jester_s1

Two other things. Keep the plane closer to yourself, especially if it's out of trim. It can become a dot in the sky really quick, and that often results in you not being able to get it back to yourself. The other things is to not fly in front of the sun. If you have to pass by it, go over or under and hold your transmitter out over your head to block it from blinding you.

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

Overall it was good, keep in mind he has never flown before.
He needs some fine tunning but we all know that comes with stick time, real time, not at the sim.

jcoop65

First of all I have to hand it to my stepson. When I asked him for help videoing I figured a few brief shots. He did very well, now i have a record of my first flight. He's 12. I cannot say enough about you guys and all your input good and bad. This is defiantly a learning process and i am benefiting from your knowledge. 

jester_s1

It is a great hobby. And it becomes more fun the better you get at it. You have lots of milestones ahead- the first perfect landing, first slow roll, first flight where the wind didn't bother you, and so on. Your first hurdle is basic control, which means you telling the plane where to be at all times regardless of the wind or the way the plane is reacting to your inputs. To practice it, draw a racetrack oval in the air that follows a path along the ground that maintains a constant altitude. That's the foundation for safe flying for both people in the area and your airplane. You'll get there soon.

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

And that oval should be in front of "you", meaning the pilot, with you not moving around in circles to follow the aircraft. As stated, the aircraft should follow your input to the transmitter, in other words, you control it not it control you.

CGr.

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

Do yourself and others around you a favor and check into joining a club and get some training on flying that Nexstar. Here is a list of clubs in the San Antonio area:

ALAMO RADIO CONTROL SOCIETY
Flying Site Details
JAMES KECK
9139 POWHATAN DR
SAN ANTONIO TX 78230
Phone: 210-340-5613

RIVER CITY RADIO CONTROL
Flying Site Details
DOMINIC IMPALLARI
4103 HUNTERS SUN DR
SAN ANTONIO TX 78244
Phone: 210/661-8709

SAN ANTONIO PROP BUSTERS
Flying Site Details
CHARLES STRANG
2903 ENCINO ROBLES
SAN ANTONIO TX 78259
Phone: 210.481.7375

TEXAS R/C INDOOR CLUB
Flying Site Details
RICHARD DOUCETTE
6410 SIENNA CIR
SAN ANTONIO TX 78148
Phone: 210.641.5276

TRI CITY FLYERS
Flying Site Details
CHUCK KRUPCZAK
5006 EL CAPITAN
SAN ANTONIO TX 78232
Phone: 210.416.3680

rlipsett

Get used to flying only in 180 degrees in front of you. The turning around you are doing will get you in trouble at any field where more people are flying. Behind you is supposed to be a safe no fly area where people can work in the pits. in the video you said your cg was wrong because it wanted to go down. Weight distribution does not affect the trim that much at the speed you are flying. wing incidence and the rear stab incidence will have more effect on you. Manually retrim the linkage to give you more throw in the proper direction. If you move the wieght to far back the plane becomes very manuverable and unstable and if you move it to far forward it becomes docile until you want to land then it plants the nose in the ground when you slow down to land because the trim becomes less effective the slower you get Same for tail heavy except you get into a stall. the flat bottom wing trainer will rise when you fly faster so trim for a reasonable flying speed and be aware that as you change speed your plane will rise and fall based on speed

foosball_movie

I only read a couple of posts of this thread, so forgive me if I repeat.

I learned on sim. Flew dozens of hours with hundreds of landings. Put together an RTF. Broke it in. Followed the instructions and used RCU for advice. Went to the field with my Hobbistar 60 when I thought I was ready.

Fired her up with the help of some other pilots and maidened her myself. Nervous indeed, but got her back on the ground. Landings were a little long but survived.

The sim is very accurate. Once in the air, there are very few differences.

Then I joined our local club. The club helps a great deal and is fun.

But if you think you are ready, go for it.

jetmech05

throttle is not an on off switch.....slow down.....no good landings come from bad approaches....you really need to get some lessons before you fly again

92hatchattack

Well that video has surely convinced me that when i get into this hobby my first few flights will be with an instructor. That was some scarry stuff.


Props to the original poster though... did a nice job of keeping your cool.  I would have been a wreck.

jcoop65

No doubt it was hairy. The next flight will be at a field with some guidance. I will say that I did enjoy it . I did quite a few things wrong, but I also learned a great deal. There was a little damage on the landing. The advice that i have been getting is great.

foosball_movie

Watched the video and have to agree with jetmech. Scary stuff.

The sim will work for beginners, but some of the stuff on your video was simply dangerous.

Sit down at your local club and observe before you get back in the air.

And was that an actual flying field for RC aircraft or simply a parking lot? Maybe find a more suitable site (ie without buildings, cars, curbs, children, etc.).

Clay Walters

First of all Congratulations! Second: I think its absolutely great that you planned, studied, sought advice, practiced (on a sim), and then maidened your own plane yourself! I wish more folks would do this.

The ONLY problem I have is that you were in a location that put other people and property at risk. Should have found a rancher or farmer outside of town and tried it miles away from anyone so that the only person and property at risk was you/yours. (and you live where such is possible)

I bet now you will pay attention to what an experienced pilot can show you and will ask questions until you understand it.

Way to go,

Clay

BEAR-AvHistory

Too fast (good news sort of) & the banks are too steep (bad news). Flying as fast as you were prevented the plane from spiraling in with the steep banks. At normal speeds it would have gone down. Be sure not to hold in the aileron control once the bank is set.

markhamregular

I am not sure if somone has mentioned safety issues and they very important.
How do you start the engine, how do you protect your fingers using the glow starter, how to carry the plane while it's running.
Safety is soooo important considering the prop cuts through the bone and anything flying at 100 MPH with something spinning at hundreds of RPM in front is a danger not just to yourself but to others.

Get an instructor. That's the best thing you can do.
Learning to fly is actually second to saving time, money and preventing accident.

jcoop65

progress is good. I joined the AMA and became a member of a local club. My flying has gotten a lot better, ive slowed down quite a bit and worked a lot more with the rudder. I would say the hardest part so far is my landings how about some advice in that area.

Top_Gunn

My Feedback: (6)

It's hard to give you advice about landing without having watched you do it, but here are a couple of thoughts:

Before trying landings on your own, be sure you're comfortable flying the plane toward yourself from both sides of the field. Landing is hard enough without having to take time out to think about which way to turn to move the plane one way or the other.

The biggest mistake most beginners make with landing is trying to use the elevator to control altitude. The elevator controls speed. On your final approach, use the throttle to control altitude. If you are too high, throttle back (and if you're too high to do that, go around and try again). If you are too low, add throttle. Keep the fuselage level or just a little nose up until you flare for the touch-down.

Good shorthand advice: at the very end of your approach, when you are just an inch or so above ground, hold it off with up elevator as long as you can. (Some say, "Try not to land.") If your plane has tricycle gear, you want the main gear wheels to touch the ground first. If the nose gear touches first, you will bounce.

jcoop65

Thanks top gunn. Ill shoot more video soon. Its a grass field next to a lake, plenty of room. We had a float and fly this weekend but i did not fly due to very strong winds. Not many others flying
for that same reason.

opjose

In your video you were fighting the natural tendancy of trainers to climb at high throttle with down elevator... you said it yourself several times in the video.

While that may make the plane "feel" better at higher speeds, when you slow it down, the plane wants to drop the nose hard as it looses lift, which you also complained about in the video.

An instructor would have maidened the plane for you, trimmed it out, and then let you try it on a buddy box, so you get used to the tendancies of the trainers.

A good properly trimmed trainer will practically land itself. All you have to do is get it lined up, chop the throttle and keep the nose level with the horizon by applying back ( up elevator ) pressure on the stick to hold it this way.

When I teach students I show them how to land by having them imagining the runway about 15' higher. Once they are used to lining up the plane at this "safe" height, I'll wait until they are in a good approach and hold the engine at idle, telling them just to hold the elevator up and let the trainer settle itself down.

Usually they execute their first good landings this way much to their own surprise.

Once they pull that off, I'll have them go to the opposite side of the oval and KILL the engine, while talking them through the same... for their first deadstick landings.

Most tell me "that was INTENSE".... after receiving a round of applause... They stop fearing landings and deadsticks after that.

1320Fastback

I must say that you did pull it off though. I have seen MANY people crash on their first flights thinking they are ready when they were not.

It is a totally different thing to have a real plane eating up airspace and fuel/battery than it is sitting on your computer flying.

Trimming will always need to be done no matter how well the setup is. This does catch first time flyer's off guard and you will spend the whole time chasing the plane and rarely does it end well.

Good job on the maiden and good job on joing your local club.

Happy Landings!

jcoop65

heres video from the fieldhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPnR4..._order&list=UL