bisco

agreed, most of those are still beyond my skills. i will do the cg properly, and i'll have to investigate the rest and learn how to do them.
another downside to covid, learning on the net is more difficult, but youtube helps in some cases. still, you can't ask questions during the learning process.

thank you!

Alienjohn

I understand why all you seasoned pilots dislike SAFE features, and I agree to a certain degree.They ARE a crutch that can be over-used.
However it should be noted that this is an expensive hobby and it takes less than 3 seconds to fly $300 or more into the ground.
Further, not all people learn to fly at the same speed. My young son can fly the hell out of my planes after a two minute verbal explanation
of what the stick and switches do, where I have, in the past, crashed thousands of $ worth of airplanes that I spent countless hours building.
It's why I left the hobby 15 years ago. I for one, welcome the SAFE aides while I figure out how to fly these things. Using SAFE I have
progressed from the beginner mode to the intermediate mode and am definitely improving my skills. This is, after all, the purpose of the modes.
Just thought I would throw this out here to support the new pilots, after all, they just want to be as good at it as you seasoned guys.
Peace

Hydro Junkie

You just, kind of, made my argument for me: They ARE a crutch that can be over-used!!!! We see many that say "I learned to fly only because of SAFE", but did they really? Many learned how to point their plane in a direction and watch it fly in that direction until they decide to go another. The question, however, is did they really learn how to control roll rates or angles of climb or dive? Usually, the answer is NO. Because SAFE only allows a certain amount of control, many times they go full throw on the sticks and think they are doing everything right. As you know, being an experienced pilot, that is not the case.
That said, I do agree with what you are saying as I've seen planes go down for no apparent reason. It happens and, unfortunately, is usually due to pilot error BUT NOT ALWAYS.

bisco

i think it just depends on the user. for me, it was agreat way to learn. i flew the yak55 42" w/s yesterday, and it went wonderfully.
unfortunately, in these days of covid, some can't get to a flying club, some don't want to, and some live too far away.

after trying to learn to fly in the 60's with my dad, and 90's at a club, i am finally learning some skills that wouldn't have been possible without safe.
it can be a crutch, or, it can just be an enjoyable way to spend some downtime, or it can be a crutch. it all depends on what you want out of it.



please feel free to comment and critique my building and flying skills, i am open to advice, suggestions and improvement, thanks!

Hydro Junkie

Time to move up to a full fledged trainer that doesn't flutter as much. Otherwise, looked fairly good

bisco

thanks!
i think i need a carbon fiber spar.

can you recommend a trainer? i have been flying the hobbyzone aeroscout, and i am currently preparing a hobbyking axn glider, and an e-flite umx turbo timber

Hydro Junkie

You can't go wrong with a Kadet. I'm working on two right now, both plans built Juniors

bisco

thank you,

i have a very small flying area, as you can see, surrounded by trees, houses and roads. can you recommend a vendor, and do they make a 42" w/s or smaller?

bisco

i found the sig site, but i'm not sure investing a couple hundred dollars into another high wing trainer is going to help improve my flying skills.

Hydro Junkie

You could be looking at the Four Star 20 electric:
https://sigmfg.com/collections/sig-k...star-20-ep-kit
or maybe and Astro-Hog:
https://sigmfg.com/collections/sig-k...-astro-hog-kit

bisco

i might be able to fly the 4 star 20 at the field. i have been looking for a balsa kit to build over the winter. last one was 25 years ago, thanks!

Hydro Junkie

I was figuring that would be small enough, not to mention it is electric, so it will perform similar to what you're used to flying

bisco

may i ask where you get the required accessories?

Hydro Junkie

Tower Hobbies would have much of what you would need, depending on the brand you prefer

bisco

thanks! i know nothing about brands, everything from value hobby so far

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

For motors, ESCs and batteries check out Aloft Hobbies. I have had great success with the Dualsky brand of motors and ESCs. Servos either Futaba or Hitec standard digital. Some will say that analog servos would be just fine and they would be correct but for just a few dollars more you get more precision with digitals.

As far as flying goes, I find it best to set goals. All depends on what skill level you want to pursue.


https://alofthobbies.com/

bisco

thanks!
i just want to pursue the next level, whatever that may be. i need a lot more experience on the high wing trainers before moving up.
i just like putzing around the sky right now, trying to keep her level and going where i want her to go. when i can do that without thinking about it, i will be ready to move to a lower wing plane i hope.

Hydro Junkie

Okay, I'm confused. You said in your last post that you need more time on a high wing trainer but earlier yesterday, you said you didn't think it was cost effective to buy/build one. What am I missing here?

Hydro Junkie

One thing I forgot. Most of the Sig planes are built the same way so it's easy to learn with them

bisco

i already have 4 high wing trainers plus the yak, so there's no point in getting another. i'm not capable of flying the sig low wing confidently yet, and i wouldn't want to try to fly it before i had confidence in my ability, and crash needlessly.
i wouldn't mind building it this winter though, so it is ready to go when i am.

Hydro Junkie

Okay, that completed the puzzle.

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

I would suggest continuing to fly what you have but set some goals. The first goal I would set is to fly an oval while focusing on keeping a constant altitude and the front and back of the oval at the same depth. Once you can do that in one direction learn to do in in the opposite direction. This will really make your skill level take a huge leap. I know guys who have been flying for decades that can't do nice ovals both directions. It's not that they can't, it's that they have never set any goals. They fly by letting the airplane lead them and all control inputs are reactionary instead of proactive. Here is a video of me flying one of my large models. It's a bit shaky but the thing that I want to point out is that each pass is the close to the same distance out from the runway. It is also an airplane that had several hundred flights on and the settings/adjustments were spot on which makes this type of flying much easier.

bisco

nicely done!
that is a beautiful airplane. what is the w/s? i find the biggest prolem with smaller models is wind. it causes elevation changes as you turn, and can make it difficult to keep turns smooth.
i have been mostly trying to practice figure eights in both directions, i will try the ovals, thank you!