Originally Posted by
Tphage
Great tips. I have some control line experience so am aware of the importance of CG and what happens when you get that wrong - I had a Flite Streak that I could barely control on it's maiden flight a few years ago...
And yes I will make sure wind and all the other factors you mention are favorable before I fly.
Unfortunately my friend has no modelling experience at all but I have lots of RF 7.5 experience and already have a fair bit of that muscle memory you talk about above e.g. responding correctly when the aircraft is approaching me vs. flying away.
Can I ask a few questions, all about the very first flight :
1) When I am airborne, what should my
intended ( as opposed to my actual
) flight path be ? I am presuming a simple pattern that I should attempt to stick to throughout the whole flight.
2) What general sort of altitude should I aim for once climb is over - I feel comfortable ( on flight sim. ) flying low but imagine that may not be a good idea when flying the actual model. If it's of any relevance, I very very rarely crash on the sim. now.
3) Do you have any tips for working out which way the model is flying should I get too far away for comfort ?
Great questions!
1) It can be whatever you want, but keep your maiden flight as simple as possible. Your goal should be to get it up safely, do some circles using mostly rudder, and get it back down as cleanly as possible.
2) The rule of thumb I was taught was three mistakes high, so about 30 feet in the air, but it also depends on your vision, plane size, and landscape..
3) Always keep in it close, but DO NOT over control the plane. That is why most people do nice controlled circles, so they can be gentle in the turns. You will have plenty of time to explore the visual range you are comfortable with and patterns. Keep the maiden simple for the fastest possible chance to fly in real life like you do on the sim
GB