Cyclic Hardover

My Feedback: (3)

Example. We have many here to maybe include myself. This one guy has been flying about the same length of time as me and has gone up through the ranks. Three years back he was in the 60-90size extras wanting to do the aerobatic route. Now I think he is very good. He was just not that comfortable with it all.

He also stepped up to the pump with a Aeroworks Edge that was home for a BME 50. He could fly the plane okay but again not comfortable with it and after many unfavorable landings and other stupid things, that was the end of that plane too. When the engines quit it was just a panic attack probably because he knew he had so much$$in the plane that somethign happened and in it went.

This last year I notice him going back down in size. With his largest being the UCANDO. He is happy as a clam with them and a natural just having a great time . I would love a big 40 % Extra but I just think Aerobatics is boring. I am much more content goping over 100mph. I do have larger planes like the WM GS P-51. I built a nice set up but I am not reallycomfortable with it.

It's like how many planes must you go through to find the one true plane. I think I have but not sure yet and it is not the one I am building right now.

YNOT

That is what is so wonderful about our hobby. You fly different birds until you find what YOU like.

Different people like different things. Speed, Scale, Aerobatic, 3D, helis, Gliders, whatever.

I fly 3D becasue that is what I enjoy most. Have a Plyon plane, a Scale plane and some just fun stuff, however I prefere to fly 3D.

I seem to be the test pilot for our group, so I do get to fly all types of other birds, so I can see what else I like.

This weekend, 82" P-38 with a pair of Satio 100's

tIANci

Snoop ... I love watching 3D and I love warbirds a lot but somehow I am more into aerobatic planes, a good plane for me is one that can snap roll hard! I hope to pick up 3D soon as its most interesting. Just got my Pacific Aeromodels Laser 200 (72") is a brilliant plane!

Bob101

I'm very comfortable with my skill level of flying when I fly my own planes.

I'd rather not fly other peoples planes. Too many bad experiences with it so far. I've gotten "recruited" into a few first flights and after asking umpteen questions "Is this plane ready? Did you balance? Did you check the throws etc.." I have a stellar 0/3 record on other poeoples planes due to simple stuff they should have caught in a pre-flight even after I mentioned it to them. After the third incident I flatfly refuse to fly other peoples planes now - no matter what.

I only fly what I can afford and that makes a huge difference, I have seen a few times (very few) where someone literally built/bought/assembled a plane they really couldn't afford. You have to have the mindset that at any possible time (even stuff out of my control) I might have a total write off of this plane. If that makes you uncomfortable (well who doesn't think this is an expensive plane) to the point that you can't fly it , get something else.

GrnBrt

My Feedback: (5)

I have always been very competitive and am never satisfied with my skill levels and always try to better them. Your friend sounds like he's a victim of the peter principal, nothing wrong with that as it does happen. when I build I prefer a scale looking plane instead of something that looks like a box and when I fly I do aerobatics but have slowed down the older I get. I still have real good hand eye co-ordination but enjoy a more sedate flight.

bbbair

I like Bob's attitude, it mirrors my mind set to a 'T'.

I'm happy with 40 - 60 size AC, they are affordable, fast or slow full of as much detail as you want, they fit in my car and on my workbench. When I break one my wife doen't complain .

If I was flying jets or 1/4 scale I'd be terrified and therefore not having any fun.

That's why I like this hobby so much, you are only in competition with yourself.

BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

I have a foam electric that is a blast to fly and I don't care if I crash it. Because of that I fly the heck out of it. I also enjoy pushing myself by racing or competing in aerobatics. Whenever I get bored with the hobby I know it's time to get a new plane to challenge myself. I love doing a maiden flight for myself or others or just watching one.

I guess I go back and forth from comfortable with some planes and nervous with others. Getting a bigger more expensive plane always makes me fly all my less expensive planes better because I am not worried about crashing my nicest plane.

jettstarblue

Very comfortable doing touch and goes off the trampoline with my slow stick....not so comfortable when test flying a plane I just spent waaay to much time/money building. (not too often) Once it's checked out O.K., "the sky's the limit"...I meant to say that.

I like to build "weirdo" planes, and more often than not, they are made of foam, and coro, and done in short order, so I don't worry too much about them.

I just chickened out of converting a 1948 Comet Taylorcraft to electric, gonna build it, and give it to my Dad for display.

I could use some improvement....

Mike Bogh

My Feedback: (14)

Good question, Mike.
I was pretty comfortable with my ability untill I went to the Tucson Shootout....sure I can flipflop with the best folks around here..waterfall this, harrier that....but apparently learning IMAC just finishes you off so everything you do becomes s-m-o-o-t-h.
I'm going to do the IMAC thing this spring just so I can connect the dots on my 3D manouvers.....And another thing..bigger does in fact, fly better.[8D]

FLYBOY

My Feedback: (11)

I have always been very comfortable with anything I fly. I have never thought about doing maneuvers very low, and at unusual places. I do find though that the older I get, I tend to think about a maneuver a bit more before just throwing a plane into it sometimes. I never used to do that. I don't like the fact that it sometimes takes practice now to make the plane do what I want when I used to be able to just do it. Part of life though.

What a great hobby though. If you get too comfortable, you just build something really expensive, do something dumb with it and get the heart really pumping. I test flew a giant G-202 a couple years ago. First time I shook flying RC in a long long time. Everyone at the field thought it was funnier than heck. I was the only one not laughing.

crownvic

When you fly in contest with people who are of great skills it makes me feel like a beginner! But I can get my planes up and down and all around and I love the competition . It just makes me want to get better

hookedonrc

I am at the end of my third year now, and for the general flying, I feel comfortable. I broke only one prop this year and no crashes. I do know that I have a lot to learn and am beginning to practice aerobatics. I think that is what I like about this hobby, your really never where you could be with a little more practice. There is always something to work on.

cwrr5

My Feedback: (32)

Only ONE prop!!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? WOW! - now I'm impressed! What's your secret????? ( seriously!!! )

That's what I love about this hobby, no matter how long you've been flying, you're constantly learning new things and "perfecting" those skills. If you want to be competitive, you can, if not, then you don't have to be. I have fun with it whether I'm flying "tiny-mico-nano type putter around in the garage type stuff" or giant scale or whatever...it's all fun!

ballgunner

My Feedback: (1)

I've been in this hobby for 70 years and I'm not at all satisfied with my flying from free flight thru U control to RC. If someone said "You are an intermediate pilot", I would be flattered. I get 'em up and sometimes down in one piece. I don't like to just putter around in circles so a few wingovers, loops, stalls and such breaks things up a bit. I have three airplanes hanging on the wall that have never flown but they will some day. I love to build and have always been fascinated with WWI scale. Fokker D-VII on the bench now. I guess building is the fun part of this hobby for me.

scottrc

Yea, I'm pretty content. I stay between the .40 to 1.20 range and love those sizes. I can get my warbird up, fly a few aerobatics, straff a few hay bales, tangle with a buzzard or two, and get it down in one or two pieces. I love to fly my KAOS and Patriot at full throttle, inverted, two feet off the ground and see how fast the 3D guys can go unlimited vertical when they are hogging the runway hovering[>:], and I like to just be a vegetable and fly in circles with my Eagle.

If I can take the plane home without needing a shovel and a Gladbag, then I consider myself pretty Sierra Hotal.

jongurley

My Feedback: (29)

You just keep flying them until you find that one plane that makes you feel great,, one that , when you leave the field on sunday afternoon makes you think about flying the whole week, when you can't hardly wait to get a chance to get back to the field....[X(]

Cyclic Hardover

My Feedback: (3)

I think one point I failed to say was that my friend would be much more comfortable just hotrodding around in a 60-90 size warbird. Not really speed either but everything I have ever seen him do would point to that area. He is very good at the basic Imaac manuevers but it reminds me of looking like he is forced to do it rather than doing it on his own.

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

I have to say my comfort level goes up and down. If the weather permits and I get to fly two or three times a week I feel 10' tall and bullet proof. If I get to fly three times in the last four weeks (like now) I am a lot more conservative.

david

famousdave

My Feedback: (61)

I flew when I was a kid (never really learned right either, I taught myself and mostly that was how to crash!) but I simply did not have time or a place to fly as an adult... until now.. Actually, my main motivation for getting into r/c planes is that I moved right near one of the best flying fields in the country! It was an easy decision! That was 3 years ago...


At first I went through a lot of glow planes - a trainer, the UCANDOs, Sticks, Warbirds, Scale everything. Many kits and some ARFs. Only lost one to a crash (from a stupid setup mistake) but I found myself selling them off nearly as fast as I'd build them just because I'd either get bored or I was not thrilled with how they flew, handled, etc. Scale planes are nice to look at, but you can only fly in circles so long before you just plain get bored to death. I finally gave up on the 100% scale plane and warbird stuff.

I took the sticks of a friends 35% plane for 2 minutes and knew right then that was what I wanted to do. I was good enough to fly the big planes by then, and they were so much more realistic and had such better power to weight ratios compared to anything I had previously flown.


So I finally found my niche in giant scale aerobatic planes - Extras, CAPs, Katanas and a Velox - and they ran on GAS, not that messy, expensive glow crap. The larger planes just "felt" right to me. I could build them quickly and I could put the same custom touches on the planes as I did on my Harleys and race bikes. I have landed a few build jobs for people around the area as a result too.


My comfort level in the early days was "white knuckles" at best. I would not even fly when there were other planes in the air, so as a result, I'd be sitting watching more than flying. Never took a single lesson, I just flew and learned from mistakes. I also used the simulator a lot to practice.

That was only 2 years ago... .. now I fly any time, nearly any conditions (a lilttle wind is a LOT of fun!!),and don't care who's in the air. I even maiden other's planes and help inexperienced flyers come up to speed with setup and flight.

Oh sure, once in a while I miss a landing or ding a prop, but fortunately, its once in a very remote while! I actually have a one year old prop on one of my planes!!
Mostly, I just fly and don't worry about the plane - once I took that approach, I started having a blast!!

DP

vicman

My Feedback: (10)

I am like scott rc, only in the .25 - .40 range and increasingly electric. I am much more relaxed at 100 mph in my Miss LA or my GWS Corsair than a 300 extra. I have wondered the same question over the years though. Also like Ballgunner I like the build as much or more than the flight. I just finished a foam F-18 and gave it to a freind without even test flying it[sm=bananahead.gif]! That was last week, I already got the next one 80% finished.

efergie72

My Feedback: (1)

my comfort level goes up and down with the amount of time I can get to fly. Last year I was flying two and three times a week and was pushing my self to do more and more. This year I am lucky to fly every other week for two flights. So I haven't done much pushing. Just don't feel that comfortable with the planes. I have only messed around with .40's so far although I do fly helis too so there is the pucker factor with the dollar amount there. One good crash and there a totaled out heli and there goes $200-300. And I am still pushing with it. I have been wanting to get into the big stuff (50cc/25%) but have been wondering if I can really afford the jack for it. And would I really enjoy the plane as much knowing that one screw up and there goes 1/2 grand. But then I am not going to let that hold me back from getting one (eventually).