hooliganflyer

Well the subject says it all. I have dibbled in 3d a bit (harriers, knife edge, spins, etc) with my scratch built profile but will be getting into it seriously soon with my bossanova. My profiler doenst hang very well (not enought grunt from engine), but now I have a plane with enough power for hanging I want to get into it straight away. From reading posts on prop hang I realise I takes practise, practise, practise, and more practise but I was woundering how long did every1 take to finnaly get the hang of it?

Regards

Darren

RhyanO

What a great question to ponder...

Results will vary.

Your going to get a wide range of responses with this one. But this one pretty much sums them all up for you.

A few will have it on the first try.
A few more will have taken a few weeks.
A few will have taken a few months.
Some may have never quite gotten the hang of it yet.

Some will say that it may only take a few times trying to get it the first time, but much longer to master.

Some will say depends on the plane.

Some will say it depends on the engine.

Some will say it depends on how much you are able to practice. (Everyday, 3 times a week, once a month) All will affect how much you practice.

Each person learns differently than others.

Im sure I have left a few variables out of this one, im sure others will add to it.

3dbob37n

Well, I remember reading that the old "100 gallon rule applies."

To be honest, I still haven't really gotten the hang of it.
Breaks my heart to tell you this.

3dbob

piroflip2

it took me quite a while partly because of my age (late 40s) and the fact that i tried the wrong models at first.

then i bought a YT magic and never looked back.

i was getting the basics the first session out with the magic and tail touching after a few weeks.

this is a tough model and survived the low level mistakes very well.

regards larry3d

southern_touch9

My Feedback: (3)

I dont know what profile you got but all of mine hover great. Get a sim and practice. Its really one of the easier things to do when compared to some of the more advanced 3D manuvers.

K.O.

My Feedback: (16)

I've also heard of the 100 gallon rule. Right now I'm about 50 gallons into it and I think I have 50 gallons to go. I suggest the younger a person is the better chance they have. I'm starting late in life so maybe I don't have a chance. hooliganflyer just like you said practice practice practice. As a suggestion one of the flight simulators my help you along. Good luck.
K.O.

drumbum

My Feedback: (1)

What are the harder (more advanced) ones?? The rolling harriers (Both ways) and inverted harrier i think IMO is harder . but harriers and parachutes,blenders, etc are a breeze..

as for the hover question. for me i would say about 1 week to hover, about a month to think i was good.. about 6 months to really be good and realize i wasnt as good as i thought i was the first month

3D ONdaEDGE

I first started with my Phoenix models Funstar. It took me about 2 weeks af hovering before I could pop it up into a hover and hold it there for any more than 30 seconds. Another couple weeks I had it looking like a hover. I could hold it there however long I wanted but it wasnt beautiful. About another 2 weeks I could contol it very well. I could move it anywhere I wanted with the nose pointing straight up. I have found that most profiles are a little harder to hover than a full bodied plane with a longer fuse. but regardless of what plane you have practice is the best thing you can do. Wait, a simulator is the best.

air mail rcu

Been flying 28 years. 52 years old. Took me about 6 months to really get it. You know you got it when you can just bring it in real slow and just ease right into a hover 6 inches in front of you . Or snap roll right into a hover right in front. Once you get it its just like riding a bike in no time you'll be saying why did it take soon long. One thing that helps, get the cg back as far as you dare and still have decent forward flight. And Practice, Practice, Practice. Also a SX3 is a great plane to learn 3D with. If not for that plane I don't know if I would have ever mastered hovering. And the help of great friends.

Good luck Darren.

Terry

RickC2009

My Feedback: (12)

Some will say that it may only take a few times trying to get it the first time, but much longer to master.

I started with glow planes and was able to hover them well. It wasn't until I got my first electric foamy (Shock flyer) that I felt I had mastered the hover!
Rickc

Rcpilot

My Feedback: (78)

First 3D plane I ever had was the CMP 3D Giles 40 size. I'm now on my 3rd one of these planes, and I am totally addicted to it. TH .75 and nice coreless servos. Replace the stock gear with aluminum and it's a pretty darn good 3D plane for under $100.

I was hovering on my 2nd flight. It flies that well. Held my first hover for a good 45 seconds or 1 minute before I lost it. I made a pass around the field and brought it in for another hover. Flat and level at very low throttle--less than 1/4. Just enough throttle to keep it flying along slowly. Popped back on the elevator and held a perfect hover for a solid 2 minutes. Of course--that was about 75' off the ground.

I was torqueing this plane on my 3rd flight.

I had never tried 3D untill I got this plane.

I'm still too chicken to get it any lower than about 25' off the ground. I'm decent--but just scared to get it any lower. Stupid--because it doesn't make any difference. If I screw up at 25' off the ground--it's still a dead plane. Maybe I'll try to get it a bit lower.[sm=spinnyeyes.gif]

sillyness

My Feedback: (25)

Took me a couple weeks on the sim... then I got a Shockflier and spent a whole winter flying in a gym... pretty much mastered it after that. The Shockfliers are GREAT torque-roll trainers because there is no fear... seriously, this plays a huge roll in letting you relax and focus on torque-rolling rather than losing you plane. Plus, you will be torque-rolling down low (lack of fear) which makes the plane much easier to see and you can respond faster... very important when learning. Finally, the shockfliers have so much control authority that you can punch the throttle, bury the stick, and get out of any situation.

Torque-rolling actually comes and goes a little for me depending how much I am flying. If I am flying a lot I can torque-roll and drive the plane around in the torque roll to put it wherever I want it. If I haven't flown for a couple months, then I can still torque-roll but without as much control... it takes practice and currency both for me.

My scratch-built profile (4years old) is not very good at torque-rolling, OK at hovering. I understand some of the new profiles are very good for it... I'll be trying an OMP Katana this summer. Keep in mind, my profile is a real piece of junk.