wvaborn

My Feedback: (13)

Hi All:
I have been training on my high wing trainer for some time now(I have solo'd and I go out by myself now), so my question is this: The trainer that trained me gave me a low wing Hobbico "Brightstar", which he said was about 15 years old, never been crashed, and was a gentle flyer.
I put some electronics in it, took it out last week, in his presence, in case I had problems. The plane flew beautifully, I took it off, had no problems , but he landed it.
What is the major differences in landing a trainer and this low wing? Are there a lot, or does it depend on landing speed and a lot of other factors? What I'm wanting to do is take it out by myself, but am a little apprehensive about landing it by myself.
Any help and advise would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Norm

Live Wire

Norm
To make it short remember you have to fly the plane in. It will not glide like a trainer, rudder control is a must. Just don't try to land to slow or you will stall the plane [:@] Throttle management comes with experience, and above all ,don't be afraid of tahe plane or you can get your self into trouble by overcontroling. You will be OK

TedMo

Since I don't know anything about the plane you mention can't say how different that one may be. true most low wings don't float in like a trainer (some do though). Overall generally speaking if the plane has a barn door wing it will come in easily. Also depends good deal on it's wing loading,wing planform, moments, C.G.. So many facters come into the picture it's impossible to predict without even seeing the plane fly. Your instructor should be able to tell you more than we can. Particularly since it was his plane.

ChuckW

Like has been mentioned, it really depends on the specific planes you are comparing.

Having a low wing doesn't necessarily give an airplane bad habits or make it difficult to land. Take the Sig 4*, it will float around as well as just about any high wing trainer. Something like a scale Corsair though would be another story; it would tend to stall at much higher speeds and take a lot more skill to pilot successfully.

The inverse is also true. Some high wing planes, usually scale models, can't be flown as slow or landed like a trainer.

In other words, your new plane may or may not be that big of a step depending on how it is designed.

flyX

Trainers has flat bottom air foil with higher diehedral.
Even with a straight chord wing such as a 4* the air foil is not a flat bottom and less diehedral.
In other word...most if not all low wing models are piont and go. Meaning the model will not try to correct itself (level itself)
Most low wing probably will have higher wing load than a trainer.

Another thing you will also notice more on a low wing model is buffering during landing or flairing.
The cussion of air between the wing and the ground causing the model to pop back up into the air.
If the AOA is too high without enough air speed when it pops back up...the model will just drop.


Fan your both of your hands back and forth 6-12" apart in front of you..You can feel a pocket of air between your hands.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Very true! Don't think of it as "Landing a low-wing plane", think of it as landing a "Different plane than the one you're accustomed to"

All you have to do is to shoot a few landing approaches - don't plan to land, just shoot an approach as IF you were going to land, but keep some altitude just to be safe.

If the plane behaves well, bring the approach lower, but PLAN to go around.

If all is well, you're on target, speed is good, altitude is good, birds are singing and everything's right with the world, go ahead and let her settle in

bruce88123

One important thing to remember is that the wing tip is closer to the ground when landing and therefore you can't get away with being un-level at landing as well without hooking a wing and crashing. This is another reason for better rudder control. If the plane has a lot of dihedral it will help keep the tips up but it won't fly as well in many ways.

wvaborn

My Feedback: (13)

Great responces from you guys, and quick too.Think I'll give the low wing a rest until my instructor can be there to help with the landings. Like I said in my first post, this plane flies great, I enjoyed it a lot more than the trainer, as far as flying it. Did a few loops and rolls with it, nothing fancy, but it was a joy to fly. Thanks again.
Norm

Fastsky

I had a Brightstar and what the other flyers son't seem to know is that the Brightstar has a flat bottom wing just like a trainer! The plane "does" glide like a high wind trainer due to the flat bottom wing for the most part. It is slightly better in gusty conditions and doesn't flair up if the wind hits it due to the wing being on the bottom. The plane has a long flat glide which from what I could tell was the same as high wing trainers that I have flown. The plane is faster than most trainers on a straight run but loses a considerable amount of speed in a tight turn. This is the bad part of having a flat bottom wing but it is listed as a "low wing plane that can be used as a trainer". I think it makes a great alternative to the typical high wing trainer. Too bad they don't make it any more.

wvaborn

My Feedback: (13)

Hey Fastsky:
Good to know of someone else who has had the Brightstar. I really enjoy flying this plane, much more than my trainer. When I first flew it, I thought it was going to be much harder than the trainer, but not so. I actually think it is easier, and a whole lot more enjoyable. Thanks again.
Norm

ChuckW

One of the biggest challenges for some people when steppign up to a low wing plane is the landing gear configuration. Most trainers are tricycle gear and many "second" plane slike the 4* are tail draggers. It's not a huge deal but there are some differences.

Is the Brightstar a taildragger or tricycle? If it has tricysle gear, you should have little or no problems stepping up so long as you can confidently fly and land your current trainer. I'd go for it and have fun.

wvaborn

My Feedback: (13)

It has the tricycle landing gear.
Norm