Any Suggestions for RC Gliders or Planes For Fun? (Affordable, please).

[Just Mark]

Slope soaring is a fairly special type of flying. It takes the right aircraft as well as some skill to be able to ride the updrafts while avoiding downdrafts. It's not rocket science but it's also not something natural/intuitive. It's VERY suggested that if you're going to try slope soaring get with someone local who is experienced and learn from them. See what aircraft they use and go fly with them.

In your most simplistic terms that is mostly correct but I stress "simplistic". The MiniRadion is a great performer but it is very light and unable to penetrate strong winds which is why I cautioned about getting into thermals that are too strong for the aircraft. The fact that it is a POWER glider means you can fly it almost anywhere without having to have thermals. Thermal chasing can be an art in and of it's own and some people just never get the feel for it. I happen to live in a rural area where we have large crops and tons of thermals on a bright clear day. I literally walk out the door on my deck and toss the MiniRadion into the air and away we go. I sit in my deck chair and fly for hours on end usually sipping some good southern Iced Tea.

I highly suggest getting the Phoenix Flight sim I linked above. You'll have so many different airccraft to chose from and from there you might have a better idea of which direction you want to go going forward from here.

Thank you again for all your help.

If I can buy the flight simulator used, and then sell it later on used for not much of a loss, then I might do it.

I will be visiting my local police stations / sheriff offices to see if THEY know where I could fly nearby. Maybe they will be ok with flying at the local high school football fields (obviously, not when there are people around).

 

[BigAl07]

Thank you again for all your help.

If I can buy the flight simulator used, and then sell it later on used for not much of a loss, then I might do it.

I will be visiting my local police stations / sheriff offices to see if THEY know where I could fly nearby. Maybe they will be ok with flying at the local high school football fields (obviously, not when there are people around).

Even though it shouldn't make a difference, make sure they understand you're going to fly a small R/C airplane with NO camera at all.

 

[Just Mark]

Even though it shouldn't make a difference, make sure they understand you're going to fly a small R/C airplane with NO camera at all.

Thanks for the reminder.

Just heard from the Sheriffs department for our county and they said that they are VERY strict in enforcing the no flying in open spaces in Marin County. They said the only allowed flying space is just private property with permission. They suggested getting permission from the principal at some of the local schools, but I have a feeling that is going to be pretty tough...

Waiting to hear back from our local police stations in the neighboring cities / towns.

And thanks for the reminder for mentioning no camera to them.

 

[gringorio]

Does anyone have any suggestions for any inexpensive, easy-to-fly RC Gliders or planes or something that would be (relatively) quiet and fun to fly?

The RTF Radian electric glider is a lot of fun. It uses rudder/elevator and is easy to fly. Thermals pretty good too.