nrad2000

I'm having trouble landing the Seagull Decathlon. I have flaperons set up. After the final turn the plane has slowed down nicely - I try to swoop the plane down and try to hold it there (2ft off the ground) - I steadily apply more and more elevator to keep the same altitude and suddenly the plane falls - bounces - gains 3 ft and drops at a steeper angle nose down. Should I bring up the flaps as soon as it touches the ground? Maybe I'm coming in too slow? I've had plenty of nice Greese landings - some bumpy - and just a couple bouncy landing as I described above. I'm trying to pay attention to what I'm doing when I greese the landing but the approach is no different from all other landings. In my mind I believe I should be able to Greese all landings.

The surface I'm landing on is HARD compacted dirt. Usually no wind.

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

You should not have to "hold" the plane down. It should be on glide-slope with or without the flaperons, with touch-down occurring without forcing it, which is what it sounds like you are doing.

Land it WITHOUT the flaps applied by doing a long approach, using the throttle to extend or shorten the approach with slight throttle adjustments. The plane should stop flying right at the point of touch-down, not forced to the ground by pushing it there. It sounds like you are to fast for proper landing.

Set up your landing on the downwind leg of your approach. Do a square approach, transitioning from your downwind to the base leg, then to the final. When in final, you should leave the flaps alone as well as the elevator and glide it in as it slows down.. it will lose altitude. If it does not, you are to fast. If you are to fast, using the elevator will cause it to balloon up then it loses airspeed and goes back down.. then as it gains speed and you add more elevator, it will go back up in another ballooning action.

Control your landing point with the throttle, adding elevator at the last moment to adjust your airspeed. Again, if it balloons up, you are to fast... go around and try it again and try to reduce airspeed sooner.

CGr.

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

Ok, this is a problem that many people have with the Decathlon. Many will say, "Hey, it's a high wing plane so it will slow down and land like a Cub or a trainer!". And they usually wind up taking the plane home in a bag. The Decathlon is a very aerobatic plane designed to teach people the basics of aerobatics, and it doesn't slow down like a trainer or a Cub. What will happen if you try to land this plane like one you will wind up stalling the wing with no altitude to recover. And using flaperons on this plane could just exagerate that stall.

What needs to happen is that you'll need learn to land the plane at a faster speed than you are used to at this point. You're not going to slow down the plane to what a trainer will land at, but will have to land it a littel faster than that. Lose the flaperons as they are just going to make the problem worse. You'll need to practice to find out the best landing speed for the plane. Take it up and spend time shooting touch and goes so that you can learn the speed the plane likes to land at.

Ken

jester_s1

Yes, bounces generally indicate that you are landing too slowly. With no wind, the plane has to be moving along pretty well to keep flying. Next flight, do some stall tests up high to see how fast it hast to be going to keep flying.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Sounds like the problem is that you're holding it 2ft above the ground, then it stalls and drops 2 feet.

Hold it 2 INCHES off the ground and your problem will go away by itself.

Rudolph Hart

nrad2000

I'll lose the flaperons. I'll try again this weekend.

Rudolph Hart

You don't say whether two stroke or four and it is much different to fly with either.I prefer the 82 saito in this aeroplane because i like to fly slow approaches and three point it,a four stroke allows it and have had plenty of what you describe above to as far as bad landings go.It's good fun and the decathlon is easy if you keep mentally flying it all the way down to the ground instead of greying out when it looks close enough.Good luck,it will reward you

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

Flaperons are a crutch that does not work very well and actually makes landing more difficult for many. They are popular for new folks because it seems easy to do with our new radios and they have the effect of decreasing roll control at very low speeds over conventional dedicated flaps and increasing adverse yaw at those critical low speeds.

Its my opinion that flaperons are a very bad idea especially in the learning environment. As most have said here its much better to learn to approach a little faster.

John

pdm52956

My Feedback: (1)

When landing, throttle controls altitude and elevator controls airspeed. I don't mean that you can forget using elevator, but if you just use elevator to control altitude you'll bleed off airspeed and it's going to get to that point where it won't bounce and you'll need that bag that was referred to earlier.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

I only have the flaperons set up in one plane and it's a fun fly stunt plane. I only use them when the wind is up and blowing hard or if I want to do some very tight loops. If I forget to turn them off and land on a no wind day the plane turns into a stalling machine as soon as I slow down, not a good thing! I have also discovered the decathlon likes to be just a bit nose heavy if they are going to settle down for a smooth landing. Mine were the 60 size GP and a 92 inch mystery plane. I got the big one in a trade and didn't know who made it, some big old ARF. Both flew very well though. If you figure you need help slowing the plane down install standard flaps and loose the flaperons, that removes the stalling at low speed.

nrad2000

the flaperons are still set up but I have been flying without it for the last couple of weeks. You guys are right, lands much better without them (for a Noob like me). I have always tried to have the plane roll and stop in front of me but now I have been using the whole length of runway to land. Now the plane doesn't look like its being rushed to land.

I'm really enjoying the Seagull Decathlon. Now, time to put the smoke on. any recomendations on smoke fuel tank size?

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

10oz

nrad2000

10oz - thats bigger than I was expecting. I'll probably have to build a platform at window sill level to put the additional tank. what kind of additional weight am I looking at in pounds? tank, fuel line, TMZ pump, one way valve, and smoke fuel. I'm planning to tap power from the RX Lipo battery. it's a 11.1v with a 5.1v regulated.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I would use a separate battery, but that's just me.

you could use an 8oz tank, but smoke oil doesn't last very long, so you'll have even less smoke time. The trick is, turn it on for a maneuver, then turn it off - don't just fly around smoking or it will be gone in no time

nrad2000

thanks for the advice.

Charlie P.

You are stalling. If you look at full size aircraft you seldom see any that have outboard flaps; and even those that do have inner ones that drop more. Usually flaps are just along the inner 1/4 or 1/3 of the wing. This gives what is called "washout" at low speeds. With full length flaps you get a tip stall if you fly too slow. You must have a well balanced model and be living right so that your wings stall simultaneously.

Try raising the ailerons - aka: "spoilerons". This will increase your descent angle without the risk of a stall. Use no more than 10° as a trial.

nrad2000

I got rid of the flaperons. Comes in quicker but more predictable (for me). I'm having alot of fun with this plane.

I'm planning to get top flite blue nose p51 mustang. 60size. Will the OS FS 120sIII work? How is the handling compared to my decahalon, escapade, and tail dragger Avistar?

Rudolph Hart

That's just plain bad advice,washout is already built into the outer wing section to avoid tip stalling tendencies and flaps increase inboard wing lift as they always have done.Makes it all easier