Originally Posted by
jester_s1
He hasn't bought the jet yet. And I seriously doubt he'll ask me to buddy box with him even if I offer. And there's no way he'll get on here asking for help; he's not the sort to research things. Actually, he's not the sort to try and do anything the right way. I guess he's not as much a friend to me as a project (I'm sure there's a better word than that, but it eludes me at the moment). He has much bigger problems in life than his choice in RC planes, but I can't resist trying to get involved. I really hope to have conversations about the much bigger concerns at some point, but if he'll let me help him with RC maybe that's a place to start. I'm just not so good at how to react when a guy tells me about his plan to do something that I am 100% sure won't work out.
I understand what your saying about wanting to help the guy as a mentor , just never forget , folks resent authority . They do . It's in our thoughts ways and spirits that we don't want to be told what to do . Now to live a "normal" life , most of us tone down the urge to resent being told what to do , for the most part , but there are folks who just won't let go of that need to be "Mr Expert , large and in charge" no matter how obvious the failed results of their stubbornness is . And it sounds as you may be dealing with one of those types . If he senses any kinds of attempted mentorship on your part I'll bet he ignores the RC hobby and moves on to some other interest that catches his eye . Something that he can be the instant authority in .
Funny thing about the Cub . I'm sure the Cub you mentioned in your first post was a scale model of the actual aircraft and with it's straight wing really isn't RC trainer material . Now , to the general public who know little about full scale and nothing about RC , they see the full scale used to train pilots and think
ANY Cub is a great RC trainer , and know not of the difference between a scale model and one of the Dihedral winged , Gyro controlled* Cub models built specifically as RC trainers .
* The first RC plane a new flyer uses , sure a Gyro is a great
Learning Aide for those first flights and should be switched OFF as soon as the RC pilot can control the plane safely . If used as a permanent flying "crutch" , the pilot will never learn how to "play the wind" to the flight's best advantage . I do not scorn Gyro use in things like rotorcraft or other essential operations (I think I'd have a Gyro in my FPV , If I had one) but think the good ol regular RC monoplane (or Biplane) can get along just fine without it .......