ORIGINAL: Gale155
I sent a PM to John on the 20th, but haven't heard from him yet...and yes, I know he's busy. I'm not in any hurry, since I'm not going to be flying the Catalina anytime soon. Based on your recommendation, you'll be happy to know that I just ordered this:
http://www.nitroplanes.com/new4chdyhask.html , since it's now back in stock. Of course if I crash and burn on the maiden, I'm going to hold you personally and solely responsible. [img][/img]
It's CHINESE NEW YEAR...
I don't expect him back for another week or so.... heh.
Re: Plane
I think you'll like it.
It's a great way to get started, and holds interest.
The Motor ESC and battery can always be transferred to a profile foamy later too!
It uses pretty standard LiPo packs too, so batteries are easy to get.
Charge up the pack when you get it. Hook things up and perform a range check.
Remember that the ESC will need a "calibration move" to learn the throttle range.
On some this means powering up the TX with the throttle down, turning on the plane.
While holding the tail, run the throttle up ( nothing will seem to happen ) and hold until you get a beep.
Run the throttle back down and if you hear no more beeps, turn the throttle trim all the way down.
You should then hear a series of beeps ( normally three ) and the plane is then "armed".
Once you have the control surfaces all working, set the trims to center ( except the throttle ) and center the elevator and ailerons.
With the plane powered up, and while being careful not to nudge the throttle, adjust the linkages to make all of the control surfaces even with the respective wings.
The first time you fly, put the plane on the ground nose into the wind with you behind it.
Take off into the wind, let it climb, then adjust the control trims so the plane flies level at about 70-80% throttle.
Get used to thinking like you are "in" the plane as you move the sticks.
Use gentle pushes of the sticks and return to center. If the plane seems to turn the wrong way, don't panic. It tends to right itself given enough altitude and space, so you usually have plenty of time to react.
Just don't fly anywhere there are trees nearby, especially the first few times. Allow yourself a LOT of space.
If you think you have enough space, look for more!
After you are more proficient, you'll have a better feel for the space requirements.
The plane practically lands itself.
Just cut the throttle and hold a little bit of back pressure and it will glide down to a soft landing.