DJ88

I took my sky fly by hobbico out for the first time yesterday. Hand launch and it took off gained altitude and i turned it a few times... then had a rough landing... next launch i went up and drilled it after making a couple turns... broke the wing... yuck. This can be glued and taped from what i have read... --What type glue?? the wing is vinyl covered foam.

Also i need some tips on flying. The plane was moving too fast for me at full throttle... how much throttle could i cut back on without losing altitude? also, I believe the mistake i made was to pull on the rudder too hard and i turned too hard... I dont know if its the way the plane reacts...slow from inputs or what... but i should have known better... I know you are supposed to go easy on rudder...and give it some elevation... but i may be overkill... the fly zone has a beginner setting on the transmitter that adds elevator when making a turn... i may have also been hitting the elevator too...

Any flying help is appreciated.

Barry2

I think the sky fly has an issue with the control lines coming loose at the control horns on the elevator, causing a dive to impact. I would make sure all is secure there before continuing and check carefully before each flight. If you do a search you may find some more information on this and maybe some glue suggestions.

Throttle: Many planes will hold altitude at about half throttle and fly much slower there. Climb the plane to a safe altitude and experiment with throttle settings to see how low you can set the throttle without losng altitude. That should be your default throttle setting for a while. Also, if the plane seems too fast for you, that may be a symptom of flying on a field that is too small. If you can find a really big field (600x600 feet), it may not seem so fast.

Turning: In general I think you would be better off avoiding the beginner setting that mixes elevator with rudder. I think you will find the airplane more responsive and less likely to stall in the more advanced mode. Just use very minimal rudder inputs and keep the bank angle low (less than 30 degrees). You may not need to add any elevator in a very shallow turn. In steeper turns, watch for the plane to begin to dive and compensate with up elevator. The higher you fly, the longer you will have to recover from an overbanked situation.

In general, try to use the slightest, most gradual control inputs that you can and give the plane a second or two to respond. This will keep things under control better. And of course avoid wind. Flying in a light 5 mph breeze will be twice as hard as flying in perfectly calm air.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

I have flown this plane and I like it a lot as a first plane.

Check the elevator hinge. It is weak. Use some clear packing tape to bridge the gap. It will reinforce the hinge.

I fine the beginner setting works well.

Of course you must be flying in calm air if you are trying to learn on your own. Otherwise you are fighting the wind, not flying the plane.

Wings are cheap. Get a new wing. Save the broken one. Search for a thread on repairing Aerobird wings by myself, aeajr. Same type of wing, so same methods will work.

Plane flies quite nicely at 1/2 throttle. I flew it in 12 mph wind with the motor off in a full glide. Flew fine, but I would NOT recommend a new flyer try this. Calm to 5 mph max for a new flyer.

Also search on a thread called 6 keys to success. Those tips will help you a lot.

Deltabongo2

I flew my Sky Fly for the first time today and was really impressed by how it flew. Bear in mind that this was my first time flying ever (no simulator, no instructor). The first flight was definitely !QUOT!White Knuckle Airline!QUOT! as the first turns I made were way too steep and everything was going on too fast in my head. But after the 2nd battery pack ( I bought 3 extra ones) I was really getting the hang of it, where thinking about the controls vs the orientation of the plane started to become automatic.. well fairly automatic.

I was flying with expert mode enabled in about 8 mph winds, a little higher wind speed than I would have liked but I really wanted to get out today as the plane's been sitting in my basement for over a month. The plane flew well and was able to come back upwind at full throttle without too much difficulty.

What I was really impressed with was its ability to glide once the motor shut itself down at the end of the battery charge. Kind of freaked me out at first but by just not over controlling the plane, it glided down easily. Also as long as the amount of control input is kept to a minimum, the plane does a great job of leveling itself out pretty easily.

The two tips that I really found helped me the most are:

- Don't be afraid of altitude, it's definitely your friend.
- Go easy on the amount of input you give the plane

Anyhow, just wanted to share my first flight experience which was definitely a positive one.

I think I'm hooked!!!

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Congratulatoins! Great report.

Let us know if we can help you in your training.

Deltabongo2

Thanks. I did quite a bit of lurking around the forums, taking notes in the hopes of learning something!

Leo L

Congratulations! It takes most flyers a while to realize that altitude is their friend, not their enemy. Good luck! Remember to stay FAR away from trees and be cautious about the wind.