King_Cub

Hi, I am new to RC airplanes and have bought a Hobbyzone Super Cub. I have done alot of research about getting started in RCairplanes and the Super Cub seemed to be the best option for a beginner. I have not been able to find anyone who flys in my area and am trying to find locals who could point me in the right direction to find other local parkflyers to help show me the ropes. I've looked into some of the clubs but they seem very vague about new pilots, anything would help even just a common place to fly in my area.

I live in the Fresno, Ca area and am looking for common public parkplyers to fly with and learn from. Please let me know if you have any info in the Fresno, Ca area.

nitromandh

Sorry, I don't live near Fresno, but I started out with the super cub too. It is a great plane. It is extremely rugged. I've been flying it for 4 years, and it's still going strong. Anyway, I really didn't need any help at first. First, read the manual. It helps out a lot more than you think. Next thing I did was look up how an airplane reacts in the air. That also helped me. Just make sure the wind is calm, you have ACT on, and you stay up high, so if you stall you have time to recover. Trust me, it is an airplane that can take some abuse.

King_Cub

Thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to read the manual before i take it up.

lejongleur

My Feedback: (10)

I think your chances of having a problem are fairly high, given being a first-timer, and the unpredictability of a maiden flight. If you can't find anyone around who has experience, I seriously recommend that you consider getting or borrowing an RC simulator (RealFlight, FS One, etc., you might find a used one on Ebay or RCU), because this gives you a very good idea of how things change when the plane's orientation to you changes (coming towards you vs. going away, etc.) I don't think your plane has ailerons (??), so recovery from something bad would be harder.

Although you can think through what you need to do in each situation, actually doing the right thing at the right time requires repeated programming of yourself. Remember, a survived first flight doesn't mean that the fifth one will not be a problem, and using a simulator is a relatively cheap way to have as many free crashes as you want.

Whatever you do, good luck with it!...Chris

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

Make sure you maiden flight is on a day with ZERO WIND!
And yes, a sim would help GREATLY. Go to your local hobby shop and tell them you would like to try out the sim they have on display because you are thinking about buying it. Then spend as long as they will let you flying a cub that is on that machine. Free training

Now here's the bad news. You could have got the Exceed Piper Cub for $69.00 RTF, great for a beginner and not a lot of cash spent if you decide planes are not for you.

King_Cub

Thats a good idea for the simulator, i'll head to the hobby shop and give it a whirl

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

Let us know how many times you crash

King_Cub

Will do, hopefully i'll just be the 1 in a million that gets it right away.

speedy72vega

KC, the sim is a very good idea, you can get them pretty cheap if you look around. Another idea is to go to the AMA website. There is a link where you can search for local flying clubs in your area. Even if you have to drive a little ways to get to one, I highly recommend it. Most flying clubs have flight instructors, and most have club trainer planes that you can fly with the instructor.

If you find that you absolutely have to go it alone, I'll try to give you some practical tips for flying the SC.

First, make sure to ALWAYS take off and land directly into the wind.

Second, resist the urge to cut the throttle when the plane first lifts off the ground. I have seen too many first time pilots get spooked when the plane takes off and cut the throttle. The plane will stall and crash if you do this. To take off successfully, aim the plane into the wind (tha calmer the better) and slowly but steadily increase the throttle. The plane will start rolling, and may steer to one direction or the other. If that happens, use the right stick like you would a steering wheel in your car. With you standing behind the plane, if the plane steers left, SLIGHTLY move the stick to the right, and vice-versa. Once the plane builds up some speed, give a tiny bit of up elevator. Pulling back on the right stick will make the plane climb, forward on the stick makes it dive. Don't be afraid to give it full throttle on takeoff, and climb up pretty high in the air. Altitude is your friend, it gives you more time to react if something goes wrong. Only very slight movements are required to make the plane react, so go very easy on the stick.

Third, try to keep the plane flying straight and level, and make slow, steady turns. The plane will almost certainly require some trimming, and this will be the most difficult part for a first time pilot, as it requires you to let go of the stick for an instant. Those little slider knobs to the left and below the right stick are for trimming. If the plane tends to climb, the vertical slider will need to go foreward, and vice versa, same with the rudder trim below the stick.

Next, once the plane is airborn, and has some altitude, you can cut the throttle back to about half, and the plane should fly just fine.

When you're ready to try to land, head into the wind, slowly cut the throttle until the plane starts to decend. Try to keep the plane fairly level, and give it a little up elevator just as it's about to touch down. This takes much practice, and your first several landings will most likely be pretty rough.

Before any flight attempts, make sure the battery is FULLY charged, check all control surfaces for binding or any signs of damage or looseness.
Range check the plane! have someone hold it while you walk away from it. Walk about 30 paces with the antenna down and make sure the plane responds to stick movement. If it doesn't, DON'T FLY! Take it back and tell them there might be range issues.

Be safe and good luck, keep us posted.
Hope this helps.

King_Cub

This does help very much, thank you speedy72vega. I'll definitely use this while making my first attempt. Oh and yes i did look into clubs and there is one about 20 miles from me, the Fresno Radio Modelers. However this club want's me to spend a lot of money to fly there. The membership is $60 per year plus a new member initiation fee of $60 plus new members have to pay an additional $5 per month for the first year. That is $180 that i don't have available to spend, i mean in reality i could buy a whole new Super Cub for that. Also, that $180 would allow me plenty of room to buy SC parts for repairs as the parts are very cheap and most damage can be fixed with glue and tape. I don't expect my SC to look pretty when I'm done with it but i decided to go with it because i've heard a lot of positive feedback from people on the ease for a beginner. My only choice really is to go it alone but somewhere sometime someone had to do the same thing...

Thanks for the continued advice and help, it is very much appreciated.

K_C

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

Most of us are park flyers, not club flyers.
Clubs are mostly for those guys that fly large scale planes and can't fly anywhere else.

speedy72vega

Do they require you to become a member before they will give you an introductory flight? If so, I would look for another club! That seems very high to me, unless it's some sort of private club field they fly at.
The club I belong to is very beginner friendly. We have a club trainer plane, and a few club flight instructors (of which I am soon to become one of ), and new pilots are always welcome.
We have members of all levels, flying all sizes of planes. Our field is in a state park though, so you don't have to be a member to fly there, but the park is considering requiring AMA membership to fly.

If you take your time on the simulator before your initial flight, it will help lots. When you do decide to try it for real, make sure it's a wide open space with no chance of hitting any people or property.

Good luck.

King_Cub

They allow 30 days to fly alone with an AMA membership or with an instructor.  Yes they do have a very large private field where they hold several popular giant scale shows.  I think in this club i would be over my head, its not really where i am at the moment.  However i did find a group of guys who meet often at a public site to fly and i was invited to come hang out and get some pointers, this should help greatly.

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

I learned the old fashion way. Crash after crash It was very frustrating and I actually quit airplanes for a long time. It was the HZ Phantom that saved me. I saw that they finally came out with a 3 channel small plane. Before that the only success I had with planes was the old HZ Firebird. But it didn't have an elevator, so it could be a little frustrating in the wind. So I got one and was having lots of fun. Then PZ came out with their mini Cessna. I got one of those next, my love for flying started to grow. Now I have a lot of planes and love to fly as often as I can. Oh, forgot to mention. I picked up G3 during my first learning season, later on when I got back into planes I picked up G4. It is good to help keep up practice during the winter months and is fun to fly.

speedy72vega

Also forgot to add: If and when you do make your first successful flight, get ready for a serious addiction for which there is no cure!!!!!!! [sm=lol.gif]

I suggest letting one of the other experienced pilots take your plane up for it's maiden flight and trim it out for you first, then maybe you can take the sticks for a bit while it's up so you can get the feel for it. Sounds like you're on the right path now, good luck.

Chocks

All the info you have been given is great!.. The one thing nobody has mentioned!!! Before you even get to the park or where ever youy are going to fly. Make sure all the controls are going in the right directions. I have seen so many first timers not check this and they crash before they even get a chance to get into the air. Make sure all the trims on the radio are in the middle then make sure all your servos are in the center. If not screw or unscrew the clevises to get everythging level. Make sure they are going in the right direction. Stand over the plane from the rear. When you move the rudder stick to the right the rudder should move to the right and so forth. Make sure of this when you get to the field also. Always move your sticks in all the directions before you give it throttle. MAKE SURE EVERYTHING is going in the right directions!!
Good luck and I hope you have great success!!