Ac> Hi there!
 Ac> I've had a gas powered trainer hanging from the ceiling for  over
 Ac> 8 years. I think it's called a thunderboy. Anyways, I have never
 Ac> flown it. In fact, I only got my radio about two years ago and I
 Ac> started with a glider launched from a bungee type thing. Then when I
 Ac> finally got the courage, Iinstalled one of these cheap electric
 Ac> motors with a gearbox and folding props, and I was hooked! I'm still
 Ac> very much a beginner, and in my opinion electric gliders are the best
 Ac> way to get started. I get about 4 to 5 climbs with a 7cell battery
 Ac> pack, and each climb brings me up high enough to make me think I'm
 Ac> going to lose it! It's just a speck in the sky when I shut the power
 Ac> off, the propeller foldsback, and the thing just glides around like a
 Ac> seagull. When ever it hits a thermal, the darn thing shoots up! When
 Ac> it loses too much altitude, I just switch the power on again and up
 Ac> it goes again!
 Ac> I got so hooked that now I build my own fiberglass gliders  from my
 Ac> own molds and I cut my own foam core wings. This way I always  have
 Ac> one ready if the other one crashes. But fiberglass fuses can  really
 Ac> take one heck of a beating.
 Ac> Anyway that's my opinion. Before possibly distroying an  expensive
 Ac> gas plane, why not learn on a cheap glider first? It's the  best
 Ac> way to start, I think.
Sounds like you are in my shoes! I've had this darn thing for 2 years now and 
have only taxied it down the street, Without the win on!!
I am still looking for local fields and going to R/C Shops in the area and 
looking for clubs and Instructors. I still plan on getting one of the 
numerous PC simulators. I want to play around with those while I search for 
the aforementioned things. Sounds like you are having a blast. Thanks for 
your input on the subject!
                                       Don
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