spiteman

Glistening in the sun like a ruby winged butterfly, I proudly displayed my first trainer airplane at the local flying field. Other RC pilots gathered around and admired the beautiful six foot wings of this three channel nitro powered glider. I was proud, as I should have been, after all the hours of work I had put into this bird. It was a Big Bird trainer and was my first real RC plane. A gift that was in disrepair as it had last flown back when Cindy Lauper was topping the pop charts. I spent quite a few early mornings and Saturdays getting it ready for this flight.

In the hands of an expert RC pilot, BB fluttered and soared gracefully up, its translucent wings shimmering. The sunlight beamed through the sparkling airfoil and everyone stopped to watch. I was so proud that my chest puffed out as much as a pidgeon on a porch swing. At the end of the short test flight the pilot was able to land the plane in the slight breeze, but it wasn’t easy.

After waiting for the kind of windless day that BB needs to fly, I got impatient. Waiting for a windless day where I live is similar to waiting for God to show up and tell you to go to church. If you even ever get there, you're not likely to be prepared. So, one day in the early spring I took BB out and marched to the edge of a farmers field. It was raining but the wind had died down to only about twenty miles per hour perpendicular to the runway. I wasn’t scared of a little rain and my superb piloting skills would certainly make up for any aeronautical difficulty. I started BB up, watched it soar and then twist when it hit the wind a few feet off the ground. I realized that I had no control of the plane in the air and decided I better bring it down before I lost my choice of landing spots. I then proceeded to perform my very first full speed Nose Down Vertical Landing (NDVL).

It was slightly frustrating.

It was also not my last NDVL. A couple of months later I had another trainer plane for the flying field and was working on a foamy for the park that our house backs up to. I was fed up with the amount of effort and time that it took to get a nitro plane in the air at the flying field for a six minute flight with someone else at the controls. So I spent all day one Saturday prepping the foamy for a flight in the park.

It was a pearly Cessna 182 and had never been flown. I tested all the connections, scooted it around on the driveway, put the kids in a stroller and headed for the park. As this was a much lighter, four channel airplane I figured this would be a breeze. A breeze indeed. While my kids watched I flipped the throttle all the way up. The plane launched like a drunken seagull, caught the wind, turned, stalled at thirty feet and performed a perfect NDVL at full throttle. This put my solo flight time at exactly 5.7 seconds cumulative with an average of only one crash per flight.

The 182 might as well have been made out of glass. It shattered like a beer bottle at a bungee jump. If my kids hadn’t been there, I’m sure my neighbors would’ve learned the full range of expletives currently stored in my noggin. Instead I walked calmly over to my back fence, dumped the the plane wreckage into the back yard then quietly walked around to the front of the house. Once in the back yard I ran and jumped on the plane multiple times, screaming like a maniac. I felt better, but my wife was not amused.

A few days later my nitro trainer crashed as the RC teacher guy was handing me the controls for the very first time. Ended up being a bad reciever battery (my fault).

So, I began pondering at this point. Maybe I’m going at this the wrong way. Maybe I shouldn’t get an airplane that’s easy to fly or whatever. Maybe I should be looking for a plane that crashes well. Maybe I can make illegal drugs out of random grocery store items.

I decided that I wanted something that doesn't disintigrate on every NDVL. Something that can recover quickly from a standard crash and get back into the air without so much repair time. Something that doesn't inspire outbursts non compos mentis. Said outbursts seem to lower the standing of the RC airplanes hobby in our home-wide standard polls.

So what I really needed was an airplane made out of those big rubber dodge balls. Well, that didn’t work out too good. Too round. I turned to other materials. Eventually I settled on Expanded Poly Propylene (EPP). Yes this magical material is rare as the sun in Seattle when you’re looking for a plane, but it’s well worth it when you find one. EPP is rubbery and flexible and tastes like my aunty Anne’s chicken. Definitely the best way to bounce back after crashing.

Why isn’t every plane made out of this wonder material? Well, it’s a little heavier and flimsier than other foam types. If you’re not careful, your plane will be so heavy it’ll fly like a fat chick in a parasail, which is not what most RC flyer types are after.

Well, I eventually found the right plane. An online Chinese place had an EPP, high wing, rear engine, four channel plane within my price range. After a short build, I had my first dirt dive. Seems you have to set your flaps to go DOWN. Silly me.

On retrieval of the plane I was tickled to find out that the plane only needed a short line of superglue and was back up in the air. Well, I mean not for long or anything. I might not be so great at getting them up, but you can be sure I know how to get them down.

OkadaKeisuke

My Feedback: (1)

Spiteman,

I am not sure what your RC experience amounts to other than from what I read in your post, so forgive me if I sound a bit curt.

You know that there are simulators out there, right?

A Cessna 182, certainly isn't a beginners plane.
Also, Do you know about things like C.G., Control throws, weight to power ratios, etc.?
I can tell you one thing, is that nearly 98% of the time, when I am coming in for a landing, I am giving the plane a bit of up elevator (down stick). I hope you don't think you have to apply down elevator (up stick) to land,'cause that can surely lead to frequent nose dives, as will TOO MUCH up elevator. If the plane is set up properly, barring any negative weather conditions ( i.e. Wind), and you manage your throttle properly, it should practically land itself, with little input to elevator rudder or aileron.

If you can't find a good mentor near home (which you should have no problem doing) There are plenty of guys here on these forums that can give you important and sound advice to make your RC experience a good one.

Just my 2 cents...
Good luck to ya!!

~Noah

Lnewqban

I agree with OK.

You don't have to continue wasting your money and efforts to enjoy flying RC airplanes.

If you have created a website and circuits for FPV, you are more than capable of flying models instead of crashing them.

I understand you want the freedom of flying electric models in your backyard.

However, there certain skills to learn, which require a step by step approach and much practice.

You can find infinite advise in RCU, if you are willing to put some time on it.

There are free flight simulators that can help you greatly.

vasek

My Feedback: (4)

one word BUDDYBOX

spiteman

OkadaKeisuke/Noah, thank you for your reply. It's good to know someone is reading what I write. The advice you gave is welcome and essential. I spent many hours on a simulator, worked with trainers and spent most of my first flying season learning how to properly set up a plane and test before flying. My planes crashed a bunch before Iever got to hold the controls during the test flights at the field. The trainersare good RCpilots, it was just me learning how to set up a plane and not be cheap etc.

Anyhoo, the point Iwas trying to make was that among all the advice I've recieved and read, no one suggested buying a plane that crashes well. I mean one that can take a pretty good tumble and then be back in the air with minimal repair time and effort, if any is required at all. You see, even with club trainers on a buddy box, the 'right' airplane, lots of hours on a simulator and even a little up elevator, a beginner is just going to crash (well, if they try to fly around here they will). Hope you can forgive my sarcasm, I was just trying to point out the crashable airplane concept in a more entertaining fashion.

So, since this is a forum, maybe Ican ask the question:

What airplanes do you know of that crash well? I mean something thatis inexpensive, four channel, works in 10MPH wind (so not ultra lightweight) and that could take a 30 foot drop to the dirt and still be flying in less than an hour?

Here's my entry:

HobbyKing DragonFly

I've crashed this plane and had it back in the air quick. The rear mounted motor protects the hardware and most of the stuff it can crash into. Soft-ish EPP foam construction is hardy and bounces back. If it does get damaged, it rips instead of shattering so repairs are cake with a bit of superglue. It's inexpensive (under $100 complete) and can be used for FPV when you're not using it for training.

dredhea

My Feedback: (13)

My vote would have to be for something in the S.P.A.D. (Simple Plastic Airplane Design) realm. I personally have seen a spad HOR (hell on rails) take a digger from 50-60 ft. up at full throttle, and be back in the air in less than an hour. It required a new engine mount, made from a piece of plastic cutting board(the owner carried several spares), and we had to get the aluminum corner stock that makes the fuselage untwisted. That took two of us using linemans pliers.
Oh yeah! we also had to put packing tape over the tear in the coroplast wing.
Even if you manage to totally demolish one of these, the cost in materials, minus engine and electronics, is about $15.
The one disqualifier is that they are V-tailed, without yaw axis control, so are only three channel.

OkadaKeisuke

My Feedback: (1)

Well, my "beater plane" is the Exceed rc Accipiter Badius. It's only 3 channels, but has taken a beating throughout my initial learning period (still learning and always will be). It was very cheap and repairable.

~Noah

rlipsett

its strange that some newbies have very little trouble with aircraft and others are cursed with problems related to the aircraft. Sure some problems are construction problems that we should have caught befo0re flying the new guys plane and others are ingenously hidden. One interesting one was when the newbuy locktited the screm for the servo horn.looked great but caused the servo spline to shear off. Same guy had a spectrum reciver melt in the airplane. the destroyed rx caused the battery to drop a cell on a later flight so this one student had about 3 weeks of problems and then finally everything clicked and he got to fly. We all felt bad for him at the field becuase of his outlay and inability to get a good flying experience. perse4verence finally one and some help from the filed goes along way. planes built to crash don't fly well. Case in point is the duraplane known affectioneaatly as the dura brick. its more a guided missile then a plane. tools to fix the plane are a sledgehammer a drill and a pair of pliers

opjose

Planes that crash well:

I offer these two:

[link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXKVY7&P=7]Crash loving plane One[/link]

[link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJPU8&P=7]Crash Loving Plane Two[/link]

BTW: set up with low rates, they are GREAT trainers.

wings

I've never had a plane so far that doesn't crash well! lol

opjose

Yes they DO know how to do that QUITE well don't they?

bkdavy

My Feedback: (1)

Another vote for the Spad Debonair. It will take a few hours to put together, its cheap, is built like a Sherman Tank, but flys great. Its what I learned on several years ago, and I still have it. As for durability - when learning I flew mine into the top of a tree while learning to land. After cartwheeling 50-60 feet down through the tree, it got caught about 6 feet off the ground. We pulled the plane out of the tree, put a new propellor on, straightened the landing gear, and were off again!

And seriously - get an instructor with a buddy box. There is not a plane out there that will survive a NDVL without significant damage. Some (EPP?) just don't make it obvious.

Brad

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

What is an NDVL? Is that some type of new maneuver?

bkdavy

My Feedback: (1)

Referenced earlier - Nose Down Vertical Landing.

Brad

goirish

I don't know how you can get regular than me. Crash every time out.

jetmech05

Perhaps you're going about this the wrong way.....I don't know of an airplane that ever crashes well......
instead if you want to fly 4 or more channels someday learn on a 4 channels airplane.....with an instructor on the buddy box.....
an instructor teaches so much more than how to fly......Good Luck

gboulton

My Feedback: (15)

Pffft

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks, Brad. I saw that after I posted.. then the firewall would not let me get back in to delete the post. I got it, though.

CGr.

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

I don't know about that, Gordon.. I think Opjose had a couple of good points there..

CGr.

gboulton

My Feedback: (15)

LOL

Ok, I can give ya that one.