Thanks for the Aerobird Tips
08-31-2003, 04:34 AM
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Thanks for the Aerobird Tips
This thank you is for all the Aerobird posters... both the ones asking questions and the ones sharing their wisdom for the rest of us. The tips by AEAJR and others were a must read and the perfect complement to the plane, its manual, and video . The reinforcement mods to the wings, engine mount, and tail boom and flying tips saved the day for me as did the "First Flight" reports from GordonJ, Startsivs, and many others.
If you stop reading here, simply accept my gratitude. You made a difference. Thanks.
But I gotta tell about my first flights.
Plenty of opinion out there about the best plane to start with. I'm kind of glad I didn't read any of them before I bought an Aerobird on impulse. Been wanting to fly something for a long time and stumbled upon it while killing time with my 11 year old son. My previous venture into RC flying was 25 years ago as a 15yr old. Spent two years savings to buy and lovingly build a Falcon 56 with OS Max .30 engine and all the field support gear. Even bought a 7 channel radio cause I was sure I'd be in this hobby forever. Too few flying fields, too far away, too young to drive, too little cash, too much to risk. Only watched it fly once at the hands of the club's instructor pilot. A bad ni-cad connection in the transmitter nearly totaled the plane on that first flight. Never got a chance to fly it again. Sold the thing cause it was no fun not flying and worrying about a crash wiping out everything. I say this only to emphasize why I bought the Aerobird. It was cheap, incredibly simple, rugged, and I had *ZERO* time invested in it so if I or my son crashed the thing... who cares. Spare parts are readily available. It was PERFECT for me before I even pulled it out of the box.
Watched the video, read the manual, and headed to the local Soccer Fields. Early AM, No wind. Started with a few hand launches with full throttle but cut power immediately after checking trim. Did this a few times (old habit from making paper airplanes) until I had a feel for the launch/glide/landing characteristics. This gave me confidence that I could let go of the stick and she'd fly straight. Took a deep breath and launched once more but this time circled the field once at 50 feet before bringing it down for another landing. The plane flew faster than I thought and I had to keep turning to avoid the tree line and miss the tall flood lights.
Lesson #1. A soccer field isn't big enough.
Found out quickly that when you cut power to decend, pitch control is ok but you loose turning effectiveness. Had to turn to miss the trees about 20 feet up and couldn't fully recover before catching a wing on landing and cartwheeling. Happily... no damage other than a minor wing dent.
Lesson #2. Use the throttle during turns.
Launched again and this time went high enough not to worry about trees or light standards. Cruised a few laps at half power with stick centered losing only a little altitude in each turn. But while decending, had to deal with the obstacles again. This time used throttle in the turns while decending and got her down safely once more (lucky not to put her into a soccer net). With growing confidence, I launched again and flew farther away (using the adjacent soccer field to give me more straight and level flight and more time to think). Did some shallow dives and climbs using throttle only. Misjudged my distance and clipped the wing against a tall light standard throwing the Aerobird into tight spiral from 75' hitting the ground nose first. To my amazement... other than a dented nose and broken control arm, everything else seemed fine.
Epoxied the control arm, tested the symmetry of control throws and returned to the field that evening. Was surprised to find I could no longer handlaunch without the plane diving into the ground (even with full up elevator). Tried the tip in the manual about adjusting the vtail screws for more downforce. This time, i could barely recover from the launch. The Aerobird made it half way around the field at less than 10 feet. Couldn't gain altitude even with full throttle on a fresh battery. Flight ended after hitting a small seedling tree. Again, no damage. CG seemed right, control throws were fine. I was confused! Called it a night and headed to Google for help. Figured someone out there must know what's going on. That's when I stumbled across RC Universe and these threads. Everything I had experienced that first day was in all your posts. How timely. My pitch problem was the very common tail-boom-popped-out-of-place syndrome reported many times in these threads. It was such a subtle problem because it still felt secure, the CG was balanced, and the control throws centred at neutral stick. Must have knocked it loose during the spiral dive. I snapped it back in place and zip-tied it. Then with my knew found knowledge (thanks to all your collective experience) I also took all the other preventative maintenance steps suggested for the motor mount and wings.
Most important, I hunted down a much larger field with taller grass and that made all the difference. 5 successfull flights, no stress, finished the day without a scratch. Nothing fancy but fully under control. I'm a happy man. Were it not for the sunset I would still be out there. Tomorrow, my son gets a shot at the stick.
I can't compare the Aerobird to anything else out there, but I can say I am very satisfied with the plane and especially with its cummunity of supporters.
If you stop reading here, simply accept my gratitude. You made a difference. Thanks.
But I gotta tell about my first flights.
Plenty of opinion out there about the best plane to start with. I'm kind of glad I didn't read any of them before I bought an Aerobird on impulse. Been wanting to fly something for a long time and stumbled upon it while killing time with my 11 year old son. My previous venture into RC flying was 25 years ago as a 15yr old. Spent two years savings to buy and lovingly build a Falcon 56 with OS Max .30 engine and all the field support gear. Even bought a 7 channel radio cause I was sure I'd be in this hobby forever. Too few flying fields, too far away, too young to drive, too little cash, too much to risk. Only watched it fly once at the hands of the club's instructor pilot. A bad ni-cad connection in the transmitter nearly totaled the plane on that first flight. Never got a chance to fly it again. Sold the thing cause it was no fun not flying and worrying about a crash wiping out everything. I say this only to emphasize why I bought the Aerobird. It was cheap, incredibly simple, rugged, and I had *ZERO* time invested in it so if I or my son crashed the thing... who cares. Spare parts are readily available. It was PERFECT for me before I even pulled it out of the box.
Watched the video, read the manual, and headed to the local Soccer Fields. Early AM, No wind. Started with a few hand launches with full throttle but cut power immediately after checking trim. Did this a few times (old habit from making paper airplanes) until I had a feel for the launch/glide/landing characteristics. This gave me confidence that I could let go of the stick and she'd fly straight. Took a deep breath and launched once more but this time circled the field once at 50 feet before bringing it down for another landing. The plane flew faster than I thought and I had to keep turning to avoid the tree line and miss the tall flood lights.
Lesson #1. A soccer field isn't big enough.
Found out quickly that when you cut power to decend, pitch control is ok but you loose turning effectiveness. Had to turn to miss the trees about 20 feet up and couldn't fully recover before catching a wing on landing and cartwheeling. Happily... no damage other than a minor wing dent.
Lesson #2. Use the throttle during turns.
Launched again and this time went high enough not to worry about trees or light standards. Cruised a few laps at half power with stick centered losing only a little altitude in each turn. But while decending, had to deal with the obstacles again. This time used throttle in the turns while decending and got her down safely once more (lucky not to put her into a soccer net). With growing confidence, I launched again and flew farther away (using the adjacent soccer field to give me more straight and level flight and more time to think). Did some shallow dives and climbs using throttle only. Misjudged my distance and clipped the wing against a tall light standard throwing the Aerobird into tight spiral from 75' hitting the ground nose first. To my amazement... other than a dented nose and broken control arm, everything else seemed fine.
Epoxied the control arm, tested the symmetry of control throws and returned to the field that evening. Was surprised to find I could no longer handlaunch without the plane diving into the ground (even with full up elevator). Tried the tip in the manual about adjusting the vtail screws for more downforce. This time, i could barely recover from the launch. The Aerobird made it half way around the field at less than 10 feet. Couldn't gain altitude even with full throttle on a fresh battery. Flight ended after hitting a small seedling tree. Again, no damage. CG seemed right, control throws were fine. I was confused! Called it a night and headed to Google for help. Figured someone out there must know what's going on. That's when I stumbled across RC Universe and these threads. Everything I had experienced that first day was in all your posts. How timely. My pitch problem was the very common tail-boom-popped-out-of-place syndrome reported many times in these threads. It was such a subtle problem because it still felt secure, the CG was balanced, and the control throws centred at neutral stick. Must have knocked it loose during the spiral dive. I snapped it back in place and zip-tied it. Then with my knew found knowledge (thanks to all your collective experience) I also took all the other preventative maintenance steps suggested for the motor mount and wings.
Most important, I hunted down a much larger field with taller grass and that made all the difference. 5 successfull flights, no stress, finished the day without a scratch. Nothing fancy but fully under control. I'm a happy man. Were it not for the sunset I would still be out there. Tomorrow, my son gets a shot at the stick.
I can't compare the Aerobird to anything else out there, but I can say I am very satisfied with the plane and especially with its cummunity of supporters.
12-01-2003, 09:19 PM
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RE: Thanks for the Aerobird Tips
I am glad that you got that fixed, i just read your post after i repaired mine for the same problem. My Aerobird, slightly modified, had to be overhauled. the reciever went bad on it, so i took out everything. i got it from a friend how crashed it good. so i installed a jr reciever, 2 micro servos, and ESC. i used the same battery pack. the reciever is all the way in the front to keep the cg were it needs to be.
yes, the tail boom comes out easily, so a zip tie can fix that. also the motor mount can come out, and will cause a disaster. i recommend a zip tie there, just make sure it is not too tied, or the thrust line will change. tied it around the motor, by making 2 small holes below the motor ( from the side) and tie it around the top of the body.
take care.
yes, the tail boom comes out easily, so a zip tie can fix that. also the motor mount can come out, and will cause a disaster. i recommend a zip tie there, just make sure it is not too tied, or the thrust line will change. tied it around the motor, by making 2 small holes below the motor ( from the side) and tie it around the top of the body.
take care.
