Yep, did that yesterday, it was my first day out flying this year, and first thing I did was wring out my LT-40, forgot how much fun it is, and forgot I can snap loop it. Basically I do a vertical until it can go no more, cut throttle and as soon as the nose falls forward, pull full up elevator and it snaps over on its axis. I then flew my Something Extra, and practiced landings with it. It has to be flown in on power, or it will stall and bounce, first 3 landings, were just that, then once I got the throttle under control, the next 5 were perfect smooth 3 pointers. That is such a fun plane, but very touchy at full rates, so anything with that switch down is at 3 mistakes high. Downside, that plane is small at 3 mistakes.

I would love to see the artwork on the last one!

I would recommend to see if you can't find a local kid who does a bit of rock climbing to go after the airplane. I parked a LT-40 on the top of a tree canopy once, darn tree was a good 4 or 5 stores high. My Eagle scout/rock climber son climbed up and was able to knock it out of the tree with very little damage.

True. Most useful function I've found is dual rates on flying surfaces, elevator and ailerons (or rudder if no ailerons). Surfaces have less travel with power on, can switch to more travel when landing or dead stick (power off). Some have gyros on a channel or two. However, more is important is practice. There is no replacement for that.

Good analogy is motorcycle riding. See a lot of weekend warriors. A new rider doing that doesn't get the experience that someone who rides back and forth to work or school daily gets, even if short distance. They really get to know their motorcycle and how it handles.

Similarly, flying frequently and regularly, one gets to know their plane. After a while, one can make the controls more aggressive, put a more powerful electric motor or engine in it, squeeze even more fun out of it. When it's got enough repairs to weigh it down, move up to something more advanced.

I end my each and every jets column with.....

"Till next month, if you want to fly better then go fly a lot!"

Jets! you maybe just the person to get me to my goal of completing this when I get back to it.http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2157962 meanwhile I am putting two King Kobras together http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2157963this one is my sons built several years ago, Still got it. But I want my own so when a friend got the kit I jumped at the chance to make myself a copy.http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2157967http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2157968It is easier than scratch building it.

wow nice planes Donny

Heah guys just wanted to no does anybody no how to configure alierons rudder and elevator to 1 stick to be used to do all movements when turning the plane on a spektrum dx9 transmitter

I don't know of one for the DX 9 but this is available.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=...642779&cad=rjt

Bob

Nightbreeder, a better radio will not stop you from flying your model into trees. In twenty-eight years flying radio controlled model aircraft I have treed a model on five occasions.

The very first time, I was very inept and inexperienced as you are now and as we all were at one stage. I confused left and right with the model flying towards me and put it into a tree. With the help of a stone and a light rope, my clubmates and I managed to shake the tree sufficiently to bring the model down. Reason for the crash? My incompetence due to inexperience.

On the second occasion I was similarly inexperienced and was flying a vintage model in gusty weather. On landing approach, a gust of wind took the model and planted it into the upper branches of a tall tree. At the time I knew a girl who knew a young man who was keen on rock climbing. He rescued it for me. It cost me a pint of beer at the local pub. Reason for the crash? My incompetence due to inexperience. Today, I would probably not have flown such a lightly loaded model in such conditions.

On the third occasion I was on landing approach and reached across with my thumb for the throttle trim but I over-reached and switched the transmitter off. Those old Sanwa transmitters, (sold as Airtronics in the USA,) had the on/off switch in the centre of the transmitter. Others were flying at the same time and the receiver tried to pick up signals from other people's transmitters. The model became very unstable and crashed into the upper branches of a tree. I had to hire a tree surgeon to retrieve it. Reason for the crash? An error on my part. I learned to be more careful in future and every subsequent transmitter I have bought does not have the on/off switch in the centre of the box. I also learned to adjust the engine properly so that it was slow enough on finals to allow me to land the model without reaching for the trims.

On the fourth occasion I was teaching my girlfriend to fly on an Radio Queen, a vintage model and a replica of the first radio controlled model aircraft which flew across the English Channel. Neither of us has very good depth perception or spatial awareness and she crashed it into the upper branches of a tree so I had another tree surgeon's bill to pay, but it was my fault as she was on the buddy box at the time and I should have taken over control. Reason for the crash? My incompetence.

On the fifth occasion I was flying a fairly heavily loaded Flair Hooligan powered by an Irvine 46. I hit the top of the same tree that Sam had stuffed the Radio Queen into, but the model was flying fairly quickly and it bounced off with the engine still running. I was able to bring the model into a greaser of a landing, the undercarriage trailing foliage from the tree top. My clubmates who were looking on, found this to be most amusing! I got away with this one but it was my fault that the model hit the tree, nothing to do with the radio.

All of this happened some time ago and in the interim I have become a more competent and experienced pilot. I hold qualifications which allow me to fly at public events in both the UK and France and I am a qualified club level instructor in both countries, but I am not as good a pilot or builder as Donnyman who started this thread and I think that as an incompetent and and inexperienced beginner you should not describe the advice which you may receive from him as "crap."

You DX4 is a perfectly adequate transmitter for a beginner, indeed it is a superior transmitter to those with which most of us started out. Had you been using your DX9, you would still have treed your model. You treed it because you are inexperienced and consequently, incompetent.

I see that you have apologised to everyone in post 2512. Top man Nightbreeder! I'll take that as an apology to Donnyman himself. In times of stress we all say and do things which we later regret. Well done for publicly admitting that you were wrong!

My advice would be to stick with the Spektrum equipment, join a club, buy a high-wing trainer and allow someone to teach you how to fly it. Then progress to a rather more demanding aircraft like a Four Star or a Tiger 2. So you want to fly a Corsair? Ask yourself this question, " Did the real Corsair pilots learn to fly on a Corsair?" Of course they didn't! They started out on a slow and stable trainer with a more competent pilot in the rear cockpit to help them out when they got into difficulty and then went on to a number of increasingly more challenging aircraft until they were competent enough to fly a fighter.

If you follow a similar course you'll be alright. I use a DX9 myself.

Amen Telemaster! I fault myself on all my mishaps because its true! The one exception, I prefer Futaba radios. We have an old field which eats JRs on 72 Mhz for lunch but Futaba on 72 Mhz (which I still use) has no problems with being shot down. The except being when one of our older members in his 80 forgets to get the pin before turning on his radio to check it. Stuff happens! The 2.4 Ghz radios do not suffer the same fate.

I only fly Futaba, and have since the mid 80's. Kraft before that. All on 72 MHz; wide, then narrow band. Never had any issues with 72 MHz, except as you said, when someone turns on to my frequency without getting the pin, which I had already. Fortunately, I was not in the air at the time, just noticed control deflections i was not commanding.

Lack of proper protocol is not an issue at our field among the older fliers (one of which I am). If they have flown for awhile, they know the Pin rules. The problem is the unknowing or uncaring flyers that come to the field, see others (on 2.4GHz) flying without any protocol, and just turn on and try to fly on their old 72MHZ radios. I always walk the flight line to see if any 72MHz antennae are showing. If so, and they do not have the pin, I remind them that them must have the pin in their possession to fly on that channel. Sometimes they are belligerent, and WillNC. I then turn on my radio without my receiver and watch them trying to figure out ***. I never turn on while they are started up or taxing or flying. Sometimes they give up, blame on their radios, and either give up or go buy a 2.4GHZ radio. Good for them. Leaves me and other 72MHzers less to worry about.

Sincerely, Richard
AMA 861960

The flier in question is unfortunately suffering some memory lapses and his flying days are getting fewer and fewer. The rest of either fly on 2.4 or keep an eye out for each other when he is around. Fortunately there aren't a lot of us still using that channel anymore.

Telemaster you speak very wise words and if i could be half the flyer you or donnyman are i would be better for it.Thankyou for your advice and everything you have told me which i will use in my travels through this amazing world of flight

I had some fun yesterday I was invite to give a talk on model aviation at a Civil Air Patrol meeting. I setup an engine display ranging from a Cox .020 to a Moiki 1.80 with 2 and 4 cycle engines. The queen of the ball was my SIG 1/5 scale J-3 Cub with CAP insignal. Everyone wanted a photo with it. I don't know who had more fun me or the kids.

A J-3 and CAP . It was 1976 Greg and I were hanging out at the Crete airport. It was lunch time on a Sunday. I knew that the CAP were having an encampment at the Flying V at near Utica 45 miles north west. Flying V was a restaurant, ball room and big hanger in the middle of a corn field with a 5000' grass runway. We took off and climbed all the way to about 10000' over that airport. I shut the engine off and stopped the prop. Put it in a spin pulled out of the spin into loop dive and barrel roll. Then hammer head. I did that over and over down to pattern alt. Landed with a little extra speed so I could do a one wheel landing. It was so funny those kids didn't know what to do they were trying to direct me into a parking spot. But we did have to get out and push it. Greg and I had lunch and went back to Crete. Later in the afternoon some one called to tell us that the CAP Champ wet down in the tall corn. I wonder how they did that?.

I hope you didn't scare any of those kids away from aviation!

Hi Guys

Been trying to put these kobras together but life has been beating me on the head, termites are chewing my house to pieces, the motorhome is crumbling and I got to buy and install several parts. my garage needs to have the ceilng replaced. but I am sure I am not the only one trying to keep ahead of the constant hassles that most of us face.

I am getting too old to handle all this mess so I have started hiring others to help. The problem is low quality workmenship is hard to live with, mediocracy seems to be the norm, and I have little choice but to moderate it by constantly looking over the shoulder of the workers. I grew up in the middle of Brooklyn N.Y. and had few places to fly, now that I have the space and stuff I need to fly I don't have the time though I am.. retired??

So today I am going up to my shop and bust up some balsa chips and the other stuff can take a back seat. I am going to do what makes me smile, see you later I'll be in my shop.

Did the same today, got back to work on my Biper Cub after putting up my P-47 until I get the servo and a couple other items. I got the tail all hooked up now, just need to set the tank, complete the throttle cable install, and mount the battery, rx and switch, then i can put the glass on and the fuse is finished. Then mount the ailerons, connect the servos, and see what I need to do to the bottom ailerons to link them to the top ones, and get them covered and doped, and dope the struts, and then it is ready to maiden. Leaving the cowl off for now until I get a flight or two in to find out if the engine going to be good. Its a swap meet buy, seems in good condition, but wont know until I start it.

Donnyman what you describe is a mirror image of my situation. I, too, grew up in Brooklyn. I keep a list of projects on my desk and have to prioritize what needs to be done. My workshop is a biggy, the roof leaks and these Texas storms have not been helpful. I know what you mean about low quality workmanship. For that reason I keep doing my own work. Some neighbors,also, call on me to fix things for them. I just keep on trucking along. I crashed my only flying airplane and just recently started work to get it flying again. It's tough getting old. My mind says I'm young but my body says I'm old.

ET PILOT

Yes we do seem to be on the same track! I even tried to have someone finish my new shop build well it's been two weeks with not a word from him.

Are you in TX. to keep away from the snow like me? the last time I visited the coast (Long Island) they had frozen ankle deep snow with a sheet of ice beneath it. I had to help chip the car out of the ice to get to the airport. I will only visit in the summer now

My 18 year old brain is trying to kill this 74YR. old body but I won't let it. A far as flying goes The weather has been too sucky and I prefer building over flying so I don't do much flying anymore.

I got some honeydo's then I'm back in the shop.

Donny and ET Pilot I can relate. I have a bunch of new hanger rash to fix. I took some airplanes, unfinished projects kits,, and assorted paraphernalia for a Civil Air Patrol presitation last Thursday and between the loading, unloading, reloading, and trasportation things took a little damage. The kids were great the handled everything with great care, nothing missing or damaged. Pretty good considering nothing was off limits when it came to handling to examining them. I got a lot of thoughtful questions and think I may have inspired a few cadets to join us in the hobby. I told them anythiong here that can be broken, can be fixed. It put them at ease. (I left out the part about sometimes that requires taking off the prop nut putting a new plane in front of it and throwing the nut away. ;-)

I just tried to order some flight metal for my mustang, all the data was entered but nowhere did I find a place to put my payment info in.

weird! anybody know what's up?

They don't want your money!?

I have been thinking that since my son is in Cub Scouts, to arrange with my flying club a field outing, until I found out there are 25 cubs in his pack, and the logistics for a 10 person field would be horrendous. I might consider doing a 5 kid per weekend outing if other members are interested, spread it out over 5 Saturdays. That would give each kid about 20 minutes of training. Now to ask my club members what they think.