Just for curiosities sake, how many people here soloed their first plane without any prior instruction. (glow plane, not one of those 2-3 channel electric park flyers).

I know that the general consensus is that instruction from a qualified instructor is the way to go (and it's certainly good to have someone take your plane up and trim it), but surely there's someone here who is the exception to the rule. Tell us what plane you flew (remember, no instruction or help at all) and relate your experience. Tell us whether you're glad you did it that way or whether you wish you had an instructor.

My first RC flight was a solo flight with no help of any kind by established RC folk. I flew several loops and rolls on my first flight. I even remembered to throttle down on the back side of loops and added down elevator in the rolls. July 11th, 1998. I remember the date because I just happened to watch the video by chance earlier this week. I'm proud to say I even did preflight checks of control surfaces. I flew a Durastick Trainer with a OS40LA and a Futaba 6XAS radio. The flight went well, but the landing wasn't that great. I didn't break anything, but it was a bit fast and hard. Absolutely no help in setting up plane or flying, etc. I did have my AMA as I was planning on joining the local club, but decided to fly off 20 acres a buddy of mine owned as opposed to going to the RC club. I believe I flew five flights that day. Hope this didn't come off as too pompous, but that is what happened.

However, I did have some control line experience when I was a pre-teen in the 1970's. I also raced RC cars in the mid 1990's. I think the combination of those two experiences helped a lot. The control line experience gave me a grasp of 2-dimensional flight. The RC cars helped with the 3rd dimension and knowing how to deal with the left/right issue when flying toward oneself. I also did a lot of research on RC via the web and other sources before my first flight.

I have no regrets, and I would do it again, but self taught is not for everyone and if asked by a novice, I'll tell them to get an instructor. The only thing I would change if I had to do it all again today, knowing what I know now, is that I would have purchased a RC flight sim. I did however really want an instructor for learning more advanced aerobatic maneuvers. That was difficult as it was hard to locate someone who knew what they were talking about at my local field.

Well, I'm planning to fly my first plane and for the first time with no instructor in a deserted field this weekend, depending on the weather of course. I have a Kadet LT-25 with a O.S .25 FX and a Futaba 4YF Radio. I read a lot on R/C, especially from this forum. I also have basic knowledge on how a planes flies, I've played a lot of flight sims. I feel more comfortable flying alone the first few times. I will join a club tho, this summer problaby. I am a self-teaching kinda guy and I'm expecting to crash.... I don't really mind, I love building, flying is just a bonus for me right now :-) I will do my pre-flight check and taxi around to get a feel of the control, then take off and just gain altitude and make some turns... nothing fancy.

I'll let you know next week how it went!!

I have one piece of advise: If you absolutely, positively want to fly by yourself, fine.

But, PLEASE take someone else with you, Just in case you need retreiving a lost plane, driving the car, or calling for help if there was to be a medical emergency.

If for nothing else, just to take photos and for moral support

Maybe as a witness?

In any event, good luck to you.

My first plane, a Sturdy Birdy, crashed several times before it actually got off the ground and flew. I learned with each crash, and the SB wasn't too difficult to repair. On the first flight, I flew around a little, got nervous and decided to land. That's when I got to learn about that reversal of control, and on approach I gave it left when I should have given it right. Broke the wing, on the jungle gym (I was behind a school, on a Saturday, nobody there.)

Now I do instruction, using the tandem transmitter method with connector cord. I explain that if they have come to see me, my objective (beyond teaching rules, techniques and skills) is to make their training plane last far beyond the instruction period. I presume that those who do not come to an instructor are prepared (as I was) to learn repair skills, concurrently.

Good luck,
Dave Olson

Very good advice!
I did it the hard expensive way, on my own (which I don't recommend). But I always either have a buddy, or my wife with me, still,, just in case.
Joe

I too did it without an instructor. I used the nexsatr system and practiced for 2 days on the sim.

Good posts! It's interesting to hear about your experiences. Pettit, you guessed it--I am considering giving it a go on my own later this month when I visit family up in Idaho. I enjoy building planes (I'm in the process of completing a four*40 from a kit) and don't mind dealing with repairs. I'm planning to take my Avistar .40 Trainer up after I get it set up and spend some time taxiing around and getting used to things.

I fly full-scale (it seems to me however that it's actually more difficult to fly RC than most full-scale planes) and I've got RC car experience. I understand the physics of flight and plan to take it easy for quite a while. My family has an small grass strip airport by the house (we live in a remote area) and I plan to use that. My dad (who builds, restores, and flys numerous full-scale planes) will help me pick up the pieces if necessary.

I'll report back on the experience. Maybe I'll be glad I did it this way and maybe I'll become part of the "always begin with an instructor" crowd. I certainly don't intend to crash, but I know it can happen. I'm here for the journey so I don't mind having to make repairs and learning along the way.

BTW, does anyone have a good pre-flight checklist that they are willing to share?

Ok I just downloaded a demo of rc plane master http://www.realitycraft.com/ and I'm glad I did... cuz for sure I would'off crashed.... I didn't expect to get that confused when the plane flew towards me...

I'm glad and found this demo before I actually fly, Soupersnake... you should give it a try... I think it's great to practice landings and all....

Of course I never flew a RC plane, so I can't really tell if it's really acurate... but It looks like it's good practice...

Maybe some members here can tell us their opinions about this product!! One thing for sure, It's much cheaper then Real Flight... and you can connect your Radio to your computer with the proper adapter.

Good Luck!

It took 4 planes for me, but I was stubborn, with no one to help me I finally flew my Avistar ARF, many times before interference killed it. I started about 15 years ago on a high school budget, crashed the first time I flew and quit for about 10 years. Tried it again about five years ago, and same result. Last year I tried again, and the third time was a charm. I made my first landing out on a country road next to an alfalfa field with my wife(then girlfriend) spotting cars for me.

Since then I've had quite a few planes and lots more crashes, however, I am in a club now, with AMA and don't have to land in the road anymore.

Ask me if I would have done it different? YES. The club I'm in now would have saved me time and money, plus would have been much safer. I've played video games all my life and that may have turned 10 crashed planes into 4, but I'm sure there aren't too many people who can successfully solo the first time they fly, with no instruction. Not saying it is impossible, but unlikely.

Ask me whatever you want about the avistar. It is an awesome trainer. You made the BEST choice. Good luck.

I flew a Sig kadet MKII without an instructor about three times before joining a club, I will say they were not vary comfortable flights. My instructor crashed her a week later on a dead stick , I remember handing him the transmitter and thinking about his glasses(thay were as thick as a coke bottle) he hit a power line, Oh well! my crash came shortly after that!!!!!!!!!

I flew an arising start 40 ( I don't see anybody talking here about this plane so I guess it's not popular) but didn't know how to land for the first two flights, so someone in the field landed for me. Used flight sim for a month (FMS that is free) and yes, from the third flight and forward I did all alone and landing hot, but withou any damage so far, even with many dead stick because my bad engine(brand new evolution 46).
I can say that the worst part was coordinating the controls and landing.

Nilo

I'll give an ideal example of why you MUST have a second person when flyng a glow or gas powered model:

(This was a C/L aircraft... but the engines are THE SAME!)
**********
A 17 yr old takes his model out to the local flying field, and finds no one else there.[&:]
Stretches out the C/L lines and hooks up to the model... gets all his equipment laid out and sets up a "stooge. " ( a self-launch device that holds the model till a line is pulled, removing a pin.)
No one else has showed up yet... but he's flown alone before...

After 20 min of messing around with a balky engine[:@] that is refusing to actually run more than 4 reveolutions[:@]... he choked the engine with glow igniton still connected. The engine immediately kicked back, slicing his finger to the bone[X(]. Then adding insult to injury... the engine starts and runs perfectly as he gets his hand clear...

The only option at this point... Wrapping a rag on the injured hand... he puts a boot in the prop. (and continues the boots path to squash the plane[>:])
*********

The 17 yr old was ME.
appx 10 stitches in the right index finger (I was lucky... just missed the tendons)

It took me 30 min to get any help.

Soupersnake: Yes please, take someone along for safety sake. As for a check list, download the Novice RC Guide in the Getting Started section of my web site www.acsmagnum.com/lsk

I don't know about harder, but RC is different from full scale. Your perspective is differnet and you don't have any instruments to indicate airspeed, vsi, etc.

I think you will find that nearly everyone that self taught had some prior experience in somthing that helped, be it RC cars, a sim, etc.

Be safe and good luck!

I soloed on my own with no instruction on a Right Flyer 40 7-8 yrs ago. It wasn't much of a problem. I had lots of experience with airplanes and am a pilot. The only weird thing was the control reversal when it was coming back at me. I had a great book specifically about building and flying the Right Flyer. It taught me everything I needed to know, especially the "move the stick towards the low wing" trick with reversed controls. For me, the most useful part of the book was just the building tips. Even though it was an ARF, it still seemed like a daunting task for someone who'd never handled a R/C plane before. I haven't flown R/C since then, and I'm just now getting back into it with a H9 Cherokee 40, which should be here anyday now.

John, thank you very much for the link. That's an excellent write-up you've done.

Yes, I'm definitely going to have others with me when I fly. My dad and brother and I are all going to take a break from working on some of the full-scale planes we're building/restoring/flying (one of each) to fly the Avistar. We'll see how it goes.

It's not that hard to get some help. Don't be embarrased to ask an experienced
pilot for help. I've seen too many guys lose their plane because they thought they
could do it themselves. It's not difficult once you learn but it's different than you
expect. Believe me it's cheaper in the long run. I learned by myself back in the 60's
but the planes were a lot different back then. They were basically trimmed to fly by
themselves and the radio just kind of made them turn. If you let go of the radio they
started flying by themselves. Whatever you decide, good luck.

tommy s

I bought the nexstar and coudn't wait to get it into the air. did the sim for three or four days and decided to do it for real. wife watching we had a blast until......she asked me to land it. landing wasn't the problem the telephone pole in front of the landing was. needless to say I didn't see it until a sec too late. fixed it and put it up again. guess I fixed it wrong. now I have a new fuselage and wing set. since then have put together a hangar 9 solo and two arrows. I now have three planes from five. to date only one wreck was a true pilot error. the others were engine dying at last sec and aleron probs. I have had a damn good time building them and piecing together planes since.
going to a field tomorrow for instructions and tips. I think the simulator gives you a good deal of experience but I want to pick the brains of guys that have been doing this for a while on the mechanics of the things.
I thought a hundred bucks here and there wouldn't break me while learning.......I was wrong...hell I have over 1grand into this and haven't landed a plane yet.

Experienced help might have found the mechanical problem before take-off... that might have saved the plane.

A plane going down from loss of power... If the piilot was trained properly, he would know how to handle it, and have a much improved chance of getting it down safely. Dead-sticks can be the cause of a crash, but usually, there was something else going bad at the same time if it was saveable just by keeping the engine running another 5 seconds. (and if 5 seconds wouldn't have saved it... it was going in engine or no engine)

The one place all sims are poor is teaching you to remain constantly aware of the plane's location in relationship to yourself (and other people) The sims give you a "tunnel vision" view, centered on the plane.. and little to no peripheral view of the stuff that you would HAVE to be aware of if you were flying an actual model.

Most experienced RC'rs would much rather help correct a mechanical problem, than see a beginner's plane go out of control when a servo arm falls off (or some other easilly preventable thing goes wrong) The person that out of control plane hits could be the experienced modeler...

Hey soupersnake,

I started with a kit build, F4U Corsair. I did this without instruction. Took me 6 months to build and I ended tearing the wing off on take off. It beat the plane up pretty bad. Now it hangs on my wall uncovered waiting for me when I'm ready. I also had a Solo Star it ended up FUBAR. I'm now on my third plane which is a DURA Plane. Thank god for this plane. It has been through the worst of it. I'm flying this plane and enjoying it. I have never flew with anyone who has flown. I did it all myself. I was never !QUOT!The natural!QUOT!. It cost me a little money and allot of time, but its done. They tell you to fly with an instructor for safety and to save you some money. Other than that.. nothing. I say if you have a safe place to learn, and have a few bucks to put into it... go for it. I am glad I did it myself simply because I feel that I have seen the worst of it. After the things Ive done its very easy now, and very enjoyable. I also say its kind of like... !QUOT!If you learn to fly in high wind, You will probably fly like a pro on a calm day!QUOT!. Have fun and do what you think you can manage. It was easier for me to fly here at home on the farm than to go find and join a club. Here are a couple pictures. One is my Corsair, and the other is the DURA Plane, and whats left of the Solo Star in the background.

By the way the sim FMS taught me control reversal which is a major part of keeping her up.

Monkey

FHHuber

The "Experienced Modeler" should watch his 6!

I agree with you Flying monkey. Should have left your original post.

Also, what defines an experienced pilot? There are pilots with some, but limitied experience that are quite proficient and learn fast. There are also others with years of experience that still frequently crash their planes.

I think a better term would be a well trained or expert pilot. With some people it takes many years of experience to become proficient.


Wings

I built a telemaster 40 and taught myself how to fly without an instructor. I live in SW Montana just north of Yellowstone Park and I did this because the only other option was a long drive to a club field in Billings. My only training to the requirements of flight was Microsoft Flight Sim which is absolutely nothing close to R/C with a transmitter. This did, however, teach me the basic physics of flight that when coupled to a fantasic trainer like the telemaster, made learning R/C a fairly easy, painless endeavor.

All this to say, if you've access to an instructor, use them. It's a big initial investment...why take the risk?

When I first started, my best landings were dead sticks.