RE: Orientation
LEARNING TO FLY TOWARD YOURSELF
by Ed Anderson
aeajr on the forums
One of the biggest challenges in learning to fly an RC airplane is to
maintain orientation when the plane is coming at you. It is an unnatural
situation. If you have driven the family car, this is not an issue because
you are in the car, left is always left because your left and the car's left
is always the same. But, when an RC plane is in the air, you are not in the
plane so the airplane's left and your left are different. How do you
overcome this confusion.
First, always think about the plane from the pilot's seat. When you say
right wing, it is the wing to the pilot's right, regardless of which way the
plane is flying and which way it is traveling. Right is always right and
left is always left because it is always as the pilot would see it. If the
plane is on the ground and you are facing the front of the plane, which is
the right wing? It is the plane's right, or the pilot's right, not your
right. Always speak and think of your plane in this manner.
Practice this on the ground. Turn on the radio and the receiver. Now face
the plane. Have someone give you commands as to which way to move the
rudder. In fact have them behind the plane so their orientation is the
same as the plane's. Right - move the rudder right. Left - move the
rudder left. Only hold it a moment to show you know the direction, then
return to center. Have them give you faster and closer commands to you have
less and less time to think. Do it till it becomes natural.
Now do it with the ailerons, if you have ailerons. And, if you are learning
to coordinate turns, use your rudder with your ailerons during this
exercise. Same with the elevator. When he calls right, give right
rudder, then a few moments, a touch of up elevator, just as you would with
the plane in the air. Have your friend talk you through an entire flight,
but always keep the plane facing you. Take off, then enter the pattern to
your left. Fly three circles around the field, in your imagination,
then make your down wind, cross wind turn, final approach and land, just as
you would in the air.
You can do this sitting in front of the TV. When the commercials come on,
practice flying toward yourself with the distraction of the TV. If you
have a large flat area, and you have good ground handling on this plane,
drive it around like a car, keeping the plane coming toward you as much as
possible.
After a while, you realize there is no stick reversal. Right is always
right, it is the plane's right. Project yourself into the pilot's seat. Be
the pilot. This takes time to develop this mental picture. Today, I
never ever ever think of stick reversal because I am always the pilot in the
plane. For the pilot, right is always right.
Try these exercises to help you further develop your skills. Remember right
is ALWAYS the plane's right, not your right.
1) When the plane is coming toward you, try to hold it level. If a wing
starts to drop, you put the stick "under the low wing" to support it until
it levels. Do this high so you have time to correct if you make a mistake.
As you become more confident, you can do this lower, but initially do it
high.
2) Just as you tested yourself on the ground, do it in the air. Put some
markers on the ground to mark a course. Colored rags or highway type cones
work well. Imagine they are pylons, obstacles that you have to fly around.
Now, run the obstacle course coming at yourself. Then turn and run it away
from you. Then turn around and run it coming at yourself again. Do it till
it is natural.
After a while, there will be no such thing as control reversal when you are
flying upright. Right is always the plane's right, the pilot's right. If
you want to go right you move the sticks right. It will begin to become
natural, as you project yourself into the plane. As long as you know which
way the plane is facing, you should have no problems.