I was pretty obsessed with RC flying from roughly age 14-17 - learned to fly on an Avistar, then upgraded to a Starfire, and then got a Hangar 9 Cap 232 with a messy, loud Moki 1.35 engine. I really loved flying the Cap 232 and got pretty proficient at it - I was comfortable doing rolling circles, knife-edge loops, hovering, etc. I also threw some floats on my old Avistar and played with that too. I paid for all of this with my minimum-wage after school job, so I just sort of ran out of money and patience and gave it up. Also was a little embarrassed at what the girls thought of my weird hobby

So now I am 36 and interested in getting back into it. I'm only interested in electric right now. Not really too concerned about budget, but I would like to start off with a setup that is good for re-learning, but also flexible enough where I can move back into more aerobatic stuff once I knock the rust off.

My friend recommended I check out a Timber X - high wing, but also capable of a lot of aerobatics and good on floats, and with all the stabilization features now available he seemed to think I wouldn't get myself into too much trouble early on. I feel like I might outgrow a basic trainer after just a few flights, but maybe I'm wrong. It has been awhile, but I also learned when I was young, so I *hope* that means I'll pick it back up quickly.

My ultimate goal is to be back to flying the larger aerobatic stuff - 70"+ Extra, Edge, or something similar - as soon as I get the muscle memory back. I want to make sure I at least start off with a radio that's good enough for everything I'll want to do for a large-ish IMAC-type plane with large control surfaces, etc.

So what setup would you guys recommend? Thanks and hope everyone had a great 4th!!!!

Good Stuff, Glade to hear you getting back in it, I was kinda the Same my self.

I went with a Durafly tundra to get the " feel" again and then after a few flights into the 30cc Edge 540. & Now setting up the 100cc Sbach you will pick it again pretty fast.

I think the Timber would be a pretty fun plane, Very capable, I found the Tundra can be great fun with Flaps. And its different than and full Aerobat. PLus its smallish (1300mm wing) and quite so i can walk to the park and fly there .

In terms of Transmitter get a 10-12 channel as you will use it later on

Agree with The Hodge. I did something similar a few years ago, and I was onto a Beast 60e and a EF 70" Extra within that first season. The Tundra seems to be fun little plane. I don't have one, but several club members do.

If your looking for a great electric ~70" plane, ExtremeFlight has a 70" Extra and a 74" Laser that are awesome. I used to have the Extra (sold it to get a 91" gas). I now have the 74" Laser on 12S. Plane is insane, and it's a super stable flyer that will do anything you ask of it.

I was also the same. Took a break and came back with a 10 year old 3D foamy I pieced back together. You'll be back after 5-10 flights.

MHO is the Timber will be a good plane to get the rust knocked off. Even though it may not be the type of plane you want to fly mostly, it will still be a fun plane to fly every once in awhile and you sound like float flying is of interest also. If you are more interested in an aerobatic plane to start, you may look at Flex Innovations for one of their products. They are foam and have their own stabilization hardware available. Their AURA is compatible with most transmitters, where Horizon/Eflite products are going to be strictly Spektrum.

Transmitter wise a 9 channel should work for IMAC. Of course if you spend the money on something with more channels (Spektrum DX18 or Jeti 16) you will probably get better features and quality of components in the Spektrum and Jeti models at least. I don't know about the others.

Originally Posted by cartrouble2k

I was pretty obsessed with RC flying from roughly age 14-17 - learned to fly on an Avistar, then upgraded to a Starfire, and then got a Hangar 9 Cap 232 with a messy, loud Moki 1.35 engine. I really loved flying the Cap 232 and got pretty proficient at it - I was comfortable doing rolling circles, knife-edge loops, hovering, etc. I also threw some floats on my old Avistar and played with that too. I paid for all of this with my minimum-wage after school job, so I just sort of ran out of money and patience and gave it up. Also was a little embarrassed at what the girls thought of my weird hobby

So now I am 36 and interested in getting back into it. I'm only interested in electric right now. Not really too concerned about budget, but I would like to start off with a setup that is good for re-learning, but also flexible enough where I can move back into more aerobatic stuff once I knock the rust off.

My friend recommended I check out a Timber X - high wing, but also capable of a lot of aerobatics and good on floats, and with all the stabilization features now available he seemed to think I wouldn't get myself into too much trouble early on. I feel like I might outgrow a basic trainer after just a few flights, but maybe I'm wrong. It has been awhile, but I also learned when I was young, so I *hope* that means I'll pick it back up quickly.

My ultimate goal is to be back to flying the larger aerobatic stuff - 70"+ Extra, Edge, or something similar - as soon as I get the muscle memory back. I want to make sure I at least start off with a radio that's good enough for everything I'll want to do for a large-ish IMAC-type plane with large control surfaces, etc.

So what setup would you guys recommend? Thanks and hope everyone had a great 4th!!!!

I would highly recommend the Extreme Flight Legacy Aviation Turbo bushmaster, similar but much more capable. It flies so gentle but when you want to 3D it will do most every maneuver you can throw at it. Once you feel comfortable then I would recommend taking a look at all the other aerobatic planes Extreme Flight offers. Good luck and most importantly, have fun.

I think you'll have a lot of fun with the Timber X or any of its counterparts. Capable and Fun backyard flier.
The 60" airframes shouldn't be overlooked. They have an excellent flying envelope and power/weight ratio. one 6S 3300 is about 4.5min of flying.
Lots of the 70"+ airframes will use the same battery but two 6S 3300-3700mAh in series for 12S.
The 84" TBM as mentioned before is a great all around HighWing. It's a fabulous float plane too. Using 6S 5000mAh batteries. 7-10Min of flying
I had a 75" electric edge that I recently converted to gas because the flight times were 4min of 3D with two 6S 3300-3700s in series. Didn't like the charge time to flight time ratio personally.

If I were you, I'd get a little foamy to get proficient at 3D and knock the rust off like a Crack Yak from Twisted Hobbies, buy a 60" SW or ExFlight Laser, If you foresee yourself enjoying floats and 3D... look no further than getting a 84" TBM as it's a versatile airframe.

In general, you just need a little time to rest, and everything will go well. Whatever a person does, there are always moments when he gets tired, or relaxes, or loses concentration. And therefore, it is worth resting.