Goodday all,

I'm completely new to the rc world, so I have tons of stupid questions. I eventually want to fly a long range fpv plane. There is so much information out there that my head now hurts and I wanted to break it down to a single airplane and start with medium range first and just see what others would recommend me. 
(about 1,5km distance via radio is the goal here)

I have been looking at the Volantex Ranger 1600 V757-7, the PNP or the RTF version
Volantex Ranger 1600 V757-7 1600mm Wingspan EPO FPV Aircraft RC Airplane RTF | VolantexRC

The reason for this plane is because:
Cheap to begin with
Wing type makes it stable, and somewhat auto levels because of the tips
And mostly positive reviews

1. So my first question, is this an OK choice? Or would you pick something else entirely with my goal in mind?
2. What can I expect in terms of 'range' with the RTF version (they add an exmitter EX6)
3. With the RTF version there is a 2212/1400KV brushless motor and a 11.1v 1800mah li-po pack. How long could I fly with this before it bogs down?

Given that you feel the RTF option is a horrible choice for my set 1,5km distance goal and I go with the PNP one;
4. What type of radio / antenna would you use? And how far away could I fly before I lose connection to the plane?
5. What type of engine and battery pack would you use? And what is a realistic flight time with those?

Regarding FPV;
6. I want to fly digital, not analogue for the simple reason that the picture quality is a lot better and I'm not racing so latency matters less. But I also don't want to use DJI, because as I understand it. You cant match and mix with that brand and I don't wanna get stuck on one brand. All the reviews of other brands I've found were paid content, so very biased. What are good alternatives out there in terms of the goggles and camera's?

I hope a few of you will take the time to answer my questions :-) Thanks in advance

If you're up for the challenge, I would go with this:
https://www.getfpv.com/sonicmodell-ar-wi...rsion.html
Designed for DJI digital FPV system, and you can crank 60+ minute flights. Beware though that I would consider this after a few builds and more experience. But it is definitely something I would recommend you take a good look at. Also you should most likely get TBS Crossfire (radio system module) if you are thinking of going over 5 miles.
As for your choice, it seems fine. You can't really go wrong with those pusher wings. I usually build foam board wings and those things are super twitchy but lots of fun. Good luck on your journey, and be sure to get good quality parts.

The original volantex Ranger EX 757 was my first fpv airplane and I really liked it.  This style aircraft is and isn't a great choice for a first plane, I have not tried the newer models though and I can only imagine they have gotten better.
What I liked about mine as a new fpv pilot was its performance in the air, it was well mannered, cruised at a good clip and had more compartment space than you'd ever need for batteries and fpv equipment. It would glide for what felt like forever making belly landing gentle but usually took me a few tries because the high glide ratio made it easy overshoot landings when I was learning. The plastic fuselage was very strong and I never did break it but the wings and tail where not nearly as strong. Glue worked great to put it back together if it wasn't completely destroyed.

Take offs where tricky, the problem is that this style of aircraft limits the prop size because the tail of the fuselage is in the way. With the 3s 12V battery Id started with it was way too under powered for the weight I had in it and crashed a whole lot learning how to get it in the air. The trick was simply to launch it straight out forward and not up at all. Ultimately Id swapped the motor and esc to handle a 6s 25volt battery but I was likely running substantially more weight at the time than most people would.

The AR wing suggested and most flying wings can be tricky to launch as well but they are much stronger, smaller, use less servos and cheaper motors/ esc's, props. They can be less stable but they aren't unstable a bit different to learn on but also not a bad choice. Some of these newer foams are seemingly indestructible.



I dont think the ranger would be a bad choice if you have someone to help or the space to crash safely a few times learning. The range of these is the battery and the radio/fpv link. 10, 15, 20km is possible but you'd need to get the right gear to do it. Your goal of 1.5km is very achievable with much cheaper equipment but the ex6 radio might be dangerously at the end of its range. Id highly recommend looking for a better unit than that one. Better radio options are abundant. Anything that accepts a JR style module would be what everyone on here would recommend and mostly all have 2.4ghz internal components, the same as the ex6 but the module bay lets you add crossfire, R9, dragonlink, etc and take things out a lot further.

There's nothing wrong with DJI currently they set the standard for digital FPV so being closed source really isnt much an issue when its the best there is. Fatshark is the only digital alternative at the moment. Analog is currently much more capable for long range and I doubt that will change any time soon.

An airplane platform like Evilsteve shared, or the Ranger are easier to fly than the typical "wing".  Wings are far more unstable and can be very frustrating for a beginner.  Wings are fast though.

The Ranger is a good first plane choice.