The following tips are written for all new Aerobird pilots. However but I believe there is value here for all new power pilots who are flying trainers. I invite the more experienced visitors to this thread to add their comments, clarifications or additions, pro or con.


Altitude is your friend; speed is your enemy; gliding is fun; the best way to crash.


One of the first things I teach new Aerobird pilots, and pilots of similar planes, is to pull back on the throttle to 3/4 once they have reached a comfortable altitude, say 100 feet+. In NY, that would be about double the height of a tree. Flying close to the ground is asking for trouble. If something goes wrong, you have no time to react.

After that first 100 feet, I have them climb more slowly and circle the field. This gives them lots of
stick time at an easier to manage speed. This requires less space so you can fly on a smaller field in comfort.

When we are at a comfortable height, maybe 200 feet, I have them pull
back to 1/2 throttle and cruise at that speed as they gain time on the plane.
A properly trimmed Aerobird, on a fresh battery, should fly beautifully at 1/2
throttle. An Aerobird 900 mah battery should go 12-15 minutes at 1/2
throttle. Again, because the plane is flying slower, it lives nicely in a smaller space.

I typically have them land around 8-9 minutes to be sure they have PLENTY of
reserve power. During the early flights, I land the plane.

Flying at slower speeds, you have time to think, to fly around, get used to the plane. Full power
is great for loops and tricks, but for just cruising, 1/2 is great. New pilots
should spend a lot of time just launching, cruising and landing. Save the
tricks for later.

Landing

When I am teaching landing, we make the approach at 1/3 to 1/4 throttle. This gives the pilot plenty of speed and control but does not have the plane screaming in. At the end of a battery, at 1/4 throttle, the plane will lose altitude nicely so you have lots of time to line up for a landing.

Personally I always land the Aerobird with the motor off. I just glide in. Normally I turn
the motor off 200 feet in the air, circle the field as I lose altitude, then
line up for landing and glide it all the way in.

The plane is moving slowly, so you have time to react. Line up into the wind
and just glide it in. If you position right the plane will just slide in so
easily it hardly makes a sound. Come in straight into the wind and just keep
the wings level. Worst case you land a little short of your target. You can
always apply 1/4 throttle to help you make any final distance, but cut the
motor as soon as you can.

Landing like this, if you crash, normally there will be no damage.

Be aware that the response will be slow with the motor off. This is true with all planes. Since there is less air flow over the control surfaces, they respond more slowly. This is not a design flaw, just the nature of how planes fly. The rudder on a boat would have the same response change at slow speeds.

If you need a little faster response, just give it a short shot of throttle to
push the tail around, then turn it off again. 1/4 is plenty for this. If you
are uncomfortable gliding, then just set the throttle at 1/4 as you set up for
landing and cut it completely just before you land.

Climb at full, back to 3/4 at about 100 feet to make a nice slow climb to
height, then back to half to cruise around.

When you can launch, climb, cruise, descend and land reliably 25 times in a row
with good results, then you can start to think about tricks like loops, tail
stalls and the like.

Learn to Glide

The Aerobird glides very well. Make a practice of getting the plane up high and turning the motor off. Become comfortable flying it this way, as a glider. Why? If you ever lose the motor because your battery was not as fully charged as you thought, or due to a motor problem, you will already be well practiced in how to fly it without the motor. I probably spend 20-50% of my Aerobird flights gliding. I really enjoy it.

You may find that you enjoy this silent flight mode. You may wish to thermal soar the plane. Pick up a thermal and you can have flights as long as an hour with the motor off. It takes very little to power the servos and receiver compared to the motor. You spend a minute climbing to height, say 300-400 feet, then you glide, looking for thermals. If you catch one you go up. You are thermal soaring. If not, when you get down to 50 feet, hit the power and climb again. You are flying like an e-glider.

At the very least, if you lean to glide the plane, going dead stick will not become a panic situation but a familiar situation. I have put the Aerobird up in 15 mph winds, flown down wind 50 yards ( beginners don't try this) and flown back, with no motor to land the plane at my feet. You will be amazed at what the plane can do when you stop relying on the motor.


Crashing

Yes, I teach them how to crash .... properly. If you are going to crash,
turn the motor off BEFORE you hit. This will reduce the damage to the plane
dramatically and will usually prevent the prop from cutting through a
wing that has been reinforced with strapping tape. Try to bring the nose up
and the wings level if you can, but power off is the most important item.

Let the plane fly itself

If you have lost orientation and the plane is at an odd angle, that is to say that you are not sure left from right and up from down, CUT THE THROTTLE and let the stick go. Most of the time, if the plane has enough altitude the Aerobird will level itself. Then you can apply power and go on flying. If you crash, at least the motor was off.

It amazes me how often I see pilots fly their planes, full power, right into
the ground. If you were driving a car and thought you might hit something, you
would at least take your foot off the gas and probably hit the brake.

Turning the motor off is the same thing. Helps a lot!!

Altitude is your friend!

Speed is your enemy!

Lean to glide

Lean how to crash properly

Let the plane fly itself.