Rotten40851

My Feedback: (2)

Hey Guys, here is a little lesson for all you guys (and Gals) not flying 2.4 GHz. Two weeks ago the President of my club comes to the field with his DA50 cc PAU Extra fires it up androlls down the runway , lifts off and SPLAT!!! right into theBay!!!Only the engine was salvagable due to the salt water. he turns and says" I lost it right after lift off" I said " Your antenna is'nt up" Well needless to say 2000.00 bucks down the drain. That really sucks, a hard lesson to learn. Well, today he comes down with his 50 cc size electric Yak, and thats right you guessed it- SPLAT!!!! He did it again. 2500.00 this time Nothing salvagable being it was ALLELECTRIC!! If your still flying 72 Mg, remember those antennas boys and girls. I really feel bad for him,Ihope he makes the switch over to 2.4 to keep this from happening to him again. He is one of the best pilots at the field and has some really nice aircraft,I just dont understand why he spends top dollar on planes but wont upgrade his Radio gear. Especially after the first mishap. I hope heupgrades nowto keep this from happening again.

hogflyer

He's definitely having a string of bad luck. I've seen that happen to a few people who finally gave up their 72MHz radios. One of the downsides of 2.4GHz is the short antenna and no frequency flag which was a great wind sock and good reminder to put your antenna up.

I fly several radios on both frequencies and there's a couple of times I almost did the same thing. I always keep the frequency flag on my 72MHz radios and have made it a habit during my pre take-off check to make sure I reach down to check antenna position on all my radios. That way I'll feel the flag if the antenna is down on a 72MHz radios, or check the antenna position on my 2.4GHz radios.

Hogflyer

Charlie P.

I went all the way when I went - just for that reason.  Added modules or AnyLink plug-ins to my old Tx so there would be no such errors.

KitBuilder

Doesn't need to upgrade.. just needs to think....Upgrading won't help not thinking I have both types of radios which one woujld think would be easier to forget about extending the antenna. He's lucky he's got money I guess...

perreback

It's not really bad luck, though, is it - just a lack of proper pre-flight checks.

Hossfly

Right ON! When I use to instruct a lot, one of the things I stressed big time just prior to solo was getting the antenna out. The student flier simply was use to a buddy box and no antenna pull-out. Get him ready to taxi-out and ask, "What should we do now to fly?" He will come up with a number of things, and laugh when you finally say "Antenna Out".

Don't blame it on not "upgrading". Blame it on lack-of-discipline. RC today is far too easy. Simulators are OK but teach very little as compared to the real thing.
No button on that real thing Trans. to put it back together again.

I don't do Sims. I fly a number of radio transmitters, some with nothing more than sticks and trims. 72 MHZ and 2.4

One simple P. Flt. CK is a CAT check. 1. Controls: Switches in proper place and controls move properly. 2. Antenna out. 3. Trim set.

Rotten40851

My Feedback: (2)

   Yes, a better Pre Flight Checklist would have helped for sure. Just saying that if he upgraded from the P.O.S. 72 Meg Tx he is using to a 2.4 system, he can't forget to put his antenna up. Not wanting  to spend a few hundred bucks on a 2.4 Tx and a couple of extra 2.4 Rx's cost him 5 Large!!  After the first Brain Fart, I would have learned my lesson!!!  

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

That's a pretty broad characterization of the issue. It happens. Period. I did it. What happened to me was somewhat different but it still happened.

You see, I was flying all day with my 2.4GHz system and on what turned out to be my last flight of the day, I flew an electric converted Little Something Extra. It was on 72 MHz. I put the plane up and shortly after it was airborne, it headed directly away from me, at altutude, and went into the woods. I managed to cut the throttle when I noticed something was wrong but did not notice that my antenna was not extended until later when someone pointed it out to me. Crap, was all I could say.

I managed to find it, and what surprised me was that I only had a broken prop. The plane somehow managed to find it's way to the ground, with the exception of the prop, without as much as a scratch.

I trained under one of the strictest and most thorough instructors around. If any of you do Pattern, you might know the name Dave Lockhart. Dave's dad, Ron, was my instructor. And he was thorough, including a very thorough pre-flight, which, incidentally, is done on the plane. The radio was a simple four channel radio with no model memory so there was no selecting done on the radio. The plane range checked fine, which, you might recall, is done with the antenna DOWN, and all else looked just fine so I flew it. So, no one is more consciencious about preflight than I am.. with one possible exception. As I said, it happens.

Of course, I was somewhat embarassed when,as I said, someone had to point out to me that my antenna was not extended. Live and learn. Unfortunately, for the person that is the subject of this thread, he didn't learn fast enough.

So, don't condemn people for making mistakes, guys.

sensei

Mistakes do happen and it doesn't matter what you are flying with, 72 or 2.4. One day around 12 years ago I was flying my plane when one of the very contentious and long time flyers at our field fired up his .25 powered Sig Little Wonder and called launching on the flight line, sounds normal right; he had pulled out the antenna but for whatever reason forgot to turn on the transmitter and check his surfaces prior to the launch... The airplane took about 2 seconds to get above 100 mph in a rather tight loop and crashed about 36" in front of me. People make mistakes and it doesn't matter why, it just happens. I have been flying 2.4 since 2007 for a couple of reasons. 1. I don't have to impound my transmitter at flying events anymore. 2. I have no use for the frequency pins or worries of somebody turning on their stuff on my frequency while I am in the air anymore. 3. I fly gas and ignition issues are a thing of the past for the most part. 4. Pulling out the antenna is just one more thing I don't need to think about anymore. 2.4 IMO is just a better way to go these days.

Bob

corch

My Feedback: (1)

Here's a mistake I made once, with one of those fancy 2.4 radios

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

I use the same radio for both 2.4 and 72. Other then not using the pin board I don't see 2.4 as an upgrade but I have been changing over slowly to 2.4 over time. I have only forgot to pull the antenna once and that was long before 2.4. Being complacent or forgetful isn't a problem with the radio system, it's just an operator malfunction, sort of like sticking your hand through the spinning prop to make an adjustment. Sh#t happens.

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

Yeah, you're right, Gene. I have five stiches on my right index finger caused by a situation that I should have been a tad more careful. In that instance, it was a new electric powered plane and my first opeation of the motor/throttle was with a prop mounted on the motor. Unfortunately, the TX was reversed for that plane. So, when I powered up the receiver/esc, I heard a beep. I thought that was just normal operation, but it was the beep you would get when going to full throttle on initial power up. So, when I pushed the throttle to full to arm it, it was already armed so when I pulled it back to idle, it went to full.

I reached for both the throttle and the plane at the same time. Unfortunately, my finger got in the way of the prop.... thus 5 stiches. Explain that to the Emergency Room doc.

So, you're right.. Sh#t happens.

Although, in a pure world, we would catch all this stuff during pre-flight. But, in this real world, the best of us will miss something occasionally, and usually it isn't something as simple as a length of loose trim covering.. it will be something like a missed aileron servo setup, or - in the case of this thread, a housed antenna.

CGr.

Rotten40851

My Feedback: (2)

In his case, a 2.4 Tx would definetly be an upgrade. I know 72 Meg is still perfectly good technology and the blame is surely onhim, but all of us at ourfield have been wonderingfor years why he has'nt made the switch from that old FM system considiring the money he spends onhis aircraft. in my opinion 2.4 is far superior than 72 meg and never needing a frequency pin or impounding my Tx, or worring about someone shooting me down gives mepeace of mind.

willig10

Well at least he didn't hand launch a hand launched airplane and threw the transmitter instead. On the other hand maybe that is exactly what he should have done. Then he would have to upgrade his radio. Just saying. lol

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

It seems the 2.4 systems are getting the blame here for a lot evils that have nothing to do with the 2.4 system. Two of the problems cited above for instance Corch's forgetting to change the model and CGRetired's mistake in programing a new airplane are mistakes that have been occurring ever since the advent of the first computer radios and that certainly goes back more than twenty five years ago or so and is nothing new or anything to do with the 2.4's.

I have commited all the mistakes also and don,t get me wrong this is not about being preachy but our wounderful field would no longer exist if 2.4 had not coincidentaly come along just in time when it did.

John

red head

????? I don't follow where 2.4 has anything to do with your field existing . Help an old man here, lol . ENJOY !!! RED

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Besides the need of the pin board what other improvements are they? Not having to worry about getting shot down is all I have seen. I still set up my gassers with a 72 PCM before I install the 2.4 just to see how well the set up is. An operators mistake hasn't anything to do with the radio, it's the operator.
I watched one of the guys fire up his DLE 30 then reach through the prop to do something? Extactly what he has never been able to say other then a brain fart. That cost him 3 fingers and he was on 2.4. I lost one plane due to dumassing the antenna. My bad. I'm still using my old Futaba 9-C with a 2.4 module so I can use it for both 2.4 and 72. I still like the programing as well or better then the JR 9303, they are about the same radio.
What other improvements are there? This is a serious question and not a 2.4 VS 72 debate. I use them both and will be for a long time. I still need about 4 more 2.4 9 ch RXs before I go all the way over.

Rotten40851

My Feedback: (2)

Simply put, There is nothing wrong with 72 meg, If it works for you, Fine. but in his case I thinkanewer 2.4 Tx instead of the old P.O.S. he is usingwould serve him better and he would'nt have to worry about forgetting to put his antenna up again. If youfeel the way you do, and don't see that much of a differancewhy are you switching over?

[email protected]

My Feedback: (1)

i dont see why he has to up grade his radios and is the best pilot there> i have 10 on 72 and one on 2.4

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

Alright guys, how many of you are driving cars w/o AC. They are fine and take you from point A to point B, but A/C is more comfy.

[email protected]

My Feedback: (1)

last month at our field 2 planes flying at the same time o n2.4 both went in at the same time and both where number one pilots>and i dont mind putting up my pin on the board>>

AlmondRancher

Rotten40851,
99% of my model airplanes are still on 72MHz. For some of us, it would cost to much money to upgrade to 2.4GHz.
Idon't understand why in a couple of your posts you refered to 72MHz as a P.O.S?

- Allan B

YoungBuck74

To answer Grey Beards question. The best difference between the TX's IMHO is the " Model Match". You can not take off if the TX is on the wrong model.Pleas remember it is just my opinon.

[email protected]

My Feedback: (1)

some people just think that they are better the others buy having the latest i guess

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

Latest? 2.4 is being out for a while