Hi,
I was unable to find any flying clubs in my area. The only clubs i did find were for gliders, and then rest were just too far away, and i really dont have the money right now for the simulator, so i have decided to attempt to fly my hangar 9 again this weekend by myself. Before i do, i have a few questions to ask. Should i fly straight and level hops(touch and go's with gaining alt.) to get a better feel of the airplane, or should i take a chance and get the plane to a good altitude and circle around the field? I have very little experience with rc planes. I only flew this plane once without much luck, so i would appreciate any advice any one could give me on flying this plane. thanks
-Jamie

Are you sure thare are no clubs in your area?

Have a look here...
http://modelaircraft.org/templates/ama/clubsearch.aspx

I found 68 clubs in New Jersey. I can;t believe that they are all too far.

gus

Where in NJ are you?

Also, getting help from the glider guys is better than nothing.

Here's the problem you face:

Non flyers tend to think in 2 dimentions: "Right and left", Some also grasp the concept of "Up and Down"

But very few realize that with an airplane you also have the Roll Axis. If your wings are not level, "Up and Down" cease to exist. And if you get in trouble, there is no break pedal. Your plane will only stop when it hits something, and it happens faster than you can imagine.

get help!

Hi Jamie,

If you want to go it alone (not that I recommend going it alone), I can recommend two things:

1) Get FMS (a flight sim) for free. This will help.
2) You can taxi around with out the wing detached. You'll want to cover the 'hole' where the wing goes so the exhaust glop doesn't ruin the interior of your plane and radio. This will help you get a feel for the 'left' stick and help get the control reversal (when left is right and right is left) clear in your mind before you take off into the air. Practice taxiing toward you and away from you. Notice when left rudder makes the plane go left and when it makes the plane go right. When you get your bird in the air, you'll need to make gentle turns with rudder, unless of course you have a square mile with no obstacles (trees) to crash into.

Good Luck!

-Matt

p.s. Please rethink things. Experienced help probably isn't that far away.

GO to your LHS and see if they know of any clubs in the area.
A LHS locator is located on the beginners area of my site.

Ironj21, Dont do it! If you cant afford a sim right now then you cant afford a new plane either. From reading your threads it doesnt sound to me like your ready to go it alone. No offense I am only slightly ahead of you on the learning curve. I can fly,but I know just enough to know I dont know much. Right now you are at a point were you don't understand the consequenses of inexperiance. If you crash that plane to early you will probably never get back into it and will miss out on an amazing pastime, one that is the most fun I've ever had, and I've had some fun. After that first crash you fly like a different person because you understad how fragile those planes really are.Trust me I have done what you are about to do, but I did it infront of my wife who did'nt understand how I could spend 350.00 on a toy and destroy it in less than ten minutes of fun. I was hooked and there was no way I was going to quit. I bought three more planes, put in some sim time and eveything is going much better for me SOO MUCH FUN!! Heres what I suggest and this is parlty what I did (1) start a thread in this forum searching for a mentor of sorts in your area. The people I have delt with in this hobby are some of the best. They love to talk and teach airplanes. I met a guy in this forum who is near me and is going to mentor me until I get a little better. Probably made a new friend. If I can find people in Alaska you can do it in NJ I'll bet you have more R/C pilots per capita. (2) find a LHS they will know somebody for you to talk to. (3)Borrow a simulator, if you have to buy one of the cheap ones on ebay with the interface adapter. Even with the Best instuctor in the world a sim will come in handy. I'm sorry if I'm rambeling on about this subject,but this thread just struck a nerve for me. I just want you to have fun. Good luck.

If I echoed what matt goslin and giestware had to say it's because they can type faster than me.

I know what you mean

I agree with getting the help, but if your going to attempt it yourself again. I suggest learning the sound of your engine when you get it up. If you think your level, but your engine sounds like its gaining speed, you most likley are in a nose down possition. Move the control sticks by the 1/8 not the 1/2. Fly race track, attempt to land long before you think its empty, if the landing is off dont land go around.

LOL there probably aren't that many in the whole of New Zealand!

Sure there is. We call it a winch.

Hey,
Thanks for your replies. I appreciate your concerns and understand the importance of having an instructor with me. I actually took my plane to a field today because it was just too nice out. The weather being perfect with no winds, i was taxxing my plane up and down the field when all of a sudden a gust of wind out of no where came and blew my plane right over. It was literaly in the air for a few seconds until it came down on its wings and of course snapping the prop. I didnt think twice after that. I loaded my plane back in to my car and took off. I'm just happy i didnt get the plane in the air, because if i did that would have been the end of it. I underestimated the importance of an instructor. I will just have to find someone with experience to take with me. Thanks for everyones advice.

Hey,

That would be a good idea, On getting a trainer!! I was one that thought I could do it alone, and
I still beleive I may have.. But It WOULD have cost MORE!!!! So if money's no problem...

I've now have 9 flights under my belt.. 5 with a trainer.. And after solo'ing 3 on my own.. I
still have crashed twice.. First one on my first landing(third total) still on cord, but I told my trainer
don't cut-in unless I ask you too.. He did say your too low, I'm going to take it.. I yell back NO I
got it.. seconds later I touch the brush with my right wing just before the fence.. No real damage
just a tear in bottom of horizontal stabilizer and a little indentation in rt leading edge of wing..
My second crash on another day(today) I take-off, start to bank engine dies(first real dead stick)
But I was too low and slow.. and did not make it back to field.. But again, I floated it the best I
could, before losing site of it in the ravine.. But again no real damage.. Just a small tear in rt.
wing tip)) So I scotch tape it and go up again after my trainer and I re-adjust the engine..
Well I made 3 touch and goes, and two landings)) One pretty hot.. But I was able to taxi back
to me.. next one a small 2 bouncer.. still a little hot.. I'm working on it..

Knowing what little I know now... I'd Still get a trainer.. He's knowledge and time saved me
money, Not to mention engine/servo tuning.. In-flight adjustments(yes they all looked like they
were on before take-off) and all the valuable tips and help.. Oh, my trainer helped me build my
Avistar and break-in my OS .46 too with some of his parts and glue.. Not all trainers will do that
He did prove me wrong though.. He told me not to fall in love with my model.. Because it'll
happens(crash).... I said I'm going to take a picture so we'll see that it looks the same after 50
flights.... Glad I did not take the picture.. Now I just say, Thats how you had me build it)

Get a trainer... Have Fun.... Be SAFE!!!! And remember the wheels touch the ground first..
Oh join the AMA also!!

Ron
I love it

It is amazing how many of us have had the same experience. I too tried to fly on my own and was lucky that my first flight ended on the gear. I thougt.."good job JC". Well the next flight was the last flight. Not so good.

At some point I let go of the notion that I was going to be able to do this by myself. Not happening.

I purchased the G2 sim and practiced for about a year, in the meantime getting my finances together for the next "first", and second plane, etc. I made contact with an instructor that I found right here at RCU. He is awesome! He has got to be the nicest guy in the world too. Yes I too made a new friend in him.

Now this man went beyond what you would expect from any instructor. Example; after the first meeting, and a modest amount of stick time, he offered to give me the trainer he was training me on. Now before I could accept or decline, he "gave" me a new in the box Global RightFlyer ARF! Just like the one we trained on. Awesome generosity! Very good pilot as well. Has been in it for as long as many of you have been alive. Longer than I have been around, and I'm 45. I feel fortunate to have met him. Anyway...get an instructor! It makes all the difference. You will learn so much more, so much faster, and as Rick always points out to me, so much cheaper.