Guildsolutions

I have 2 rc planes.. an electric glider (Great planes Spectra) and a trainer, Avistar 40.. I've went out once with a flight instructor and he said that I did "very well" for my first day.

I went out and bought an rc simulator (fs one), but I'm really frustrated with it. I spoke with someone at our RC club and he suggested that I try doing the pylon racing, as it requires me to turn at certain areas and keep on a certain path. I cant seem to do it well enough. The instructor wants me to learn to keep the plane flying in the oval track without altitude changes. When i pull through a turn the plane always climbs and it seems like the exits from my turns are also pretty bad.

What do I do? I'm getting really fustrated and all I want to do is learn how to fly an RC plane.. I've wanted to learn how to fly since I was a little kid. I finally have the money enough to get into the hobby and do it right, but it just seems like ... its just not working. Maybe im not cut out to fly rc planes?

Mr67Stang

Patience and Practice. These are the secret ingredients to a succesful R/C pilot. Your Frustration is normal. Keep at it and you will get it and look back at these days and laugh.

bkdavy

My Feedback: (1)

You flew with the instructor and he said you did well for your first day. Now you think you're not cut out to fly RC because the Simulator isn't set up right?

Listen to your instructor. Spend more time with the instructor. There are several things that the simulator could be doing to you, or it might in fact be pointing out mistakes the instructor will be working with you on.

For example: Can you fly the trainer on the simulator and keep the plane flying straight and level without stick input? If not, the trims on the controller might not be set correctly. If you can, then the behavior of climbing out of turns is due to pilot error.

I disagree with your friend about the pylon racing. Learn to make level steady turns, then worry about where those turns occur. To keep the plane level in a normal banking turn, you need to adjust your stick input based on what the plane is doing. You must coordinate elevator and ailerons, and as you learn more, maybe even rudder input. It takes practice.

Climbing on exit from a turn is a common indicator that you are holding your elevator input too long after leveling the wings. As you level the wings, you must reduce elevator to prevent climbing. If the nose is dropping, reduce your bank angle SLIGHTLY, and add some elevator.

The key to learning is small, steady, smooth control inputs. Just like driving a car. The simulator will help, but stick with the instructor.

Brad

samolot

My Feedback: (14)

"How are you turning?"
The "perfect" turn requires use of both sticks, meaning you also have to use rudder to turn. TO make a smooth turn without any altitude changes, you have to use the rudder. WHen the plane banks, its the rudders job to act as the "elevator" meaning when you make a right turn, you have to bank, up elevator, and right rudder (to keep the plane from going up, its as if you are applying a down elevator on the vertical axis of the plane). Just keep practising.

Good Luck!

Samolot

B.L.E.

Climbing in a turn means the plane is not banked enough. If it's banked too much, the plane will dive into the ground as you pull back on elevator. Planes also climb less in turns if you use the rudder along with the ailerons and elevator.

Guildsolutions

didnt know to use the rudder in turns.. I will give that a shot..

I can pick a field, take off, go up , fly around.. it kinda looks like a snake, however... up down, all around.. nothing really predictable in like an oval or anything, and i can generally land 80% or more.

P-40 DRIVER

B.L.E. and samolot, I hope your explanations are due to bad word usage and not what you belive as how an airplane flies, with advice like that, we are going to totally confuse the guy. As for the the simulator, find somebody who can set it up right for you so your sure its you and not the simulator thats causing the problems. As said previous, spend as much time with your instructor as possible and be patient, learning to fly even a trainer can take an entire summer sometimes.

Big feet

Hi,
I have over 17 years experience flying RC planes, and I am rated as an examiner to test other pilots for safe flying so they can fly at public displays.
So here is my pennies worth.
High wing trainner with ailerons? No need for rudder in the turns at the stage you are at. I don't teach people to use rudder until they start aerobatics.
The comments above re the sim setup are spot on. If you can let go of the sticks and the model remains straight and level for 5 - 10 seconds then the sim is ok, if not you need to adjust the trims until it will.
Once this is set ok, the secret is, give the plane what it wants. This will be different in every turn. So, lets say you are going to turn left, roll until the wing bank is about 30 deg's, then look at the fus nose to tail. When the plane is flying level the nose and tail are level. This still stands even when the wing is banked. So, with your wing at 30 deg, look at the nose, it will drop a little, so you only need a little back pressure on the elevator to put it back to level. Too much and it will climb. Once you are almost pointing in the direction you wish to go roll the wings level, adjust the nose if neccessary. This is all easy said I know, but if you keep giving the plane what it wants this will all get smoother. I just started helis last year, my flying was all over the place. Hours spent on the sim have improved this and now my real world model heli is looking better. It will pay off.
Another benifit of the sim is in orientation. You will learn how the model looks from different angles. This is something that helps a lot at the field. You will also start to get the hang of the control neccessary when the model is comming towards you, left appears to go right, whats happening?????
This all helps you at the filed and believe it or not, real life is easier than the sim because you can tell where the ground is, not always easy on the sim.

Keep with it, then you will be hooked like the rest of us

bruce88123

Go fly your plane and park the simulator.

Sims don't fly like real planes anyway.

Dsegal

> he suggested that I try doing the pylon racing, <

That violates every principle of efficient learning unless you actually spend your weekends racing. The simulator should be set up to give you practice on models that are as close as possible as those that you actually fly. And don't take any advice from that guy on the stock market, either.

stockdaddy

I find it easier when first trainning on the sims to put it into chase mode for viewing angle.

jetmech05

IMO sims are good for practicing aerobatics, and they teach you how to use your thumbs on a transmitter.
They aren't worth a darn for learning to land, and not nearly as good as an instructor. Before the sim coalition kicks in here, I said IMO.
Rudder is not required to make a good turn. Aileron and back pressure on the elevator are. I don't teach rudder until way down a students learning curve.
Go fly your trainer with your instructor.
The hobby will frustrate you unless you learn to walk before you run. Lighten up on yourself this is supposed to be fun.

samolot

My Feedback: (14)

I guess the wording was a little bit confusing in my previous post. Ill just keep it simple: Practise good take-offs, good landings, and make sure you fly in the pattern, how your altitude changes during pattern due to turns is up to you. WIth practise comes perfect.

Chondar

Hey man, hang in there! I too am learning on a Avistar at the field and a sim at home. The sim has helped me quite a bit, for while flying the Avistar is always a little different the sim has helped get me past some of the learning curve. It takes a while to figure it all out, so just remember that and keep going.

Guildsolutions

Thanks for all the responses so far. I've wanted to get into this hobby and fly for 18 years... I can finally see it happening.

Too bad, yesterday i went out to the rc field to just hang out and one of the trained flight instructors told me to go home and get my plane, unfortunately my batteries were not charged. I will be picking up a second set of batteries and a quick charger on the way home from work today.

bruce88123

Yep, I always keep at least one plane charged and ready.

Chondar

Me too. Yesterday was flight #20 on the Avistar, and it was probably the first time where I totally enjoyed myself instead of constantly worrying about what I was doing. Gee, it only took 4 or 5 MONTHS. [8D]

rlipsett

Learning to fly rc is like learning to ride a bike. It takes some time to program your movements to be automatic and you will get bruised up a few times before you get it down pat. When you learn to fly smoothly you will not be thinking about how you will move the sticks you just will, just like when you learned to ride a bike well you never though about how to lean into turns and how much to turn the handlebars, Flying is a little more difficult because you can't feel the turn you have to imagine the turn by your visual references of the plane. All These new experiences takes time to learn so don't beat yourself up. I took me 4 weeks of flying 4 times a day for 3 days at a time to learn the basics. Repetition in quick successions is best so that you do not have to relearn past lessons lost too you through inactivity

bailey37

I to am learning to fly i used to fly a hawker hunter ducted fan jet that was 18 years ago
now i have dropped back to a trainer to learn all over again its great fun sometimes i think shall i take a bin bag today to put the bits in
but always come home with the model in one piece as it should be i have bought a second hand pylon racer with a tunes irvine engine in it
BIG MISTAKE as the guys at the club say it will be way to fast to fly what would you guys suggest in a low wing jobby after a high wing trainer
for areobatics thanks ian

bruce88123

bailey37 - Take your computer back and tell them that they cheated you. They are supposed to include a "period" button on the keyboard. It and a few more capital letters, would make your post much easier to read.
If I managed to understand your post correctly, I agree with your friends. go with a low wing trainer next. A pylon racer is a HUGE step up from ANY kind of trainer.

bailey37

THANKS WILL PROB SELL IT ON EBAY AND GET SOMETHING A BIT SLOWER

Cyclic Hardover

My Feedback: (3)

Just learn to fly the plane on the simulator. Never mind the landing stuff and any thing else that does not matter right now. Shoot I can never even find the runways on the simulators anyway. Just fly the plane. if you crash trying to land on a simulator, so what, you can figure that out at the field. Just fly the plane. I flew figure 8 patterns to get it down 10 years back. Did this for 2 weeks while I was building the trainer. Whe I went up for the first time, it showed, not great but it showed I had a clue.

Your also going to experience a heavy power loss due to the altitude your flying at on the computer! Just messin with ya!

armody

My Feedback: (10)

R/C Hobby needs 3Ps (PERSISTENCE, PATIENCES, PERSEVERANCE) This is what I learned in this hobby. According to me these are the essence to success in this hobby.

All the best to you Guild.

Mody

OzMo

My Feedback: (3)

There are two schools of thought on the rudder issue. Some trainers such as the popular Nexstar, my LT40 and others fly MUCH better with rudder. The nexstar needs it to prevent the adverse yaw induced tail dropping malady. both methods are taught at our field.
BUT MY WAY IS BEST (now see me throw myself on the floor and pound my fists and kick my feet)

Adui

I second that!! My not so successfull attempts at RC a couple years ago were due to inconsistency, I would get a couple weekends in a row then not go out for two months.. Keep at it, lots and lots.. The guy I have teaching me now has been flying less time then I've owned my plane, and he's doing 3D stuff now! I plan to spend every weekend i can at the field and any otehr day he is willing!

God help me when my wife catches me spending the $58 for my AMA this month or next hehe [X(]