Just bough a Aerobird Extreme - One look, then bought a Aerobird Challenger aswell!
06-02-2006, 05:25 AM
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Just bough a Aerobird Extreme - One look, then bought a Aerobird Challenger aswell!
Phew!
I ordered an Aerobird Xtreme earlier in the week and it just arrived - for guy who's R/C has always been 4 wheels this is HUGE! I'm so glad I ordered an Aerobird Challenger a few days after my original Xtreme order. The more I read about these planes the more I had doubts about being able to fly the larger one, so I thought I'd train using the Challenger
Now I'm thinking I should have got a Firebird Scout as electric flight (or any flight for that matter) is totally new to me.
Maiden crash tomorrow - I've got to find an area that nobody sees me - a closet newb flyer!
Well, here come the repair bills.......
I ordered an Aerobird Xtreme earlier in the week and it just arrived - for guy who's R/C has always been 4 wheels this is HUGE! I'm so glad I ordered an Aerobird Challenger a few days after my original Xtreme order. The more I read about these planes the more I had doubts about being able to fly the larger one, so I thought I'd train using the Challenger
Now I'm thinking I should have got a Firebird Scout as electric flight (or any flight for that matter) is totally new to me.
Maiden crash tomorrow - I've got to find an area that nobody sees me - a closet newb flyer!
Well, here come the repair bills.......
06-02-2006, 08:14 AM
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RE: Just bough a Aerobird Extreme - One look, then bought a Aerobird Challenger aswell!
give yourself more altitude than you first imagine you'd need and you'll do just fine 
also try not to fly if there is more than 5 mph winds or your first landing may be a little hairy
best of luck... altitude is your friend and all is well
also try not to fly if there is more than 5 mph winds or your first landing may be a little hairy best of luck... altitude is your friend and all is well
06-02-2006, 08:39 AM
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RE: Just bough a Aerobird Extreme - One look, then bought a Aerobird Challenger aswell!
Be confident! The Aerobird Challenger is a very good selection for your first plane. I presume that you have read the various threads here, and on RCGroups, regarding first flights. A few reinforcements: NO WIND; lots of room (at least 600ft.x600ft.); stay far away from trees. Always keep the plane in front of you; don't let it get over your head because the perspective can become very confusing. Make sure that the battery is fully charged; you should be able to get about 10 minutes of flight so time yourself. Start bringing the plane in for a landing at 8 minutes (you don't want to run out of power on your first flight).
Although the manual recommends hand launching initially, I have found ground launches to be much easier to learn with. I also found that the plane responds much better, and flies much easier, in the ProMode. I suggest that you skip the SportMode and start right away in the ProMode. If you decide to try ground launching follow these steps: Select a good launching location. I prefer the dirt infield of a little league baseball field, but any hard surface will do. If there is a slight breeze (no more than 5 mph) set the plane on the ground so that it points directly into the wind. Install the battery in the plane and set the plane on the ground at your feet, pointing directly away from you, into the breeze (if any). Check that the trim tabs on the transmitter are centered. Push the control stick on the transmitter all the way forward and turn on the transmitter, holding the control stick forward. Wait 5 seconds and release the control stick; this sets the plane in the ProMode. Check the control surfaces. They should be level with the rest of the tail. Move the stick left, right, up and down; verifying that the control surfaces are moving correctly. Set your watch and give the plane throttle, steadily increasing to full. The plane will begin to taxi. It might not roll perfectly straight; try to resist steering it while on the ground - as long as it isn't heading for some immovable object let it go in whichever direction it chooses. If it starts heading toward an obstacle, shut it down and try again, altering the direction that it was originally pointed in. Within about 40-50 ft the plane should start lifting up from the ground. If not, slightly pull back on the stick. As soon as the plane clears the ground, immediately let the stick come back to neutral and decrease the throttle to about 60% so that the plane levels off and flies parallel to the ground, allowing it to pick up speed. Gradually increase throttle to allow the plane to climb very gently. If the plane climbs too steeply, it will stall. Once a plane stalls, it will begin to fall. If it has enough elevation, it will increase speed until it can fly again. If its too close to the ground, it will crash before it can recover enough speed. Try not to make turns until the plane is at least 50 ft. up, but preferably 100ft. Remember, altitude is your plane's friend, the ground is the enemy. When you need to turn, make movements of the control stick no more than 1/4 of its throw, and give the plane a second to respond to your input. Don't make any turns greater than 90 degrees, but preferably make them in 45 degree increments, always returning to level flight. When the plane is at 100ft. reduce the throttle to 50% (you can feel a slight click in the slider at the 50% point). The plane should be flying level at this speed. If not, adjust the trim tab as needed. Also adjust the steering trim for straight flight. (If the plane is trimmed correctly and there is no wind, it should fly straight and level at 50% throttle with absolutely no input from you. You should be able to take your hand off the transmitter and the plane should continue to fly straight and level by itself.) To land, start circling the field as wide as practical. Reduce the throttle so that the plane loses 15-20 ft. of altitude with each pass. Keep the plane at this throttle setting until its about 20ft. up. Return the throttle to 50% to level the plane until you can line it up for its final landing approach. Once the plane is lined up for the landing, cut the throttle completely. Let the plane glide with no elevator input and only enough steering input to keep it level. When the plane is about 5 ft. from the ground, give a slight burst of throttle to level it, then cut the throttle again, letting it settle to the ground with the throttle off.
Remember, when the plane is flying toward you, the steering controls will appear to be reversed. If you want the plane to move toward your right, you will need to move the stick toward the left. Which ever wing is down, move the stick in that direction to "prop the wing up".
Although the manual recommends hand launching initially, I have found ground launches to be much easier to learn with. I also found that the plane responds much better, and flies much easier, in the ProMode. I suggest that you skip the SportMode and start right away in the ProMode. If you decide to try ground launching follow these steps: Select a good launching location. I prefer the dirt infield of a little league baseball field, but any hard surface will do. If there is a slight breeze (no more than 5 mph) set the plane on the ground so that it points directly into the wind. Install the battery in the plane and set the plane on the ground at your feet, pointing directly away from you, into the breeze (if any). Check that the trim tabs on the transmitter are centered. Push the control stick on the transmitter all the way forward and turn on the transmitter, holding the control stick forward. Wait 5 seconds and release the control stick; this sets the plane in the ProMode. Check the control surfaces. They should be level with the rest of the tail. Move the stick left, right, up and down; verifying that the control surfaces are moving correctly. Set your watch and give the plane throttle, steadily increasing to full. The plane will begin to taxi. It might not roll perfectly straight; try to resist steering it while on the ground - as long as it isn't heading for some immovable object let it go in whichever direction it chooses. If it starts heading toward an obstacle, shut it down and try again, altering the direction that it was originally pointed in. Within about 40-50 ft the plane should start lifting up from the ground. If not, slightly pull back on the stick. As soon as the plane clears the ground, immediately let the stick come back to neutral and decrease the throttle to about 60% so that the plane levels off and flies parallel to the ground, allowing it to pick up speed. Gradually increase throttle to allow the plane to climb very gently. If the plane climbs too steeply, it will stall. Once a plane stalls, it will begin to fall. If it has enough elevation, it will increase speed until it can fly again. If its too close to the ground, it will crash before it can recover enough speed. Try not to make turns until the plane is at least 50 ft. up, but preferably 100ft. Remember, altitude is your plane's friend, the ground is the enemy. When you need to turn, make movements of the control stick no more than 1/4 of its throw, and give the plane a second to respond to your input. Don't make any turns greater than 90 degrees, but preferably make them in 45 degree increments, always returning to level flight. When the plane is at 100ft. reduce the throttle to 50% (you can feel a slight click in the slider at the 50% point). The plane should be flying level at this speed. If not, adjust the trim tab as needed. Also adjust the steering trim for straight flight. (If the plane is trimmed correctly and there is no wind, it should fly straight and level at 50% throttle with absolutely no input from you. You should be able to take your hand off the transmitter and the plane should continue to fly straight and level by itself.) To land, start circling the field as wide as practical. Reduce the throttle so that the plane loses 15-20 ft. of altitude with each pass. Keep the plane at this throttle setting until its about 20ft. up. Return the throttle to 50% to level the plane until you can line it up for its final landing approach. Once the plane is lined up for the landing, cut the throttle completely. Let the plane glide with no elevator input and only enough steering input to keep it level. When the plane is about 5 ft. from the ground, give a slight burst of throttle to level it, then cut the throttle again, letting it settle to the ground with the throttle off.
Remember, when the plane is flying toward you, the steering controls will appear to be reversed. If you want the plane to move toward your right, you will need to move the stick toward the left. Which ever wing is down, move the stick in that direction to "prop the wing up".
06-02-2006, 02:33 PM
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RE: Just bough a Aerobird Extreme - One look, then bought a Aerobird Challenger aswell!
Thanks for the kind words Packyj - and Leo, that definitive post was brilliant! I'm gonna have that printed out and with me along with the manual tomorrow. I managed to stash the Xtreme in the loft before the wife saw it - she's already doing her nut about the Challenger.
Weather is going to pretty good tomorrow - I can't wait.
One question - the Xtreme's peak charger is a different model to the one supplied with the Challenger and it has a standard Tamiya connector - with it being a peak charger I was wondering if I could use it to charge other (NimH) batteries that are higher voltages (mainly 9.6v 700mah - for my nephew's hovercraft. Right now the poor boy sits and watches thw all charger for hours on end!) or is this a no no? The hovercraft packs have 8 cells.
I ordered a ZigZag Racer today too - if that's here tomorrow - it's gonna be one early christmas.
Thanks again guys.
Weather is going to pretty good tomorrow - I can't wait.
One question - the Xtreme's peak charger is a different model to the one supplied with the Challenger and it has a standard Tamiya connector - with it being a peak charger I was wondering if I could use it to charge other (NimH) batteries that are higher voltages (mainly 9.6v 700mah - for my nephew's hovercraft. Right now the poor boy sits and watches thw all charger for hours on end!) or is this a no no? The hovercraft packs have 8 cells.
I ordered a ZigZag Racer today too - if that's here tomorrow - it's gonna be one early christmas.
Thanks again guys.
