Help! Hobbyzone Apprentice S First Flight Gone Wrong (beginner error)

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TurboChargedHonda

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So I have driven RC cars for years and decided to check out the sky side of the hobby. I chose the Hobbyzone Apprentice S as my first plane (I know its kind of an old-ish platform but chose it because it has good parts availability to me). I am a complete beginner in RC planes, so please give me some tips on how to take off and land, and repair the plane. Some more info about aftermarket parts and other

I turned it on and made sure the Safe was calibrated with the plane on flat ground. The day was calm, with a little wind blowing (average California climate). I first attempted to take off from the grass but found the tires too small, which flipped the plane forward onto its propeller. Take 2 was to start on the clay part of a baseball field and fly over onto the grass. It was able to take off into the air, but it wasn't the best start. There was very little distance for it to take off, so I pushed hard on the throttle, which made the plane go up a bit too steep, and right before it lifted off, one of the wheels hit a base on the baseball court (it was a plastic one protruding from the ground). Didn't go too well from there. From my past experience of driving cars without any gyro assistance, I tried to correct the plane as the gyro was doing the same thing. The plane had already gained altitude (of about the same height of a redwood tree or tall pine tree... near where I was flying), and I was still trying to gain control of the plane.

End result: It crashed on its nose towards to left upper side of the plane (forgot to hit the panic button). The first thing I noticed was the smoke. It was the battery. When I got there, the whole battery compartment had fallen out of the plane (including the plastic part that was supposed to be in the fuselage), and the battery was disconnected from the ESC (got pretty lucky there!). That allowed me to save the rest of the plane before it went up into flames.

From the damage inspection, the battery cover was burnt and deformed, and the plastic battery compartment was also scorched (damage from the battery fire). The things that actually broke from the crash was the propeller (bent and partially snapped at the base of one propeller), a deformed motor mount (not broken, just warped from the force of impact), and the wing had a fracture on the left side right by the plastic brace for the rubber bands.

For the wing, should I mend it with Beacon Foam Tac, or do I have to get a new one (I would like to know if it is too damaged to be fixed, hopefully not). Also, I have lost (or broken) one of the rubber band holders, can I only get it from a new fuselage? I am able to find the battery cover, but I am having a hard time finding the plastic frame that has the battery velcro strap attached to it. Do I also have to get a new fuselage in order to replace it?

I would really appreciate any help! Thanks in advance!

btw: some additional beginner tips would also help a lot!

I have included some pictures below:
 

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I am the worst person in the world to except advice from when it comes to toys in the air. I am new also and already have had my share of crashes. I will however highly recommend this....

airplane.jpg
 
I can hit the reset button on the controller without looking.....:p
 
Get a good supply of foam epoxy and learn how to use it. I glued mine together probably 10 times before I had to get another body. Then I just bought the $99 RealFlight basic and learn how to fly with it. So I agree the best way to learn is on the computer
 
Thanks for all the replies! I really appreciate it! I will look into the flight simulator. Also, is there something else that I can do other than a flight simulator that I could try to get better at flying (one of the reasons that I like RC is because it gets me out of the house, so having it on a computer kind of defeats the purpose)? As for the plane, I have ordered some foam tac/epoxy, another propeller, battery tray, motor mount, and a new battery. Hopefully, I can get the plane up and running by the end of the week.
 
A sim is good for when you can't get out to keep the "hangar" rust off. A wise old pilot once told me that there are two types of planes: Those that have crashed those that will.

I've had my fair share RC aircraft crashes. I had to learn to pick up the pieces and laugh at myself and hopefully learn from the crash and try not to do it again.
 
The graphics are amazing in the RF9 simulator. Its impressive at how real to life the models are.
 
I might go with the RF9, since all of you guys are telling me to do that. I did some research, and it looks like there is one with a transmitter and one without a transmitter. I have the Spektrum DXe transmitter, so does the DXe work on the software if I get the right cables (also, what is the right cable if it works), or does it only work with the specific transmitter? Again thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it!
 
I practiced on a flight simulator. It was back in the early 90s. I felt I was ready to take my first flight, so I took my plane out, which took me about a month to build out of balsa wood. Fired it up and lunched it by hand. I flew it straight for a few yards then decided to start climbing. I got about 40 feet up and the engine stalled. It hit the ground, nose first. The motor and plane were completely destroyed. It was at that point I decided I should stick to racing RC cars. There was a lot of time and money that went into that 5 second flight.

Maybe, now that there are electric planes, I'll give it another try.
 
I have the Spektrum DXe transmitter, so does the DXe work on the software if I get the right cables (also, what is the right cable if it works), or does it only work with the specific transmitter?
Any Tx will work with the sim through the provided cable. The advantage of this is that you also get familiar with the exact controller you will be using when flying outside.
 
Thank you for the clarification! The cables that I am able to find are all not compatible with Real Flight. Is there a part number or a link to it? Again, I really appreciate everyone trying to help!
 
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