where you replied to something someone said: Where he said $50 beats $200 most of the time. Your reply was "This aint one of those times....."

In fairness, I actually quoted someone on that point, then agreed with it.

As for how long it took anyone to learn how to land, as someone else stated "Don't worry about "how long" it takes.", as it really comes down to what your ability to relate to the aircraft's orientation is and get your thumbs doing the right thing in relation to how the aircraft on track, as well as the specific aircraft you are flying.
A trainer is generally pretty easy and straight forward to land, where as a warbird is a fair amount harder, with a hardcore ultra responsive 3D monster or jet with really high wing loadings per square cm or inch being that much harder again.

So to answer you query re how long it took someone to learn how to land?, as each and every single aircraft is different (even two of the same model will normally have differing setups specific to the pilot) ....... how long is a piece of string??

Brian,

You made the right choice. It took me a couple hours to get to where I landed a trainer. The only thing that is easier in real life than on the simulator is your depth perception. It took me longer to be able to actually put the plane down on the runway rather than in the grass than it did to actually land well. Its just sort of hard to line stuff up on a computer screen.

Definately play with the controls on the Phoenix sim because you can change weather, flying location, model, views, etc. I've been working on crosswind landings pretty hardcore lately since I had a little mishap a couple weeks ago with plane on a landing. The sim allowed me to practice work with the rudder over and over and over. Flying slips isn't the easiest thing to do and landing them is even harder, but we're in the windy times out here on the plains so its pretty essential to learn to fly them well.

In fact tonight, I took my new Alpha 450 Sport out in almost a 90 degree to the runway 8-12 mph crosswind and did about 30 touch and goes on the plane. I did some real landings to practice what I've been working on in the sim. That plane weighs about 25 ounces so a 10 mph crosswind is pretty dang tough for someone with very little expirience like me.

To give you an idea, I worked on pretty much nothing but landing for what seemed like forever but was most likely like a few weeks. Once I became decent at one plane, I'd go grab another. Then I realized that the planes are set up only at 50% speed at first. You can configure them to 100%, but I'd stick with 50% till it starts getting too easy. Things happen pretty fast at 100%.

I bought my simulator in December. I now have a Top Flite Cessna 182, E Flite Alpha 450 Sport, Great Planes Easy Sport (maiden tomorrow woohoo!), Great Planes Giant Big Stik, Supercub LP, and my new one, the Aeroworks Sport Cub S2. I have killed a Mustang PTS, Parkzone T-28 BNF and Parkzone Ultra Micro T-28. The mustang went down because I don't really know how to tune an engine and it died on final on me. The T-28 BNF died several times, but gorilla glue kept putting humpty dumpty together again until it slipped on a hand launch and broke in two. The ultra micro was just really too light for our winds out here to work very well.

I buddy corded once, had my trainer take off and land for me, while I flew the in the middle (2x), and then solo'd when I showed up to the field and no one was there to help me. So, the 3rd time I went flying, I solo'd because of all the sim work I had been able to do. If I knew how to tune a motor, I might even still have the Mustang PTS. It was a really fun plane.

The $200 will allow you to practice when you can't otherwise go fly. Think of it as your first plane. $200 ain't cheap until you look at the alternative. I personally think that someone could completely teach themselves to fly an electric plane entirely by simulator and reading websites like RCU. When you get into gas, glow and larger models, help will be required, but for the smaller, park flyer electric models, I don't think that help is much required as long as you spend a lot of sim time prior to going out to fly for the first time. Also, I'd strongly suggest a 3 channel only for your first plane if you decied to teach yourself. If you elect to seek out an instructor, I'd just wait to buy a plane that your instructor is cool with.

Anyway, enjoy it. This is a really great hobby. I've been driving rc cars and boats for years but was always a little intimidated by planes. I finally broke down and just odered a plane and sim and have been absolutely obsessed since.

That's kick ass!!!! Thank you for all that knowledge. To tell you the truth I had no plans of obtaining a trainer, I was just going to fly the sim until I got really comfortable with it and take my plane out the day I think I have it down well and I'm doing tricky tricks, touch-downs with ease and a host of other things..

It sure is taking me a long time, just on a sim, I haven't even tried to fly my real planes yet. I just started using the Pheonix sim since yesterday and I've only landed it twice then I went into a section on one of the menus that says landing trainer and it puts you in perfect position to land it took me maybe 15 or 20 times before I even landed it in landing mode. I have a feeling this is going to take me quite a while to really do well. Ihave to Ihave to much money involved. My bday was yesterday and I ordered and bought all kinds of stuff just for this hobby, I even paid almost 200 for the simulator alone. The funny thing is that it all got to me by my birthday!!!! I've learned quite a lot since I started delving into this hobby after seeing it when I was a kid around 10 and thought that it was really cool, it took 35 years for it to finally hit me again which is good because I'm more laid back and relaxed than when I was 10!!!! I was the kid swinging from the <strike>shandaleers</strike>!!!

How do you go about finding a trainer???

The transmitter I have can recharge batteries, double AA's and was wondering if I can recharge Duracell or Panasonic batteries or do they have to have a special kind??? If so where do you find AA's that are rechargable because i don't recall seeing those ever????

An option might be to try a local club (if they are around) and see if they have a club trainer and a buddy box setup available to newbies.
As while Phoenix is great at getting your thumb memory in good shape (I use it myself), it does not lend towards adding any of the nerves that come into play when you finally get out on your real aircraft (my nitro heli STILL makes me nervous 15 months on - they ain't cheap to repair!!!), nor can you be sure it 100% replicates the response of a given aircraft until you fly one (that's why you can adjust all the parameters in Phoenix - all aircraft are different in how they fly).

As for trainers and finding one, try your local hobby shop, or one of the many online websites. This might be a good place to start: [link]http://www.hangar-9.com/Products/Trainers.aspx[/link].
Otherwise, e-bay.

I'm having a heck of a time once I get the plane in the air on the sim to try to land it. My takes off's are nice and then once I get it 100 to 200 yards away I have a hard time of bringing it back to land. I've only been able to do that twice and that was yesterday. I haven't been able to do it yet today. I'll call those full flights or is there a name for it?

Thank you for the info!!!! I'll gladly take the largest and smallest advice I can get!!!

Walmart back near the cameras. You can NOT recharge Duracell's or any other batteries of that type. They MUST say "rechargeable" on them.

Now think about if that happens with your real plane. You will be driving home with your plane in a trash bag. That sucks.

You really need to get a easy to fly first plane that is easy to repair. Look at the Parkzone Super Cub LP or the T-28. NOT the little mirco ones. The full sized ones....

As usual thank you all for all your help on this new hobby. Do they have stufff where you can win trophies or something along those lines where you compete against other RC flyers?

I just bought a SuperCub LP this week, it was realy easy to put together except the landing gear gave me a little pain in the ass and one of the members from this forum told me what to do and it worked like a charm!!!!

The SuperCub I have has the blue on the front of the big wings and blue numbers with rubber bands holding the front wings on. Is that the model you're refering to?

The Super Cub LP that I was referring to is this one. http://secure.hobbyzone.com/search/HBZ7300.html The Phoenix simulator actually has that very plane available to learn and I think it flies very close to how the real thing flys. After you get decent with the Cub with absolutely no wind, add in some weather like 3 mph winds with gusts 3 mph, stuff like that. Nothing too rough at first just so you can feel how it will bounce around in the wind. As it gets easier, add another level of difficulty. Add thermals, turn the simulator speed up from 50% to 75 or 100%. It really is a pretty amazing program.

On a side note, my maiden of the Great Planes Easy Sport didn't go well. [sm=cry_smile.gif] We *think* the aileron linkage caught on the wing mount and caused the plane to go into a shallow turn. Well, we tried to trim out of it, turn out of it, etc., but the plane wouldn't come back to level. Unfortunately it eventually became a steep bank that was uncontrollable. Not sure if I'm going to rebuild or buy something different.

Recently purchased the Aerofly 5.5 for my Mac. Everything is really nice and very realistic, a little difficult on downloads but with online assistance it's a snap? (for them) I had realflight several years ago nd I prefer the Aerofly.

YES, that's the same exact model I have!!!!

The SuperCub LP from the link is the exact one Ibought. That guy who you usually talk to on the phone is very cool and shares all kins of knowledge with me about the hobby.

This seems like much more than a hobby!!!!

Does anyone know what the stuff under the avatars means, you know the stuff all the way to the let under the members posts???

I guesss I just wanted to know what the score section means???

I would look for a used realflight in the classifieds..you should be able to get a g3 for about 50 bucks give or take..It doesnt have all the gadgets the new ones do but it serves its job by getting your thumbs in shape. Just dont get over confident from a sim because it will haunt you. good luck

Does anyone know how to get the sound to come back whiekl I've got the simulaor hooked up to teh PC so I can hear the engine??? When I first hooked it up the sound worked great and now I don't hear anything. I'm pretty good with software and tried everything I could think of and notta!!! I even went through the most logical chapters of the help menu.

Please help!!!!

I've flown all the sims. And my favorite BY FAR is Aerofly. I started out with RealFlight and REALLY want to like it. But the flight physics are way to computerish for me. AeroFly has the best physics engine available today.

As it was stated on another site. Realflight is a great GAME, AeroFly is a great SIMULATOR.

Realflight basic for me. $99. not all the bells and whistles, but a good selection of aircraft and airfields. The instructions are vague at best, but I got some tips here on RCU. It has some pretty cool stuff like, smoke on/off, dual rates, speed brakes, brakes for jets, wind, and so on. I usually fly some touch and goes on the trainer, then practice warbird take offs/landings, then go to  the L39 for speed! I think I discovered how easy the Extras are to land, even though they are quite twitchy. Does anyone think I can base my next plane on what I experience on the sim? I love practicing knife edges all the way down the runway! sweet!

A strange comment.

Aerofly Delux Pro and prior versions didn't model most second and alll third order effects.

The newest version, 5.5 finally corrects this and now is getting very similiar to Realflight's better physics modeling.

Heli's in AF5.5 are still lacking but 5.5 is a definite improvement... helis in RF are far more accurate.

If you apply the standard FAI trimming and tuning rules to planes in both sims, the lack of nuances really stand out in prior versions of AF.
The planes used to fly like they were on rails, with improper wing stall charactersitics, poor post stall, torque effects, etc...,

Aerofly completely redid the physics engine in 5.x to fix these issues.... yet some it seems think prior versions "the best physics engine"?

I suggest you upgrade.


I haven't just "flown all of the sims" I own them ALL as well.

BTW: I like AF 5.5 a LOT, but features, ease of editing, etc. still put RF in the lead, even if the physics were identical.

If you think Realflight feels more "real" than you would be in the minority. The giant scale airplanes on RF are pigs and unrealistic. You don't have to go any further than doing knifeedge with the Yak to see it flies like an arcade game. AF has a much better feel, especially doing 3d.

And yes I own them all except the latest RF. In my opinion RF wouldn't be as popular if it wasn't mainstreamed by Tower. Its no different than people that argue that Bose make the best speakers. It's all from a marketing perspective.

One thing I missed to point out. I am speaking from an airplane perspective. RF may indeed be better with helis.

I have Real Flight 5.5, it s good, and helped me a lot. But now that I bought it I dont see the point in spending $$ in another simulator.
I rather buy another plane[X(]