SpudRacer
Posts: 13
Joined: 11/15/2004
From: Bryson City, NC, NC, USA
Status: offline
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Oriole,
OK, I'll reveal my ignorance, this is the FIRST R/C plane I've ever built. I've flown a full-sized Mooney, and a full-sized B52H bomber, so I have some real time experience, but the only models I've flown have been control-line models as a kid. The closest I've come to flying a real R/C is the fact that my dad bought a P-51 kit about 30 years ago (the kit is still unassembled in his closet, no joke). I've had the R/C bug since I was a child, but never had the time, or the place to fly them, at least that's what I told myself. Well, I moved to Bryson City, NC and was taking care of a nice gentleman who told me that he was part of an R/C club here in town. "We fly every weekend" he told me. I went out the the local airstrip one weekend and watched about 6 planes fly, I was hooked and it was time for me to start.
Please don't lecture me about starting with a trainer or a high-wing slow flying "BORING" plane, cause everyone in my club has already done that, time and time again. I do not want my first plane to be a boring, ugly, cheap trainer. I want a memorable first plane, and with 14 years of Air Force behind me, a military plane was my obvious first choice. Initially it was going to be a Corsair, but everyone told me they were very hard to fly. I starting thinking about a P-51, and read the reviews on the Hanger 1.50. It's supposed to be easy to fly. I've logged hundreds of hours on a flight simulator, but am scared to death when flying the plane towards me I'll forget that you have to push the aileron stick toward the dipping wing.
This is way too cool of a plane to trash it the first time up, hence my decision for an auto pilot. Call me stupid for starting with such an expensive plane, and if I crash on my first flight, then everyone was right.
I spend a couple hours at the field every weekend, just listening and watching, trying to learn the tips of the trade, and asking lots of questions. I'll post some pictures of my "marie" when she's done, then video tape my first flight. I'm also planning to put in a "Black Widow" video camera, mounted in the "radiator" intake scoop. That way not only can my wife video the first flight, but the on-board camera can capture the moment should I pummel it into the ground on the first flight. Hopefully the auto pilot will work as advertised and keep the wings level. If I get out of control, all I have to remember is to just "LET GO OF THE STICKS!!" I thought of using a trainer cord to the local club guru, but most of the experienced pilots in the club fly mostly 3D planes which sit in the air spinning around in one spot, which I find very boring to watch. Nobody has a plane this nice, so the thought of putting my faith in someone to control my plane only fills me with dread. IF he can't save it and flies it into the ground on it's first flight, I'll never even get a chance to fly it, and it would be hard to trust him again. If I crash it, I want nobody to blame except myself.
Tom
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RE: Hangar 9 150 Size P-51 - 
