flyguyniner

Evening from Dallas!

New member here! I'm lucky enough my girlfriend got me the Flyzone C182 Skylane (the one with flaps and a white base with red stripes). It should be in next week as the guy set her up with a 2.4GHz 5channel radio that he's setting her up with.

I bought a Eflight CX3 a while back and flew it into a tree...I took my crupmled toy home and hung my head =[ I'm a 22 year old Network Engineer by day, EE student my night who got his pilots license as a teenager. I'm so busy that I don't have time to attend a local flying club's meetings, but I'm sure I want the instruction.

(1) I don't know how "beginner friendly" this Airplane is, but for the hundreds she spent on everything I'd hate to find out the hard way its too much for me.
(2) I have noticed that since when I was a little kid, battery powered aircraft were were...they are becoming more common it seems, but whats with the short flight time?
(3) Being that I'm in school 4 nights a week, and work full time, where can someone like me find instruction? I'm living a proof that RC is a completely different world from the real thing!

Any advice for the resident newb?

TIA

-flyguyniner

shender944

The ideal thing in your situation would be if you had a friend that could just meet you out at field and teach you how to fly. It wouldn't hurt to talk to the guys at your local hobby shop they might be able to hook you up with someone.

oldvet70

My Feedback: (10)

If you go here: http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx and do a search by zip code or with your address it will list the AMA clubs in your area. One of them is certain to be able to help you. There are 23 clubs within 50 miles of Zip Code 75201.

jetmech05

go to your local hobby shop they can tell you were the clubs are......and the better instructors.......
Whatever you do don't get in a hurry and try and fly your new airplane on your own....get help....good luck

Sandmann_AU

Welcome to the wonderful world of RC... from Australia.
You're a lucky guy.. hope you said a big thankyou, took her to dinner etc. Many members here have to sneak new planes into the house past their significant others, other members like myself are fortunate enough to be single and not have to justify them.
OK, in order. 1: Just looked up your plane on the net... looks like a nice little plane and a relatively simple flier, and according to the manufacturer it's designed to replace a "regular" trainer. You mention you're a pilot so I assume I won't have to explain terminology to you. It's a high winged trike geared plane with fairly forgiving flight characteristics, but it appears in the video to have minimal to no dihedral, unlike the "classic" trainers. Being a low powered aircraft made from foam it should be fairly unlikely to suffer too badly from rough treatment. While it's not the plane I'd recommend as a trainer it's not too far off the mark either. With a few lessons and maybe some time on a flight sim you shouldn't have too much trouble. Your biggest issue will be converting from "first person flight" to "third person flight" - many full scale pilots don't handle the transition well to controlling a plane from the outside, and this is probably exacerbated by the attitude of "I"m a real pilot and this is a toy - it should be easy." Oh btw, stay away from the flaps for the first half dozen flights or so - you won't need them with that plane and they just add an extra level of complexity you don't need at first.

2: When you were a kid electric powered planes were using NiCad or NiMH batteries - since then LiPo (Lithium Polymer) batteries have become affordable and common. They do have their own set of problems, but if handled with respect and treated well they can offer flight times approaching and even equalling conventional fuel powered models, especially when combined with new, lighter materials. That having been said, electric flight is still more expensive to purchase (though less to run) when compared to fuel powered aircraft of similar size, power, and flight duration. Electric is catching up fast and it's almost there (though I still miss the sound, smell etc of glow fuel when I see others flying electric - personal preference there).

3: hehehe you've noticed the difference between full scale and models then? Your local hobby shops can direct you to RC clubs that will have instructors. They're usually available on the weekends. I also mentioned simulators - a couple of popular ones are Real Flight (my favourite) and FS One, they're not cheap but they come with their own controllers and they're as close as a PC can get to "real" flight. You can also download a copy of FMS for free, and use it with any transmitter that has a trainer port and an appropriate USB adapter (or even with a PC joystick or just a keyboard) - it's less polished than the commercial ones but it'll still help "get your thumbs in". While these don't replace lessons, they certainly add to them well. My instructor (3 years ago) told me that he can always tell students who've used sims, and they always "graduate" in fewer lessons.

Hope that helps some...

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

I have been a member of many modeling clubs over the years wherever life took me even including germany for a little while and not a one has ever even hinted that club meetings are mandatory or I had to attend If I needed help learning to fly.

Thats just about the worst rationalization and excuse to avoid the evil word 'club' I have ever heard. Truth is with the majority you very well may never attend a meeting if that is your problem. All you really have to do is join and get yourself and your airplane to the flying site. If you have no time for that then you do not have time to go it alone either.

There are mentors out there at any club just waiting for your friendship and eager to 'pay it forward'.

I wish you well in the pursuit of your dreams and by the way you will find a very high percentage of us are your fellow full scalers but we won,t hold that aginst you

John

jester_s1

Even with park flyers, a club will be a great help to you. Most have trainers and if you contact them saying that you will join for the year if they will train you, you will find help.

wboehm

I am also a newbie: I have a lipo battery with 2 heavy wires. My motor has 3 wires. How do I hook the motor up?

Sandmann_AU

With an ESC (Electronic Speed Control). I don't a thing about them since I only fly Glow, but I do know that for anyone to tell you what ESC you need, they'll need to know what sort of motor & battery you have.

StevL

Do Not hook up the battery to the motor!

You must have a ESC (Electronic Speed Control). The battery will hook to the ESC, the ESC will hook to your Receiver (Rx) and to the motor. You really should get some help with this. Visit your local hobby shop and let them see what you are working with. There are several factors to be considered in this, get some help!

LiPo batteries are not toys, they can start a major fire if not handled (charged, discharged, hooked up, etc.) properly.

carrellh

flyguy

Since your free time is limited, check out the club in Rowlett. http://www.rowlettrcclub.com The field is actually in Rowlett. I have been to the Rowlett field a few times. The area they fly over is relatively small and I am not a good enough pilot to fly there. Many pilots are good enough to fly huge models there but I am not. I think the Rowlett site is well matched for electric models that are not huge. Rowlett has a grass runway that is probably pretty muddy at this time.

Rockwall is next closest http://www.rockwallrc.com and their field is in the outskirts of Rockwall. I have never been to the Rockwall field. I know several of their members who are also members at my club. Rockwall has a Propex or Petromat runway surface.

Rowlett and Rockwall are "morning fields" because you face West when you're flying.


The other "local" clubs do not have close fields. Some of the fields are an hour from Garland.

I live relatively near North Garland High School and am a member of the Greenville RC Airplane Club http://www.greenvillerc.com
Our field is a 45 mile drive each way for me. We face East while flying so we're more of an afternoon group. My brother and I ride out together and usually try to get there between 11 and 12 and stay until we lose the light. We have a grass runway that is currently too muddy to use.

dignlivn

Do Not hook up the battery to the motor!

You must have a ESC (Electronic Speed Control). The battery will hook to the ESC, the ESC will hook to your Receiver (Rx) and to the motor. You really should get some help with this. Visit your local hobby shop and let them see what you are working with. There are several factors to be considered in this, get some help!

LiPo batteries are not toys, they can start a major fire if not handled (charged, discharged, hooked up, etc.) properly.
[/quote]


That is Great advice !!!!


Also take off the Prop while you get it all hooked up. I use
a Arming Plug In my Electric Cub. More info on Motor and Battery
would help others help you too.


Bob

flyguyniner

Hey another local! I live up here near Naaman Forest HS, and the rowlett club seems to be the best fit thus far. I have been to their field but Idefiantlywant to try the grass field there. It stinks, I wish I had more free time to be a normal club member but for the time being, I'll just have to be a weekend flyer.

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

carrellh

A 'normal' club member really is anyone who pays his dues and comes when he can. As long as you can coordinate time to work with your instructor you're as normal as anyone else. If you can attend a meeting once in a while, that's good but it is definitely not a requirement.

The Greenville club has the monthly meeting at the flying field on the 2nd Saturday, at noon, and having more than eight or ten people in attendance is a huge turnout. January usually has quite a few because we need to pay our dues for the new year. When I joined, we met on a Tuesday night at a restaurant. It was tough getting to Greenville on time if I didn't leave work early.