I've been in this hobby for all of 4 months now and and a bit confused. I started with an airmadillo trainer and flew it until I got bored with it. I ordered the shorter aerobatic wing and flew it for a while longer. My second (and current) plane is a Tower Fun51. I've been flying it for a month now and and having lots of fun. I can loop, spin, flat spin, inverted flat spin, inverted low passes over the field, and throw the sticks around in any number of ways and survive.

I'm getting to the point where I really don't know what to work on. I go up and do the same stuff then land. Today I was reluctant to take it back up again because I didn't want to do a repeat of my last flight, and the one before that. I've got to be boring the heck out of those watching me fly.

I see some of the more experienced guys at the field who are perfectly content doing touch & go's combined with an occasional loop, roll, or spin.

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that this is boring by any stretch of the imagination, but I feel like I'm in a rut and need a change of pace. Should I start studying aerobatics and working on precision pattern type manuevers? I like the looks of 3d flying, low speed manevers, spins, hovering, tail stands etc...

I'm flying an average of 3 times a week and making 5 ten minute flights per session. I'm guessing I have around 200 flights to date. Perhaps I need to ease off a bit and see this more as a journey than a destination. Anyone else found themselves in this boat before?

Try Helicopters.

Invest in a Tower Hobbies Kaos. It's a basic pattern aircraft and I think it's something you'd like to get into.

What's happened to you is that your bored and need something more challenging and something that will test your skills.

Find someone who can show you some basic pattern routines, practice them and then enter a pattern competion for beginners.

Try it - you'll like it!!

Amen, heliman

But if you don't want to own a whirli-bird try the following:

FIRST. LOOP-the-LOOP until you can do it within a 'box'. I mean PERFECT every time, all loops the same size, ending and starting at the same altitude.

SECOND. Point-roll. Try 4-point rolls. (Hard with a trainer sometimes because they try so hard to 'auto level', though your airmadillo should do it). Check for your points executing along the flightline at consistant points. In other words, you're wings level HERE, then 90d HERE, then inverted HERE, etc. Work on consistancy.

THIRD. Same thing, 8-point rolls.

FOURTH. If you have a fire-breathing monster of an engine you can try turkish rolls. Hang the plane on the prop and just let her stay there. T. Rolls are beyond me at this point, so get some advice from local gurus on how to pull them off. Your airmadillo might actually pull them off with a piped engine. Dunno how much it weighs.... Note that they look better on bigger planes...

FIFTH. Work on overall smoothness. Things like consistant altitude through your rolls, snapping to precise 90s and 45's through your 4 and 8 point rolls, respectively.

I will say that I personally watched one of the world's best whirli-bird operators. He was simply amazing. EVERYONE ELSE THERE had a NOTICEABLE amount of work to do to get CLOSE to him in aerobatic skill. Helis always have a challenge for you. They can do amazing things if you have the money/time/heartburn medication required to 'get in' to them.

When I first started I was nervous... especially after my 1st trainer crashed due to my TX battery dying. I didn't want to give up though, and thanks to my Club instructor he helped my little brother and I get back into the air. I can't thank the guy enough - he just keeps helping us!

I get a kick out of seeing something that was just wood in a box, actually fly! Although I haven't built a kit yet, the satisfaction of building my Kadet LT-40 ARF was one of the best experiences ever. I handled it quite easily and want to be challenged by a kit - money permitting. Something like the forums here at RCU help jump start the part of you that wants to build or fly. You don't have to go out and get into a whole different thing, spending more money. You could try Precision Aerobatics, Combat, Pylon racing, or something that is very challenging. You could build another kit also, something to start the flame back up again.

As my instructor and new friend stated in an earlier post in another topic summed it down to this: ...ITS FUN! That's why we are attracted to such a great hobby.

This is a hobby that is full of helpful people, challenging, and one that you can't go wrong with.

My fingers are sore

-Brian

Try combat... look up Tatoo here at RCU he will explain it better than I can. Good luck, Loren

I learned on a Airmadillo trainer too, then I upgraded to their Kruizer. I got bored too , then new guys showed up who only flew fun fly profiles. I then learned what good flying was about.
Things like hovering, knife edge, elevators, waterfalls, harrier , slow rolls/circles will keep you very busy and they are an all out blast !


If, like some, you are turned off by a profiles appearance then just take my word for it youll love the way they fly.

Theres a number of good ARFs and kits out there and most of them worth every penny.

I go with Javven's advice. It's easy to do a loop, but try doing 3 loops... one after the other... Exactly on top of the one before. In other words, if you were leaving a smoke trail, 3 loops would show up as one ring of smoke.

Try making your stunts with precision. Start out straight and level, go into a stall turn, then pull out at the exact same height that you entered from.

Precision adds a whole new dimension to aerobatics.

If you are bored with just going to the field and flying around the way you fly with whatever you fly start entering contests.

Having to fly in a structured manner usualy shatters ones ego.

Ed S

Amen Ed

I pretty much agree with everyone else. But I would like to add what I do to keep from getting bored. I change it up quite often. Fly different planes. Fly differently. Learn to fly low and slow. "This is what I'm doing now." Low and slow inverted passes trying to do tail touches. Learn 3D so that you can do harrier tail drags.

So basically just challenge yourself if you're not afraid of lowing a plane. Check out www.spadtothebone.com and build a knock around plane for doing fun stuff with such as foam bowling. Foam bowling is stacking a pyramid of foam blocks roughly 2 feet high and knocking em over with the plane. Same can be done with milk jugs. Learn to do it inverted. Try doing low and slow wingtip drags. Etc etc. That kind of stuff is what I do to keep from being bored. How about table top touch and go's. I haven't been able to try this yet but I sure as heck wanna give it a go.

Pretty much I do stuff that I think would be fun. Also I like to do what I call whap and go's with my zagi electric plane. I bring it really low and whap the tips of grass with my plane at full bore. It's hilarious. The list goes on and on. Just be creative with stuff you try. Some people may look down on it but hey, if it's not dangerous then heck..... go for it.

Josh

There are also variations you can play with if you like to tinker. What about building a bomb/parachute drop; installing a cheap wireless video camera system or just a still camera, installing a simple smoke system, the ideas are endless.

If budget permits, there are also different types of planes, bipes, fun flies, combat, electrics, even gliders. Each has a different spice to add to the hobby and these are just a few examples.

So long as you are having fun

Nuker