I've been flying Hobby Zone planes for several months - the latest an Aerobird Extreme. I believe this has given me great 3 channel experience. My ABX recently puked a servo and the electronics are not replaceable - only by buying an entire new fuse complete with new guts. I can fly all day long without crashing and can even perform simple aerobatics, but I still have a phobia for landing. I have heard that gas planes, even trainers are much faster and harder to handle than your typical electric trainer. I have two nitro trainers built and ready to fly, one equipped with ailerons. Am I ready for the next step? Is it true that gassers are faster and thus harder for a beginner to handle? I am very confident in my ability to take off from the ground and fly, but am still lacking when it comes to landing. Any help would be appreciated.

GET AN INSTRUCTOR FOR THE NITRO!! An instructor will save you time, money, and frustration. visit www.modelaircraft.org , that is the AMA's website, they have a club locator so you will find one close by to you. If you think you can be self taught then go far far away from people, buildings, whatever. But please, look into getting an instructor before you fly the nitro. good luck!
BTW: RCU has an instructor locator feature. at the top of this page, mouse over where it says "RC community" then go down and click on "find instructor". If you find one in your area, most likely that person is affiliated with a club that will let you come down and give you a free lesson or two on the buddy box, but you might want to think about joining AMA and the club. well worth it.
sean

Find a club in your area and get some help you will be fine.

While it's true that nitro planes are faster, They don't perceive to be. Allow me to explain...

We humans perceive speed by how long it takes a moving object to pass its own length. In other words, if you have a 5 foot long object, and a 1 foot long object traveling at 1 foot per second, it will take 5 seconds for the 5 foot object to completely leave its original space, whereas that 1 foot object will have left ITS original space 5 times. So even though they are traveling at the same speed, the 1 foot object will appear to be traveling 5 times faster.

And, because the plane is larger and faster, that explaines why you need a larger area to fly in!

So find your local club, and get help! You'll be glad you did!

flymeaway,

Landings reqiure practice Thats all. It sounds like you need a confidence builder and the best way to get that is by flying in a club under the supervision of a qualified instructor.

If you choose to go it alone make sure you have a really large open space. If you think its too big its probably just about right!!!

Get a Slow Stick and learn to land.

Slow stick lands itself..... but would be great for building up confidence.


Andy

As several others have said, get an instructor for the nitro planes.

Yes, they are faster, however, they have several pluses.
Nitro planes are not any harder to fly. In fact I find them easier than electrics.
They are larger, therfore can be seen better.
They have the ailerons (no big deal learning to use them)
Wind that would make MANY electrics quite a handful to fly normally will not bother a nitro plane.
Landings - all it takes is practice. The easiest way I have found is to fly the plane to about 3" from the ground, then reduce the throttle while applying a LITTLE up elevator. You don't want the plane to climb, just bleed off speed. The plane will settle right in.

Didn't we just go over this exact same topic one week ago. Remember the car/heli/electric plane guy that ask about getting a aerobatic trainer instead of a trainer and everybody ripped on him.

flymeaway:
- You can fly all day without crashing
- You can do simple aerobatics already

You don't need an instructor. All you need is a place big enough and smooth enough to land. Fire up those nitro planes and fly them.

This straight from a pro.
BTW: Mike, I am looking at you in RC flyer right now, in the ETOC article, I really like that biplane you got!

sean

Sean, I don't know what you're saying. I think it's sarcasm but I'm not sure so I'll just leave it alone for now.

The question nobody has asked yet.... How bad are you at landing? If you can control your electrics then glow should not be a problem.

Ed

How bad is too bad?
The problem is since nobody has seen him land there is no way to say with any degree of certianty that he will be sucessfull. I thinks thats the main reason why most recommended getting help

If I remember correctly didn't you take exception to certain members giving incorrect advice in another thread.
Seems to me that your advice while not intentionally incorrect or sarcastic could be a little to optimistic and could at the very least cost flmeaway a plane I won't even bother getting into worst case situations

I think its important when giving advice site unseen its important to err on the side of caution.

Flymeaway good luck on whatever you decide to do.

no no no. you took that wrong mike, i am sorry. You showed the facts straight up, that he can fly all day and not crash, and he can basic aerobatics, and you think he can do that. You being an expirenced pilot, should know, that he could fly a bigger plane. I also have always thought you are Mike Mconville, i thought i saw that somewhere on here. sory if i am wrong.

sean

Cool. No problem. I'm happy I was mistaken.

Thanks for all the replies, gives me a bit to think about.

How bad am I at landing? Well....... I can grease them and land within 3' of my feet. Then again, I can dump the plane into a wing ripping unhappy ground reuniting. I would say I am 60-70% successful at landing. For the past 10 or so flights, I have done nothing but practice approaches and go arounds. I fly within a few inches, if not kissing the grass, and hit full throttle for another go around, but am not real consistent with this either as I am not always great at aligning on the runway. Here's the main problem I have with landing - from 10' on up, I have no problem at all with direction coordination coming or going away from me, but from 10' down to the deck, I can freeze and lose all coordination of left and right. The plane I'm flying now weighs about 2.5# and has a 55" wingspan. The area seems to fit it nice - about 10-12 acres. I'm sure I can fly my 56" trainer up in the air without difficulty, but bringing her in may be a different deal altogether.

In reading many of the responses and thinking about all this, the question comes to mind: What exactly will an instructor do for me when it comes time to land the plane? If I make a mistake 10' off the deck, will an instructor be able to take over that quickly? Or would an instructor be that valuable that I would naturally progress to the ability to land?

If I read this right you have 3 channel experience but you have 4 channel trainers? Just that alone should make you take pause. One steers with the rudder, the other steers mostly with ailerons. Maybe even on a different stick. Gas is going to be faster. Your depth perception with it will be off. People in my club have wrecked large planes going from small to large because of that. They are good flyers. Anyways, half the fun of flying is being around other people. Join a club and have someone help you for a few flights. Can't hurt and you'll like the club.

My 10 year old son is close to ready to solo. I helped him through his first take offs and landings. Last week I got him with a club instructor. The instructor helped him pick heights and landmarks, and assisted him in judging where to make his turns. His landings became even better. This week if the weather cooperates I will get him with an instructor at another club. I learn each time he gets with another instructor as well. Each instructor gives him more ideas to work with and he is picking and choosing what to take from each of these sessions to develop his own flying style. If he were an adult with his own plane he would probably be on his own right now. We both agree that the exposure to additional instructors is a great experience as he learns. I suspect that by the end of the summer he will be out flying me.

Dave

+++++++++++++++++++++
edit
I can't do it, but a top instructor WILL save your plane two feet off the deck.

flymeaway; It sounds like your right there you just need a little confidence. And that is where the instructor will help.

Yes a good instructor can help all the way down to ground zero and after.

If you go it alone keep shooting the runway then when everything is right just chop the throttle and land. The key is make sure everthing is right. There is no rush make sure you have alot of fuel. If you can line up on the field at 10' high you just cut the throttle and keep the wings level. Next thing you know your on the ground.

Good luck and keep us informed.
Terry

That works great with a trainer, but look out with a more advanced plane with tendancies to stall and snap. I know how fast they will jump at the ground. Guess how I learned. There was no instructor involved.

I thought we were talking about a trainer.

I have two nitro trainers built: A 56" 3ch, and a 60" 4ch. I was thinking about moving to the 3ch as it's close in size and weight to the ABX I'm flying now. As for moving to ailerons, I'm not so sure I can make that transition on my own. Funny part is, if the 3ch trainer were to be electric, I would have already flown it. Flying a nitro has me concerned for some reason. Maybe crazy, but I can't explain why I feel confident flying an electric over a gasser. Anyway, thanks again for your concern and help. I think I am going to go check out two clubs within a half hour of my house. Being around other flyers has to be a great way to gain valuable experience and knowledge, but there's something to be said for being able to step out my back door and be in the air within a few minutes. Do you think the 10-12 acre area is large enough for flying a nitro trainer? The field is longer than it is wide and surrounded by large trees. There are houses 4-500 yards away in one direction and nothing but woods and swamp in the opposite direction for about a mile or more.

If you have a club with in 20 minutes of your house I would fly your nitro trainer there first . Then you be the judge of how much room you need. Just remember you'll be responsible if anything happens when you fly out in your back yard. I would have an instructor help till you can land where you want to everytime, before I would fly out back.

flymeaway: I am not sure if you know how an instructor controls your plane for you. you said "If I make a mistake 10' off the deck, will an instructor be able to take over that quickly? Or would an instructor be that valuable that I would naturally progress to the ability to land?". The instructor will have a wire to connect your radio to his radio, this is called the "buddy box" system. Hopefully, if you look on back of your radios, you will see either a big round plug or a small square one. When the instructor is connected to you via this, you only have control when he hits a switch or button. If you get into trouble, he lets go of the switch or button and takes over immediatly. I have saved a number of planes this way, some where only <3' off the ground! I am going to say, if you're sure the 3 channel nitro is set up right, then you will be fine flying it. The bigger the plane the easier to fly anyways, so you may find it easier to fly then the electric one. The only difference between nitro and gas is the noise and the mess. Both of which the nitro has! good luck

sean

The best advice i have heard on this thread to give the man his confidence.
*and no flames [>:] *