Originally posted by Dakker
Yeah from looking at the electric plane, I only have rudder/elevator control, that does suck, and to further complicate things, the rudder control is on the right stick, which is where the aileron controls are on my plane, that will probably confuse me, but i figure flying around on a plastic airplane will at least get me accoustomed to the things I was not expecting, like for instance..
1. How fast these things really go, I was expecting( for some stupid reason) that since this was a trainer it would only go like 15mph.... bahaha was I wrong. How fast would this thing go with say no head wind anyone guess?
2. The amount of control you do have, from my pilot training experiences, slow turns, slow climbs, slow everything, the rc world while being much smaller is much faster paced, these things climb, bank, stall, get flipped over into trees, etc... much faster than a real plane.
3. How much wind can affect them.... Wasn't ready for that.. heh
Lets See first having the rudder on the same stick is actually a good thing. Unlike a full size plane most RC planes can be turned with airlerons only. So having the rudder on the right is good thing.
Now to try an answer your questions.
1. Depending on engine and plane most trainners fly between 20-70Mph (with 20-50mph being average Hey some people cram large engines in)
2. When you get good at it you will have a very good amount of control. its a mater of practice.
3. Light flat bottom wing trainers are affected by wind as you have found out weight airfoil and type of plane affect handling in windy conditions. Again you will get better with practice.
The electric you mentioned is VERY different then the glow trainer you own mastering it while it can't hurt does not mean you will be able to handle the other.
Lastly the is just my opinion...
Flying a plane and controlling it are two completly different things.
When you can fly the plane in a controlled manner evey time then you have made progress. However sending it bouncing all over the sky in a semi-controlled manner and getting back on the ground with limited damage does NOT constitute proficiency. A instructor will dramactically reduce the time it takes your to aquire this level of proficiency..