Swift427

When you write your book don’t be too cautious about going against some of the prevailing winds of RTF electricity. I hope I’m not beating a dead horse, chasing the wind, or wasting your time. A book about everything you wanted to know, but didn’t even know what questions to ask is needed. A common sense fun to read book incorporating what to avoid and how to make it the most enjoyable experience from the get-go. Don’t want to overwhelm them with a million choices as that is already one of the problems. Keep it simple while supplying them with insightful wisdom that will save them time, money, and frustration from a pedal to the metal speed mentality. Approach it from a professional manner, but make it enjoyable to a wide audience whether 12 years old or 62 years old.

The following observation is from surfing RC websites and my own newbie experiences over the past 11 months—specifically ‘3-channel RTF electrics.’ A flight training instructor (first recognized for his signature Knife Edge maneuvers and winner of the 1998 coveted TOC—TournamentOfChampions) doesn’t teach rudder control(except for runway steering) in any of the basic flying lessons included in the FS ONE Simulator. His preference for the three most important channels for any beginner to concentrate on FIRST learning(once in the air or when hand launching) are throttle/elevator/aileron. He introduces his basic lessons by telling the viewers that they need to learn aileron control before rudder control. It’s only in the advanced lessons of 3D (snap rolls, knife edge slides, etc) that this top flight instructor introduces the viewer to rudder control (4-channel).

The reason I didn’t buy a 3-channel RTF SuperCub(even though the LHS thought I should) as my first plane was because it didn’t have ailerons. I thought I could save some money in the long run by buying the Aerobird Swift(3-channel RTF throttle/elevator/aileron) and the Stryker 27C(3-channel t/e/a) even though they are marketed for intermediate pilots. Everyone thinks they’re above average and besides I thought after several flights or after a few months I’d be an intermediate. I bought both planes as much for my son as myself so the generic plain Jane SuperCub didn’t look as appealing as the Aerobird Swift and Stryker. I thought the Stryker would be more enjoyable for my son to fly. He tried flying the Stryker on the FS One Simulator, but kept crashing and so we decided to just go for the gusto. Well, you can probably guess what happened. A common train of thought among the jet set seems to be—“If you haven’t crashed lately you must be doing something wrong” so I just accepted our unfortunate experience as a part of the learning curve.

Critterhunter has a thread about how to make a bullet proof Stryker, and the official Stryker thread(s) with thousands of replies is a testimony to a prevalent pedal to the metal speed mentality. I find it interesting that Critterhunters latest thread in the FoamyForum is about building a one aileron fixed rudder foamy from scratch. This affordable plane looks to be the ‘perfect aileron trainer’ that has eluded our never-ending quest for a consensus on an affordable aileron electric trainer that can take some abuse and keep on ticking without ticking us off. Here is the link—[link]http://www.qnet.com/~skif/plane.html[/link] I can’t help but wonder if this is that elusive electric 3-channel aileron trainer the majority of us should have first crashed, repaired, modified and cut our teeth on before we ever gave in to our burning desire for a Stryker or some other cool colorful looking bird. Enquiring minds would like to know if Critterhunter finally got feedup repairing, modifying, repairing, modifying, … his Stryker to the point that he is now going back to the basics and building the kind of plane that for many a newbie would have been much better than the one that caught their eye or the eye of the person that got them interested in the hobby. Why doesn’t HobbyZone, ParkZone, Hobby-Lobby, or any company in the WholeWideWorld market a RTF 3-channel throttle/elevator/aileron(1or2) electric foamy???

Whether it was me or other contributors to these electric forums many of us jumped in and bought a plane that was probably money that should have been spent on a RTF 3-channel t/e/a electric foamy trainer, except there isn’t a readily available supply, if one even exists. Isn’t this the primary reason why forum after forum we have a continous barrage of newbies and others wondering/opinonating what’s the better 3-channel RTF electric trainer for the money. And even more perplexing/troublesome is the engraining preponderance that 3-channel RTF aileron electrics are only for more advanced pilots and that beginners need to master rudder control before aileron.

What I’m noticing in some of these forum threads is that some are going back to the basics and find more enjoyment flying a plane like an EasyStar after experiencing too many crashes and hours spent repairing and modifying a plane like an Aerobird Swift or Stryker. It’s now apparent to me that a brushless SuperCub with ailerons and a fixed rudder would be a very suitable aileron trainer with the option to someday upgrade it to 4-channel t/e/a/r. Unfortunately, it costs more to manufacture a 3-channel RTF aileron foamy, but the irony is that we all spend/waste money on some of these planes that we later discover was money that could/should have been spent more wisely. And for quality at a reasonable price it doesn’t get any better then—Made In China. The irony is that for decades model enthusiasts could afford more expensive 4-channel glow/gas planes, and they didn't have to rely on plastic money.

The SPAD concept and the simplicity of Critterhunters commonsense homebuilt aileron plane(about as inexpensive as it get) is one of those ironies that are simply too practical. It’s a sad commentary on the world of RTF electrics that there isn’t a relatively inexpensive 3-channel RTF aileron foamy trainer available in every LHS in America. It’s also a sad commentary on our own haste makes waste rush for the Glitz&Gusto. Flying model airplanes(made in China) and all the technology that comes with it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. If most of us were to take an inventory of all the money we’ve spent on this hobby, and go back and spend it again we’d be able to buy a plane and flying accessories that we probably now only dream about someday owning.