RE: Aerobird - Flying for a beginner
I have been flying my Aerobird since march. I have about 100+ flights on it. I regularly fly in 10-15 MPH winds with no problems.
You need to understand air speed as opposed to ground speed and how it effects how a plane, any plane flies..
Your plane is supported on the wing based on how fast it is moving through the air. That is air speed which is different from ground speed.
For example, the air is moving at 5 MPH and you are flying into it at 10 MPH ground speed, then your air speed it 15 mph. Why? If you held the plane in your hand and the wind blew across it at 5 MPH, its air speed would be 5 MPH even though its ground speed is zero. Understand? The wing is generating lift even though the plane is not moving because air is moving across it.
If the wind is blowing 5 MPH and you are flying WITH the wind at 10 MPH ground speed, then your air speed is 5 MPH. Big difference in how much lift your wing generates.
The Aerobird uses an undercambered wing design as do many park flyers. An undercambered wing, like the one on on the Aerbird, generates a lot of lift, so in the example above, for the same throttle setting, if you are flying into the wind, you plane might be climbing. At the same throttle setting, if you are flying with the wind, you plane might be level, or might actually be losing altitued. The amount of lift generated by the wing is the result of air speed, not ground speed and not throttle setting. That is how a plane flies.
By the way, this is true for ALL airplanes, not just the Aerobird.
Likewise, your tail surfaces work by defelcting air. The more air, the more force the tail can generate. So when you are flying into the wind, your air speed it higher and the tail will move the plane very quicly.
When you flying with the wind, and your air speed is much less, your tail can not move the plane as fast.
This is not just for the Aerobird, this is true for ALL airplanes. It is true for glo planes, electrics, giders, 747s and F15 fighters.
You just need to lean a little about how a plane flys so that you will understand what behavior to expect from your plane.
I am not even going to go into cross winds. You will learn that with time too.
Good luck and happy flying.