Hovering
 

Could someone be so kind as to offer me an explaination of the RiGhT (if there is such a thing) way to hover a plane ?

Any special tips, techniques, or things to watch for ?

I've been playing around with a 40 sized stik with a Super Tigre 61 swinging a 12x6 master airscrew and I can get it to hang for a second or two from a slow, slow climb, but I can't hold it there.

I've heard a tail heavy plane will hover better, as well as a longer tail moment will help.

I'd appreciate any help ..

I am far from being an expert....
 

But....first, you need a plane having an engine that is a bit oversized for power. That is, so long as the plane isn't overloaded weight-wise, get a motor that is on the high side of the recommended range...I've been known to exceed the range a fair amount....

Second, having lots of elevator and rudder throws, and huge surfaces helps, since while hovering there will not be much air flowing over those surfaces, and you need the surfaces to still be effective.

Having the CG back a bit also helps....

I have heard that engaging spoilerons helps, but I haven't tried that yet...

I have noticed that my main problem in hovering has been applying the right amount of power. Although I can seem to keep the plane within 10 degrees or so of being pointed straight up, the plane invariably falls away anyway, due to not having enough power on....

I seem to be getting a bit better over time though.

Wait a bit and perhaps a few more expert folks will answer....

Hovering
 

i have one tip that helped me . one of things in a hover that is easy to do is over control watch the canopy area of the plane and not the tail this helps to keep you from over controlling. now the next tip is practice practice practice practice practice practice and more practice it took me 2 gallons of fuel of doing nothing but hovering. my ys 53 burns 1/2 oz per min. wide open it hovers at my plane at half throttle so you can imagine the time i have in hovering. there really is no trick to it it just takes time, and i dont think it takes a certain airplane either just one thats over powered. ive seen a j3 cub hover in the right hands and with the right motor sure certain airplanes are easier to hover.
just my .02 cents worth
Chad

Hovering
 

What are Spoilerons ? ailerons linked with the elevator ?

As for CG, how far back should I move it from spec, or is there a general rule ?

Thanks guys, you answered both my posts ....

-AM-

Hovering
 

I have found that hovering with a 40% is very easy and much more difficult with the smaller planes. I was hovering my 3W Extra 330 on the first flight and could hold it stationary for over a minute with ease. I jsut came across the field slowly at about 10' then pulled the plane vertical, juggled the power and it was hoverng. Trying the same thing with smaller planes was much more difficult.

Hovering
 

I didn't conceder myself "hovering" until I could hang it there for as long as i wanted to, without climbing. When I was satisfied I could hover, I started practicing tail slides and tapping the tail on the ground. Then I practiced tapping a certain spot on the ground, for control. Now I'm at the point where I'm learning to hover with the belly of the plane to me. This is to learn to tork roll, and be able to quickly recover from a bobble. If you can hover with either side of the plane towards you, well......you got it! It took me 4 years of hard flying and way more than 2 gallons of fuel to get where I am now. I have tried many planes, and engines, but the Morris Hobbies Knife with a Y.S. 63 is by far the best combo I've tried. I don't mean to knock your Super Tiger, but the mid range is pretty mushy for hovering.(I have a .45 and a .61) especially close to the ground. They are great engines, but not really considered a high performance. You want an engine that if you give it 2 clicks, you get it! Back it off 3 clicks and you get it! The mid range of the throttle is all you will be using while hovering. No matter what kind plane and engine you have, nothing takes to place of practice. I know some guys that were flying when my mama was still wiping snot off my nose. I see where they are, and where I am, and realize I got a way to go! It may seam like pretty lame advice, but it just takes practice, OH! and a G2 simulator is some of the best money I ever spent! If you can swing it, you should buy one! Good luck! D.P.T.

hover
 

Definitly sims help, as when you start you need to be higher for recovery, making it harder to see and control the plane. Some planes are just difficult to hover, ask a local "hoverer" to see how your plane hovers or if you need to try something else.
Try a 13x5 or 4
Trim your plane for hover to an extent. See if it falls on its back or whatever, but make sure its not too far out for normal flight.
I didnt use a gyro learning but one on either axis might make it easier to concentrate on one task at a time.
Enter downwind.

Hovering
 

Some great advice so far, I'll just add this recommendation: build a pizza box flier. It may sound corny, but they're cheap, "Lock in", use very little fuel, you can fly em in close, and the best part is you can stuff em in to the ground unbelievably hard. The worst that usually happens is a broken prop. You'll spend some money on props, but you will learn how to hover cheaper than anything else I've seen, and have a blast doing it.

Hovering
 

Thanks for the input,

I agree that the Super Tigre isn't a high performance engine, and right now it's not tuned very well at all, so I'm probably not using all of it's potential.

As for a local "hoverer", I don't believe that there is one where I live, so I'm kind of on my own.

I've seen some pizza box videos, and do they ever look sweet in the air. Once I can et some coroplast, I think I'm gonna make one.

thanks,
-AM-

Learn to hover? - Build a WASP
 

Do a search for Don Incoll from Australia and DL his plans for the Sirex Wasp. This FF profile was built just to learn to hover. Plus it is CHEAP on fuel as you use an OS 46FX and a 13.75 X 3.25 APC prop. Here is the link to the home page

http://www.rcwizard.com/incoll/

http://www.users.bigpond.com/sirexwasp/

My Wasp
http://home.earthlink.net/~mikesss/plane4.html

This is a GREAT plane to learn to hover on and will also be a very easy first scratch build. I bought enough wood for two, for fifteen bucks...

Hovering
 

Just got back into the hobby this year after a 15 year break and got my first fun fly plane, a Magic, not much luck hovering. Bought a Morris Knife, much easier to hover, after 3 months of flying I got it. Probably equivalent to 2 gallons of just hovering.

Put the Magic back into the air and all of a sudden I can hover it too!! Still a little trickier than the Knife.


The only secret is find a plane what is "easy" to hover and learn on it. Burn fuel and you'll have it :)


I didn't have any special setup with CG or Spoilerons/Flapeorns etc. and I don't have a simulator. The better you get at it the more addictive it gets, the more you do it, the better you get so you do it more etc. and it kind of snowballs. :D

Hovering
 

i dont go with this large 12" prop theory,, but i dont hang in one place and throttle setting, i dance like a crazy person and use a 10x4 APC or 11x4 Master on a 36 & 37
i learnt on a Cougar 2000, first up high, when i could hold it and let it go downwind till i got bored i got braver, also i'd beaten up the plane quite bad so i wasnt as worried about it anymore.
i came into wind and hovered ( not HANG! ) i gradully used the rudder more and more and gave more throttle and was aiming higher and higher, after 5 mins i was almost vert and hanging. i landed and made some changes.
first more throw and less expo to get the plane to react quicker, and moved the CofG back slightly, i also just breathed on the idle needle to improve the responce, i now had confidence in the engine not cutting
went out again, same thing, started level and slowely pulled up over about a min, and hung.
i really learnt it that fast, tho the getting there took a year. the next flight i did a tail slide and my first tail touch. this is where the hovering and learing rudder helps to get it much quicker before you just pull up.
i improved a HELL! of alot when i got a Dust Ulimited and added a rudder, it was so responsive and would hang on anything under 1/4 throttle, the strenght also gos along way to confidence.

tips are.... make the plane responceive, learnt how it flys and know it by instinct.
if you still have to think of your thumbs when you fly, practice more.
get the engine sorted, do all your tuning verticle.
do it low, you can see better, and falling from 5' is better than 20.

most important get the confidence, knowing the plane, and sorting the engine help, try on sommit you dont care if you knock up, IT WILL GET DAMMAGED!!! accept that, and go fly.

now... how do i torque it??? i've tried to hover into wind upside down, can i use the rudder? can i hell.... always been rubbish at inverted :rolleyes:

Hovering
 

This is what it looks like, when done properly. :cool:

Hovering
 

It's a sub conscious effort. That means if you have to think about your correction, its to late! I'll give you an example. My wife can type lightning fast. (I use the hunt and peck method.) Her fingers are going way faster than she can think about the letters. If she had to think about every key stoke, she would be as slow as me. A good guitarist is another example. There fingers move way to fast to think about what there doing. It may sound corny, but how hard to you think when you tie your shoes? Your fingers kinda work on there own. It all boils down to practice. All the advice and set ups in the would wont help you unless you practice, practice, practice. Now, don't let me sit here and act like some kind of expert. I'm not! But just think about what I said.Happy hovering.

Hovering
 

It is just a matter of practice and patience.

epc.

Hovering
 

:p Yep , it takes a lot of practice for sure !! It does help a lot to have a good set up with the right eng and prop, etc ....
Just stick with it and have FUN !! Take some breaks too so you do not get burned out on it ! :cool: Rod & Chris in PA.

Hovering
 

Quote:

---

how hard to you think when you tie your shoes?

---

That's the reason I have to wear Loafers.......... :p

Hovering
 

video of me on the second day i could hang propperly and im going for touches alredy, why is it that as soon as a camera pops up you dumb thumb it.
goto www.rcflyers.fsnet.co.uk and click Cougar tail touch

Hovering
 

Phill
I like your Video it made me laugh! If I had a dime every time I did that I would be rich!!!!!!

rickc2009

Hovering
 

listen very carefully at the end ;)

Hovering
 

I heard that !

Hovering
 

Get a Doghouse Extreme airplane, its a build kit, easy to build
and a good allround wring out 3d airplane(www.rcrunway.com)
Saito 91/14x6

as a recent learner also I can offer my .02

1. you need to learn the stick movements when the plane is facing you and vice versa, sim helps here
2. if the plane is too high its harder to see it especially during the
last 3/4 of a TR, you need to find a height which is not too low
but high enough so you can get a good view of the plane.
3. you need to find the right spot on the throttle which will keep
the plane hovering and not climbing/falling. you need to be able to remember this with your left thumb and find it at will
4. blip the throttle when you are making corrections
5. it is important to see/know the difference between the plane swaying and falling to the side(bad) as opposed to swaying around its axis(CG). In the former the plane will most likely be
uncorrectable since the entire plane is starting to fall, in the latter
the plane may look not straight but at least it is pivoting around its axis/cg and can be easier corrected quickly.

Hovering
 

Thanks for the inputs,

I'm thinking of making a wasp, anyone know if a .36 will be enough power ?

Thanks again for the help, I may be able to get this after all !!

Hovering
 

36 will be fine, build the plane light, after that you just need power to lug the bigger engne around.
seams theres two ways to hover, constant throttle, like post above and you learnt that planes hover point, or throw it about and just play with throttle, like i do, i actully cut back to idle sometimes and blip it all the way up when i hang. seams to impress the guys more lol ;)

dosnt the Wasp have glassed bits in it?? like a center sandwich or sommit... sure i read that somewhere, probably wrong. i guess if it does, you need these if you go for 40 and upwards engines.

i think you should go simple and strong. the Correx PBF is both and cheap, theres one here, but i cant get it to hang propperly, the Dust Unlimited and Lill Rippy both fit the bill if you add rudders, tho not having a Fuz, they like to sway alot. but are more than strong enough and light as hell.
the Magic hangs well, is pre built and cheap.
Wasp, was designed for hanging and also does lots of other weird stuff.
sudden comprimise comes to mind...... build a Wasp with a GF LE and one running down the fuz too. also for rudder post and tailplane, this will give all the strenght you need and keep it light as well

Hovering
 

I'm not really sure if it's glassed anywhere or not ..

I was actually contemplating making it out of corroplast .. but I think that'd be too heavy for the 0.36.

The engine is actually from a heli, with the big cooling fins on the top, will this pose a problem for aircraft flight ?