aeajr
Posts: 5581
Joined: 1/14/2003
From: Long Island,
NY, USA
Status: offline
|
[QUOTE]Originally posted by JohnBuckner
OK fair enough, You have taught yourself to fly a simple airplane that flys at perhaps fifteen miles per hour, is controlled around two axis plus a throttle and flown very close in.
It is a huge step from there to a conventional trainer that is going to fly at least three times as fast at least three times further away because of that speed with the need for considerably refined orientation skills. This aircraft is going to need to be controlled around all three axis and there will be a change in the various levers that provide that control depending on your radio.
Now I commend you for success with your first steps However when someone brags about 'having been 'self taught' at that level on these forums and in somes cases implying you are better off going it alone, then this is doing a real disservice to us all. There was even one increditable thread recently when a gentleman went for it alone and of course crashed in under thirty seconds then went on to imply everybody should do it on their own!!
[/QUOTE]
Thanks for your clarification.
I am not bragging I am self taught. That was simply a statement of fact so that my skill, or lack there of, is not based on the guiding hand of an instructor. By no means do I suggest that this is the best route. It just happened to my my path.
Crash? Oh boy did I crash. Unsafe? Well if I were flying in a small busy field, learning on my own might have been a very bad idea as it would have represented a safety issue for those around. But that is not my situation at all.
Our field is an 1800 by 900 open grass field. Most of my "training time" was spent on the field alone. Here is a shot of the field:
http://www.lisf.org/Pictures/29070035.jpg
Today my Aerobird spends most of its time at about 200-300 feet up and it is not unusual for me to have the plane 1,500+ feet out. The transmitter range is about 2,500 feet, so I am still within safe distance for the transmitter.
I did set up a low speed pylon course a few weeks ago to see how I could handle it. It was fun and quite challenging. I would not consider myself a pylon racer, but as long as the wind stayed under 7 MPH, I could stay on the course OK.
My flights are smooth and even and I spend most of my time at about half throttle as it gives me solid 12 minute flights. Today I fly in 10-15 MPH winds without a problem.
My loops are still a little uneven and I am working on tail slides and chantell turns.
This particular 3 channel plane is extreamly easy to fly. We have 2 pilots in our club who have had little to no success flying either through trianing or on their own. They are both successfully flying this plane. It is just a real easy to fly 3 channel electric that can stand up to a lot of punnishment. One guy has been trying for 8 years and has never had a successful flight of more than a minute. Today, with a little guidance from myself and others, he is doing loops.
I will point out that we have no runway, so most of our launches are hand toss. Landings are slides into the grass and with a field that big, you can land pretty much anywhere so we have not had to master runway skills. Some probably never will unless we go out of our way to do so, which I plan to do.
I think buddy boxes are great and applaud those who take the time to train others. I hope to do that myself some day and if I do, a buddy box will be a great aid.
My next plane is the Electrajet which is a delta wing type elevon plane. Again I will work on that on my own. I have hand launched and landed other electric planes without trouble.
After the Electrajet, I go to a pure glider.
So, while being self taught is not for everyone, and certainly can not be accomplished at just any field, it can be done.
If I were to come to your field, which sounds like a small crowded runway based place, I would want to go on a buddy box for my first few flights, so that I did not represent a safety issue to others.
With the right plane, and some patience and common sense, you can be successful on your own. But I would definately recommend instruction to anyone who has it available.
_____________________________
Clear Skies and Safe Flying!
Ed Anderson
Moderator
Park Pilot Program Partner
|
Printable Version
All Forums >> RC Airplanes >> Beginners >> Another Newbie! 
Another Newbie! - 
Ive never been out with it 
