Harder to fly a Bipe ???
 

Hello all
This might be in the wrong forum but.......I was told that Bipes are harder to fly in general because of the double wing....
I always thought double the wing, more air surface...no? I fly all kinds of other stuff but want to get into Bibes more.

any thoughts?

I've got a Parkzone SE-5A, and the first thing I noticed was get on that rudder to make my turns. Feels different, yes. Harder, nah I think you get used to it and just fly it like it should be flown. Just my opinion. Don't let the two wings intimidate you if you want to fly a biplane. They look great in the air.

Yes, agreed, very nice in the air. I have only crashed,,uh, flown, a couple of foamy bipes cause I really really want a nice bipe flyer. Eventually I will get there. Just need to tame the gravity around here a bit and make the trees afraid of me for a change. lol Thanks for the feedback.

Just checked out your Parkzone SE-5A very nice. My fave is the Stearman PT-17 or anything close.
Yours is similar to the Bristol Scout, that too is very cool. I was told by someone with tons more experience than I
that Bipes are extremely hard to fly because of the wing loading. I then got confused cause I also love and fly
Lazy Bees of various sizes. Maybe he meant for high speed flight....they are not meant for high speed.

You might want to consider a simulator. Simulators are not the end all training method but they do help considerably. Crash on the simulator and its just a press of the reset button to try again. Also, if those trees are a menace, look for a field that doesn't have them. You might have to travel further but having a wide open space is much better than flying around the Charlie Brown kite eating trees. I use to try to fly my SE-5A in a local park here but found it ate up airspace pretty fast and really is better flown at a regular RC field. But if gravity and trees are the problem, sounds like you just have to up your experience level. Your friends concern about about high wing loading is correct for biplanes with short wingspans and excessive weight. If you're looking at different models and trying to make a possible decision, try this wing loading calculator that is easy to use. http://www.flyrc.com/wing-load-calculator/ Do your research, biplanes are cool.

In my experience biplanes are not harder to fly- but "feel different". I have a H9 Beast and it does fly differently than similar sized aerobatic monoplanes. Visually the difference is obvious but I really notice it and it affects the way I fly- harder to orient sometimes especially when it silhouettes. In my opinion, it flies less gracefully. Also, it lands faster and I need to keep power on longer when coming in- I assume due to drag.

At the same time I really do enjoy it as a change of pace- it's cool.

Bottom line is if you can fly a monoplane you can fly a biplane- I wouldn't worry about it- just be aware that it may take a little getting used to.

So who told you that baloney? Compared to what, single fixed wing?

Harder no, different yes.

Definitely more drag. So fly it to the ground when landing. Watch your sink rate and airspeed. The flight's not over until it's back in the chocks.

Here's one of mine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayeiKZfbvQs

To me the only difference is in the landing. Or it if goes dead stick ( on a glow or gas plane) Twice the wings is twice the drag. You are not going to glide around with a bipe if the engine quits. You need to be finding a place to land now. That being said I've never flown a foamy bipe. But as someone said above, if you can handle a single wing you can handle a bipe.

David

Generally agree, but I build my bipes with thinner airfoils than my monoplanes and they glide surprisingly well. Jim

The E-Flite UMX Pitts and PT-17 fly unbelievably well for being both small and biplanes. These glide almost as well as many other small single wing foamies too. A biplane should fly as well as a monoplane with power, but as Daveopam notes above, they generally won't glide very well. The other issue some have with biplanes is the CG. It is far forward on some, which means adding more weight to properly balance

Bill Kalb in Pegasus RC in Hagerstown, MD only flies triplanes. They all fly great, but difficult to land without flipping. Bill makes it look easy....

I have flown them. No problems. Rock solid.

Thank you all for your input. :o You have given me renewed confidence to get back on the Bipe saddle.
Thank you again.

I enjoy biplanes. I miss the Skybolt .60. I had an Ace 4-40 Bipe and loved it. Building a Tiger moth now. So far, I had nothing new to learn, but you felt the lift as well as the drag of the top wing. The more important question is how does foam fly compared to framed up balsa wood models? E Flite and Parkzone vs. an Aeromaster, mentioned in this thread?
I'll take the Aeromaster any day of the week, a video worthy model.

Thats a huge Airplane for sure,,, yes, a beauty in the air for sure.
Thanks

I have a couple of bipes, an E-Flite PT-17 and a GP Curtiss. They takeoff relatively quickly without near as much power supplied to the motor as compared to monoplanes. They are difficult to keep from flipping over when landing, which I hate. Definitely a ton of fun and I am glad they are part of my collection. Flying is similar to monoplanes, landing them without tipping it over is a challenge for me. It's definitely easier to do loops with them. I would say to go for it, you will not regret it.

I currently have the hots for the E-Flite UMX Pitts S-1S. Had it in my hand at Hobby Town, just didn't buy it. Might just go back and snag it. This video makes me want it more than ever. The narrator is former owner of a full scale Pitts. This video is worth watching and not too long. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN5YFW5hzJ8[h=1][/h]

That was nice.

Just gotta do it!! Thanks

I have flown many bipes and they all have the same two characteristics ( as mentioned, they do not glide well) and you have to be on the sticks all the time. Just my $.02 worth.

May I jump in on this thread? I have purchased the Phaeton 90 for my first Bipe. How do you feel that this compares?

I think as long you have experience flying RC aircraft, you're going to love it.

I too have a soft spot for biplanes. They do fly a bit different but not overly so. As far as the Phaeton is concerned, if you can handle other sport aerobatic airplanes you will be fine. I can't agree with the statement that they need to be flown 100% of the time because that implies less stability. That is a setup/trimming flaw that could apply to any airplane. Speaking of set up, one of my pet peeves is the way most ARF bilplanes set up the ailerons on a 4 aileron biplane. What I see far to often is the lower ailerons driving the upper. I don't have an issue with that method although I do prefer 4 separate servos. However what I see if the hardware to link the airlerons together is all wrong. Most of them have the link pivots on the upper wing below the hinge point and above the hinge point on the lower wing. This will result in a differential throw between the upper and lower ailerons. Not a good thing. Sig sells hardware that will bring the pivots onto the surface center line where is should be. This way you are able to get all 4 ailerons to have the exact same throw. Then by using the dual aileron mix in your TX you can dial in the correct amount of aileron differential to eliminate adverse yaw and a roll to pitch couple that would happen without the differential.

Excellent advice sir. Thank you very much.

Hmm, never thought of that. Very good thought that needs pondering. Thank for bringing this up.

The only advice I can give is...life is short fly bipes as many as you can.....hehehehe

7-5-17
added a picture of my bipes check my gallery.