R/C Flying is a fun and enjoyable hobby that is enjoyed by many. There are many more things that are involved in R/C flying than may initially meet the eye: basic mechanics, woodworking (& now foam), electronics and of course flight skills are all involved. You will learn and develop many skills when you enter the realm of R/C flying.
One of the main functions of our club is to help people get started off on the right foot. Many people have had a bad experience with the hobby because they simply haven’t had anyone to help them. They go to the hobby store, pick out a nice airplane (sometimes the wrong type), put it together, go out to the field and try to fly it for the first time by themselves. This method does not work for 99% of R/C Pilots.
It’s best to come out to the field (or contact us via email/Facebook/club forum) and talk with one of our members about getting started. We can get you in touch with a club flight instructor so that you can get feel and see if R/C flying is something you would really like to do. After that we will help you with what to buy and assist you in inspecting your aircraft before its initial flight. There are many things that experienced pilots know about building airplanes that the instruction manual does not reveal. It is always a good idea have an experienced pilot check over your airplane before it’s maiden flight.
Generally, you will fly for the first few weeks assisted by a flight instructor using the buddy box system. This allows you to learn to fly in stages and insures that your investment is not wasted in the first 15 seconds of your maiden voyage. Your flight instructor will help you learn gradually. While even the best of pilots crash, flying with an instructor will without a doubt decrease your chances of crashing by 10 times or more. Whatever you do, please do not try to fly be yourself for the first time. You run a higher risk of crashing your plane and injuring yourself, we are here to help so there’s no reason to go at this alone.
Before or in conjunction with learning to fly an R/C plane, practice on an R/C simulator can prove beneficial . There are many versions present on the market and, much like other products, some of them are better than the others. Simulator reviews here: http://rcjudge.com/best-rc-flight-simulator/
We invite you to join us. We are always looking to help new people get started in this wonderful hobby.
Our club participates in the AMA Intro Pilot program:
http://www.modelaircraft.org/membersonly/intropilotdesc.aspx
https://www.modelaircraft.org/MembersOnly/ipregisterstudent.aspx
Some useful links:
http://www.indyrcsouth.org/resources/documents/flightInstruction/flightTrainGuide.pdf
http://www.amaflightschool.org/
http://www.rc-airplane-world.com/learning-to-fly-rc-airplanes.html
http://www.flyrc.com/the-new-pilots-6-keys-to-success/