This was written for new pilots flying Aerobirds or similar planes. However
I believe it contains good ideas for all power pilots and so I offer it
here. I invite the experience pilots and instructors to comment, to add your
advice for the benefit of our new pilots.

ALTITUDE IS YOUR FRIEND, SPEED IS YOUR ENEMY
Gliding is fun and there is a proper way to crash. :-)


Altitude

I encourage new pilots to go high when they are learning. Flying close to the
ground is asking for trouble. If something goes wrong, you have no time to
react. Airplanes belong in the sky! We want to be working high enough that
you can make 3 mistakes and still have enough room to recover. For this
class of plane, let's call that 100+ feet high.

Flying under 50 feet should be reserved for experienced pilots and those who
are landing.

Speed

One of the first things I teach new Aerobird pilots, and pilots of most other
parkflyers, 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. 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 200-300 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 should fly beautifully at 1/2 throttle. An
Aerobird 900 mah battery should go 12-15 minutes at 1/2 throttle. And,
because the plane is flying slower, it lives nicely in a smaller space.
There is no need to fly at full speed.

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 very gently and in a controlled fashion so you have lots of time to
line up for a landing.

The plane is moving slowly, so you have time to react. Line up into the
wind and just guide it in. If you are flying over grass, you might be better off
taking the landing gear off and belly landing the plane. If you position
right you can cut the motor 10 feet off the ground and the plane will just
glide to a slide 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.

Personally I always land 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.

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 are gliding in and 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.

When you can launch, climb, cruise, descend and land reliably 20 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. So do many other parkflyers.

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 20-40% 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. Even if you have run the battery down half
way, you can probably glide safely for 30 minutes on the remaining capacity.

Try this for fun. You can spend a minute climbing at full power to height,
say 200-400 feet, then you glide, looking for thermals. If you catch one
you
go up, without aid of the motor. You are thermal soaring. ( Don't let it
get
too high ) If you don't catch anything, when you get down to tree height,
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 because
the motor cut out 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.


Loose orientation? 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,
(remember altitude is your friend) 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!


SUMMARY

Altitude is your friend!

Speed is your enemy!

Lean to glide

Lean how to crash properly

Let the plane fly itself.

Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy!

Here are some other tips you might find helpful: Six Keys to Success
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...08#post3551513