Hello,
First off I'm pretty excited to be in this forum. My questions have grown beyond the beginner's forum, so it was suggested I come here. I started flying RC planes a month and a half ago and have picked up very quickly. I'm currently flying a Phoenix Dolphin (O.S. 46AX, MAS 11x5) and starting to get into some pattern stuff. My new plane (on it's way) is a Phoenix Super Decathlon. Not exactly a pattern plane I guess, but an aerobat at least (and I am REALLY excited for that plane) I guess I'll post a pic of my current plane.

There is only one member of my club who flies pattern, and as he belongs to other clubs as well I have not met him yet. So, I would love some suggestions or links about how and where to get into pattern flying, including some basic techniques to work on.

A more specific question I have is about the way my plane is set up. When performing outside loops, my plane wants to roll out of them fairly abruptly. If I am VERY gentle on the elevator, it rolls out of them at least slowly enough that I can correct with some aileron. It appears to be happening mostly to the right, although I need to verify this with some more stick time. Also my plane pulls toward the belly during knife edges. It was suggested that I shim the back of my wing saddle to alter the incidence. I was wondering if lowering my ailerons would have the same effect. When I set up my plane, it was easier to use the top of the wing to align the ailerons (the rear 1/3 of the top of the wing is flat) due to some minor warping and fit'n'finish issues with my Vietnamese made ARF. Should I start over and set them up using the bottom of the wing? It's a semi-symmetrical airfoil, with a little dihedral and long, straight wings. I only rolled out of inside loops with immediate full elevator input; trimming helped this a bit, and so did some more control with elevator input. I also would like to point out that this exact same engine and prop were able to get my Nexstar ARF to perform outside loops with NO problem.

Things that I've been working on are the components of Cuban 8's: flying straight into a loop, making directional corrections (rudder use) to stay in line, changing/controlling the shapes of my (inside), practicing good 45 degree lines, throttle management (on a good day, almost can't hear a change in RPM with climbing/descending). I've also been working on basic turns, varying radius, while keeping altitude constant and the nose and tail in line (not letting the nose or tail sink).

Well, like I said, it's great to be here and I'm excited. Most of the guys in my club fly 3D, the rest of them just like to tool around in the air. I think there's something really cool about flying patterns.

Thanks for reading.