Also not so much car stuff at the moment...

Unless you have plenty of hight, or he's using a buddy TX it all happens too quickly, even for a very experienced flyer to get hold of the box in time to avoid a crash.

RC flying is not as easy as it looks. Most beginners have problems with left and right, especially when the model is flying towards them.

Hope you have insurance. Rare, but people have been killed by RC planes, not to mention the risk of property damage. For £20 a year the BMFA gives protection against 3rd party claims up to £5million. Mike.

I had read that beginners tend to fly too low, and that you should always fly 'five mistakes high'. All went out the window in the adrenalin rush though :-(

I'm OK with that after a few hours on a simulator (with the real Tx) and driving RC cars for years. It was the 'flying when you can't see it' that caught me out.

I've also added two 6x1mm carbon fibre spars to toughen it up a bit before I fly it again at the weekend...

But don't you have to be in a club, or to have got the basic certificate to qualify for that?

Next few flights will be in the middle of 30 acres of fields owned by the Dad of the same mate, so I should be OK there - then I'll get some insurance sorted before flying anywhere more public.

I gave up RC flying a few years ago, but I still hold a BMFA 'A' certificate for fixed wing models. Still dunno what 'five mistakes high' means. :-)

Not at all. Individuals can take out a personal policy. Doesn't matter if they are beginners or experienced flyers Shame though that even very good RC pilots don't get a NCB discount. :-). See here:-

Should be safe enough, unless you lose radio contact, and it glides off into the distance. :-)

then I'll get some

It is good fun, and quite a challenge learning to fly an RC model well.

I may have another go sometime. I still have a few models that only need new TX and RX nicads to fly again.

A 10ft wingspan Fournier RF4 with a 4stroke motor, and a 6ft w/s biplane with a 25cc 2stroke engine swinging a 20" x 6" prop are two that immediately come to mind. Both no doubt slightly bigger than your model. :-) Mike.

High enough to recover five times... a touch higher than I was!

I'll have a look, ta.

I splashed out on a 2.4GHz radio (Spektrum DX6i) with a dual Rx, so I think it should be good to well beyond visual range.

For now ;-)

I'm well aware how addictive it gets...

At the moment it's 'just' a 32" flying wing. LiPo batteries, rare-earth- magnet brushless motors and speed controllers have transformed electric flight.

But you can get the whole setup including a 6ch computerised radio for about £250, which isn't bad really... considering what it cost when I used to drool over the Ripmax catalogue as a boy!