RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">Still Wrong ... Now you have to drive home from the field after DRINKING a few ....
Drinking then Driving .... Just Dumb!</span></span></span>

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

And I thought the aileron was for those high alpha rolls and the rudder was to keep the nose high while doing them.























Just fooling with ya...

Bob

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Bob: No Fooling but U are Right ... Right after one learns to keep it Stright down the Middle of the Run Way on landing.</span></span>

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

Agreed.:D:D:D

Bob

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

While I agree with most of this what I think this thread needs is specifics. For example after I learn to fly a truly straight line without altitude change then what? How do I go about this practicing this line? My point is a lot of the people on this Site know how to fly, and some very well. What I never see is a progression of instructions on how to get better. I'm talking going from casual Sunday flier to someone above average. So using the straight line as a starting point, after that is mastered what next? Learn the same thing inverted so you are also learning what inputs to give when the plane us upside down? Then learn how to do a perfectly round loop? I am not asking this to be a smart @$$, I genuinely would like to know how to get over that plateau. I am generally very comfortable flying and landing most things with a prop but at some point I stopped getting better. I stayed away from things I wasn't great at and stayed within my comfort zone for the most part, mostly because I didn't know what I should be working on or how to go about it. Sorry for rambling, things always sound better in my head.

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

Can't do a rolling circle worth a dam but I have mastered the square loop. Bottom line is that most RC fliers are weekend warriors and really don't care about precision aerobatics or flying the traffice pattern. I was practising touch and goes in a cross wind and a fellow flyer asked me what I was trying to accomplish. this is what to be expected with our current crop of RC pilots.

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

I have a couple of questions for you and it may sound odd but please humor me.

1.0 Are you afraid of crashing your model airplane?

2.0 Are you ever worried about the amount of money you have in your airplane while flying it or pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone?

If you answer yes to either of those questions then that alone has the influence to keep you from ever reaching the next plateau because you have already set up boundary limits on yourself and it is limiting your motor skills without your consent. It's just happening...

Bob

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

<h3>I think the real problem, Just like in Life, is that not all R/C Pilots are created equal. Some don't want to progress ie. They are just happy if they get the plane up make a couple of laps around the field and get it down in one piece. So long as they do it safely no problem.
</h3><h3>  The easiest way to learn to fly with precision is down load a a copy of the IMAC or Pattern procedures and start with the last maneuver and practice that until you can do it well. Doesn't have to be perfect. Then start on the next to last maneuver and practice that till it is acceptable then put them together. Now do that till you have accomplished the full pattern.</h3>

The reason to start with the last maneuver is ,in my opinion, as you go through the whole routine the farther you get into the routine   the more you have done the individual maneuvers and they should be easier the farther you get through the program. Hope this makes seance.     JMHO
</p><h3>  </h3>

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

This is a very good topic. I am not too good of a pilot, I say that because I have seen over the years guys that are masters at the sticks and I am no way near their skill level. Having said that I learned a long time ago that landing is one of those things that is way over looked when come to LEARNING HOW TO PROPERLY CONTROL YOUR PLANE..Now for those of you that think you bad, the next time you go out make a 5 foot circle on the runway with the center line through the center. Pick a flight spot and land your plane in that circle 3 times in a row then move to a next spot and do another 3 in a row and move again. I bet no one could do it even with a plane that you have mastered.
Landings is one of those maneuvers that could get a pilot very sharp. How ? Because you are flying slow, at the edge of stalling and in order to hit the center line at a marked point you have to use ALL controls especially the rudder which is not as easy as it sounds. For one look at videos on youtube , it is amazing how many pilots can`t put the plane on the ground when it is coming towards them. They have to land with the plane going away from them. Just look at most shows and see how many pilots still have the plane in the air going pass them....If there is a cross wind its worse.
The point to all this, master touch and goes on a marked spot from ALL FLYING SPOTS at your field and you will be surprised how much better your flying will get.

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

Let me also say further..If a pilot goes out to the field and decides that is going to do 30, 40 or 50 touch and goes that day, his learning starts the second he starts his take off roll.
He is planing a pattern that will get him back to the marked landing spot. Every touch and go will be different. The job or goal of the pilot is to make each circuit just like the last successful one that got him in the circle. That in it self requires a lot of concentration and skill to fly at the same speed, height and path to hit 3 successful spot landings in a row then move.

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

I have some bad habits that I have recognized as hindering my flying. I got used to 3D style fun-flys with lot's of HP that would get me out of problems and and allow for almost vert. takeoffs and really short landings.
I abandoned good solid takeoffs and in general became sloppy with the basics, just as in a full scale it usually comes back to bite you sooner than later. I now attempt to keep much tighter control in my patterns and
generally how I approach my flights.

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

To respond to sensei,

Crashing has never really bothered me or been a worry. A little carnage whether mine or my buddy's always seems to make for a better day. i don't work on the things I'm not good at because I don't know how to get better at them. Part of it I'm sure is the fact that when learning I was so focused on becoming a 3d flyer I skipped some of the basics. I suppose what I'm lacking as far as working on getting better is direction if that makes sense.

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

Our clubs newsletter has tips every issue on being a better pilot. This is this issues tip.

Be intentional. Don't spend your flight time just chasing the airplane around. Before you take off, think of at least 1 thing that you want to accomplish during the flight. I know some of you will immediately think "land it in one piece". That's perfectly fine, just make sure that youactually take steps to make that happen. Your goals don't have to be complicated or overly challenging, but you should have some sort of goal in mind for the flight. If your goal is to "relax", then be intentional about it. Don't allow your airplane (or your brain) to get into any situation that could be tricky. Stay with a basic style of flying and don't stray far from it. If your goal is more challenge oriented, set yourself up for success. That means putting the model at an altitude and airspeed that will allow a very reasonable chance for success. That may mean being 200 feet high, or it may mean staying in the center of the field. If your goal is to make a 2 foot high inverted pass wide open, then increase your chance of success by approaching this goal in a logical manner. That may mean doing a 20 foot high inverted pass or two first, and then start lowering the passes. It also would mean having a very safe "bail out" plan in place before attempting the maneuver. Remind yourself that while inverted, your first emergency response will be to push forward on the elevator stick, and from there figure out the rest. If your goal is to use your rudder during a landing approach, then take a few minutes to think about the fact that you will start making your turn with the rudder first, and then will apply aileron as needed. Remind yourself of which direction you will need to point the nose away from you during the approach. If landing from the right end of the field, right rudder will point the nose away from the pits. Sounds elementary perhaps, but going through this prior to flying will help you to avoid those awful seconds of indecision as you try to figure it out on the fly. It really doesn't matter what your goal for the flight is, the point is to have a goal, and take steps to insure that you set yourself up for success in meeting the goal(s).

Thanks to cmgtech1 for the flying lessons. He is one of the best R/Cpilots I've known.

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

Several people have responded to my comment about getting an aerobatics guy to walk you through maneuvers, saying that many pilots aren't looking to do aerobatics yet. True enough, but my point was that the guys who you see doing perfect straight uplines and slow axial rolls have figured out how to fly precisely. If the task is to fly a truly straight line down the runway, get them to talk you through it (that's how they started after all). If you can't seem to pull off a good takeoff or landing, I promise you that a competitive IMAC pilot spent some hours at some point figuring out how to get those easy points for a proper touch down. Bend his ear and get him to show you how. If you think about it, everything you do from the taxi out to the taxi back is a maneuver. And there are two parts to every maneuver: knowing how it should look from your perspective on the flightline and knowing what your hands have to do to get the results you want. Serious aerobatics pilots are really great at getting maneuvers right, so get one to show you basic things and keep a rapport going so he can teach you the hard stuff later.

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

I think Ive come accross more pilots lately that are affraid to fail, intimidated by wind and weather, and suffer from peer pressure. I call the latter The Peanut Gallery.
So here is the first tip; if your worried about losing your plane, the money or the time, then this hobby is not for you.

Next, plan to do several sessions of nothing but touch and go's in all weather all year round or all season long. I do figure 8 spot landing touch n go's with a modified EDF A-4, half Cuban touch and go's with a sport P-51, and so on from bigger to smaller planes all season just to practice situations like dead stick landings and high alfa flying.

Cross train on different models of different configurations and sizes. Why? Because I know of good IMAC pilots that cant take off with a P-51. If you get fixated on a certain model type then you will have trouble on others. I fly EDF, WWI, WWII, Sport, and recently turbine.

Finally learn to feel the conditions and know your position relative to the runway. If a problem comes up you need to make the best of the wind and direction your flying in to attempt a safe landing.

Above all have fun, its a hobby!... and its cheaper than a golf course membership... Lol

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

What, I have a rudder?
My instructor landed my trainer, disabled the ailerons and took off again, then had me fly without ailerons. That was a good lesson.
I agree "master" the trainer. Few ever do. I like to be able to do one wheel touch and goes without veering left or right. Inverted around the pattern. Truely spot landings. Ever try the "pop the balloon" task at a fun fly? The balloon is safer than you'd expect!

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

Not necessarily true. At my field I have seen warbirds beat the most competent 3D guys at the field. First example there was one guy that was capable of doing a snap roll just after take off and all the lines straight but could not get a Vailliy L19 Birddog off the ground. As soon as he give it power it ground loop. Took him about 10 tries to get it in the air. Scared the hell out of him and he would not fly it again for my buddy. My other friend also made the mistake of giving another Imac flier that came in 3rd here in the east to fly his C160 twin that was a bit heavy and yes you guessed it he crashed it on take off. So the 3D guys I guess could give you pointers if you into 3D but heavy giant warbirds aint kites. which is what I call 3D planes. Try that heavy hand on a Spitfire and you won`t have it for long.

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

Don't do nuthin' dumb.

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

What do you guys consider the single most difficult/complex aerobatic manoeuvre there is ? theres one i've been working away at for many years without sucsess and just about given up hope of ever being able to do, let alone doing it smooth and accurate.

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

A lot of good points here. I would like to add that one needs to learn how to land with power on. Too many people are trained to land with their engine at full idle and then glide it to the runway. Problem is, they are in a jam when it doesn't make it to the runway and respond with full UP elevator as a panic response. FLY the plane to touchdown.

Also, learn to use rudder for a straight takeoff. A lot of takeoffs are a 45 to 90 degree left-hand turns. My instructor made me spend an entire season doing nothing but touch and goes. I am still gratefull!

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

Well, there's only 4 aerobatic manoeuvres, that I know of.

Roll.
Loop.
Stall turn.
Spin.

Everything else is a variant of these.

I have no idea what might be considered the "most difficult manoeuvre". There's plenty that I can't do with finesse. I did once see a guy do a rolling loop, if that helps. And, it wasn't a whizzy-whizzy blur of activity, either ... it was slow and measured.

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

Well, no. Using the rudder makes the plane yaw. If the plane has enough dihedral, the yaw will induce a bank, and up elevator will make a banked plane turn. Some planes' ailerons are ineffective when they're flying slowly, and if you have one of those planes using rudder to steer on final is necessary. For most planes, though, all turns should be coordinated, and only enough rudder to counteract adverse yaw (frequently none, for small models) is needed. Airplanes aren't boats, and the rudder is not the primary steering control.

One exception, to be sure: if you're a good enough pilot you can land straight in a crosswind by flying with one wing low, using opposite rudder to keep the bank from inducing a turn. It's fun, but it's hard. Crabbing is a lot easier.

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

My opinion:
Once you are comfortable just "flying around",
start working on knife-edge flight, transitioning into point rolls, then slow rolls.
This trains you to use and coordinate all control surfaces and opens up
into more advanced maneuvers.
Until you learn to use the rudder and elevator to keep the plane straight and level while rolling,
you'll be stuck just "flying around".

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

Calculated throttle application: necessary for smooth flying from warbirds (avoid ground loops) to turbines (spool up lag).
Many of today's 2:1 power to weight ratio aircraft will overspeed if the throttle is left at full unless climbing.

Rudder control: Few are taught to control the rudder during primary RC flight instruction...this is a known weak point at every RC flying field I've visited (even the Joe Nall Memorial Fly-In!). Rudder is one of the most basic flight controls taught to full scale pilots, why does the RC community try to ignore it?

Most difficult maneuver: landing in a strong cross wind with correct controls for a wind corrected landing (upwind wing down, rudder to keep fuselage straight down the runway). Even more difficult with gusts. Contest pilots learn this as they get more serious because you can't win if you choose not to fly during a contest...lots of wind, fly anyway!

Trainer: Agree...keep the trainer, you can use it again in a year or two when you realize that you really don't know everything that plane had to offer. My Arrow trainer is one of the most fun planes to bring to the field...because everyone there can identify with me flying it and it doesn't bother anyone! No matter what maneuvers I fly with it the trainer has been a GREAT ice breaker, friend maker and common ground conversation piece. I haven't met anyone at a flying field that I couldn't talk to about flying an old trusty trainer. :)

Knife edge flight: Owning a plane that is capable of knife edge flight is, IMHO, the best second airplane. Being able to fly a wind corrected straight line, land well with good habits in the pattern and put the plane where you want it can all be done with a conventional high wing trainer. Conventional trainers struggle to knife edge because of dihedral and smaller rudder area. Apply all you've learned to straight and level flying to flying on knife edge and a whole new world of opportunities opens up. Now slow rolls are within grasp... Just using the rudder for knife edge gets your mind and thumb used to that rudder...the more you use the rudder the easier crosswind landings, crosswind takeoffs and rudder coordinated flight will be!

If you have an RC simulator you can practice by putting in a larger amount of cross wind than you normally would fly in at the field...10, 15 or even 20 mph of direct cross wind! Depending on the model, you might not be able to take off safely in real life, but the sim can teach a LOT when it comes to landing. Learn to taxi with correct control inputs for the wind situation...it makes a huge difference.

Happy New Year!

RE: Tips to make you a Better Pilot:
 

Yes, it makes allot of sense, far to many in training pilots have been wowed by the whole 3D thing, and once they get through the very basics of flying a trainer, the next thing you know, they are out there with some 3D type of airplane, lots of power and relatively very low wing loading. That is just fine except for one thing, they have never finished their training process yet. There is a great deal of pilot stuff to be learned between a beginning flyer and a well rounded 3D, pattern, IMAC, or warbird pilot. I have read someplace in this thread about how 3D pilots can fly 3D airplane but put a war bird in their hands and that is another story, well in many cases that is very true because far to many of those guys went from A straight to Z missing the dance and never learned to manage energy or the inertia from a heavier airframe. I have seen IMAC guys and I don't mean in the basic class that learned to fly a trainer and went right into competing; and here is the best part… If it was not in the aresti pattern, then they can’t fly it, what I mean is, they never learned to just sport fly. I have seen IMAC guys is the upper classes that could not negotiate a cross wind landing and crashed trying to do so , hell I even watched a guy in the advanced class for no good reason crash into a tree on final one time, and the only tree was a log way off. Anyway, if you want to cross the threshold between just a pilot and a really great pilot then you need to set up goals that push your comfort limits while flying. You will also need to discipline yourself practicing those maneuvers that only you decide are important for you to master. You know, I learned to fly by myself along time ago, but I guess I flew close to 30 years as a sport pilot flying every type thing I could get my hands on before I ever flew any pattern or 3D. I remember a phase I went through about maybe 20 years ago that I wanted to fly an R/C airplane with landing gear both on top and bottom and learned to land and take off inverted. So I would up building, flying, and destroying maybe 5 of the eight or so Sig Fazer’s I built learning to take off and land inverted as well as right side up, also from left to right and vice versa also away from me and straight towards me. I did this for a couple of years and had a blast doing it, now I have not done any of this for many years now but the motor skills are still there from learning that stuff. So my first post in this thread was Practice, practice, practice. All that really meant was, and from my own point of view; you must do diligence and burn gas…

Bob