alansick

I have a couple questions and would like some help.

I have decided not to get a first plane without ailerons. I would not hookup the ailerons until ready. I ASSUME a plane with nonworking (locked) ailerons is the same as a plane without ailerons. Question 1 - The right stick left-right movement normally controls ailerons (mode 2) which does the turning. If not using ailerons but rudder only for turning, do you put the rudder control on the aileron stick to get used to turning with right stick?

Question 2 - If going to mode 1, do you set any stick for spring centering and do you use racheting (cick,click,click) on any stick (mode 1 or 2)?

Down-the-road questions;

Question 3 - Does mode 1 work for helicopters?

Question 4 - Are sport foamies (Yak, Funtana, etc) not easy, hard, or very hard to control?

Thanks in advance for your help. Alan

P.S. I have found most of the locals do not warm up to you if you express interest in electric. Is that pretty common at this point. Should I find other places to fly or stay and help expose them to the capabilities and advantages of "clean" flight?

Flypaper 2

Hi Allen:
Rudder is connected to right , ail stick to fly rudder and elevator. GWS E Starter is a good one to start with as you can fly it rudder and el. then hook up the ailerons later, This is a cub type high wing with dihedral so it is inherently stable. The Yak, Funtana types are flat midwing so they won't fly on their own very long. Not good to learn on.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

No, this is not the case at all. The wing design is differnet. An aileron plane typically has a flatter wing where a rudder plane has more dihedral in the wings.

If you want a plane where you can start without ailerons, then go to ailerons later, I would recommend several of the mountain models planes. They are available with a slow flying trainer wing without ailerons and a sport wing with ailerons. Here are two examples. The Magpie is especially good for new flyers. Very easy to build foam plane and flies great. A complete package with both wings and the electronics ( less radio ) is $160.


Magpie
I recommend the $55 package with two wings.
Has slow fly/trainer wing AND an aileron sport wing.
Master the first, then advance to the second.
They offer a complete package with both wings and all the electroncis for $160
Makes it so easy to get it right!
http://www.mountainmodels.com/magpie.php
discussion threads
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...51#post3502851
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...=SmoothE+build
Video - slow fly wing
http://www.mountainmodels.com/Magpie.wmv
Sport wing
http://www.mountainmodels.com/MagpieSP.wmv

SmoothE - E$50
Easy to build Balsa and foam kit. Build as 3 Channel Slow Flyer
Optional 4 channel aileron trainer when you are ready
http://www.mountainmodels.com/smoothe.php
Discussion Threads
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...=SmoothE+build
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...&page=19&pp=15
Funny video
http://www.mountainmodels.com/SmoothEsmall.WMV


I don't recommend pretty planes as first planes. They are too easy to break,
too hard to fix and look bad in short order. So you won't see any especially
pretty or true scale planes in my recommendations. Make one of those your second or third plane. I
also don't recommend two channel R/T electrics, so you won't find any on the
list. If you want one of these, I would suggest the Firebird series from
HobbyZone. They can be very easy to fly and can be a lot of fun, but they can
also be very easy to lose. You should plan to fly them in dead calm air when
you are first starting.

I feel a high wing three channel R/E/T plane is your best choice for a first
plane. R/E/T will require a little more learning than the two channel R/E
planes but is a better choice as a first plane, in my opinion. These use the
same control inputs as more advanced planes and can be flown in more wind once
you have mastered them in calm conditions.



If you are totally new to RC Flying, these articles may be helpful.


RC Planes Are not like RC Cars
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=17

Stall
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=31

Launch into the wind
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=43

Parts of the plane and how they work
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=54

The RC Pilots Cockpit
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=59

Flying the Plane
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=64

New Electric Flyer FAQs
http://www.ezonemag.com/pages/faq/a105.shtml

Six Keys to Success for new e-flyers
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=355208

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

What Goes on Which Stick?
by Ed Anderson
aeajr on the forums

If you are flying an RTF electric plane, your radio and servos are already set-up for you. However if you are setting up an ARF or finishing a kit, you will be installing your own radio equipment. So, which stuff goes on which stick, and why?

We usually talk about what surface is controlled by what stick. However,
that is not really the right way to look at it.

For a two stick radio, used in mode two format, the standard format in North
America, pitch and roll are on the right stick with roll ALWAYS being your
primary turning control. Yaw and speed control are on the left stick.
Other functions are assigned to switches, buttons, dials, sliders or levers,
if you have them.

If you are in a different part of the world, you may be flying mode 1, 3 or 4 and you should consult your manual or an experienced pilot. The rest of this FAQ will be referencing mode 2 control positions.


Primary Speed control

Since this FAQ was written for electric flyers, we will assume you have an electric motor. On a two stick radio, the speed control is on the left stick and is controlled by the motion that goes toward you to turn the motor off and away from you to give full throttle. For a single stick radio the throttle control is usually on the left side and will be a slide, switch or lever.

Where does the rudder go?

Confusion often exists around where to put the rudder. Depending on the design of your plane, the rudder can play different roles so its placement can change. On a three channel electric plane without ailerons, the rudder is your primary turning surface. It provides both roll and yaw control so it goes on the right stick for roll control, as the primary turning surface. This stick also has pitch control provided by the elevator. The rudder will work with a feature of the wings, called dihedral or polyhedral, help roll or bank the plane when you want to turn.

What if there are ailerons, or elevons?

If this is a 3 channel plane with throttle, aileron and elevator controls only, like a Hitec Sky Scooter, or a flying wing that has elevon controls (combined elevator aileron in one surface), now where do I put things? Think of function rather than surface and you will know immediately. Which surface provides roll control? In this case it is the ailerons, so they go on the right stick with the elevator which provides pitch control.

If this is a 4 channel plane that has ailerons and a rudder, the ailerons are your primary roll control, so they go on the right stick. The rudder moves to the left hand stick to provide yaw control, which helps the ailerons turn the plane smoothly. The rudder, in this configuration, also plays a valuable part during landing when we may wish to redirect the nose of the plane without tipping the wings using the ailerons.


Moving from single stick to dual stick radios

Some people feel it is confusing to move from a single stick radio to a dual stick, radio, but it really isn't. If you think of your radio and your controls it in this manner, there is no confusion moving back and forth between single stick and dual stick radios or between three channel R/E/T panes and A/E/T planes or planes that are A/E/R/T. On a single stick radio, pitch and roll are on the single stick, which happens to be oriented to the right side of the radio. If this is a dual stick radio, pitch and roll are still on the right hand stick. It doesn't matter if it is a rudder/elevator plane or an aileron/elevator plane. Pitch and roll are on the right stick, or the only stick.

Think of your controls this way and there is never a doubt what goes where or which controls to use when you switch between radios and planes.

I hope this was helpful.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

What Goes on Which Stick?
by Ed Anderson
aeajr on the forums

If you are flying an RTF electric plane, your radio and servos are already set-up for you. However if you are setting up an ARF or finishing a kit, you will be installing your own radio equipment. So, which stuff goes on which stick, and why?

We usually talk about what surface is controlled by what stick. However,
that is not really the right way to look at it.

For a two stick radio, used in mode two format, the standard format in North
America, pitch and roll are on the right stick with roll ALWAYS being your
primary turning control. Yaw and speed control are on the left stick.
Other functions are assigned to switches, buttons, dials, sliders or levers,
if you have them.

If you are in a different part of the world, you may be flying mode 1, 3 or 4 and you should consult your manual or an experienced pilot. The rest of this FAQ will be referencing mode 2 control positions.


Primary Speed control

Since this FAQ was written for electric flyers, we will assume you have an electric motor. On a two stick radio, the speed control is on the left stick and is controlled by the motion that goes toward you to turn the motor off and away from you to give full throttle. For a single stick radio the throttle control is usually on the left side and will be a slide, switch or lever.

Where does the rudder go?

Confusion often exists around where to put the rudder. Depending on the design of your plane, the rudder can play different roles so its placement can change. On a three channel electric plane without ailerons, the rudder is your primary turning surface. It provides both roll and yaw control so it goes on the right stick for roll control, as the primary turning surface. This stick also has pitch control provided by the elevator. The rudder will work with a feature of the wings, called dihedral or polyhedral, help roll or bank the plane when you want to turn.

What if there are ailerons, or elevons?

If this is a 3 channel plane with throttle, aileron and elevator controls only, like a Hitec Sky Scooter, or a flying wing that has elevon controls (combined elevator aileron in one surface), now where do I put things? Think of function rather than surface and you will know immediately. Which surface provides roll control? In this case it is the ailerons, so they go on the right stick with the elevator which provides pitch control.

If this is a 4 channel plane that has ailerons and a rudder, the ailerons are your primary roll control, so they go on the right stick. The rudder moves to the left hand stick to provide yaw control, which helps the ailerons turn the plane smoothly. The rudder, in this configuration, also plays a valuable part during landing when we may wish to redirect the nose of the plane without tipping the wings using the ailerons.


Moving from single stick to dual stick radios

Some people feel it is confusing to move from a single stick radio to a dual stick, radio, but it really isn't. If you think of your radio and your controls it in this manner, there is no confusion moving back and forth between single stick and dual stick radios or between three channel R/E/T panes and A/E/T planes or planes that are A/E/R/T. On a single stick radio, pitch and roll are on the single stick, which happens to be oriented to the right side of the radio. If this is a dual stick radio, pitch and roll are still on the right hand stick. It doesn't matter if it is a rudder/elevator plane or an aileron/elevator plane. Pitch and roll are on the right stick, or the only stick.

Think of your controls this way and there is never a doubt what goes where or which controls to use when you switch between radios and planes.

I hope this was helpful.