aren't just one design in different sizes. Even our FPV planes are seen flying in combat.
We offer a buy 5 kits get one free on every plane we sell. You don't have to be a dealer or an organized club to get the discount.
From another article I wrote...
I know that choosing a first plane can be confusing where we sell a variety of specialized planes.
If this is your first plane get an Albatross poly wing and put a 2812-1534 motor on it with a 7x6 prop and 25+ amp ESC and MG90 servos. You can fly with 3S batteries from 1300 to 3000 mA. I usually fly with 3S-2700 mA batteries and can get half hour flight times. Your flying speed on the Albatross poly wing is from 10-30 mph.
If you are looking for a flying wing you need to decide how big of a wing you want to fly. Locally the Grim Reaper is very popular first flying wing with a 3530-1700 kv motor, 7x6 prop, standard sized servos, (I also use the Corona MG238 servos) 40 amp ESC and 2200-4000 mA lipo battery. The air speed with this set up is from about 20-80 mph. It is bigger so it is easier to see and a not so sensitive to the controls as the 40" wing class.
We do sell a lot of 40" wings. I personally have at least 10 of this size of plane flying. In this group I recommend you start with the Assassin or the Rebel S-16% with a 2812-1534 motor on it with a 7x6 prop and 25+ amp ESC and MG90 servos. I fly with 3S batteries 1300 mA. Pulse battery brand is my favorite. These planes are the toughest planes you can buy and can take a lot of abuse. Airspeed is from about 20 mph to 75 mph and that speed is what makes them a good intermediate level sport plane that is a lot of fun. These are very durable and fun to fly EPP wings.
Notice that the recommended motor, ESC and radio set up for the Albatross that flies 10-30 mph is the same for the Assassin and Rebel that fly at 20-75 mph.
If you want to enter the world of speed use the Grim Reaper set up above on the Assassin or Rebel with a good 1300-1800 3S battery ...... but this is not for first time flyers. (Hehehehe)
Each of the 40" class flying wings we sell has a slightly different personality. Every one of them has been requested by different customers who had different goals and flying set ups.
For most 40 " wing flyers I would suggest they get the Assassin or the Rebel S-16% which are the same thickness and both fly extremely well and are the toughest planes you can buy. I like my Vertigo too which is also a thick wing and almost indestructible.
If I was going to try to break the speed limit I would choose the Rebel S-14% because it not only is low drag but is still thick enough to put more battery in so I could run 4S or 6S set ups. The Rebel S-12% may be faster but it is thinner and won't have the internal room of the Rebel S-14% and may need more reinforcement to stiffen it up for ultra high speeds.
The Widowmaker has a semi-symmetrical glider airfoil. If you want a light plane to go on the slopes or to build light and fly slow this would be a good choice.
If you want a great club plane for combat and pylon racing have your club get Assassins or the larger Grim Reapers. If you are low time flyers or have a smaller flying area where you need to keep the sound down get Albatrosses. When you get your club to buy Crashtesthobby club planes it changes the way you feel about flying. Instead of flying alone and trying to avoid each other everyone flies together in formation. Instead of flying solo you are flying as a team with the front flyers slowing down and those behind catching up. I have never enjoyed flying so much as I have when flying as a group. Our EPP planes are so durable that the planes not only can handle, but love this type of flying. Even the Albatross makes a great club plane for bomb drop, spot landings and racing and it can be flown anywhere there is open sky.
We see first time flyers show up with expensive and complex scale military planes. We also see new flyers show up with moderate to high performance aerobatic and fast planes. We have pilots of full sized aircraft who think because they can fly full scale planes they will have no trouble flying a model plane. Complex planes have complex problems. Riding in a plane uses different reflexes and perspective than flying RC at a distance. We understand many new flyers don't have enough information to make a good choice so they choose what looks good on the web or in the local hobby store.
We get many orders for FPV planes from people who don’t know how to fly. Learn to fly on simple planes before buying an FPV plane. FPV planes are not the best planes to learn with. FPV planes tend to be heavy which is not the fault of the plane design but weigh more because they are carrying more gear and larger batteries for longer flights. Heavy planes are faster and usually more difficult to launch because of their size and weight. If you are wanting to fly FPV read our FPV for Beginners article.
You will wreck when you are learning. You will be glad if you chose planes that can take some abuse. All of our planes are 100% EPP which is the toughest foam on the market. EPP foam doesn't dent or crush like other foams. Our building techniques makes it even stronger. It outlasts other foams and balsa wood planes. Read our reviews and you can see what our customers are saying.
We want you to be happy with your planes. We know that all flyers are on a budget. Our goals are to help you to get planes that last and show you where to get electronics that will give you great performance at a great price.
-Lee
The first plane you choose will usually determine if you are going to enjoy the hobby. Don't get in a hurry to spend money. Those who spend too much money too fast don't last. Go to your local flying field and see what other people in your area are flying and meet the flyers. Some of my best friends are people I fly with. Find you local hobby stores and go online and take time to learn more about the electronics and planes.
Where are you going to fly? If you are flying at a flying field with grass and a runway you may make a different choice than if you fly at the neighborhood soccer field, farm fields and rough ground or mountain slopes. All of our planes are designed to fly over rough ground and can take the abuse of a hard landing. Our planes are designed to be quieter and neighbor friendly. Crashtesthobby planes are often seen flying when there is too much wind for any other type of plane. I taught my 4 sons to fly on EPP flying wings with a little pre-training on a RC simulator. All of them learned on a single plane. We do a lot of flying in the wind often without a runway.
You want to buy EPP foam planes because they don't crush. At Crashtesthobby all of our planes are cut from 100% EPP foam. Even in a major accident the EPP foam returns to the original shape we cut it. You will be amazed at what our planes can survive. We have designed planes that will keep on flying when other planes will not. If you are going to fly you are going to have wrecks. Don't buy planes that won't last. Look for solid wings and solid fuselages cut from EPP foam.
If you are new in the hobby get our Albatross which is cut from EPP. We cut it with a solid EPP fuselage, wing and tail that won't crush. It can take more abuse than any other trainer. It will help you learn to fly because It is designed to level its wing and put its nose on the horizon without much pilot input. Watch the videos of this planes. It is an amazing flyer and durable. It makes a great park flyer, night flyer and FPV plane.
If you have some flying experience you might want to try our EPP 39” Assassin which is the toughest plane on the planet or our Grim Reaper that is a larger and easier to see flying wing. Both planes are designed to fly well and take serious abuse. They set a standard that no one can beat. They are combat club favorites but still very enjoyable to fly if you are flying alone.
We also have EPP planes that are bigger, smaller, faster and slower so look at our products page. All of our planes use our unique combat worthy construction methods, making them the strongest planes in their respective classes. Each of our plane designs have their own personality. They aren't just one design in different sizes. Even our FPV planes are seen flying in combat.
We offer a buy 5 kits get one free on every plane we sell. You don't have to be a dealer or an organized club to get the discount.
From another article I wrote...
I know that choosing a first plane can be confusing where we sell a variety of specialized planes.
If this is your first plane get an Albatross poly wing and put a 2812-1534 motor on it with a 7x6 prop and 25+ amp ESC and MG90 servos. You can fly with 3S batteries from 1300 to 3000 mA. I usually fly with 3S-2700 mA batteries and can get half hour flight times. Your flying speed on the Albatross poly wing is from 10-30 mph.
If you are looking for a flying wing you need to decide how big of a wing you want to fly. Locally the Grim Reaper is very popular first flying wing with a 3530-1700 kv motor, 7x6 prop, standard sized servos, (I also use the Corona MG238 servos) 40 amp ESC and 2200-4000 mA lipo battery. The air speed with this set up is from about 20-80 mph. It is bigger so it is easier to see and a not so sensitive to the controls as the 40" wing class.
We do sell a lot of 40" wings. I personally have at least 10 of this size of plane flying. In this group I recommend you start with the Assassin or the Rebel S-16% with a 2812-1534 motor on it with a 7x6 prop and 25+ amp ESC and MG90 servos. I fly with 3S batteries 1300 mA. Pulse battery brand is my favorite. These planes are the toughest planes you can buy and can take a lot of abuse. Airspeed is from about 20 mph to 75 mph and that speed is what makes them a good intermediate level sport plane that is a lot of fun. These are very durable and fun to fly EPP wings.
Notice that the recommended motor, ESC and radio set up for the Albatross that flies 10-30 mph is the same for the Assassin and Rebel that fly at 20-75 mph.
If you want to enter the world of speed use the Grim Reaper set up above on the Assassin or Rebel with a good 1300-1800 3S battery ...... but this is not for first time flyers. (Hehehehe)
Each of the 40" class flying wings we sell has a slightly different personality. Every one of them has been requested by different customers who had different goals and flying set ups.
For most 40 " wing flyers I would suggest they get the Assassin or the Rebel S-16% which are the same thickness and both fly extremely well and are the toughest planes you can buy. I like my Vertigo too which is also a thick wing and almost indestructible.
If I was going to try to break the speed limit I would choose the Rebel S-14% because it not only is low drag but is still thick enough to put more battery in so I could run 4S or 6S set ups. The Rebel S-12% may be faster but it is thinner and won't have the internal room of the Rebel S-14% and may need more reinforcement to stiffen it up for ultra high speeds.
The Widowmaker has a semi-symmetrical glider airfoil. If you want a light plane to go on the slopes or to build light and fly slow this would be a good choice.
If you want a great club plane for combat and pylon racing have your club get Assassins or the larger Grim Reapers. If you are low time flyers or have a smaller flying area where you need to keep the sound down get Albatrosses. When you get your club to buy Crashtesthobby club planes it changes the way you feel about flying. Instead of flying alone and trying to avoid each other everyone flies together in formation. Instead of flying solo you are flying as a team with the front flyers slowing down and those behind catching up. I have never enjoyed flying so much as I have when flying as a group. Our EPP planes are so durable that the planes not only can handle, but love this type of flying. Even the Albatross makes a great club plane for bomb drop, spot landings and racing and it can be flown anywhere there is open sky.
We see first time flyers show up with expensive and complex scale military planes. We also see new flyers show up with moderate to high performance aerobatic and fast planes. We have pilots of full sized aircraft who think because they can fly full scale planes they will have no trouble flying a model plane. Complex planes have complex problems. Riding in a plane uses different reflexes and perspective than flying RC at a distance. We understand many new flyers don't have enough information to make a good choice so they choose what looks good on the web or in the local hobby store.
We get many orders for FPV planes from people who don’t know how to fly. Learn to fly on simple planes before buying an FPV plane. FPV planes are not the best planes to learn with. FPV planes tend to be heavy which is not the fault of the plane design but weigh more because they are carrying more gear and larger batteries for longer flights. Heavy planes are faster and usually more difficult to launch because of their size and weight. If you are wanting to fly FPV read our FPV for Beginners article.
You will wreck when you are learning. You will be glad if you chose planes that can take some abuse. All of our planes are 100% EPP which is the toughest foam on the market. EPP foam doesn't dent or crush like other foams. Our building techniques makes it even stronger. It outlasts other foams and balsa wood planes. Read our reviews and you can see what our customers are saying.
We want you to be happy with your planes. We know that all flyers are on a budget. Our goals are to help you to get planes that last and show you where to get electronics that will give you great performance at a great price.
-Lee
