Well my first flight didn't go as planned. I had the Judge profile plane from hobbylobby.com. Guess I don't know what I am doing. I gave her some throttle till it was pulling in my hand, then give it a gentle toss. Went out about 10 feet and nose dived into the ground tearing up the front of the plane beyond repair. I did put CG at 2.5 inches as the directions stated. I think it was just due to the fact I thought I knew what I was doing. It all happened so fast. So now I sit here and wonder weather to order another Judge or seek for a more beginner type plane that my radio and power equipment will work on. I have the electron 6 Hitec receiver, 4 H55 servos, an 18amp Jeti speed control, an AXI 2212/26 motor and electrifly 3 cell Li-Po rated at 1500mah.
Any thoughts on what to do?
I think I would have had better luck taking off like a normal plane rather than the toss. Maybe a bit quicker on the elevator too.

spence

find a local club and get an instructor!!!

[X(]

Or at least some sim time and then some kind of a trainer!

Without assuming like the above posts (OK, I'm assuming the same thing but trying to give the benifit of the doubt)
Was the Judge your first RC plane? have you flown others?

that would help give suggestions....

if it IS your first....
Shelf it for now......

Here is my history on R/C planes.
I bought the Hobbico Nexstar about three months ago and have yet to fly. I work with some guys that fly not very far from here, it is just getting the right time for them and myself. As far as an instructor, that is about a 60 mile trip one way.
So, in the mean time I ordered the Judge. I was thinking, o.k., I can fly it here in my backyard or at the ball field. It does mild to wild so this is something to pursue. So I thought.
It just all stems back to my lack of experience. It has nothing to do with the airplane. I do however own and run G3 simulator. I have flown on there lots so I guess I thought I could handle a foamy. My wife says I better order something that will work with what equipment that came with the Judge. No sense quiting now and wasting what money I have put into this hobby this far.
As I said before, I should have found some pavement somewhere to do a normal take-off till I got used to the way the plane handled. I trimmed it out before flight but who is to say it was right for the plane in flight.

spence

Yes, many.
I think you would have had better luck if you had help. Not trying to flame, just trying to help make your next outing more successful.

Step 1, find an instructor.
Step 2, ask instructor what plane would make a good trainer. If you want to fly electric and he insists on starting with a glow trainer, ask if he knows an instructor who can help with electrics.
Step 3, get said trainer, and with some input from instructor, assemble it.
Step 4, instructor teaches you to fly.

The GWS Slow Stick is frequently recommended as a trainer. You could use your receiver, servos, and batteries in one. If you stick with the stock motor you'll need a new speed controller, since the motor's not brushless. I've seen people put brushless motors on a slow stick, but I think it's overkill for a beginner. If you go with a new speed control, be sure to choose one that's lipo friendly.

Horizon hobby has the GWS line of planes in what they call slope versions,,which just the planes, in a bit larger version with no motor for like $30,,you could just put you rx stuff in there,,not all, but several of the GWS planes are available in slope soarer form,..Rog

I think it was just due to the fact I thought I knew what I was doing.
Yup.

wonder weather to order another Judge or seek for a more beginner type plane that my radio and power equipment will work on.
Neither. Seek an instructor and save yourself some grief and $$$.

Dr.1

Drive the 60 miles at least a couple times. You may be surprised how much money and grief you save with an instructor. ENJOY!!!! RED

Hey guys, read what he said...

Hes at least 60 miles from a trainer and is having problems working out a good time to meet with them...

I hate this attitude here, thats the answer everyone gives to every question in the beginners forum...

It's obvious that hes trying to do it right, but in the meantime, he wants to have fun, there is no fault in that...hes going to break things, ok.

everyone sais that if you learn and crash, you will quit and it wil taint your outlook and make the sport look bad in your eyes and those of others...but it that was the case, the hobby would never have taken off...crashing pretty much makes everyone (including this gentleman apparently) want to try again...

now for the helpfull part...i know this sounds weird...but explain how you threwn the plane, and what you did with the sticks after the toss....

With my stryker (first flights today) i found that you throw with a little (5-10degrees) up angle...and gently (too hard it stalls), and just a little (i find setting the trim up all the way is enough) of up elevator..and when you launch it, let it glide down close the the grond before pulling up...it seems the most likely problem you had was pulling up too soon which since you dont have enough speed, results in a dive..

also...have someone else throw it from you at least for now...practice one of those big foam planes you buy from wal-mart for 5 bux...its about the same throw....anywho, im no pro, so thats all i got....but i think its more helpful than the others here...

Try having your coworkers give you a call when they are going flying and where otherwise you might need to charge up your nexstar trainer and make a trip to the nearest instructor. Keep flying the simulator - then you will probably not have to make as many trips.

don't worry, you'll get a hang of it soon...

here's my story...

started out 2 summers ago, bought an aerobatic trainer thought i can fly fast and get into aerobatic. so took i finished and tried to take off in front of my house w/ a .40 nitro plane. one time it went up to 7 or 8 feet but there was a house down the PAVED runway so i put down elevator and broke the prop. that was so stupid of me, would have lost the plane or even injured someone.

people here are giving you the right advice, do what ever it takes to get an instructor, it would save some planes and $$$$

As said above, GWS Slowstick is your best bet for success. It'll fly slow enough that you can keep ahead of it. Repair parts are cheap. I'm teaching a fellow to fly with one now. If you do get one, launch it at half throttle as thats all it takes to fly it. Full throttle it will get ahead of you. Test glide it in long grass. Trim the rudder till it glides straight. Then trim the elevator till it has a fast flat glide. Then try it with power. To bad one of your friends couldn't trim it out for you. But above all, give it another go, Vince.

I'd fix the Judge first. You have a pretty strong motor in the AXI. What I'd do is look at the control surfaces on the plane and see how much they move at full stick. If you have a computer radio, you can setup whats called "expo". This will allow you to move the stick
further and the control surface to move in small amounts since most new pilots are "heavy" on the sticks. I'd launch that judge on full throttle. I've seen too many electric pilots launching the plane on half or no throttle. By the time they get to move the throttle stick forward, the plane is skimming the grass. Always launch into the wind and always give it a straight toss. Been doing it this way for years and never had a bad launch...well once, I hit my head once with the wing tip of an FMA Razor flying wing. LOL!!! Boy did she ever drop! Once your Judge is all completely beat up with numerous epoxy patches and packing tape, then get something else.
Yep, expo definetly helps!! I use it on all my glow airplanes.

Dave...

i have to agree with all those that say "get help" but i also know how difficult it is to find it. i don't think you particularly need an instructor if you want to fly... but i do think you need some help. while an instructor will teach you everything you need to know to fly safely and responsibly in the club of your choice, "help" will only let you have some stick time and probably pick up a few bad habits... on the other hand, instant gratification is hard to argue. you friends can "buddy box" you and let you fly once it is a two mistakes high. i do this all the time with my friends.

if you're planning to get another plane, i would suggest something more robust, like the hitec skyscooter or one of the "beginner planes" listed at hobby-lobby. i like how you just decided to get a 3D aerobatic plane right out of the box!!! got gusto! 3D planes have no dyhedral so are not sef righting. to get the tail to dangle beneath the prop, the CG of a 3D plane is well behind the recommended CG for a beginner plane so are very twitchy. to make it neutral in all directions the airfoil (or lack of it) is fully symetrical so lift is created purely by the attitude of the plane. what you need is a nice slow flying park flyer. but the problem is that if you bought the recommended hardware, you're looking for a large trainer, something like the

multiplex magistrate - http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXGZV2&P=7

but then it wouldn't be different from your glow engine trainer.

if you like hobby lobby, i would get the following:
easy star - (http://www.hobby-lobby.com/easystar.htm) but you'll have to get another prop or invest in a brushed esc (20A for your lipo's). you can fly this with your axi combination but will require a new prop since your 11" will probably chop off the tail. but this plane is easy to fly (watch the video at hobby lobby) and takes no time to assemble. you can upgrade with larger rudder and ailerons as you grow. larger rudder is credit card glued on... ailerons you cut out yourself. this is mine. i've been flying glow planes (6 in the hanger) and i use this to introduce the hobby to friends.
piper cub - (http://www.hobby-lobby.com/minipiper.htm) but you'll have invest in a new motor/esc

if you like towerhobbies
Multiplex Space Scooter Kit 32.5" - (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXGZV4&P=0) once again, need new esc. this plane, however, i think is one of the best candidates!!!

oh yeah, and trying to take off from the ground (ROG) don't be kidding me unless you're getting the magistrate. you're best off learning how to throw it right :-)

It's unfortunate that you have a problem with people recommending the method of learning that has been proven to be the safest, most successful, and in the long run, cheapest. When a better method comes along, I'm sure you'll see people endorsing it. Until then, it's reasonable to expect that many will continue to recommend what works.
Until he clarified things in his second post, it was not known that he had contacted an instructor. All people knew is he bought a 3D foamie and proved to himself that he couldn't fly it. Given this limited information, suggestions that he get an instructor, and a trainer plane, were appropriate. Would it have been better for people to just say "get another one" so he could break that one too? Perhaps he should just go ahead and place a bulk order for a dozen?
Crashing due to trying to learn on one's own, makes many people quit. It also wastes money and time. The days of having to be a pioneer and learn on one's own are long past. My first crash did not happen until my second plane, shot down by someone else with the same frequency. Learning on one's own almost always involves a cycle of crash, buy replacement parts, repair, crash again, etc. Eventually, some make it, while many (most?) others quit. It doesn't have to be that way.

It broke so bad the motor and motor mount was only hanging on by the wires. A few pieces of foam broke off as well and the foam that managed to stay in one piece compressed and distorted.
The way I tossed it was at hip level at about a 10 to 15 degree upward angle and a pretty gentle toss. It felt like it was just gonna take off in my hand so I thought it didn't need much help to get going. It was at half throttle. I think the fact I started so low, just didn't give me time to get on the sticks. More throttle maybe? Now that I think about it, I don't recall what I did with the sticks. I think it left the safety of my hands and right from the start I knew I was in trouble. It was one of those slow motion things or one of those bad dreams you have when your running from something and you aren't moving but at a snails pace.
I have asked these guys to call me when they go flying. I don't think for reasons unknown to me , they have been flying at all so far this season. My work schedule doesn't work for the best either. I work off shift of these guys and being a 24/7 work schedule, some months I work both Saturdays and Sundays. That is when they do most of their flying.
I really thought this plane would be easy for me to learn on. Then as my skills increase, I could move toward the aerobatic stage. Problem one being, not able to trim plane out as well as someone else for the first flight. Second, me getting in a hurry and not thinking this thing through before launching plane. And, finally, not having anything more than some simulator time under my belt.
As I said above, I do have a brand new trainer hanging in my living room. Just waiting for some help, or an instructor. I got this plane (The Judge) as something to fly right away here at home. I know some of you are thinking why not the aerobird line of planes. I don't like them. A friend of mine got one and he can't fly it in any wind at all. Without having elevators to get a guy out of trouble it is useless in any amount of wind. Where I live you are lucky to get a good day with no wind for a plane solely relying on throttle to gain or lower altitude.
So I guess the search is on for a plane that will accept what equipment I have from the Judge. I may just get another Judge and hope next time goes better and learn from my mistakes.


spence

One more time, consider something like the GWS Slow Stick. It builds easy, flies easy, and is cheap. If you are going to make more attempts at flying by yourself, slow will give you more time to react.

i'd have to wonder if you know what you're doing if you're tossing it from the hip. you probably did it underhand and had it pointed up like someone that's flying a 3D plane going into a harrier or hover. please do not try to fly like those videos on hobby-lobby straight from the crib. i'm shocked you think you could've pulled it off like that. i've flown several years and i've yet to be so ostentatious as to think i could launch it hip level and underhand. i still try to have it as high as it's comfortable and with some models even jog a little to get it going. it's no wonder you planted it. (i have 6 glow and 4 electrics, WM EP rambler, clipped wing cub, easystar, and wattage F4U so i know what i'm talking about)

how much did you learn from the "judge"? call me crazy but i thought if anything, you learned that you couldn't learn on the "judge". but here you go trying to go back to the "judge". lol.

and truth be told... you didn't get the aerobird because you don't much like the way it looks. no elevator my arse... it (aerobird challenger) has a v-tail that functions like the rudder and elevator... but i, too, think that it's not so pleasing to the eye... but if it's better to learn on something less pretty, shouldn't you consider it? if you think that any of us would recommend that you buy another aerobatic plane, you will be disappointed. we all started somewhere. look at this lovely CC LEE toy my friend soloed on with my help. not a pretty plane... but as pretty as it needed it to be.

by the way, should you decide you want to get another 3D machine, don't try to catch it

Hey Spence, i'm new to R/C airplanes this year. I took it upon myself to learn it and figured it out on my own. Someone gave me a old Buzzard plane that i spent the winter fixing and rebuilding. I spent a bit of time with a freeware simulator which was ok and flew a plane once on a buddy stick before i took mine up. mine is a really slow flying old timer and it was really easy to control and even easy to land. i can get 30min flights out of it... i listened to all the people on the forum about their trials and failures but i don't have anyone around here that's into the sport. i wanted to get flying so instead of dreaming about it i just took my time and learned on my own.
anyway, good luck and i commend you on your efforts!

swixtt - what if instead you got a pitts biplane instead of the buzzard? would you have fixed it up and flown it?

Pitts are easy to take off. Go full throttle, wait 2 seconds, pull hard on the elevator, stop pulling when the plane points straight up, push forward to level out when the plane reaches 100 feet!

OK guys! I'm looking hard at the Mountain Models Magpie and the SmoothE. My H 55 servos should work well here. My Hitec Electron 6 Rx and Hitec Flash 5 Tx will work just fine for the radio. I need to contact them to see if my brushless motor and speed control will work as well as the 3 cell li-po battery. I don't see why it wouldn't but I need to do my homework. My AXI motor setup should work for it is rated to fly a 9 to 21 oz. plane. Just need to figure out what size prop to use. My 11x4.7 is too big I think. Both planes say what prop to use. Just don't know if different size is needed due to the high power the AXI motor.

Any thoughts on this guys? I sure need the advise here!

Thanks

spence

yeah i would have definitely fixed it and then done some digging on how it handles. if it was going to be too much then i would have left it alone. if it was a low wing, fast flying plane i would have NOT flown it.

Obviously, he really isn't doing it right!

I find that most of the newbies on here that say they can't get help or they are X miles from help usually haven't looked hard enough and are usually a very short distance from help. Had one the other day talking about driving half way across the state for help, and then find out that there is a good modeler less than a block away from him.

It is easy to make excuses and go crash a plane when you think you know what your doing, but the results are almost always the same.

The answer is pretty simple. Realize that its not that easy, get help and learn without crashing, or crash a bunch of planes, spend a bunch of money, then quit and tell everyone RC sux cause the planes don't fly. Thats what usually happens.